robo numbers blocked - will we run out for good guys?

RudyP said:
Who answers phone calls any more? I’d happily delete the phone app on my iPhone if Apple would let me.

Do not disturb mode is Ok but not 100% effective.
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They already have that, called the iPad Mini.
 
RussR said:
On my android phone, I downloaded an app called (very cleverly) "Call Blocker". Basically, any numbers that aren't existing contacts of mine, it stops before the phone even rings and sends them to voicemail. It works very well and is free for the basic version.
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Don’t know about that one, but my guard is always up on “free” apps from unknown developers — particularly ones that need access to contacts or location data.

What a great way for Chinese or Russian hackers to scoop associated contact lists and further the problem.

I recently stopped someone I knew from using a free photo-to-fax app. A little digging showed that the developer was a nobody based in China, and the app gave them not only the content of the fax (here being used for tax purposes), but full access to their photos and contact list. Nice.
 
EdFred said:
Some of us have jobs that require actually talking to customers. Scary for all you introverts, I know.
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Most everyone that works for me (including me!) are introverts. As the boss, I must answer any call, 24/7, as that's what's in our SOW. Maybe one thousand different phone numbers would be legit. So whilst I block many numbers per day (actually assign them to a Spam contact which is blocked) I don't have the option to let it go to voicemail.
 
in days gone by, I was excited to see a new number, it was a potential business lead - now new numbers are unpleasant.

Technology has rendered the Do not call list useless.
 
weilke said:
I believe that was my second answer in this thread. We get innundated with these calls because the telcos make money off their participation in our harassment. If it cost them money to switch a fraudulent call, this would be over by the end of the week.

My cell is with AT&T on a DC exchange that came from Cingular (or whoever had the 'A system' in DC back when cellphones were invented). If AT&T gets a call routed from a telco in china with a number that claims it originates within the same ATAT internal exchange it should be easy enough to drop the call. They have the actual routing information on who switches the call to them. It should be easy enough to drop all the calls that carry a caller ID that can't physically correlate with the calls origin.

Or at a minimum strip the caller ID from those calls and display them as 'mismatched CID' on the customer device.
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One of the DC blocks was BAMS (BellAtlantic, now Verizon), the other was CellularOne partners (SBC - Southwest Bell). The SBC block got absorbed into Cingular which got absorbed into the new AT&T when SBC bought it. As I recall, BAMS had the A block (the wireline block because they were the local wireline carrier) and SBC/CellOne had the B block (competitive carrier) but I may have that backwards.
 
Had another human call...

"Can I speak to Mr or Mrs X?"

"Speaking"

"I'm calling for some stupid Senior Care Center. How are you doing."

"Feeling very senior right now."

"Can I tell you why I am calling?"

"No"

He hung up.
 
My favorite is the guy (same voice, I recognize him, might be a recording) who asks for "Susan". When I say, "wrong number", he says, "Well, maybe you can help me. I'm with ..." <click>

I'm thinking next time I'll say, "Sure, hang on while I get her." Then put the phone down and get coffee.
 
flyingron said:
Actually, what thwarts most of this stuff (and even keeps the phone from ringing) is the fact I have my number routed to a virtual service that says "Press 1 to be connected." No robot does that.
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Please tell us more about that?
 
You can get it through a couple of providers, I use RingCentral. I ported my old landline over to it plus I have one of their issued toll free numbers (877 RON MARG). You can get quite involved in what happens there. I set it up when Margy and I both worked and lived in places with lousy cell coverage. The thing rings the landlines, our cells, our office phones (no more now that we retired) and mine also hit the ONSTAR thing in my car.
 
Guess I’m the lucky one, I never get robo calls on my cell phone or any other telemarketers for that matter.
 
Until we can get a lot of pressure on the congress critters we can't beat the lobbyists and get the do not call list enforced and spoofed caller ID outlawed. On the other hand, since I am now effectively retired, they sometimes catch me when I have time to be entertained. I got the call from "Windows Support" while driving my car and the guy came up on speakerphone. I use a Mac, so I really don't remember the Windows keyboard anymore. No matter.
"OK, let me get to my computer" long pause
"I just turned it on" pause
"Ok, now what?" I'm in traffic, you think he would recognize the sounds
"Which row is that on"
"I don't see a key that has that on it"
"What's a Mac?"
"Oh, maybe" Telemarketer hangs up

More recently, I got the "reduce your credit card interest" call. Pressed one
Mostly just kept asking questions and making up answers, in frustration he asked me if I wanted to save money or not.
"I'm just trying to waste your time so you will take me off your list"
Response: "you Mo---- F-----, click"
The last one, from Apple Support, told me they were getting suspicious web transactions from all over the world. I told him I was stuck on the farm because of the snow, and so it couldn't be me.
Actually turned out to be nice guy. He asked if I grew potatoes on the farm, I told him no, it's all clay so we can't raise anything except corn. Then he tried to get back on topic. After much confusion he wished me well and hoped I could get off the farm soon.
My wife, who was listening, said she thought he decided I was too stupid to scam.
 
I never answer my phone anymore unless it's from a number already in my contact list, or I'm expecting a call. Everything else I silence and ignore.

The STIR/SHAKEN thing might help, but it's probably too little, too late.
 
The problem with STIR/SHAKEN is that it allows secure identification of calls but doesn’t prevent them. We’ve had spam calls before caller id spoofing.

The main problem is it’s to cheap to make a phone call. I want a number that costs $20.00 to call, and give me the option to reverse the charge back to the caller if I deem it’s legit. And NO exceptions for politicians!

I don’t even want to keep the money - the phone company can have it. It just needs to be expensive for someone to waste my time.
 
deonb said:
The main problem is it’s to cheap to make a phone call. I want a number that costs $20.00 to call, and give me the option to reverse the charge back to the caller if I deem it’s legit. And NO exceptions for politicians!
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Well, get a premium rate or 1-900 number.
 
Well the number's possibly still exist, but 2012 was when the last major US carrier (Verizon) stopped forwarding the bills through to their customers. AT&T which was the instigator of the "premium rate service " (which they called DIAL-IT) stopped forwarding the billing a decade earlier.
 
deonb said:
1-900 numbers went out of existence in 2012.
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I wondered what happened to Ms Cleo.

They are still a thing in europe where you frequently pay per minute to get things like tech support or to talk to a live human at an airline or the US embassy. They also charge extra if the recipient number is a cell phone with the actual price dependent on the rate plan of the call recipient.
 
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