If you’re fed up with telemarketing calls, you’re not alone.
More than 48 billion robocalls were made in 2018.
This makes them the number 1 source of consumer complaints to the FTC and the FCC.
There’s now proposed legislation to make them stop.
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson has urged the US Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act.
The TRACE Act would curb illegal calls and spoofing.
Spoofing callers disguise where they are calling from.
“We all get robocalls and spoofed calls,” Attorney General Wilson said. “A scammer or telemarketer makes his phone number look like another number so you’ll answer.
“It’s a case of the bad guys using technology against us.
“We’re urging Congress to do something to protect everyone.”
A coalition of 54 attorneys general support the bill sponsored by Sens. John Thune and Ed Markey.
The bill requires voice service providers to use call authentication to block unwanted calls.
It would also create an inter-agency group to hold telemarketers and robocallers accountable.
South Carolina is the 35th most targeted state in America for robocall phone scams during tax season, a study by AllAreaCodes.com found.
SC residents filed 1,495 FTC complaints per 100,000 people in 2018.
The analysis revealed phone scams increase by 20% in March and April as compared to January.
Consumers should be alert when answering calls related to their tax returns. They are likely scams. 
The IRS will not call consumers to demand immediate payment for taxes.
If you suspect a call to be a scam, hang up immediately and report it to the IRS at 800-829-1040.