Individuals in Mississippi receiving phone calls from unknown numbers are being advised to not answer the phone or share any personal information. MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports on how people can protect themselves from robocalls and phone scams.
The Mississippi Public Service Commission is urging residents to take precautions when answering calls from phone numbers they don't recognize. The Commission is charging Contact Center Specialists of Cheyenne, Wyoming with 580 alleged violations of the No-Call law which could result in $2.9 million in fines. Cecil Brown is Central District Commissioner.
"The biggest thing we are concerned about is where people give out private information and then some will access your credit card or some will access your bank account," said Brown. "Particularly the elderly people try to get them to send them money. That happens too often."
According to the tech company, Hiya, about 26.3 billion robocalls were made to mobile phones in the U.S. in 2018.
Jeremy Thompson is owner of Computer Doctors and Phone Surgeons in Hattiesburg. He says in addition to people being able to block unknown numbers on their devices, they can also download different applications.
"It can help flag the calls and let you know that there is a potential spam dialer or there is a confirmed spam dialer," said Thompson. "Sometimes it can even tell you if it's an IRS scam, or a telemarketer, or what have you."
Mississippians can register for the No-Call List on the Public Service Commission's website.
