Comcast and AT&T are teaming up to defeat robocalls. The companies say they can stop computer generated calls after one ring.
Spammers and scammers are way beyond the national "do not call list." Consumer protection official Michael Bannon says he still recommends you sign up for the list, but you need Comcast's new technology, too.
"If a robo-dialer computer generated call calls your house the phone company will know that and after one ring it will disconnect the call."
Bannon says if you get a call from an area code you recognize but not the number, it's probably a robocall. He says you should still sign up for the do not call list, but it's not enough.
"The scammers are smart enough to try to spoof calls locally for you, too. You might say 'gee, I know that are code or I know that town, so maybe it's a real call.' But it basically fools caller-ID so you can't just bank on caller-ID anymore, unfortunately."
AT&T and Comcast say they will roll out tech that detects and stops computer generated calls to home phone users this year, at no extra charge.