Can Congress stop robocalls?

Fed up with robocalls? Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are, too, and now there may finally be legislation to help. Consumer Reports has more on how these bills could help you hang up on those incessant and often predatory calls.

The discussion on Capitol Hill is focused on legislation that would beef up existing laws and ensure that phone companies implement technologies to reduce “spoofed” calls, where scammers mask their identity with fake numbers that might look familiar or local.

The protections in place haven’t been enough to prevent consumers from being hounded by robocalls, but these proposals in Congress would ensure that phone companies do more to stop spoofed calls. That would be a major win for consumers.

As for how you can protect yourself now? CR says you can try using your phone carrier’s anti-robocall service.

Many companies offer alerts to tell consumers that an incoming call may be from a telemarketer, and others offer services that block calls from probable scammers.

Also available are third-party robocall-blocking apps. CR says Nomorobo, Hiya, and YouMail offer call-protection options.

To find out what your phone carrier offers, go to its website and look for links referring to call security or call blocking.

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