4 ms·

You're incorrect, and underestimating the potential profit vs cost. 5c per outbound call, but even if the scammers get 1 or two people a day for $100 (and likel

You're incorrect, and underestimating the potential profit vs cost. 5c per outbound call, but even if the scammers get 1 or two people a day for $100 (and likely MUCH more), it's just a drop in the bucket to operating costs.

trident5000 5y ago
I doubt I'm incorrect. There were 46 billion robocalls in 2020. That would be a $2.3 billion operating cost. Make it 10 cents and its 4.6 billion. Robocallers are not making 2-5 billion per year scamming people.
- bogidon 5y ago
  I wonder what’s the ballpark of what spammers are making and spending. And if that really is significant enough profit to the carriers to prompt inaction on an issue that clearly degrades the experience for the rest of their users. Or maybe this issue couldn’t be solved unilaterally, where one carrier could offer much better spam protection as a competitive advantage, and the industry is too decrepit for group effort that doesn’t have direct implications on their bottom line.
- PenguinCoder 5y ago
  Yeah they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26813194 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26813194
yboris 5y ago
$100 / $0.05 = 2,000 Do you think the scammers have a better return than $100 / 2,000 calls made?
- PenguinCoder 5y ago
  Uh, yes. https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/phone-scams-cost-americans-8-6-billion-last-year-here-s-how-to-protect-yourself-106523 https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/phone-scams-cost-american... https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/phone-scams-cost-americans-95-billion-per-year https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/phone-scams-cost-americ... https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-phone-scams-cost-americans-last-year-2017-04-19 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-phone-scams...
inglor_cz 5y ago
I am in a country where outbound calls are not free yet. Our robocall problem is, in comparison to the U.S., negligible.

trident5000 5y ago

I doubt I'm incorrect. There were 46 billion robocalls in 2020. That would be a $2.3 billion operating cost. Make it 10 cents and its 4.6 billion. Robocallers are not making 2-5 billion per year scamming people.

bogidon 5y ago
I wonder what’s the ballpark of what spammers are making and spending. And if that really is significant enough profit to the carriers to prompt inaction on an issue that clearly degrades the experience for the rest of their users. Or maybe this issue couldn’t be solved unilaterally, where one carrier could offer much better spam protection as a competitive advantage, and the industry is too decrepit for group effort that doesn’t have direct implications on their bottom line.
PenguinCoder 5y ago
Yeah they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26813194 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26813194

yboris 5y ago

$100 / $0.05 = 2,000 Do you think the scammers have a better return than $100 / 2,000 calls made?

PenguinCoder 5y ago
Uh, yes. https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/phone-scams-cost-americans-8-6-billion-last-year-here-s-how-to-protect-yourself-106523 https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/phone-scams-cost-american... https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/phone-scams-cost-americans-95-billion-per-year https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/phone-scams-cost-americ... https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-phone-scams-cost-americans-last-year-2017-04-19 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-phone-scams...

inglor_cz 5y ago

I am in a country where outbound calls are not free yet. Our robocall problem is, in comparison to the U.S., negligible.