End of annoying robocalls? FTC cracks down on deceptive practices

The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with XCast Labs after the Voice over Internet Protocol provider was accused of facilitating billions of robocalls. Federal regulators sued the California-based company, claiming it helped other companies navigate around the Do Not Call Registry.

Now, XCast Labs might have to pay a $10 million fine and must start screening companies to make sure they're following U.S. telemarketing laws.

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XCast Labs is accused of aiding other companies to make more than a hundred million robocalls. The California-based voice provider denies any wrongdoing in the settlement. The FTC has been on the case since 2020. That's when it sent out a letter to Voice over Internet Protocol providers, including XCast Labs, reminding them that aiding illegal telemarketers is against the law.

It filed a complaint back in May, claiming the company still transmitted illegal robocalls. Some of those calls even involved telemarketers posing as government officials, including from the Social Security Administration.

Not only will XCast Labs face a proposed $10 million fine and begin screening companies, but it also has to cut business ties with illegal telemarketers.

MORE: HOW HACKERS CAN SEND TEXT MESSAGES FROM YOUR PHONE WITHOUT YOU KNOWING

How to protect yourself from robocalls

There are 7 things you can do to keep robocalls away.

You can register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry using this link. While this settlement proves there are ways around the registry, it's still an additional layer of security.

Simple as this sounds, this is the easiest way of avoiding a potentially dangerous call. Most carriers now have a way of identifying robocalls by identifying them as "Spam Risk" or the like. Another way they try to get you is by using your local area code, sometimes even the first three digits of your or a family member's phone number, to entice you to answer. Making it all the more important for you to take an extra careful look at the number on your screen.

Another way around this is by blocking unknown phone numbers in your phone settings

For iPhone users: To silence unknown callers:

*Settings may vary depending on your Android phone's manufacturer

For Android users: To silence unknown callers:

One thing that is important to remember should you use this feature is that it not only blocks potential SPAM callers, but it also blocks any unknown phone number you have never called or texted. So, you might want to think twice about enabling this if you're expecting a call from someone from whom you haven't received a call or text.

Your personal information is out on the web. If you want to make your personal information inaccessible, you might want to look into removal services. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for removal services here.

Should an unknown number have called you and not left a voice message, it's more than likely it was a robocall. While other robocalls go directly to voicemail with a threatening or enticing message, urging those truly vulnerable to act fast. Either way, you can manually block these numbers on an iPhone by:

MORE: HOW TO SEND SPAM CALLS DIRECTLY TO VOICEMAIL

Several wireless carriers provide their own free robocall scanning and blocking services. Among them:

Several third-party apps can help protect you from scam artists. Among our most recommended include:

MORE: HOW TO IGNORE YOUR FRIEND'S TEXT MESSAGES AND PRETEND YOU NEVER SAW THEM

You might recall all 51 attorney generals backing a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put an end to illegal and malicious texts. Since then, the FCC has included spam texts in do-not-call protections. More companies are also looking for ways to fine spammers. T-Mobile just introduced new fines for illegal spam texting this year. You can also block spam texts on an iPhone and Android following these steps.

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer. 

Most carriers also offer options to block spam calls and texts, such as Verizon’s Block Calls & Messages, AT&T’s Secure Family and T-Mobile’s Message blocking. The exact steps to use these features will vary depending on your carrier.

While this settlement proves there are ways around the National Do Not Call Registry, it also highlights how important it is to have as many layers of security as you can. Each one protects you at a different level, ensuring spam calls and texts likely won't head your way.

Are you worried about more companies skirting past the National Do Not Call Registry? How do you keep robocalls at bay? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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