It’s complicated being a consumer these days. There’s so much information, but most of it is to get you to buy stuff rather than make financial choices that are good for you.
In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week 2026, March 1-7, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund is showcasing resources to help Americans address a wide range of common issues. The U.S. PIRG is a public interest research group.
“Taking care of all of your personal business can seem like a part-time job sometimes,” Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, said in a statement. “We aim to help consumers help themselves with easy-to-understand guides focused on some of the problems that plague us most.”
Phone scams
The volume of scam and telemarketing calls increased significantly in 2025, by 15.6 percent compared with 2024, according to YouMail, one of the largest robocall-blocking companies. The total of 29.6 billion unwanted calls is the highest level in four years, and coincides with rising losses to phone call-related scams.
“It’s not just that unwanted phone calls are annoying, and we all know they are,” Teresa Murry, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “They can lead to real stress and financial pain.”
Murray said one reason people get so many robocalls is that fewer than half the phone companies operating in the United States have completely installed required robocall-fighting software, according to a U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s analysis of reports filed with the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC.
Phone scams are likely to become an even bigger consumer problem as artificial intelligence makes it easier for con artists to impersonate people’s loved ones, co-workers, and others, she said. AI also can help bad guys aggregate information from data breaches and social media to create scripts and scenarios that are more likely to fool us.
The average amount of money lost to scams that started with a phone call increased in the first half of 2025, to $3,690, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Some of the most common phone scams: Loans, health insurance, and car warranties.
Murry said the FCC and all 50 states are getting more aggressive in trying to crack down on robocalls.
- The FCC shut down about 1,400 phone companies in August 2025 that were accused of allowing illegal calls.
- The states have launched their “Operation Robocall Roundup.” In December, the attorneys general in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., sent their latest rounds of letters to four prominent phone companies: Lumen, Peerless, Bandwidth, and Inteliquent. The letters raise concerns about what the states allege is each company’s “continuing involvement in suspected illegal robocall traffic.”
But spam and scam robocalls will likely continue to plague consumers for a long time, Murray said.
That’s why the U.S. PIRG Education Fund is highlighting robocalls and robotexts during National Consumer Protection Week 2026. Some of the groups guides, articles, and tips sheets are:
How to Stop Robocalls and Robotexts and Avoid Scams
Here’s How to Report Illegal Robocalls, Do Not Call Violations in All 50 States
Warm Texts: Friendly Messages Sent By ‘Mistake’ WANT You to Reply
Detecting a Scam: How to Avoid Fraudulent Phone Numbers, Emails and More
The next article, which also celebrates National Consumer Protection Week, will be on how to buy solar panels without making costly mistakes.
