WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Texans receive more than six billion robocalls every year, and experts warn the problem could only get worse as artificial intelligence fuels the surge.
Data from WhistleOut, a company that compares cell phone plans, shows robocalls are up 17% nationwide since 2020. In Texas, millions of calls flood phones every day, equating to more than 180 calls per person annually.
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Waco resident Jan Spurgeon said her phone rings off the hook, and it is not friends and family on the other end.
"So how many spam calls do you think you get per day? Probably about six. They start at eight o'clock in the morning. I tell them to go away and I'm gonna call my lawyer and I'm gonna sue them and then I block the call," Spurgeon said. "If you can get rid of them, I'd love it. I've got my new phone and it's, it just takes care of it, so I don't have to deal with it anymore."
Former Tarleton State University professor Alex del Carmen said these spam calls cannot be controlled.
"When you look at these calls… artificial intelligence is actually feeding into the individuals that wanna do harm on other people… they begin to program artificial intelligence to make these calls and to scare people… or get them to commit to something when in fact it’s all false… they’re committing a crime," del Carmen said.
"That many of these calls are coming from foreign entities. They're coming from countries that are not within the jurisdiction of the United States, and they're not affected by laws or penalties that may be associated with that in Texas," del Carmen said.
Experts advise that if you do not recognize a phone number, do not answer it. You should also never give out personal information over the phone.
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