Scam calls are getting more sophisticated. The calls are now coming in from area codes that seem like local numbers.
Action News Jax viewers have been calling us up, wanting to know how to stop these calls. We found an app that could stop those calls to your phone and give the callers a taste of their own medicine.
The app is called RoboKiller, which won a contest sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission. It is billed as a highly intelligent and constantly growing database that can block hundreds of thousands of phony numbers.
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"I think somebody's got to fight back," said Ethan Garr, the vice president of RoboKiller.
The app's success comes from "audio fingerprinting." It remembers the scammer's voice, not just the telephone number. That way, even if a scammer calls from a new phone number, the app can add that new number to the blocked-calls list.
The app also has a feature called Answerbot that lets users get back at the scammers. The feature lets users choose from a list of sarcastic, interactive recordings. The recordings answer the call and have long conversations with the scammers to waste time.
"They think they're talking to a human, and it drives them insane," Garr said.
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He calls the feature more than a gimmick. Some conversations have lasted more than 40 minutes, keeping scammers from calling new potential victims during that time.
Michael McCann, a man fed up with scammers, tested the app. He downloaded it for a week and came back to us impressed.
"So far, so good," he said. "I've had no robocalls that have happened."
McCann said he went from getting several phony calls a week to zero.
"I think it's very important to have something like this if you want to make sure your privacy is protected," McCann said.
The app is free for the first week of use. After that, there are monthly charges based on the features you select.
RESOURCES FOR YOU:
• There is only one Do Not Call Registry, operated by the Federal Trade Commission, with information available at donotcall.gov. There is no separate registry for cellphones. The Do Not Call Registry accepts registrations from both cellphones and landlines. To register by telephone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). You must call from the phone number that you want to register. To register online, you will have to respond to a confirmation email.
• The FCC's guide to stopping unwanted phone calls can be found here.
• To file a complaint with the FCC, click here or call 1-888-225-5322.
• To report a scam to the Federal Trade Commission, use the FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
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