I’ve heard from many constituents about the prevalence of spam robocalls, which are not only an awful nuisance but really border on criminal harassment.

I have gotten a number of these calls myself. Some are more of just an annoyance - ones claiming my car warranty is expiring and if I would just hit a number or call back, I could extend said warranty, for instance. Others are more serious – claiming social security numbers have been stolen or that the person being called owes the IRS money and if they don’t pay in cash or gift cards right away they face arrest. These calls cause undue anxiety and needless fear.

First, don’t be fooled. The Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration will never call you by phone and ask for payment or for your Social Security Number. They will only contact you by mail. You should never give personal details over the phone to anyone unless you’ve initiated the call and trust the person you are contacting.

Also consider never answering the phone from an unknown number. Con artists have even found ways to siphon money or steal personal information from people who simply answer the phone. If the caller is truly someone you know, they can leave a voicemail and you can call them back. If you get a voicemail from an unknown entity or if you suspect someone is posing as a federal or state agent, don’t return the call. If you are worried that something is amiss, you can always call the actual agency – such as the IRS or the Social Security Administration – to verify it is the one that contacted you.

If you do unwittingly answer a call, don’t press any numbers or respond when prompted. Sometimes just saying yes can result in unauthorized charges.

You may also be able to block these spam numbers on your phone.

This issue falls under the responsibility of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is a federal agency. As such, legislation at the national level is needed and is in the works.

Last October, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and 34 other state attorneys general called for action to prevent robocalls.AG Hunter met with the FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, in May and discussed ways to combat robocalls. The FCC has since adopted measures that, among other things, empower service providers to block illegal robocalls by default before they reach consumers’ phones. The FCC also is demanding telephone companies adopt a robust call authentication system by the end of this year, and Chairman Pai has imposed fines against three of the nation’s largest telemarketers so far.

 In addition, bills passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate that would require telephone carriers to authenticate whether calls are real or spam and offer customers call-blocking services. The legislation specifies that carriers should make sure legal calls, such as those from doctors’ offices, are not blocked. Several of our U.S. representatives and senators are co-sponsoring this legislation. The bills are now being reconciled and final legislation is expected to be sent to the president for his signature this fall.

The FCC estimates 4 billion robocalls are made per month to U.S. consumers. This results in 200,000 complaints, about 60 percent of all complaints, per year to the agency.

For more information on this issue and tips on how to stop or avoid these calls, go to: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts

 You also can send comments directly to the FCC, you can visit www.fcc.gov.Be sure to reference WC Docket No. 17-97 when making comments.

In the meantime, if I can help you in any way, I can be reached at (405) 557-7407 or mike.sanders@okhouse.gov.