Robocalls are those calls that no one wants. You know what I’m talking about, the caller id information is odd or just plain wrong and they leave you a message like …..  “Your car insurance has expired” or “You can refinance your student loans”.

Well, with the signing of the TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act) Act Congress has given the Federal Communications Commission some tools for suppressing these calling activities.  As an early adopter of these efforts, Venture Communications is working in accordance with the FCC guidance in the hopes that we can stop these calls.  A two-step process will be implemented over the next few months.  1^st we will be implementing a Robocall mitigation plan and secondly, we will be implementing a new call authentication process called STIR/SHAKEN.

Venture’s Robocall mitigation plan is currently being finalized and will include several elements such as customer validation, full cooperation with law enforcement and the USTelecom Industry Traceback Group, and ultimately the blocking of robocalls. If you have questions concerning this plan or concerns that your calls are being blocked erroneously you can contact venture at the below contact:

Fay Jandreau
Assistant General Manager
605.852.1140

We will provide an update to this plan in the near future and plan to deploy the STIR/SHAKEN authentication process on as many calls as possible by June 30^th.  Please refer back to this page for progress updates as you desire.

Here are a few tips from the FCC regarding self-protection and ways to handle these robocalls:

Consumer Tips to Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Avoid Phone Scams

(Download PDF)

• 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 voice mail 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 voice mail 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.