Stopping Robocalls with Aaron Foss

Finding a solution to stop spam calls to you, your family, or
your business isn’t easy. We may not win this war, but we don’t
want the government making this decision for us. We can make it
more manageable in the meantime.


Today’s guest is Aaron Foss. After winning the FTC Robocall
Challenge in 2013, Aaron started Nomorobo. Since then, Nomorobo
has stopped billions and billions of unwanted robocalls and spam
texts from reaching our phones, and it was acquired by Applause
group in August 2023. Aaron has been featured in The New York
Times, Wired, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and countless other media
outlets. He has testified in front of Congress, not once, not
twice, but three times.
Show Notes:

[1:14] - Aaron shares his background as a serial entrepreneur
in the intersection of technology and business.

[3:57] - At the beginning, Aaron didn’t even know what a
robocall was.

[6:47] - Robocalls have this negative connotation. They can
actually be good. But there are many that are unwanted.

[8:13] - There are different types of robocalls and there is
a differentiation between spam and scam calls.

[10:08] - Aaron explains why spam emails are easier to block
than robocalls.

[12:20] - There are some robocalls that are necessary and
helpful for some people. That is one reason why not all robocalls
can be blocked.

[13:40] - Not answering the phone is not a plausible
solution.

[15:50] - Nomorobo is basically a series of bots talking to
other bots.

[16:50] - Aaron describes caller ID and how spoofing a number
is possible.

[19:42] - This is such a big problem because the barrier of
entry is low.

[21:08] - It is amazing that we can call anyone in the world.
But that also means that scammers can, too.

[22:53] - This is a complicated problem, and the future
solution is a combination of government regulation, companies
like Nomorobo, and AI.

[26:29] - We are never going to win the war, but we can keep
it manageable.

[29:45] - What is the role of the carriers when it comes to
robocalls?

[31:47] - Keeping scammers on the phone does not make the
problem go away.

[33:52] - Some scams are seasonal and some are evergreen,
like Medicare calls.

[36:26] - Aaron explains the different ways these scams can
be done and the range of damage they can do.

[39:56] - At best, this is an annoyance. But there are people
in our lives that are vulnerable and less protected.

[44:42] - Sometimes, Nomorobo users have to turn it off for
specific reasons and specific calls they’re waiting for.

[47:56] - This problem is an example of “death by a thousand
papercuts.”

[49:30] - There are some red flags and things you might
notice if you answer robocalls that could indicate that they are
scams.

[50:46] - This seems like an easy problem to solve, but it is
far more complicated than most people think.

[52:00] - Aaron describes what it was like to testify in
front of Congress.

[56:43] - Listen and educate yourself. Talk to other people
about these things.



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