© 2025 WFAE

Mailing Address:
WFAE 90.7
P.O. Box 896890
Charlotte, NC 28289-6890
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Examining the scope of robocalls and scams in NC and elsewhere

Phone in a hand
Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay
Schools are trying to figure out how to manage student cell phone use.

Unwanted robocalls are a nuisance many people have experienced. They can also be damaging.

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office reported receiving more than 10,000 robocalls in 2021 alone. These calls can center on auto warranties, social security, and loan offers. They can cripple people's financial future. According to the Federal Trade Commission and as reported by Axios, Americans across the country lost $158 billion to fraud and scams in 2024.

But that’s not all, these scammers have also tried to infiltrate government officials. Earlier this year, robocallers posed as FCC employees and targeted members of that agency, claiming to be part of a “fraud prevention team.” The effort failed, but illustrates the dangers of these calls, especially as technology advances.

We break down who these robocallers are, how North Carolina is leading a charge to end them, what people need to do to protect themselves, and how government agencies could be a target.

GUESTS:
Adam Doupé, associate professor at the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University
Sabin, cybersecurity reporter at Axios and author of the weekly Future of Cybersecurity newsletter

Stay Connected
Gabe Altieri is the Executive Producer for Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. Prior to joining WFAE in 2022, he worked for WSKG Public Media in Binghamton, New York.