Ohioans report nearly 30,000 illegal robocalls since March

To avoid potential scam, Ohio AG says: ‘Just don’t answer’

Ohioans have reported nearly 30,000 illegal robocalls since March, Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday.

Yost launched an anti-robocall initiative six months ago in an effort to fight back against the potential scam calls from the automated calls. The Robocall Enforcement Unit has analyzed and shared data from the 27,931 illegal calls and texts reported, and in June filed a lawsuit against a Texas business he said is responsible for billions of those calls.

Now, Yost is reminding Ohioans that the best scam prevention is to “just don’t answer” calls from phone numbers they do not recognize.

“Scammers follow the news and create variations of common scams based on current events,” Yost said. “Among other things, the public should be on guard for scams related to COVID, charitable donations and the upcoming election in an attempt to defraud them of personal information and money through robocalls and text messages.”

  • Other general tips to combat robocalls include:
  • Never interact with a suspected scam robocaller in any way.
  • Avoid providing personal or financial information by phone.
  • Review terms and conditions when opting-in on websites that require a phone number.
  • Register your phone number with the Do Not Call Registry online at DoNotCall.gov or b phone at 1-888-382-1222. Political and polling/research calls from live callers are permitted as exceptions to the Do Not Call laws but robocalls to mobile numbers require prior consent.
  • Research services offered by your phone provider or apps to block unwanted calls.

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