Have you been getting a lot of pre-recorded telemarketing calls lately, even though you are on the Do Not Call registry?Illegal telemarketing robocalls are skyrocketing in New Jersey and across the country according the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The New Jersey lawmaker who spearheaded the effort to create the state's Do Not Call list is working on the problem.

"I am looking into it very seriously," said State Sen. Linda Greenstein. "We've had so many complaints in my office about people who are on the Do Not Call list and are now getting 10, 12 and sometimes 20 of those so-called robocalls every day. It's clogging up people's phones and we want to make sure the 'Do Not Call' list works well."

Greenstein is independently researching the issue, but she has also reached out to the Division of Consumer Affairs in the State Attorney General's Office. Greenstein wants to determine if there is anything that can be done at the state level.

"When the Do Not Call list was first developed it seemed to be working wonderfully," said Greenstein. "People had a much better quality of life, but now it seems in the last year or two we're definitely going backwards and people are very upset about getting all of these phone calls."

When Greenstein first started working on the Do Not Call bill, cell phones weren't very popular and pre-recorded messages weren't used as a major marketing tool either.  She thinks the law has to keep up with technology.

"You have all of these scammers who don't care about checking the list," said Greenstein. "You have illegal robocalls which are hard to trace, cheap to make. Needless to say these groups are not checking the Do Not Call list. They don't care if they're violating the law."

Greenstein said it's especially tough to nab these telemarketing robocallers because the calls are often placed from foreign countries and most times the number that shows up on the caller ID is bogus.

"It's hard enough to deal with legitimate marketers," said Greenstein. "It's very difficult if not impossible to deal with the people who are trying to commit fraud."

Greenstein said it's possible she will conduct hearings into the matter and introduce new legislation.

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