58.5
58.5 BILLION OF YOU DIDN'T WANT.
>>>
>>> SOME
>>> SOME NEW NUMBERS THIS WEEK SHOW AMERICANS GOT 58.5 BILLION
OF SOMETHING, I AM GUESSING
MOST OF THE 58.5 BILLION OF YOU
DID NOT WANT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ROBO CALLS.
GORDON SEVERSON DIVES INTO THE
SUN TO FIGURE OUT WHY SO MANY
CAME LAST YEAR AND WHAT IN THE
HECK OUR ELECTED FRIENDS IN
WASHINGTON ARE DOING TO STOP
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> Reporter: THE STRUGGLE
ISRAEL.
ISRAEL.
ISRAEL. ROBO CALLS, THE AVERAGE
AMERICAN GETS ONE EVERY OTHER
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. THAT
DAY. THAT IS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE
SEEING HERE IN MINNESOTA.
WHERE AVERAGE, BUT IN SOME
PLACES LIKE WASHINGTON, D.C.,
IT IS FOUR TIMES WORSE.
>> THE PROBLEM IS OUT THERE
BECAUSE IT IS SO EASY FOR ROBO
COLORS TO MAKE MILLIONS OF
CALLS, AND THEY WORKED.
>> Reporter: ALEX BELIEVES HE
HAS BEEN DEALING WITH ROBO CALLS
FOR NEARLY A DECADE.
HE IS THE CEO OF YOU MAIL, A
SOFTWARE COMPANY THE STOPS ROBO
CALLS DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.
IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, HE'S IS
THE NUMBER OF ROBO CALLS WENT
UP 92%.
UP 92%.
UP 92%. 58.5 BILLION CALLS LAST YEAR.
HERE IS WHY.
>> PEOPLE STOPPED ANSWERING THE
PHONE AS MUCH, AND THEY USE
TOOLS, THEY STARTED USING APPS
THAT BLOCK CALLS.
THAT MADE IT HARDER FOR ROBO
CALLERS TO GET THROUGH.
WILL, IF YOU CANNOT GET THROUGH
ON THE FIRST CALL, WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO?
YOU WILL MAKE ANOTHER CALL AND
ANOTHER CALL AND ANOTHER CALL.
>> AS BEING SMARTER ABOUT THE
PROBLEM IS ACTUALLY CREATING A
BIGGER PROBLEM.
BIGGER PROBLEM. BUT ANOTHER REASON WE SAW MORE
ROBO CALLS LAST YEAR IS MORE
BAD GUYS SAW THE POTENTIAL TO
MAKE MONEY, AND ALSO MORE GOOD
COMPANIES ARE USING THEM, TOO.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD ROBO
CALL YOU PROBABLY ONLY THINK
ABOUT THE BAD CALLS.
BUT, THERE ARE MANY GOOD ROBO
CALLS, TOO.
CALLS, TOO. >> OUR DATA SHOWS ABOUT HALF OF
THE MARKET AND HALF OF THEM ARE
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. SO
ABOUT. SO IN THE GOOD CATEGORY, IT IS
THE PHARMACY REMINDING YOU FOR
YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS READY, THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT TELLING YOU
THERE IS A SNOW DAY.
>> Reporter: SO, THERE IS A
PLACE FOR ROBO CALLS, THE GOOD
ONES, AT LEAST.
THE PROBLEM IS, HOW DO YOU GET
RID OF THE BAD WHILE PROTECTING
THE GOOD?
THE GOOD?
THE GOOD? HE SAYS THE LAW CONGRESS
EVENTUALLY CAME UP WITH, THE
TRACE ACT THAT THEY SIGNED INTO
LAW ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, WILL
HELP A LITTLE, BY GETTING LAW
ENFORCEMENT MORE TOOLS TO GO
AFTER THE BAD ROBO CALLERS AND
FORCING THE PHONE CARRIERS TO
BLOCK FAKE PHONE NUMBERS.
>> THESE ARE GOOD THINGS TO
HELP REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
CALLS, ON THE OTHER HAND,
THOUGH, IT IS VERY, VERY EASY
FOR NEW ROBO CALLERS TO START
UP.
UP.
UP. >>
UP. >> Reporter: AND, THEY ARE
SMART.
SMART.
SMART. THEY WILL FIND NEW WAYS AROUND
IT.
IT.
IT. HE
IT. HE SAYS WE MIGHT SEE A SMALL
DECREASE IN ROBOCALLS THIS
YEAR, MAYBE A 10% DROP AT THE
MOST, HE SAYS.
BUT UNLESS CONGRESS DOES
SOMETHING DRASTIC THAT WOULD
HURT BOTH THE GOOD AND THE BAD
ROBO CALLS, THEY WILL KEEP
COMING THROUGH.
COMING THROUGH. >> WHAT CONSUMERS DO ABOUT IT,
JUST GET THE ROBO CALL BLOCKING
APPS, DO NOT ANSWER UNKNOWN
CALLS, AND DO A LITTLE BIT OF
RESEARCH BEFORE YOU CALL A
NUMBER BACK.
NUMBER BACK. IF YOU DO ALL THAT, THAT WILL
MINIMIZE THE IMPACT
SIGNIFICANTLY.
SIGNIFICANTLY. >> Reporter: AND ANOTHER REASON
ROBO CALLS ARE SO HARD TO STOP,
THEY ARE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO
TRACK.
TRACK.
TRACK. MUST COME FROM OVERSEAS, SO
TRACKING THEM DOWN AND CATCHING
THEM TAKES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT
OF TIME AND MONEY.
AND THERE ARE ALSO SO MANY
DIFFERENT SCAMS OUT THERE.
WE ACTUALLY LEARNED ABOUT ONE
OF THEM TODAY, OUR COWORKER,
CRAIG, WHO SHOT THE VIDEO FOR
THIS STORY, WAS GETTING PHONE
CALLS FROM THESE TWO NUMBERS,
ONE IN RUSSIA, AND ONE OF THEM
IN VIETNAM.
IN VIETNAM. AND OUR EXPERT SAYS IN THIS
SCAM, THEY WANT YOU TO CALL
BACK SO THEY CAN CHARGE YOU
LONG DISTANCE FEES, UP TO FIVE
BUCKS A MINUTE.
AND THEY WILL SAY ANYTHING TO
KEEP YOU ON THE LINE AND KEEP
CHARGING YOU MONEY, AND EXPERTS
BELIEVE THAT THIS SCAM ALONE
HAS SKIMMED PEOPLE OUT OF $10
BILLION IN AMERICA.
>> I HAVE NEVER EVEN SEEN A
NUMBER LIKE THAT.
MAYBE YOU DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER
TO THIS, BUT I GET A LOT OF
TEXT MESSAGES, NOT SO MANY
CALLS ANYMORE.
CALLS ANYMORE. BUT I AM NOT SURE IF THE TEXTS
ARE REAL.
ARE REAL.
ARE REAL. THEY LOOK REAL, LIKE HEY, THIS
IS COMCAST, THIS IS A