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Sick of robocalls? Something is being done about them

Arizona’s attorney general is joining 40 other attorneys general across the country in the fight to stop the growing number of robocalls.

PHOENIX — They’re the annoying calls to your cellphone that come all day long, and they seem to never stop—no matter how much you try to block them! We’re talking about robocalls, and Americans receive nearly 5 billion of them a month.

Now Arizona’s attorney general is joining the fight along with 40 other attorneys general across the country to finally put a stop to the never-ending nuisance. 

Phoenix Certified Public Accountant Mara Mann says robocalls make her cringe all day long. 

"On a scale from 1 to 10, like 50," said Mann with a chuckle.

This professional number cruncher has kept a close record on the number of robocalls she gets a day. 

"I get about 14. If I know it's not someone I know, if they don't leave a message, or I don't think it's a friend or a participant or student, I put them on a block list, and that takes five minutes. It takes an hour a day," said Mann.

Mann is not alone. Americans receive 2,000 robocalls a second, according to Youmail, a robocall blocking service. 

Those numbers have caught the ire of the U.S. Congress and AG offices across the country. They’ve crafted a bill called the TRACED Act. TRACED stands for Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence.

It would strengthen the Federal Communications Commission's and other regulators’ ability to go after illegal robocallers with fines of up to $10,000. 

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says it's something he's working to stomp out for good. 

“We need to use every tool available to stop illegal phone scammers from preying on hardworking Arizona families,” Brnovich said. “Robocalls are a serious problem, and we need to do everything we can to combat these calls, including working with the telecommunications providers to develop and deploy technological solutions," Brnovich said.

For Mara Mann, she can’t wait for the bill to pass, but until then, all she can do is block. 

"The sooner the better," said Mann. 

Regulators have been getting tougher on robocallers who are breaking the existing law. 

In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission announced enforcement actions against robocallers, including a $120 million fine against a Florida-based timeshare marketing operation. 

In Arizona, close to $1.4 million in fines have been imposed for robocall violators.

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