What is a Virginia Robocall?

A robocall is a pre-recorded message that is initiated by an auto-dialer and delivered through a telephone to various phone numbers at the same time. The main difference between a spam call and a robocall is that all spam calls are unwanted calls, unlike robocalls, which can be personally programmed as reminders for specific events.

As a result of their relative cheapness compared to regular phone calls, and because of their ability to contact many people simultaneously, robocalls are used to disseminate information. Robocalls are also used as a marketing tool by telemarketers. Note that before a telemarketer can contact an individual via robocall, the telemarketer must obtain written consent from the person.

In the United States, robocalls can only be made to people without their permission if they fall under the following categories:

• The robocall is from hospitals, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers;
• The robocall is a political call or contains a political message;
• The robocall concerns debt collection;
• The robocall contains a message that is strictly meant to inform the receiver;
• The robocall is from a charitable organization and is made to either a member of the organization or a person who has made a previous donation to the organization.

Robocalls made without the call receiver’s permission and do not belong to any of the categories above are considered illegal, mostly if they are made to either solicit money or obtain personal information.

What are Virginia Robocall Scams?

A Virginia robocall scam is an illegal robocall made to a Virginian to defraud the person. These calls are usually made without the consent of the receiver. Because of their cost-effective nature, robocalls scams have become increasingly popular amongst con artists and scammers. According to the Do Not Call Data Book published by the Federal Trade Commission, Virginia recorded over 125,000 robocall complaints in 2019. Virginia was also the 8th highest state with Do Not Call Registry complaints for that year.

A popular method that phone scammers use to incorporate robocalls into their cons is neighborhood spoofing. This is a technique where scammers disguise their caller IDs so that their potential target believes that the call originated from their neighborhood. The scammers then use these spoofed numbers to send their targets a prerecorded message soliciting funds. Sometimes, the scammers may spoof their caller IDs to make their target believe that the robocall originated from a government agency. The prerecorded messages sent in these scams usually contain information that tries to convince the receiver that they are in some type of trouble, which can be solved by pressing a particular number to speak with a live government agent.

Even though there are various methods con artists use to incorporate robocalls into their scams, these scams generally have a few characteristics in common:

• The calls generally have a sense of urgency and pressure the receiver to make a decision quickly;
• The calls require you to press a particular number to stop receiving messages or to speak to a live representative of the organization for further details;
• The calls appear to originate from a number that looks familiar;
• The calls solicit for some payment, usually in the form of prepaid money cards, wire transfer, or gift cards.

Does Virginia Have Anti-Robocall Laws?

The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act is a state law that protects Virginians against unwanted telephone solicitation calls by requiring telemarketers to follow specific guidelines when contacting state residents. This act is enforced by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, and violators are charged fines ranging from $500 - $5,000. In addition to this, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General is legally authorized to enforce the Telephone and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which are federal anti-robocall laws.

Are there Special Requirements for Robocalls in Virginia?

As stipulated by the Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act, all telephone solicitation calls made in or to Virginia must meet specific criteria. These include:

• The call must be made to a receiver that has given written consent to the person or establishment on whose behalf the call is being made;
• The call must be made between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. unless the receiver has given prior consent to be contacted outside this timeframe;
• The call must identify the person or establishment on whose behalf the message is being relayed as soon as the receiver picks up;
• The call must display accurate caller ID information of the person or establish on whose behalf the call is being made;
• The call must provide a number that the receiver can contact during regular business hours, and that can be used to withdraw consent for further telephone solicitation calls.

Several federal requirements also govern robocalls in the United States. Some of these requirements are:

• Political campaign calls can only be made to protected phone lines, mobile devices, and cell phones if the receiver has given consent;
• If an auto-dialer is used to initiate the call, the auto-dialer must release the telephone line not later than five seconds after the receiver hangs up.

Any robocall that does not comply with these requirements is considered an illegal robocall. As part of the efforts by the United States to tackle the rising menace of robocall scams, all phone companies in the country have been mandated to implement the Federal Communications Commission’s STIR/SHAKEN system on or before the end of June 2021.

How Do I Stop Robocalls?

Unwanted robocalls are interruptive and annoying. These calls also increase the likelihood of unsuspecting Virginians falling victim to phone scams, leading to a devastating loss of privacy and money. Because of these risks, Virginians are advised to take specific steps to reduce the occurrence of them receiving unwanted robocalls:

• Do not answer calls from unknown numbers;
• Hang up as soon as you realize the call is an unwanted robocall;
• Reduce the number of telemarketers that can contact you by adding your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry;
• Find out the various methods available to you for blocking unwanted calls. Some phones have built-in options for this, and some telecommunications providers also offer this service as an option;
• Install software and apps that block calls from numbers that have been flagged as suspicious by other users. Some of these apps also have phone lookup and reverse phone number lookup features that can help you determine the originating source of a phone call;
• If you answer a robocall, do not press any numbers to speak to a live person or to stop receiving calls. Most times, pressing these numbers makes you receive more robocalls;
• Report all unwanted calls to the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.