OSCEOLA, Ind. (WOWO) — An Osceola man says his work cell phone has become nearly unusable because he receives dozens of unwanted calls every day, with the problem intensifying after he turned 65 and became a target for Medicare-related sales pitches. Jeff Bavar, a superintendent for a Wisconsin co nstruction company, told the WNDU I-Team that he receives between 80 and 120 spam calls a day, averaging about 90. The calls are coming to his business phone, making the situation particularly disruptive. Bavar said the problem began around his 65th birthday, when he became eligible for Medicare. “So that’s what started it was the Medicare, you know, going into being 65,” Bavar said. “They think that what they have is better than what we can get local, for them to do this abuse that they’re doing.” Bavar was already enrolled in Medicare through a local agency and said he repeatedly told callers that he did not need their services. The calls continued. Eventually, Bavar said he became frustrated enough that he began confronting some of the people making the sales calls. “And being on my business phone, I was getting tired of it,” he said. Bavar said one caller eventually threatened to increase the number of calls after Bavar confronted him. “One of the last times this has gone on, the guy told me he was going to put me on a list. And [said] I’d be getting calls every one to two minutes,” Bavar said. He said that threat appeared to become reality, with calls sometimes arriving just minutes apart. “I get calls anywhere from 80 to 120 a day of spam calls,” Bavar said. The sheer volume caught the attention of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. Rokita was at WNDU discussing scams connected to storm damage when the station asked him about Bavar’s experience. Rokita said he wanted to speak directly with Bavar because the situation appeared to go beyond ordinary telemarketing. “I want to reach out to him directly and get his information to see. Because this is a different little variation. This is almost like it’s predatory,” Rokita said. Later that day, Bavar received an email from the Attorney General’s Office saying the office would personally help enroll his phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry. The registry is designed to tell legitimate telemarketers that a consumer does not want to receive sales calls. But registering a number does not automatically block unwanted calls. The Federal Trade Commission says consumers can register home and mobile telephone numbers through the National Do Not Call Registry. Registration can reduce calls from legitimate telemarketers, but scammers and certain other callers can still get through. (donotcall.gov) Rokita also recommended that Bavar take advantage of spam-blocking technology offered through wireless carriers. Kat Cruz, a technology expert with Verizon, told WNDU that Verizon’s Call Filter service can identify and block large numbers of suspected spam calls. “There’s some things in place that for sure you can have some control,” Cruz said. “So, for example for that customer, we need to get call filter on their phone immediately.” Cruz said calls identified by the service as spam can be blocked or redirected to voicemail, depending on the customer’s settings and service. She said consumers should also be cautious about answering calls from numbers they don’t recognize. “With A.I. and adjunctive A.I. availability, there’s going to be more access to technology and more people nationally and internationally,” Cruz said. Her advice is to use the technology available to screen calls rather than engaging with suspicious callers. “And the best thing to do is turn on your line of defense,” she said. “When you answer you lose that control. So I would say don’t answer, be level-headed.” Other major wireless providers, including ATT and T-Mobile, also offer tools designed to identify or block suspected scam and spam calls. For Bavar, however, the issue is about more than an occasional nuisance call. Receiving dozens of calls every day has made it increasingly difficult to use the phone he needs for work. He believes the calls became particularly aggressive after he challenged the people making them. “You know, I think I’m on the extreme case of spam calls, just because I got smart with them,” Bavar said. But he said there should be a clear limit to the harassment. “Yet, where’s our stop means stop,” Bavar said. The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is now registering both Bavar’s business and personal telephone numbers with the National Do Not Call Registry. For consumers dealing with similar calls, officials recommend using carrier-provided call-blocking and screening tools, avoiding calls from unfamiliar numbers and reporting suspected scams. The Do Not Call Registry can help identify numbers that telemarketers should not contact, but consumers should understand that it is not a spam-call blocking system and cannot stop every unwanted or fraudulent call. The post 90 Spam Calls on Average a Day’: Indiana Man Seeks Relief From Medicare Calls appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less