Robocall

A robocall is a phone call that uses a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message, as if from a robot. Robocalls are often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns, but can also be used for public service, emergency announcements, or scammers. Multiple businesses and telemarketing companies use auto-dialing software to deliver prerecorded messages (appointment reminders, booking details, etc.) to millions of users. Some robocalls use personalized audio messages to simulate an actual personal phone call. The service is also viewed as prone to association with scams.

As of June 2019, phone companies may, by default, block incoming robocalls. Many signed calls still reach end users, just flagged, not blocked; gateway carrier enforcement exists, but scammers rotate upstream providers faster than FCC actions land; VoIP providers historically had easy access to numbering, enabling large-scale abuse before recent tightening; carriers have been reluctant to block aggressively due to litigation risk, political backlash, and liability concerns; large robocall campaigns can scale nationally before meaningful enforcement kicks in; and the US sustains a large domestic robocall and lead-generation industry that keeps call volume structurally high.