Robocalls Hijacking Your Voicemail Is ‘Invasive and Abusive,’ Say Lawmakers

There is a new type of automated call sneaking up on American consumers: ringless voicemails, the quieter cousin of what some people call the “annoying robocall.” The messages go straight to voicemail, without ringing your phone.

“I’ve received at least a hundred of these voicemails,” said Sue Merritt, president of Lenox Fit in Lenox, Massachusetts. And they often come from area codes where she has important contacts.

“I’m a cancer survivor, I still get calls from my hospital in Boston, so for example when a 617 area code comes up I feel very compelled to deal with that right away,” Merritt told NBC News.

She says robocalls and ringless voicemails are interrupting day-to-day operations at her business, and have an impact on her staff’s productivity.

As ringless voicemails are deployed by more business and political groups, the Federal Communications Commission is considering a petition to officially allow them, exempting them from ‘Do Not Call’ rules.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/robocalls-hijacking-your-voicemail-invasive-abusive-say-lawmakers-n772941