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Have you been receiving phone calls from Rachel at car warranty - allegedly she has been trying to get a hold of you for a while now regarding your expired car warranty. These annoying unwanted phone calls are robocallers and Washington residents can now report suspected illegal robocalls at: fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/robocallForm.aspx

Phone scams and other illegal telemarketing calls can still be reported with the general consumer complaint form, available at: atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.  Cell phone users can report suspicious text messages by copying messages and forwarding them to the number 7726, which spells SPAM, a reporting service that was created by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communication Agency) - a wireless consortium that represents the interest of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members. 

Complaints can also be made to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which received more than 6,000 complaints of phone solicitations from Washington residents in February, according to Ferguson’s office.

To reduce the number of robocalls you receive, you can add your number to the national “do not call” registry at donotcall.gov

In addition to creating the new form, the attorney general’s office also shared information about robocalls and telemarketing scams, as well as tips to combat them at atg.wa.gov/robocall-and-telemarketing-scams.

Here are some of the strategies the office suggests:

Know the following signs of a scam:

1. Requests of personal information like your password, social security or bank account number
2. Offers for something for free or at a low cost
3. Requests for payment other than a credit card, like a gift card or online money transfer
4. Scare tactics like threatening to cut off utilities. The government or legitimate businesses usually send a letter if there is a legal issue or problem.

What to do if you suspect a call is scam:

1. If you don’t recognize a number, consider allowing the call to go to voicemail. If you pick up, you can hang up immediately and report the call or ask your telephone service to block the number associated.
2. However, know that scammers can fake the name and number that appears on your caller ID, so you can’t always trust it. 
3. Hang up immediately if you answer a call and it is a robocall
4. Do not to pay or accept any offers.
5. I use an app called Nomorobo to block robocallers. 

Resist the urge to call back or confront the caller.