- Spoofing concerns the Attorney General’s office. Here’s how you can protect yourself.
A connected world comes with drawbacks, one of which is managing the flood of unwanted phone calls, whether from companies selling a product or scammers trying to steal your hard-earned money.
In response, the federal government created the No Call Registry more than 20 years ago.
During the recent Telecom Summit held by the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC), Special Assistant Attorney General Jessica Jasper provided an update on how the Attorney General’s office has been regulating the program under the Mississippi Telephone Solicitation Act over the past year. She also shared tips to minimize the frequency of those calls.
By the Numbers
When the No Call List was established in 2003, most scam calls were performed by live humans on the line, but that is not the case today. Robocalls are now the most prevalent form of scam calls.
Unwanted calls are reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the regulating agency the oversees the Do Not Call list. They are then investigated for compliance.
A 2024 report issued by the FTC shows most of the reported unwanted calls were robocalls – 52.7 percent – with live callers making up 36.6 percent of the complaints.
The five most reported topics in Mississippi were medical and prescriptions, followed by debt reduction, imposters, warranties and protection plans, and home security and alarms. Nationally, energy, solar and utilities, and home improvement and cleaning also ranked high.
According to the FTC report, more than 2 million complaints of the Do Not Call registry were lodged with the office. It is a sharp decline from the numbers recorded in 2021, reported to be more than 5 million complaints. The FTC notes that those numbers are not verified complaints, but rather the total number of complaints filed.
In Mississippi, FTC complaints rose nearly 1,300 between 2023 and 2024 while active registrations on the list increased by just over 33,000 numbers to over 1.8 million.
As of September, the FTC indicated that there are 254 million phone numbers actively registered on the Do Not Call Registry. The FTC report shows that Mississippi ranks 47th among active registrations per 100,000 population on the registry while it ranks 41st in the number of complaints.
Within Mississippi, Jasper said the AG’s office investigated almost 7,000 complaints since 2023, the year their office took over its regulation from the PSC.
Exemptions to No Call List
While the Do Not Call Registry aims to reduce unsolicited calls, there are some exemptions, such as real estate agents, car dealers, insurance agents, investment advisors, charities and newspapers.
“So, if you fall into one of these categories you are not… beholden to the MTSA’s requirements and standards,” Jasper told the PSC.
Tips to Avoid Being Targeted
One of the new trends regulatory agencies are noticing is telephone number spoofing, where an illegitimate business or caller “spoofs” the caller identification system to display the number of a credible business in an effort to trick victims into providing sensitive information.
“Businesses across Mississippi are having their number spoofed by these scammers and they are calling actual customers of the business and they’re pretending to be their insurance agent or they’re pretending to be the Illinois AG’s office,” Jasper described.
Some actions Mississippians can take to minimize the number of scam and robocalls include avoiding calls from unknown numbers, especially if the mobile device receiving the call identifies the caller as a potential scam or telemarketer. By answering the call, the number is identified as working.
“Your data will be shared by that telemarketer to other telemarketers and you will receive an influx of more calls,” Jasper explained.
Instead, Jasper suggests blocking calls from unwanted numbers, and potentially subscribing to filters offered by cellphone service providers.
“Because the more numbers you block, they’ll think that your number’s not working and they’ll stop calling you,” she added.
What You Can Do
To get on the No Call Registry list or report an unwanted call, you can visit the FTC’s website to register a land line, cellphone and/or VOIP number, or call 888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register.
Jeremy Pittari
