NYC, Long Island residents received more than 176 million robocalls in April

NEW YORK — New Yorkers' phones are being slammed with robocalls.

In April alone, there were 176 million robocalls made to phone numbers in New York City and Long Island, according to Sen. Chuck Schumer. There have ben more than 720 million since the year started less than six months ago.

“Robocalls – at all hours of the day and night – and ‘spoofing’ scams annoy and rip-off countless New Yorkers and Long Islanders," Sen. Schumer said.

Schumer is calling on lawmakers to pass the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act to give federal agencies the tools and needed to trace, prosecute, and enforce fines against robocall scammers.

“Despite the existing ‘Do Not Call’ registry, robocalls remain a serious problem across the country, making these harassing calls nearly unavoidable," Schumer said. "It’s a plague that we’ve got to cure—whether it’s the landline or cell phone, no one should be woken up in the dead of night by multiple robocalls."

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas joined Schumer in calling for the passage of the TRACED Act.

“Americans are growing tired of ceaseless robocalls. Scammers- many of them from overseas - are inventing new and elaborate ways of stealing money over the phone," Singas said.