Mainers Have Had Enough of Robocalls, So Let’s Ban ‘Em

According to WMTW, salty Mainers have little patience for robocalls and next steps are in order. A proposal that would ban automated robocalls and make it illegal to use our Maine 207 area code to disguise out of state harassers is on the table.

I've fallen for it so many times; the phone rings, it's a 207 area code and I answer because it might be a client, another parent asking about a playdate or maybe a lawyer calling to tell me that I've inherited a Victorian bed and breakfast in Camden.

My instincts to answer the phone are almost always wrong. Instead of a B&B, I'm being warned about credit rates, the IRS or the end of a special life changing offer. It's a prerecorded message so I don't even get the satisfaction of yelling at them!

State Sen. Justin Chenette, D-Saco, has introduced a long overdue law that would ban telemarketers from disguising their out-of-state phone numbers with our Maine area code and would make it illegal for them to use prerecorded or artificial voices.

There are a few exceptions: if the robocall is to alert you of a delivery of goods or services and for emergency information from schools, the police and government entities.