Let's Demand that Our Leaders Take Action on Phone...

JeffD473209 · ‎12-19-2020

I receive as many as 16 phone scam calls per day. I still work (self-employed) so I must answer the phone if I am unsure whether it is a scam. Since scammers hijack private and public phone numbers to make their criminal calls, it is not always obvious that it is a scammer calling.

This is time-consuming and irritating, but what bothers me far more is when I think about another older American receiving one of these calls and being swindled out of their savings . . . or falling while rushing to answer a scam call. And then my blood boils.

Why is phone scammery still happening after 3+ years? Why hasn't our U.S. Government (which has no problem overregulating We, The People "to protect us from ourselves") responded to this crisis to protect its most vulnerable citizens from (mostly) foreign thieves? My U.S. Senator's advice to me: "Buy NoMoRoBo"! Why should I? Isn't it HIS/HER job to protect us from these parasites? Isn't that what our taxes are for? Grrr . . .

And what about AARP? Aren't YOU a lobbying group? Are YOU lobbying Congress to pass bills to put an end to this? All they would have to do is to threaten to withhold humanitarian and military funding to those nations who harbor these criminals . . . and the problem just might go away.

Is anyone else as bothered by this as I am? If so, perhaps we can form some sort of coalition to protest this negligence on the part of our elected "leaders". At the very least, please start making phone calls and sending emails and letters to your Senators and Congressmen and -women. I just can't understand how they can ignore this yet claim that they care so much about us.

Jeff Dreibus

Nebo, NC

AARPBriana · ‎12-22-2020

@JeffD473209 This is definitely an issue on our radar. Last year, we endorsed the TRACED act which would help reduce these unwanted calls. You can read more at: https://press.aarp.org/2019-12-4-2019-AARP-Endorses-Congressional-Agreement-on-Federal-Robocall-Legi....

JeffD473209 · ‎12-22-2020

Briana,

Yes, I have heard my Congressman and Senators tout this measure before. That's all well and good, but apparently they never bothered to enact this legislation because I am still receiving up to 16(!) scam calls per day. And if they did enact it, then it is too weak a measure to actually get the job done.

So the question remains: what are we going to do to halt this clear and present danger to our older citizens? I'm a child of the '60s, so I'm not opposed to participating in a good old-fashioned peaceful protest on the U.S. Capitol steps . . .

Jeff

JeffD473209 · ‎12-21-2020

Well, apparently no one among the 58 who have viewed this post (as of 8:25 a.m. EST) is as bothered by this as I am . . . and so it will continue apace.