OAKLAND, Fla. – David Brady, of Oakland, said the calls to his 17-year-old son were enough for him to go public to warn parents robocalls could connect with their kids’ cellphones too.
“My concern is for other teens that get these calls and don’t have the relationship we have,” Brady said.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, unwanted calls has surged to 4 billion a month.
Robocalling is cheap and lucrative for scammers who target consumers in Central Florida and across the United States.
A recent Harris Poll found that Americans are ripped off to the tune of $9.5 billion each year.
Brady said his son called him for advice after receiving two robocalls in the same week; one from the police another from the Social Security office.
In one of the recorded messages, a man identifying himself as Officer Cole from the Social Security office told the teen his account had been compromised.
“It was a scam first word I heard," Brady said. “I was concerned because with him being 17 and getting these kind of calls, he could get into some kind of trouble.”
The second recorded message made it sound like his son was in trouble, “4- arrest warrants,” the robocall message announced.
Brady said the calls his son received were “threatening, stern and direct and to the point.”
“I’m scared for my kids and every other kid out there that has a cellphone," Brady said. “The parents have just got to get more involved and make sure they have more communication with their children and understand that these are scams.”
Brady said he has received recorded threats from people claiming to be with the IRS but he knew they were all fakes.
“If I don’t recognize the number I don’t answer it and let it go into voicemail," Brady said. “I don’t respond to any of that stuff.”
According to the YouMail Robocall Index, an estimated 36.6 million robocalls were placed in the 407-area code in August alone, that works out to roughly 25.4 calls per person.
You can sign up with your cellphone carrier’s Robocall alert service, some are free while some have premium services for a monthly fee.
YouMail offers a robocall blocking service at no charge to consumers. For more information go to YouMail.com.