Okay, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that absolutely no one enjoys robocalls. If you do, we are of a very different mindset and you probably won’t have any interest in the rest of this article. On the other hand, if you are like most of the planet and do not enjoy these rude, irritating and often infuriating multiple and daily intrusions into your life . . . read on.

My sense of reality tells me that those involved in the business of telemarketing are most likely just people trying to make a living. My sense of outrage, on the other hand, sees them more as demonic imps, eating raw flesh, drinking blood out of a human skull and lighting bad-smelling cigars off of money they stole from a little old lady, on a fixed income. You may have picked up on the idea that I do not like telemarketing.

So, I have decided to be proactive and see what I can do to eliminate this annoying, either illegal or barely legal (and never successful) attempt to pick my pocket via telephone.

I pose this question to all readers: Has telemarketing ever worked on you? For me personally, if I needed a lifesaving aid that could only be obtained through a telemarketer, I would be doomed. I would get mad and hang up as soon as I realized it was a damn robocall, missing my chance for certain rescue.

If you feel as I do, take heart—there are legal movements to either further restrict or outlaw predatory telemarketing.

In April, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that would increase the penalty to $25,000 per call for committing the offense of caller identification spoofing, making an out-of-state area code to appear to be a local one.

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, who is fighting against robocalls on the national level, recently stated that now more than 40 percent of cellphone calls are robocalls.

Unwanted calls, including illegal and spoofed robocalls, are now the Federal Communications Commission’s top consumer complaint.

The FCC offers these useful tips on its website:

Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.

You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be aware: Caller ID showing a “local” number does not necessarily mean it is a local caller.

If you answer the phone and the caller—or a recording—asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.

Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes.”

Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.

If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.

Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.

If you have a voicemail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voicemail if you do not set a password.

Talk to your phone company about call-blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.

If you use robocall-blocking technology already, it often helps to let that company know which numbers are producing unwanted calls so they can help block those calls for you and others.

To block telemarketing calls, register your number on the Do Not Call List. Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.

The website fcc.gov goes on to answer many questions about complaints and ways to further deter telemarketing/robocalls. The biggest tool, although not completely effective, is the National Do Not Call List; register at donotcall.gov.

Lastly, I have found a way to personally come to peace with these infuriating intrusions, I simply block every telemarketing call that comes in. No, it is not so much a way to stop them, but it feels good to block the call. And if enough calls get blocked, it will eventually cost the telemarketers money. And I like the idea of costing them money. So, register your phone, read the tips and take satisfaction in blocking the a-holes.

Namaste