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.It’s a little bit fitting on a day when all of the cell phones in the United States went off with a Presidential alert that today’s paranoia topic is
[See the full post at: Patch Lady – 31 days of paranoia – day 3]
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
I don’t block them, I just don’t answer any that are not in my contact list and their name shows on the screen.
If they think it’s important, they’ll leave a message. If I think it’s important, I’ll call back. If I think they’re someone I want to continue communications with, I’ll put them in my contact list.
Note: I live on my computer, not my cell phone.
Robocallers seem to hang up automatically when my answering machine takes their calls. Human nuisance callers (telemarketers, surveys, etc.) are a little slower to disconnect but usually hang-up without leaving a message.
I NEVER rush to answer the telephone. People that I know and that know me will leave a message and I’ll get back to them. And if I happen to be in range of a caller-id display the only time I’ll take a call is if I recognize the calling number. Otherwise, talk to the machine.
99.99% of the time calls to my landline or cell-phone are nuisance callers.
These days I’m more likely to receive bona fide communications via e-mail or text message — it seems that old-fashioned voice communication is out of favor, especially with the younger generations.
I personally feel that signing up for don’t call me sites doesn’t work.
I thought exactly the same thing… until last week when we switched our landline phone service. I ended up with two “temporary” phone numbers for some hours while they processed the change at the company central office. These two numbers were, of course, not on any kind of “do not call” list.
I lost track of how many spam calls I got on the two lines in those few hours. There were at least 1-2 per hour, each. Normally, I’ll get 1-2 a day. I didn’t think so, but the Do Not Call list does make a difference.
It’s a complicated topic with imperfect solutions and evolving threats. As one who works at home researching and writing, interruptions of this sort drive me nuts, so I have devoted some time and effort to solving the problem. Currently:
1.) I am signed up for the FCC do-not call list, which seems to have little effect. A few years ago I would have said to look in New York City, Florida and the Medford, Oregon area to find clusters of phone spammers. Nowadays many are apparently based outside the U.S.
2.) I am signed up for Nomorobo, which makes use of the simultaneous-ring feature of VOIP phone systems to instantly check callers against a huge, constantly updated database of numbers being used to make repetitive calls. Nomorobo got into business by winning an FCC-sponsored contest to develop a way to stop spam calls a few years ago. Because it sees all the incoming calls of its users, it rather quickly gets a picture of phone numbers being used repetitively–this in addition to consulting other databases. (Nomorobo needs VOIP and will not work on an old-fashioned land line.)
3.) I have set up my landline phone to silence the first ring, which Nomorobo needs to establish caller ID. Thus I almost never hear a ring from calls blocked by Nomorobo. They still fill the phone screen with “missed calls.”
4.) I occasionally use the phone to block some phone numbers, especially local phone spammers like some contractors, hearing aid sales people, and fundraisers. I do not consider call blocking more than a last ditch answer and frankly think that some people seem to be attached to it because they enjoy the duel with the spammers. Certain web sites also actively feed this, apparently to increase sales of call blockers.
The “spoofing” of phone numbers is endemic to this criminal enterprise. Phone spammers are increasingly employing software to change their phone numbers on the fly, evading Nomorobo. Others also spoof the number by using the area code and local exchange prefix of the recipient’s phone number, making it look like the spam call is a neighbor. I am considering setting up my phone to block all calls from my local exchange, though that still seems to me like a harsh step.
That’s what it’s come to: Blocking neighbors from calling each other. People ignoring all calls except from people they know. What was that about how technology would make the world a better place?
A few phone spammers extradited and slapped in prison for 25 years might make a difference. Our government, unfortunately, is just play-acting at enforcing the law.
True scammers don’t pay attention to the Do-Not-Call Registry, and 99 times out of 100 they don’t provide their REAL caller ID info. It takes me all of 5 minutes to change my outgoing caller ID to anything I want and the scammers can do the same.
I have had my number, my wife’s number, and several of my work numbers (contiguous block of 100 DIDs) spoofed by scammers. I answer the phone, explain to people calling back that it was not me (or my wife or my work) that called them and generally they learn something.
When the true scammers call me I answer and do my best to make their venture just a little less profitable (if all I get is the $0.019 call connection fee on a robo-dial it is still almost 2 cents less profitable for them). When I get a live one on the line I keep them on the line as long as possible figuring that’s XX minutes they won’t be able to try to scam my grandma. My record is close to 20 minutes and I had them convinced that I was going to be a whale for them – them meaning the caller actually got his boss on the line because they were going to scam me that hard.
When I got an IRS scam call with a call-back number I disabled my caller ID and called them back… over and over and over and over until they unplugged their MajicJack. (I also researched the number and found out it was owned by MagicJack but MJ doesn’t have any method of reporting abuse to them…)
I got a call from “The Windows” just last week informing me that my computer was hacked and I need to start by rebooting it… A few minutes later “The Windows” asked if it was back on and I told him “It’s r..e..a..l..l..y s..l..o..w… Is that because of the hackers?” He confirmed that it is probably the hackers making it slow… Another 3 or so minutes later “The Windows” asked what it said on the screen… “It still says ‘Windows is shutting down’.” Just as I was unmuting “The Windows” to tell him “It says Installing update 1 of 147” but he had enough of me and hung up.
I hope the reboot kicked out the hackers and they don’t come back. 
I use CPR 5000 call blocker on my landline. You can block up to 1500 numbers or area codes. Your phone doesn’t even ring, they are just blocked. I block whole area codes unless there are numbers in that area code I don’t want blocked. This thing works great.
If I recall correctly, here in the UK a few years ago someone set up a second phone line as a premium rate line, meaning that any caller incurred heavy charges per minute or part thereof. Any spam caller on his normal line was given a plausible excuse and asked to call him on the second line when he would then keep them chatting for as long as possible. He made a lot of money out of it.
Personally, I’m registered with the Telephone Preference Service which is intended to prevent cold calling and it is highly effective. Very occasionally a spam caller will get through and then I usually spot the slight delay before they start talking and during which I hang up.The irritating ones used to be those that happened at the exact same time every day but they’ve pretty much stopped since unattended automatic dialing was outlawed in the UK.
I do pretty much what PKCano wrote.
I don’t have a land line nor “blocked” numbers on my cell phone. I simply don’t answer if the caller is not on my contact list.
It is a waste of my time to engage these callers. Probably a fallacy to think that I am keeping them busy & thereby not scamming others.
For giggles I looked at my call log for the last 30 days. Of the 66 calls, 33 were to or from people on my contact list including voice mail. The difference is 33 calls from numbers not on my contact list. The most on one day was five. Some days I get zero, so it’s not like the average is one a day.
I’m on the “do not call” list & think that it’s mostly c*** in that there is no agency that wants to be bothered by this so they “tell” us it is used by federal & state agencies. Perhaps that is a lie.
So how do they get my number? The idea that there are nefarious call centers or the like randomly dialing numbers or methodically calling generated numbers seems like a stretch. There doesn’t seem like that much of a success rate on those phishing scams. So why bother, sighs, just amazes me.
Oftentimes the idea occurs to me that comcast sells phone numbers. They can make money in third party distribution. They’ve proven to be shady enough to do so by reputation alone.
I am not open about my contact info. Don’t subscribe to anything. Not involved in social media. Also, I don’t have an abundance of apps on my phone to harvest my number, although that’s not totally out of the question as to a possible source.
When I sleep I set the blocked calls feature on my Samsung to block all calls & text notifications except those on my contact list.
Sorta bugs me that we are subjected to this nonsense. It shouldn’t be like this, shakesfist.
Win 8.1 (home & pro) Group B, W10/11 Avoider, Linux Dabbler
That’s one of the reasons I don’t take calls from numbers not on my contact list. They can leave a message if they are legitimate. No muss, no fuss.
Edit note: having said that, there might be an exception where I’m waiting for an important call from someone not on my contact list & I’ll get a robocall. Few & far between, a rarity.
Win 8.1 (home & pro) Group B, W10/11 Avoider, Linux Dabbler
Telekom in Germany allows to whitelist incoming telephone numbers. The interface for this is online. For those who do not know what white-listing means: where a blacklist blocks those numbers you define, a whitelist blocks EVERY number and allows only those that you explicitly define. You can allow individual numbers, area codes, and cellphone networks.
My life has become very peaceful since I did this with my fixed line some years ago. The mobile number I never hand out to somebody, with just two very close exceptions. No more polling. No more advertising. No more call centre terror. No more “You won!” cheats. I allowed several individual numbers of friends and family, my hometown’s area code, and the surrounding area codes as well as all mobile networks (because craftsman use mobiles most of the time, and sometimes there is need for one). Any foreigner from more than maybe 50 km away, cannot reach me via telephone.
Its paradise. If I get more than two calls per month with this method, I already feel its an unusual disturbance. 
Marc
P.S.
It pays off to be restrictive with your personal data, both telephone number and postal adress. My snail mailbox is almost always empty. The boxes of my neighbours are almost exploding sometimes with adverts. All that paper next clogs the trash can. The less people know your telephone number, the fewer people can annoy you with unwanted calls. Be hesitent, therefore.
Marc
I set my Galaxy S8 to “Do Not Disturb” with a setting that allows all my contacts to ring through but anyone who is not on my contact list doesn’t ring the phone, it just goes to “missed calls” and most scammers won’t leave a voicemail ( the exception is the IRS scam which will leave a voicemail ).
Any legitimate calls will leave a voicemail if they need to talk to me. This plan has been working very well for me for at least 6 months now. As was said earlier, the “Do Not Call” list doesn’t stop the scammers but the “Do Not Disturb” setting works pretty darn good.
Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).
Don’t have a landline.
On my mobile, I screen calls, if I don’t recognise the number (ie. a contact entry with a name associated), I let it go to voicemail. If they don’t leave a message, it couldn’t have been that important.
Ignorance is bliss.
No matter where you go, there you are.
The Do Not Call list is useless. All my numbers are registered and the frequency of nuisance calls is unchanged over an extended period of time, including spikes when some new troll targets my numbers.
And so it is having, and paying the telephone company to have an unlisted number. I have been paying for that since I got my current phone number, but the con artists and hawkers that call me know my name and some even my address. I seem to remember that these days, and actually for a number of years now, one can easily buy a CD or DVD with the names and addresses of just about everybody in the country. A sort of super Reverse Telephone Directory. I would not be one bit surprised if this now includes email addresses as well.
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV
A few months ago I had a message left on the answering machine from someone I knew a little, friend of a friend that I had talked to a few times over a couple of years, that lived nearby. They were livid telling me to never call their house again. I had no idea what it was about as it wasn’t possible that I had called them (landline, no butt dial, etc).
I ended up talking to my friend to ask if they knew or could find out what was going on as I wasn’t about to call them myself. I was told that they were upset because they said I called them numerous times in a single day. I didn’t even know they had my phone number so I figured there had to be more to the story but never heard anything further.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I get a typical spam phone call. I check the caller ID and it says my name and phone number is calling me. Confused. I call the phone company and they tell me they have known about this for about a year. That these spammers are now spoofing real peoples names and numbers and using them to call that local community area. I finally understood that previous odd message as I can only guess that someome was using my spoofed name and number to spam call people and one of them just happened to be someone that recognized my name enough to return the call upset for thinking I was calling them.
The even sadder part. The phone company could not have cared less. I tried talking to a couple of different people and the best they could offer was to change the number and call local and state government to suggest they try to come up with something to address the spoofing issue. I asked how come the phone company doesn’t lobby on behalf of its customers, since they do so when it is in their interest, and was told that it is up to the customers to contact their representatives. That there was nothing they could do.
So, now you can’t even trust that some stranger isn’t going to get upset thinking your name and number is spam calling them only to track you down (and who knows what scam they may be running if someone answers). Which is probably easy to do. How long before someone gets threatened, hurt or vandalized before the phone company does something? Can’t be that hard to offer individual means for customers to block mass callers or the phone company to do so.
You have demonstrated the second level effect of the first level cold calls that so many of us simply disconnect from. Once you have interacted with the bullpen stooge, or even a well programmed machine ( but I repeat myself), you have verified this number is an authentic number and can be reported as available for non-random spoofing.
It is just a more specific kind of ID theft.
Ooma (voice over IP) has blacklisting – several levels of it. Very nice. Very useful. It can just redirect the calls to voicemail and you don’t even have to worry that you missed something important – the important callers likely leave messages. The others generally don’t, not even the robocalls.
However…
Note that blacklisting fails to block spoofed phone numbers. You know, those spammers/scammers that make it look like they’re calling from within your exchange? Presumably they make unsuspecting call recipients think someone from their neighborhood is calling them.
Spoofing caller ID should not be legal, and should be technically disallowed. I imagine that there are reasons that is harder to do than it sounds.
-Noel
I read about some of the arguments against using technical means to block spoofing of caller ID. One was that if a business contracts with a call center to do (whatever), they want the call center to be able to make calls that look like they come from the client they are representing, so that the person on the receiving end of the call can properly judge the nature of the call before answering (the entire purpose of caller ID). If a doctor contracts with a service to issue appointment reminder courtesy calls, he wants those calls to appear that they are coming from his office, not the name of the service company which the patient does not recognize.
I can see the point, but enabling all of this scamming seems a high price to pay for that feature.
Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)
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