OK, here I go.
Come on, you got this.
[CHEERING]
One more point for the win.
One more for the win!
I can do this!
OK.
Here we go.
[PHONE RINGING]
Awe.
Hold on, hold on.
Let me see--
Who's interrupting us?
Let's put it on speakerphone.
OK, here we go.
--enforcement agencies to suspend your social security
number--
A robocall?
--on an immediate basis.
Are you serious?
How do we stop these annoying robocalls?
Actually, I happen to know a thing or two about robocalls,
because I lead the coverage of robocalls
here at Consumer Reports.
But let me ask you a question.
Why did you answer that call in the first place?
I thought it was my plumber calling.
And the area code looked so familiar to me.
That's because that's a spoofed call.
That's when robocallers mask the number they're calling from,
make them look like it's a number that's
in your neighborhood, gets you to answer the phone
to pick up the call.
But you shouldn't do that.
If you don't recognize the call, don't answer, because probably
on the other end is somebody who's
trying to separate you from your money.
It's a particular problem for older people, more vulnerable
consumers, because they're really
the targets of these scams.
So would signing up to a Do Not Call Registry help?
You know, it could help some.
But you got to keep in mind that the crooks who
are out to get you, they pay no attention to that list.
OK, got it.
Got it?
Great, move over.
We have a game here.
OK, come on.
[PHONE RINGING]
Ugh, Jack, phone?
This call is officially a final notice from IRS.
Internal Revenue--
Sorry, guys.
Margo, another robocall.
How do you stop these things?
How do you stop them?
Well, that's the IRS call.
That's a really common one.
Here's another thing you can do.
Go on your telephone company's website,
and find out what kind of robocall-blocking services
they offer.
Many of them do, they're often free.
Some of them will recognize when a telemarketer
is trying to call you and give you the option of not answering
that call.
Or they can block known robocallers,
and they won't even ring on your phone.
They have algorithms that recognize
known robocall numbers, and theoretically
keep them from even ringing on your phone.
That's great advice, Margo.
Thank you.
And, guys, sorry for the interruption.
It's OK, Jack.
It happens to all of us.
So then I said, you're crazy.
Next time, I'll get the beef jerky.
[LAUGHTER]
Is everything OK, Jack?
Yeah, sorry, Omar.
I got distracted.
Now I'm getting these robotexts.
Margo, ever since I took your advice,
I've been getting fewer spam calls.
But how do I get rid of these robotexts?
Yeah, how do you get rid of these robotexts?
Oh, yeah, this is definitely a scam text.
Whatever you do, do not respond to it.
Don't click on a link on it.
If you do that, you're just going to get more robocalls
and robotexts.
And whatever you do, don't give them
your personal information like your bank account
or your social security number or your credit card number.
OK?
But here's something you can do.
You can forward the text to 7726, That's SPAM, S-P-A-M.
And then your mobile company knows to block the number.
Well, it seems like everyone's getting robocalls and robotexts
right?
I mean, I get about three a day.
It drives me nuts.
Is the government doing anything about this problem, Margo?
Well, as a matter of fact, Congress and the FCC
have started to get serious about robocalls.
And they're leaning on the telephone companies
to use technology more to combat this problem for consumers.
But you know, it's a war.
It's the good guys versus the bad guys.
Until the good guys win, you have a role to play too.
And that means, don't answer your phone
if you don't recognize the number that's
coming up on your caller ID.
And make sure that you have a really robust contacts list.
So your doctor's number's in there,
the pharmacy number is in there.
So that way, you know that it's OK to answer a call that you
want to receive.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hold on a second.
Hello?
Ugh, not again.
OK, here's my address.
No!
Told you not to give away any of your personal information.
Take it easy, guys.
It's just my dentist.
He keeps on losing my address.
Oh.