Are Internet Relay Call Scams dead?

[jsinger]

Haven't seen anything here or elsewhere recently about Internet Relay fraud. We haven't gotten any calls in nearly a year. There was some talk about dropping free international calls from that ill-fated government program originally intended to aid the handicapped.

[Conard]

I got one of those calls, just last week after a year or so of not receiving any.

I just hang up on them now and don't answer the phones if the caller tries again.

[akmac]

I haven't gotten any in the last year either. Used to love them, too. None of them seemed interested after I told them the only items I had available for express shipment were fresh vegetables and produce...

[jsinger]

I don't know whether the scam calls have diminished. Probably. There's far more info on the web about relay calls than when I first encountered them several years ago.

What a dreadful job! Apparently many relay operators quit over the fraud and prank calls, along with the general monotony of transcribing calls all day. I see online estimates that scammers account for 50% to 90% of relay calls.

Interesting to read the RO's own discussion groups that are now on the web. Search any SE for: "I'm a relay operator"