Robocalls are phone calls initiated through computerized auto-dialers to deliver prerecorded messages to Maine phone users. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it is a robocall. With the advancement in technology, businesses and telemarketers can use autodialers to send out thousands of phone calls every minute at low costs.
You may get robocalls from political candidates running for office or charities asking for donations. In most cases, those robocalls are legal. However, if the recording is a sales message and you have not consented to receive such calls, the call is illegal and is considered a spam call. Many robocalls are used to fleece unsuspecting Mainers.
What are Maine Robocall Scams?
Although some robocalls are made by legitimate companies, many of the robocalls received by Mainers are unsolicited and used for phone scams attempting to convince residents to hand over personal or financial information. Robocalls are relatively cheap and can help reach thousands of residents in one day using auto-dialers with little to no human effort. Hence, it has become less stressful to perpetrate fraudulent acts using robocalls. A phone lookup service can help determine if an incoming call is a robocall
In 2019, Mainers received over 125 million robocalls, more than twice the number of robocalls received in the state in 2017. As of October 2020, over 84 million robocalls have been placed to residents in the state, an average of 66.4 robocalls per person.
How are Robocalls Used in Maine Scams?
Many more Maine residents are falling victim to robocall scams due to a technology called caller ID spoofing. Robocallers often disguise their phone numbers, by using false numbers that display from the same area code as the recipient — or even appear to be the numbers of friends or family. Through caller ID spoofing, robocallers can induce their targets to pick up their calls. For instance, a caller may spoof the caller ID of a law enforcement agency, such as the IRS, and pose as an employee of the organization. The chances of the target answering the call and believing the caller is greatly increased by the supposed IRS caller ID.
Upon getting the target to answer a robocall, the scammer may deploy one of many schemes ranging from conducting surveys to scare tactics to obtain sensitive information or steal money. Common methods of obtaining money from targets include Green Dot Cards, iTunes Card, cryptocurrencies, and prepaid debit cards.
Does Maine Have Anti-Robocall Laws?
Approved on May 30, 2019, by the Governor, Maine S.P. 89 - L.D. 277 prohibits any person from using an automated telephone calling device or an artificial or prerecorded voice to make solicitation calls to residential telephone numbers, emergency telephone numbers, and cellular phones within the state. Maine defines an automated telephone calling device as any system or equipment, including a facsimile machine, that selects, dials, or calls telephone numbers and plays recorded messages or attempts to send facsimiles.
The law prohibits robocalls placed on weekends and before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Maine S.P. 89 - L.D. 277, also known as Maine's Telephone Solicitation law requires persons using automated telephone calling devices to make solicitation calls to maintain a full transcript of each solicitation call message that has been transmitted to consumers during the past 24 months. A copy of the transcript for any requested telephone solicitation must be made available to the Attorney General upon request.
A violator of any portion of the Maine Telephone Solicitation law is liable to pay $10,000 for the first violation and $25,000 for each subsequent violation.
Are there Special Requirements for Robocalls in Maine?
Other than the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) which stipulates guidelines for telemarketers to follow in making robocalls, robocalling guidelines in Maine are covered in Chapter 225 of Title 10 of the Maine Revised Statutes.
By law, the following kinds of robocalls are strictly prohibited:
- Robocalls placed to any unlisted, unpublished, toll-free long-distance, or direct-inward-dial telephone number within the State of Maine
- Robocalls made to any paging or cellular phone within the State of Maine
- Robocalls placed to any emergency telephone numbers in the state, such as hospitals, physicians, healthcare facilities, fire, or law enforcement.
The State also places the following restrictions on robocalls:
- Callers cannot make more than one solicitation call to the same phone number within an eight-hour period
- Any person using an automated dialer must make sure that the device disconnects within five seconds of the call recipient disconnecting.
- A caller must identify the name, address, and telephone number of the organization making the call within the first minute of the call
- The use of automated calling devices that call phone numbers sequentially and without verifying if the numbers are eligible to be contacted is illegal
- Callers must maintain a full transcript of each call message in the previous 24 months
- Calls may be made from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays only.
- Note that Maine does not prohibit the use of automated telephone calling devices or an artificial or prerecorded voice to:
- Respond to a telephone inquiry initiated by the person to whom the automated call or call using an artificial or prerecorded voice is directed
- Carry out the duties of any state or local governmental unit or school administrative unit or private school
- Deliver an emergency message by a governmental entity
- Deliver information with the prior, written, express consent of the recipient of the call
- Inform purchasers of the receipt, availability, or delivery of goods or services to any other pertinent information on the status of any purchased goods or services
- Communicate with a business about reservations, purchases, and other information for customers, such as hours of operation, directions, and merchandize availability.
How Do I Stop Robocalls?
An average of 66.4 robocalls per person has been placed to Mainers as of October 2020, with more than half of that number originating from scammers. A clear indication that robocalls are getting more intrusive and annoying. One way to limit the number of unsolicited calls is to register your number on the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call List. With over a million active registrations in the state, Maine has one of the highest figures of registered phone numbers on the FTC's registry. Note that having your number added to the registry does not stop political calls, charitable calls, debt collection calls, information calls, and telephone survey calls.
Other steps to take to stop robocalls include:
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers
- Hang up on robocalls. If you answer a call and you hear a recorded message, hang up immediately. Do not press any buttons; it will only lead to more unsolicited calls.
- Use your phone's settings. Both Android and iOS devices have settings that allow users to manually block phone numbers and tag certain numbers as spam.
- Download and install third-party call-blocking applications such as Nomorobo, YouMail, Truecaller, or Hiya.
- Report robocalls to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- File robocall complaints online with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)