“Robocalls” have become a daily nuisance for many Americans over the past several years, and the trend has recently been gaining recognition as a significant concern from experts within the cyber security industry.

These calls represent a clear invasion of privacy and in many cases are being conducted illegally, resulting in an outcry from millions of concerned citizens. In 2019 alone, the federal government proposed several pieces of legislation focused on squelching the frequency and impact of these troublesome calls, and this legislation enjoyed almost unanimous momentum in the House of Representatives.

Robocalls, sometimes referred to as “spam calls,” have angered many about what previously was regarded as a legitimate and effective means of mass correspondence and marketing. Unbeknownst to most, the Federal Trade Commission heavily regulates legitimate robocalls, and many organizations use this communication medium as a means to spread important notifications (appointment confirmations/reminders from doctors’ offices and school closure alerts to parents).

Robocalls, as they are known today, typically refer to illegal robocalls which are a form of “vishing,” the tactic of fraudulently making phone calls under false pretense or identity in an attempt to elicit information or money from unsuspecting victims.

These calls can take almost any form, but are often falsely purported to be from warranty centers, support personnel, credit providers, banks or government agencies. They are actually ruses to trick people into sharing sensitive information such as social security numbers or bank account information.

Often times, these robocalls can be quite convincing, so it is important to remain diligent to avoid falling victim to these scams. As a rule, it is a safe practice to check caller IDs before picking up the phone and to never answer calls from unknown or blocked caller IDs.

It is important to note that robocallers will often spoof their caller IDs so that their area codes match those of their intended victims, and this is something to be wary of as well. Typically, if a call is legitimate, the caller will be willing to leave a voicemail, so there is no need to answer the call immediately.

For some, it might be tempting to engage with a robocaller either as a joke or to intentionally mislead or provide false information. This is not recommended practice since the robocalls themselves are sometimes used as red herrings for other covert cyber-attacks; especially for phone calls made to cellular devices or through digital calling applications.

A few key indicators to look out for in avoiding and screening robocalls? Normally these auto-dialed calls begin with dead air, in which case it is a good practice to stay silent for a few moments after picking up the phone. If there is a human on the other end of the phone, they will likely break the silence and begin the conversation, but if the dead air continues, then simply hang up.

A good way to discern between legitimate and illegitimate robocalls is to focus on context clues. As a rule, illegal robocallers rarely ever identify a specific company that they are representing, but will instead rely on vague descriptors as formal identifiers. If the prerecorded message does not identify a specific company or agency, or if they do not provide a call-back number, then it is reasonable to assume that the call is a scam.

It is a common belief that “do not call” lists will help alleviate the headache of robocalls, but unfortunately this misconception is unfounded since these lists only apply to authentic, legal businesses, legitimate telemarketing firms and regulated agencies. Illegal robocallers have no regard for written law or common courtesy and therefore blatantly ignore these lists.

That is not to say that registering for do not call lists is not a good habit to get into, but it should be known that this will not prevent robocalls altogether. In some cases, legal action is a valid recourse for individuals who find themselves victims of vishing attacks, excessive robocalls, or telemarketing scams, and legal professionals should be consulted in these situations.

Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communication Commission both provide valuable information and resources on their websites regarding the prevention and the reporting of illegal robocalls.

William Spettmann of Ledyard is a cybersecurity specialist at Electric Boat.