What is a Connecticut Robocall?

Robocalls are phone calls that are made with an auto-dialer. These calls play a prerecorded message when answered. A robocall can be made to multiple people simultaneously and are generally used to disseminate information during emergencies. They are also used for political campaigns and by businesses to sell products and services.

Spam calls and robocalls are sometimes interchangeably used when referring to unwanted calls. However, there is a slight difference between these types of calls. Spam calls are unwanted forms of communication, while not all robocalls are unwanted.

Even though robocalls can be used for various legitimate and important reasons, many of these calls are made without proper authorization to the receiver’s detriment.  In the United States, individuals, businesses, and organizations that utilize robocalls are generally required to obtain permission from the people they contact via these calls, except under the following circumstances:

• The robocall was made as part of an emergency or public service announcement.
• The robocall was made strictly to communicate necessary or important information. Examples of this are reminders, school updates, flight cancelations, and messages from hospitals and healthcare providers.
• The robocall was made by or on behalf of a politician or a political campaign.
• The robocall was made as part of market research.
• The robocall was made for debt collection.
• The robocall was made on behalf of a charity or charitable organization and was made to a person who is a member of the charity or charitable organization. This type of robocall can also be made to a person that has previously donated to the charity or charitable organization.

Unwanted robocalls that do not fall under these categories and solicit funds from the call receiver are illegal in the United States.

What are Connecticut Robocall Scams?

A Connecticut robocall scam is a type of phone scam that utilizes robocalls to obtain money and valuable information from the state’s residents. Robocalls are cheap to make, and they can contact multiple people in a little amount of time. These features make them attractive to scammers.

According to data published by the Federal Trade Commission, out of the 3,786,771 robocall complaints reported for the year 2019, 52,612 of these complaints originated from Connecticut.

Phone scammers use robocalls in various ways. In most cases, these scammers also utilize caller ID spoofing to make the receiver believe that the call is coming from a government agency, a financial institution, or even a law enforcement agency. Regardless of the method used by the scammer, robocall scams all have certain characteristics:

• The robocall always demands money. Note that unsolicited robocalls that demand money are illegal in the United States.
• The robocall asks you to press a number. The call may claim that pressing this number will either stop you from receiving more robocalls or transfer you to a live person for more information.
• The robocall pressures you to take action quickly.
• The robocall specifies a preference for a particular method of donation or payment. In most cases, this is an untraceable or unretrievable method of payment like wire transfers, gift cards, and prepaid money cards.

To reduce the menace of illegal robocalls and robocall scams, the Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all phone companies in the state of Connecticut, and the country as a whole, implement the new STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication system before the beginning of July 2021.

Does Connecticut Have Anti-Robocall Laws?

The state of Connecticut has two anti-robocall laws:

• Section 16-256e of the Connecticut General Statutes. This law prohibits the use of devices that do not disconnect immediately after the receiver of the call hangs up, to transmit unsolicited prerecorded telephone messages for commercial, business, or advertising purposes. Violation of this law carries a penalty of up to $1,000 in fines.
• Section 52-270c of the Connecticut General Statutes. This law prohibits the use of devices to transmit unsolicited prerecorded telephone messages that offer to sell goods and services. Residents of the state of Connecticut that receive these types of calls can file a lawsuit in the state’s Superior Courts not later than two years after the call was made. Offenders can be charged with fines of up to $500 per violation as well as costs and attorney fees for the plaintiff.

Federal anti-robocall laws, which are the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Telephone and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, are also applicable in Connecticut.

Are there Special Requirements for Robocalls in Connecticut?

The state of Connecticut prohibits individuals and businesses from transmitting unsolicited prerecorded commercial, business, or advertisement telephone messages with devices that do not disconnect immediately after a receiver hangs up. The use of these types of devices for making unsolicited prerecorded telephone messages that sell goods and services is also prohibited.

However, exceptions are made for tax-exempt nonprofit organizations and candidates, their solicitors, and political or candidate committees as defined by Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 155.

Federal laws also require that robocalls meet certain criteria, which include:

• Robocalls that solicit for funds must be made between 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the receiver’s local time.
• Robocalls made on behalf of political campaigns must not be made to protected phone lines.
• Robocalls must contain identifying information for the person or business on behalf of whom the call is being made.

How Do I Stop Robocalls?

The availability of cheap telecommunications technology has inadvertently led to an increase in various forms of phone scams. Most unsolicited robocalls are placed by scammers who try to fraudulently obtain money and sensitive information from state residents. These unsolicited calls are a nuisance that can be reduced or eliminated through the following steps:

• Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry and report any telemarketer that contacts at least 31 days after you register.
• Do not pick up calls from numbers that you do not know. If you pick up a call that happens to be a robocall, hang up immediately.
• Block any robocall number that has been used to contact you. You can also download a phone lookup app that shows you where an incoming call is from and flags suspicious numbers.
• Report all suspected scams to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. You can also report all unwanted calls to the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.