Total Hair owner reports 50 daily robocalls despite carrier filters

A Raleigh hair salon owner says his business receives between 40 and 50 unwanted calls every day, a volume he claims consumes nearly two hours of his workday.

Charles Powell, who owns Total Hair, told ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson that his phone carrier has installed filters on both of his lines. Powell said those tools have done little to reduce the noise. He noted that some incoming numbers are spoofed, displaying the names of his own customers to make the calls appear legitimate. Powell described the tactic as an attempt to trick employees into answering.

The issue affects residents as well as businesses. Matt Hedgpeth, a stage four cancer patient, receives waves of calls early in the morning. He said the calls typically begin between 7:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. Hedgpeth explained that he cannot simply screen every unknown number because medical providers might be calling with time sensitive appointment details. Missing a call about an earlier opening for a brain MRI could delay his treatment.

The phone carrier serving both Hedgpeth and Powell confirmed to Wilson that its teams are actively investigating both cases. The company stated it could not share specific details due to customer privacy rules. It said it uses federally required technology to block calls likely to be illegal. The carrier also relies on STIR/SHAKEN, an industry standard for authenticating caller ID numbers to prevent spoofing.

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is leading a bipartisan group of 49 attorneys general. The coalition is urging the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen requirements for keeping illegal robocalls off the network. Consumers in the state can report suspected illegal calls to the North Carolina Department of Justice.

The phone carrier said its systems are designed to combat caller ID spoofing, yet both Hedgpeth and Powell report that the calls continue to arrive in high volume. Powell said he has contacted his carrier multiple times to resolve the issue. The carrier confirmed it is reviewing the specific cases of these two Triangle residents.