FCC robocall crackdown could change phone privacy

Robocalls are the phone version of stepping on a Lego barefoot. You know the pain. Your phone buzzes during dinner, during a meeting or right when you finally sit down. Then a fake bank alert, Medicare scam or "urgent" car warranty pitch tries to hijack your day.

So when the Federal Communications Commission says it wants to crack down on illegal robocalls, most people will probably say, "Finally."

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a recent press release, "We must bring meaningful robocall relief to consumers." A few days later, the FCC said stopping illegal calls remains its top consumer protection priority.

The agency has reason to be aggressive. Late last year, a report from the consumer advocacy group U.S. PIRG Education Fund found that Americans had received 2.14 billion robocalls per month in 2024. That works out to only a handful per person on average, but robocalls do not hit everyone evenly. Some Americans can get hit with dozens of spam calls in a single day.

Still, the FCC's proposed fix raises a new question. Could the fight against robocalls also make it harder to get a phone without having to hand over more personal information?

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FBI WARNS OF DANGEROUS NEW ‘SMISHING' SCAM TARGETING YOUR PHONE

Last month, the FCC voted to seek public comment on stronger "Know Your Customer" rules for voice service providers. These rules are not final yet. The FCC is still gathering feedback, including privacy concerns. Under the proposal, phone providers may have to collect more information from new and renewing customers before giving them access to service. That could include a full legal name, physical address, government ID and an existing phone number.

For higher-volume customers, the FCC is also looking at additional checks. Providers may need to review how the customer plans to use the service and whether other details look suspicious. The goal is to stop bad actors before they can flood phone networks with illegal calls. 

That sounds reasonable when you picture a scam call center blasting thousands of fake alerts. However, the privacy concern starts when you think about everyday people who rely on prepaid phones, temporary numbers or more private ways to communicate.

Burner phones have a shady reputation because TV shows love to put them in the hands of criminals. In real life, though, prepaid phones can serve people who need flexibility or safety. Someone leaving an abusive relationship may need a phone that isn’t connected to a shared family account.  A person without stable housing may not have a traditional physical address. A journalist source, whistleblower or privacy-conscious consumer may also prefer a phone number that isn’t tied to every part of their identity.

Civil liberties advocates warn that the FCC proposal could create a broader identity-verification system around one of the last semi-anonymous communication tools available to ordinary Americans. 

That does not mean the FCC is trying to ban burner phones outright. Still, if phone providers must collect more identity details before activating or renewing service, anonymous or semi-anonymous phone access could become much harder to get.

INSIDE A SCAMMER’S DAY AND HOW THEY TARGET YOU

The FCC proposal also discusses risk-based checks. That means certain customer details or behaviors could trigger a deeper review.

Possible red flags may reportedly include using a virtual office, using certain commercial addresses, operating a suspicious website or using an email address that raises concerns.

Other red flags could include not being traceable to the state listed in the customer's address or paying for phone service with cryptocurrency.

That may help carriers spot scam operations. But it also raises a tricky question. What happens when a legitimate person gets flagged because their life does not fit neatly into a standard form?

A person using a shelter address, mail service or privacy-focused payment method could face more questions. The rules may be aimed at robocallers, yet the burden could land on people who already have a hard time proving who they are.

The proposed enforcement system could put serious pressure on telecom providers. The FCC proposal reportedly includes a possible $2,500 per-call base forfeiture for Know Your Customer violations.

That is a big incentive for providers to be careful. It may also make them overcorrect. If a provider thinks a customer looks risky, it may decide that denying service is safer than getting blamed later. For consumers, that could mean more ID checks, more account reviews and more hoops to jump through when signing up for phone service.

The FCC argues that, as the gateway to the phone network, carriers are in the best position to stop scammers before calls go out. The concern is whether that gate becomes too hard for ordinary people to pass through.

For now, nothing changes overnight. These rules are still proposed. The FCC is asking for public comment, and any final rules would come later.

Still, this proposal points to where phone service may be heading. Carriers may collect more identity information. Prepaid service may become less private. Some customers may face more questions when they open or renew an account.

That could bring fewer scam calls. It could also mean less anonymity for people who have legitimate reasons to keep a phone number separate from the rest of their life.

ANDROID SECURITY UPGRADES OUTSMART SCAMS AND PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY

You do not need to wait for regulators to act. You can lower your risk right now.

If you do not recognize the number, let it ring. Scammers often rely on panic. A real caller can leave a message.

On iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Phone. Look for Screen Unknown Callers and choose Ask Reason for Calling. This screens calls from unsaved numbers before your phone rings, so you can decide whether to answer.

If spam calls are overwhelming, you can choose Silence instead. Just be aware that calls from people not in your contacts may go straight to voicemail. That could include a doctor's office, school, delivery driver or other legitimate caller.

You can also check Call Filtering and turn on available carrier spam-filtering options. For example, AT&T may show a Spam toggle that says calls identified as spam or fraud will be silenced, sent to voicemail and moved to the spam list. Other carriers may use different wording or place this option in a carrier app.

On a Samsung phone, open the Phone app > tap the three dots in the upper-right corner > Settings > Caller ID and spam protection > turn on Caller ID and spam protection. Then tap Block spam and scam calls and choose the blocking level that works best for you, such as blocking all spam and scam calls or only high-risk scam calls. Menu wording may vary by carrier, region and whether your phone uses Samsung Phone or Phone by Google.

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and other carriers offer spam call blocking features. Some are free, while others require a paid plan. Check your carrier app for call protection settings.

Scammers can pull your phone number, address and other personal details from data broker and people-search sites. That information can make robocalls sound more believable. A data removal service can help remove your personal information from many of these sites, and keep checking if it shows up again. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan at CyberGuy.com/FreeScan 

A robocall may tell you to press a number to stop future calls. That can confirm your number is active. Hang up instead.

A scammer may pretend to be your bank, carrier or a government agency. Do not share one-time passcodes, Social Security numbers or payment details over an unexpected call.

Register your number for free with the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov. The registry will not stop criminals, but it can reduce legitimate telemarketing calls. That makes scam calls easier to spot.

You can report unwanted calls at donotcall.gov/report.html or file a complaint with the FCC at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us. Reports help regulators track patterns and target bad actors.

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Robocalls are more than annoying. They waste time, steal money and make people think twice before answering their own phones. So yes, stronger action is needed. But privacy has to be part of the conversation. The FCC's proposal is aimed at scam call operations, but the final rules should not make it harder for everyday people to get a private or low-cost phone when they need one. That's the balance regulators have to get right. They need to make life harder for robocallers without turning every phone customer into a suspect. Phone service connects people to jobs, doctors, family, schools and emergency help. Any crackdown should protect that access while still going after the bad actors abusing the system.

Would you be willing to show more ID to get phone service if it meant fewer robocalls, or does that feel like too much privacy to give up? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com

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