The Reading / Listening - Nuisance Calls - Level 2

America's communications commission has fined a man who made nearly 100 million robocalls. A robocall is made by a computer programme. The commission fined the man $120 million. They say he was a threat to public safety. The man's calls were illegal because many of them were made to "critical emergency phone lines". Many other calls went to mobile phones and home telephones without the person being called wanting that call. This means the call was a nuisance call. This is like spam e-mail, which is also unwanted and annoying.

The man committed a crime. He carried out "one of the largest and most dangerous illegal robocalling campaigns...ever investigated". He made 96 million robocalls in three months in 2016. It was part of a "telemarketing scheme". He used a technique called "neighbor spoofing" to trick people to answer the calls. The people thought the calls were from a local telephone number. He tricked people into believing that the calls were from well-known companies. Callers were passed on to call centres that tried to sell them property. The man said he did nothing wrong.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Nuisance Calls - Level 0 Nuisance Calls - Level 1   or  Nuisance Calls - Level 3

Sources
  • http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/11/news/fcc-robocall-fine/index.html
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/05/11/robocaller-fined-120-million-fcc-nearly-100-million-spoofed-calls/601287002/
  • http://fortune.com/2018/05/11/robocall-lawsuit-settlement-fcc/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. America's communications
  2. fined
  3. made by a computer
  4. fined the man
  5. he was a threat
  6. critical emergency
  7. the person
  8. unwanted and
  1. phone lines
  2. $120 million
  3. to public safety
  4. a man
  5. being called
  6. programme
  7. annoying
  8. commission

Paragraph 2

  1. The man committed
  2. illegal robocalling
  3. part of a telemarketing
  4. from a local
  5. He tricked
  6. Callers were passed on
  7. tried to sell them
  8. The man said he did nothing
  1. campaigns
  2. property
  3. people
  4. wrong
  5. scheme
  6. a crime
  7. telephone number
  8. to call centres

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

America's communications commission (1) ___________________ man who (2) ___________________ million robocalls. A robocall is made by a computer programme. The commission fined the man $120 million. They say he was a threat (3) ___________________. The man's calls were illegal because many of them were made to "critical emergency phone lines". Many other (4) ___________________ mobile phones and home telephones without the (5) ___________________ wanting that call. This means the call was a nuisance call. This (6) ___________________ e-mail, which is also unwanted and annoying.

The man committed a crime. He (7) ___________________ of the largest and most dangerous illegal robocalling campaigns...ever investigated". (8) ___________________ million robocalls in three months in 2016. It was (9) ___________________ "telemarketing scheme". He used a technique called "neighbor spoofing" to trick people to answer the calls. The people (10) ___________________ were from a local telephone number. He (11) ___________________ believing that the calls were from well-known companies. Callers were passed on to call centres that tried to sell them property. The man said he (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

America'scommunicationscommissionhasfinedamanwhomadenearl
y100millionrobocalls.Arobocallismadebyacomputerprogramme.Th
ecommissionfinedtheman$120million.Theysayhewasathreattopubli
csafety.Theman'scallswereillegalbecausemanyofthemweremadeto
"criticalemergencyphonelines".Manyothercallswenttomobilephone
sandhometelephoneswithoutthepersonbeingcalledwantingthatcall.
Thismeansthecallwasanuisancecall.Thisislikespame-mail,whichisa
lsounwantedandannoying.Themancommittedacrime.Hecarriedout"
oneofthelargestandmostdangerousillegalrobocallingcampaigns...e
verinvestigated".Hemade96millionrobocallsinthreemonthsin2016.I
twaspartofa"telemarketingscheme".Heusedatechniquecalled"neigh
borspoofing"totrickpeopletoanswerthecalls.Thepeoplethoughtthec
allswerefromalocaltelephonenumber.Hetrickedpeopleintobelievingt
hatthecallswerefromwell-knowncompanies.Callerswerepassedonto
callcentresthattriedtosellthemproperty.Themansaidhedidnothingw
rong.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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