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诈骗电话不会停止

If it seems like the only phone calls you get are robocalls and scams, you're not alone.

According to Robocall Index, 4.4 billion of these calls were made in the United States in June. That's 6 million calls every hour, 1,700 per second.

Adam Doupe is an assistant professor at Arizona State University, where he studies cybersecurity. Doupé defines robocalls — also called spam calls — as phone calls that are made through an automated¹ system that allows callers to target people on a massive scale.

The other thing that they can do is they will wait until you actually interact with the system, Doupe explained. So they can have the recording² say Press 1 to talk to an agent. And as soon as you press one, then they'll connect you to a real person who will try to probably scam you, depending on the nature of the robocall.

The most common types of robocalls typically involve callers posing as financial institutions or government personnel to scam people into sharing their credit card or social security numbers. That information is then typically repurposed and sold.

There hasn't been very much research into who's behind these calls, but Doupe notes that we do know many of them are coming from outside the United States. But you wouldn't know that when you look at your caller ID. That's because robocallers frequently employ a trick called neighbor spoofing, which involves using a fake number that's similar to the one belonging to the person they're trying to scam.

Unfortunately, Doupe says, the widespread problem of illegal robocalling doesn't have a clear solution yet. Phone companies are legally obligated to deliver any calls placed through their network. Doupé says there’s no point in putting your number on the Do Not Call List to avoid these calls. In fact, he says, scammers actually use that list to target people. Elderly people and immigrant populations are the two groups most commonly targeted by scam calls.

To protect yourself from robocalls, Doupe says it's important to be vigilant³, and remember that phone calls can come from anywhere. Make sure you never give out your personal information over the phone without confirming the identity of the caller.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Isabella Isaacs-Thomas.

1 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。