In addition to just being annoying, robocalls are costing people money. How quickly can a robocall find your number and just what can you do? Here's what we found at WTOL 11:

In a 2019 report from Truecaller, it was discovered that one out of six people had lost money in phone scams during the previous 12 months. Those scams added up to $10.5 billion.

A robocall is defined as "any nuisance or scam call from an unknown caller."

What can be done to avoid crafty scammers? Ohio Attorney General Yost offers several ideas.

"Our recommendation is to not pick up. If they need to talk to you, they will leave a message."

He says many people don't realize that if they try to engage with telemarketers, it actually opens them up to more calls because they are identified as a "live" line.

"We recommend that you do use the Do Not Call registry," Yost says, admitting that it's not perfect, but "it helps some."

You can find the National Do Not Call Registry here: [ Ссылка ]

Or even try one of several apps on the market, such as Hiya, Mr. Number, and Robokiller or Nomorobo. Some of these apps have cost attached; for example Nomorobo is about $2 a month.

"For those interested in that, I recommend they do some research," Yost said.

Consumer Reports says the anti-robocall tools provided by your mobile carrier might be an even better option. These tools

If you want to strictly limit what calls come to your phone, there are steps you can take. Keep in mind, though, you'll need to update your contact list often so you don't miss important calls.

For iPhones with iOS 13 or later, go to Settings (the gray gear icon), Phone (the green handset icon), then scroll down and tap “Silence Unknown Callers,” and turn on the feature.

For Android, tap the phone icon usually found at the bottom of your home screen. At the top right corner of the screen, tap the three dots, Settings, then Blocked Numbers. Enable “Block Calls From Unidentified Callers” by tapping the toggle switch on the right.

Depending on your phone and carrier, Consumer Reports says you might have to manually activate the call-blocking services.

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