Heaven help you if your car's warranty is running out or you have a student loan. Or even if you do not.
Those robocalls may start to be oppressive, though, thankfully, many of them now are automated so you don't have to feel bad for hanging up.
According to robocall blocking app Hiya, there were more than 26 million such calls in 2018. They are annoying but sometimes people get calls because they have given out their phone number.
Ordinary activities online can put you onto a robocall list, as companies sometimes sell lists. You might have managed to get on a list because you donated to a charity, signed up for a contest, or filled out an online meme. The worst cases are when you fill out an online form for interest rate information, student loan refinancing or event travel.
Many times companies will tell you they are going to sell your information. You know those long, legalistic terms of service and privacy statements? The ones you never read? Could be there.
You can try robocall blocking apps. But sometimes robocalls are made through randomly generated calling software on telephones located in another country. Those calls are almost impossible to stop.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.