That's not just my opinion, it's not just how we all feel, it's true.

這不是我個人的解讀或大家的感受而已，這是事實。

Robocall complaints to the federal trade commission have quintupled since 2009, and they jumped steeply in just the past year to four and a half million total.

自 2009 年以來，向聯邦貿易委員會提出的自動語音電話投訴增加了五倍，而在過去一年中，投訴總數就猛增至 450 萬起。

And that's just Robocalls.

並非只有自動語音電話。

There are another two and a half million complaints about live telemarketers.

另外還有 250 萬起關於電話推銷的投訴。

So what on earth can we do to start fighting back against all these spammy calls?

我們到底能做什麼來反擊這些垃圾電話呢？

There are three steps you can take,

你可以採取以下三個方法，

they won't solve the problem entirely,

這些方法無法完全解決問題，

but if you're fed up,

但如果你已經受夠了，

this is what you can do to start fighting back.

你可以採取以下方法去對抗。

[HOW TO BLOCK SPAM CALLS]

[如何封鎖垃圾來電]

Okay so, step number one:

第一，

Use a call-blocking app,

使用封鎖垃圾來電的應用程式，

there are a whole bunch of these,

有許多這類應用程式，

and they all try to do the same thing,

它們的功能都一樣，

block spam calls before you have to answer your phone.

在你接起電話前就封鎖垃圾電話。

Some of the most popular include Hiya and Truecaller, which are free.

最有名的包括 Hiya 和 Truecaller，這些都是免費的。

And Nomorobo and RoboKiller, which require a subscription.

Nomorobo 和 RoboKiller 則須收取費用。

We're gonna use Nomorobo because it won the FTC's Robocall Blocking Challenge.

我們將使用 Nomorobo，因為它贏得聯邦貿易委員會的封鎖自動語音電話挑戰賽。

But these all work more or less the same, and they work for both iOS and Android.

但是這些應用程式功能其實大同小異，而且 iOS 和 Android 系統皆適用。

Once you've installed it, you'll have to get the app permission to handle your Caller ID.

安裝好後，你須允許應用程式處理你的來電顯示。

They also have a huge constantly updating list of known spammers.

應用程式會有大量且不斷更新的垃圾電話名單。

And it checks those numbers against who's calling you,

它會比對來電與黑名單上的電話號碼，

if it sees that a known spammer is calling you,

如果它發現一個已在黑名單的電話號碼打給你，

it either won't let the number through,

它要不不讓該電話號碼接通，

or it'll identify you when they're calling.

或是在他們來電時讓你能辨識。

If the app does let a spam call through by accident,

即使應用程式意外讓垃圾電話來電者接通，

then you can tell it that, and it will then factor that information in for everybody else to help them blocking(block) more spam calls.

你還是可以辨識而且它會將這個資訊記錄下來給所有人，以幫助封鎖更多垃圾來電。

Since most of these apps are free, there's no harm in just trying one out to see how it works for you.

既然大多數的應用程式都是免費的，就試用看看哪一個適合你，無傷大雅。

But before we go any further, what's behind all these spam calls anyway?

在我們進一步探討前，垃圾電話後面的人到底是誰呢？

Since our private numbers are basically everywhere now,

由於現在我們的私人電話號碼基本上無處不在，

mainly on our online accounts,

主要像是在我們的網路帳號裡，

pasted at our email signatures,

貼在我們電子郵件中的簽名檔，

and printed on business cards.

以及印在名片上。

In giving our phone numbers to pretty much everyone,

我們把手機電話幾乎給了所有人，

there's a good chance they will be shuffled along to someone they shouldn't.

因此很有可能電話號碼會傳給不該給的人。

Plus, thanks to auto-dialing software and the internet,

此外，因為自動撥號軟體和網路，

scammers can place thousands of calls a minute, for really cheap.

電話詐騙在一分鐘內可以撥打上千通電話，且成本非常低廉。

They can even guess out numbers if they want to.

他們只要有心甚至可以猜出電話號碼。

And once they're dialed, the auto-dialer can then playback a pre-recorded message, when someone picks up.

一旦他們撥出且有人接聽時，自動撥號裝置會撥放預先錄製的語音訊息。

Technology is also making spammers more clever.

科技也讓垃圾電話變得更機靈。

Letting them disguise their phone number as a local one with your own area code.

讓他們能把電話號碼改成當地的區碼加電話號碼，偽裝成本地號碼。

That way, you're more likely to answer, giving each fake call, a better chance of landing.

這樣你就更有可能會接起來，讓他們更有機會成功。

But why do we receive so many spam calls?

但為何我們會收到如此多通垃圾電話？

Well, as you can guess, someone is profiting from this.

就如你所想的，有人從中獲利。

The caller ID company Truecaller estimates that phone scammers made 9.5 Billion in 2016, from Americans alone.

來電顯示公司 Truecaller估計 ，2016 年，手機詐騙犯單從美國人身上就獲利 95 億。

And the more calls they send out, the more chances they have of finding a target.

他們打越多通就越可能找到目標。

And while this is a huge problem, it's actually really hard to crack down on.

這是個很大的問題，但卻很難取締。

Making spammy calls like these, are largely illegal in the US.

在美國，像這樣打垃圾電話在很大程度上是違法的。

But Robocalls can be placed from overseas, and there's not much that the United States can do about that.

但自動語音電話可以從海外撥打，而美國對此無能為力。

And for phone service providers, it can be hard to tell whether a call that's coming in,

對於電信業者來說，他們很難判斷來電的人，

is from a scammer, or from someone you actually wanna get in touch with.

是詐欺犯還是其他你真的想聯繫的人。

They have to be careful not to block any calls that really should have been let through.

他們必須很小心，不能封鎖到應該接通的來電。

And it's important to know that some Robocalls are legal.

知道有些自動語音電話是合法的也很重要。

Your pharmacy might call you.

你的藥局可能會打給你。

Your prescription is ready.

你的處方藥已經準備好了。

Or your child's school.

或是你小孩的學校。

We're closed due to inclement weather.

天氣不佳，因此學校關閉。

Or even an airline.

或甚至航空公司。

Your gate has changed.

你的登機門已更改。

Generally speaking, these are all legal.

一般來說，以上這些都是合法的。

The focus is on those calls from scammers.

重點是電話詐騙的來電。

Claiming you want a free cruise,

會告知你贏得免費的遊輪之旅，

or they can lower your interest rate,

或他們可以降低你的利率，

or that the FBI is looking for you.

或是聯邦調查局正在找你。

The service Youmail estimates that 30% to 40% of all Robocalls are scams.

Youmail 估計30% 到 40% 的自動語音電話是詐騙。

And you definitely shouldn't be receiving those calls.

你絕對不要接起那些電話。

Alright, so what else can you do to stop spam calls?

你還能做什麼杜絕垃圾電話？

Well, there are a few other things.

這裡有一些方法。

First, make sure your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry if you're in the United States.

第一，如果你在美國一定要把你的電話登記在美國聯邦政府的「謝絕來電」列表。

Assuming those calls were coming in legally, that could start to come down on some of them.

假設那些來電都是合法的，那可能會影響其中的一些電話。

Second, see what your phone provider can do.

第二，看看你的電信業者可以怎麼幫你。

AT&T and T-Mobile both offer services that are designed to identify spammy callers when they hit your phone.

美國電話電報公司 (AT&T) 和 T-Mobile 都有提供專門服務，可以在垃圾電話打到你的手機時識別它們。

Verizon and Sprint have similar services, but they all charge for it.

Verizon 和 Sprint 也有類似的服務，但都要收費。

And finally, know what is it you do when you get a spam call.

最後，你要知道，當接到垃圾電話，該做什麼。

Don't talk. Don't press any buttons. Don't let them know that a human is on the line, or they might be likely to call back.

不要說話，不要按任何按鍵，不要讓他們知道有人在線上，不然他們可能會再次打來。

Also, be aware of what some of the most common phone scams are, like free travel packages.

另外，要小心一些最常見的手機詐騙法，像是免費的旅遊行程。

So you don't give them your time or money.

所以不要浪費你的時間或是金錢在他們身上。

If you really do wanna talk to somebody, consider calling them back, from a number that you know is legitimate.

如果你真的很想回撥，你可以考慮用一個你知道合法的號碼。

Also, and this is really important,

還有非常重要的是，

when you're handing out your information over the phone, make sure you're really identifying yourself,

當你透過電話將你的資訊提供給別人時，請確保您確實能識別自己的身份，

rather than handing your identity to somebody who doesn't already have it.

而不是把你的個資給沒有這些資訊的人。

Unfortunately, it might never be possible to fully put a stop to Robocalls, but you're not defenseless against them.

不幸的是，我們可能永遠沒辦法完全杜絕自動語音電話，但你也不是毫無防備。

The government and phone carriers are doing their best to put a stop to them.

政府和電信業者正竭盡全力於杜絕自動語音電話。

And, if you take some of these steps, you'll be able to start reducing the annoyance.

此外，如果你採取一些上述的方法，也可以減少一些困擾。

Hey, thanks for watching, this is part of our series, Work Flow, where we show you how we're using our own tech, to make our lives a little bit easier.

謝謝觀看，這是我們系列的其中一部份，在 Work Flow 你可以看到我們如何使用科技，讓我們的生活更便利。

If you wanna see some more, be sure to subscribe to The Verge.

如果你還想看更多相關影片一定要訂閱 The Verge。