Robocalls are top complaint to state AG’s office, so what’s being done?

A Pueblo woman lost her entire savings to a robocall phone scam, and issues like hers are the top consumer complaint made to the Colorado Attorney General’s office this year.

It was the worst phone call Maryann Blair ever answered.

“It’s taken a big hunk out of my life,” said Blair.

A scammer claimed to be from the Social Security Administration and threatened her saying drugs were found in a rental car registered under her name.

It’s the same story we’ve heard before. The scammer threatened all her funds would be locked unless she bought and sent gift cards to a fake government address.

“At the time, I thought I was cooperating for my own best good,” Blair said.

The scammer had Blair’s Social Security number, home address, and driver’s license number.

“It went from bad to worse,” she said wiping tears off her face.

Blair is not alone, the Federal Communications Commission reports Coloradans received 120 million robocalls in just the last year.

So what is the state going to do about it? You may remember this issue was a hot topic during Colorado AG Phil Weiser’s campaign.

“We’ve got to protect our rights as consumers,” he said during a debate before he was elected.

Since then, Weiser’s campaign said he has made tackling the issue a priority.

“Sometimes these are very sophisticated actors who might not even be in our country,” said Weiser. “Having technology that builds in protections for people … that’s going to be super important.”

That technology is now in the works with 12 major U.S. phone companies, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.

In August, these companies made two big promises:

First, they pledged to implement call-blocking technology at the network level at no cost to the consumer. Second, they agreed to add services that would help authenticate calls are coming from a valid source.

It’s unclear when and how this technology will be implemented. But, more information for consumers is expected to be released in the coming months.

Other #FCC tips to avoid phone scams:

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