Watchdog organizations like the Better Business Bureau warn against donating to charities over the telephone, but reports indicate that fraudsters are still utilizing robocalls to great effect as they prey on donors’ generous natures.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers report losing h
undreds of millions of dollars a year to robocalls, a scam used by perpetrators of fraud in which donations to bogus charities are solicited over the phone.
While some people may be surprised to learn such scams are still effective, a report from YouMail, a free robocall-blocking service, sheds some light on just how common robocalls are.
According to YouMail, in July 2018, 1,591 robocalls were placed every second.
That means roughly 137.5 million such calls are made every day.
And the people behind these calls are very clever, sometimes using famous people’s actual voices to convince innocent people of a bogus charity’s legitimacy. In 2017, the Connecticut Better BusinessBureau issued a warning about robocalls using the voices of celebrities.
The warning indicated that, after hearing the voice of a famous person, consumers were prompted to press a button to speak with a “donation agent.”
Consumers concerned about being victimized by robocalls should heed the advice of watchdog organizations and never donate or agree to donate over the phone.