Stopping Robocalls with Aaron Foss

Finding a solution to stop spam calls to you, your family, or your business isn’t easy. We may not win this war, but we don’t want the government making this decision for us. We can make it more manageable in the meantime.

Today’s guest is Aaron Foss. After winning the FTC Robocall Challenge in 2013, Aaron started Nomorobo. Since then, Nomorobo has stopped billions and billions of unwanted robocalls and spam texts from reaching our phones, and it was acquired by Applause group in August 2023. Aaron has been featured in The New York Times, Wired, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and countless other media outlets. He has testified in front of Congress, not once, not twice, but three times.

Show Notes:

• [1:14] - Aaron shares his background as a serial entrepreneur in the intersection of technology and business.
• [3:57] - At the beginning, Aaron didn’t even know what a robocall was.
• [6:47] - Robocalls have this negative connotation. They can actually be good. But there are many that are unwanted.
• [8:13] - There are different types of robocalls and there is a differentiation between spam and scam calls.
• [10:08] - Aaron explains why spam emails are easier to block than robocalls.
• [12:20] - There are some robocalls that are necessary and helpful for some people. That is one reason why not all robocalls can be blocked.
• [13:40] - Not answering the phone is not a plausible solution.
• [15:50] - Nomorobo is basically a series of bots talking to other bots.
• [16:50] - Aaron describes caller ID and how spoofing a number is possible.
• [19:42] - This is such a big problem because the barrier of entry is low.
• [21:08] - It is amazing that we can call anyone in the world. But that also means that scammers can, too.
• [22:53] - This is a complicated problem, and the future solution is a combination of government regulation, companies like Nomorobo, and AI.
• [26:29] - We are never going to win the war, but we can keep it manageable.
• [29:45] - What is the role of the carriers when it comes to robocalls?
• [31:47] - Keeping scammers on the phone does not make the problem go away.
• [33:52] - Some scams are seasonal and some are evergreen, like Medicare calls.
• [36:26] - Aaron explains the different ways these scams can be done and the range of damage they can do.
• [39:56] - At best, this is an annoyance. But there are people in our lives that are vulnerable and less protected.
• [44:42] - Sometimes, Nomorobo users have to turn it off for specific reasons and specific calls they’re waiting for.
• [47:56] - This problem is an example of “death by a thousand papercuts.”
• [49:30] - There are some red flags and things you might notice if you answer robocalls that could indicate that they are scams.
• [50:46] - This seems like an easy problem to solve, but it is far more complicated than most people think.
• [52:00] - Aaron describes what it was like to testify in front of Congress.
• [56:43] - Listen and educate yourself. Talk to other people about these things.

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