quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer the phone. If it's legit, they'll leave a message and I'll them back.

I never get to talk to Jerry Smith from Mumbai. Screen all calls.

I'm starting to get one's that leave a message. It's short, like it's part of their spiel.

I get the same jackass spoofing a new number each time from my area code at least twice a month.

I block the number each time.

Call always starts with: “is Francis there?”

No answer sways them... tried the “you got the wrong number”, to “yes, this is Francis”, to “f£§k Francis and you too!”.

Pretty annoying.

Then why do you answer it?

I don't get it. What am I missing?

Unfortunately, my cell phone is also on my business cards and many of our suppliers also share the same area code.

I've got an app that is pretty good about weeding the telemarketers, but not the Francis guy yet

Well, say 'hey' to Francis for me.

I got a call last week from my own cell phone number with a 1+ prefix. Didn't answer and no message was left.

Over the past year+ I would get calls of silence from seemingly random numbers. At random times.

Woodman thinks it was a large computer-based system calling me to plot when I'd be likely to answer my number.

Starting in January, I was bombarded with 25-35 telemarketer calls a day. For everything. Once I answered the phone with an accented pronunciation of my name, and some calls coming in would call be by the 'accented' mispronounced name. Even text messages.

My take:

1] A system determined my number was a viable number to hit. My number was vetted then sold.

2] Starting with mostly health insurance solicitations, I was hammered. Occasionally I'd get a "real" call from the owner of an agency within 50 miles. He's act sincere, tell me my info was entered into his website as a request for information. When asking to be removed from the call list, three agents told me they wanted my address to do it; I responded that my address had nothing to do with it; block the number, since I'm getting calls, not visits.

3] I noticed that when callers did get me on the line, they solicited information in incremental amounts. My belief is that many of the callers were sharing the same database.

4] I would not be surprised to hear that some health insurance brokers, at a convention, banded together and decided to buy into a telemarketing scheme. Their business must be near broken, since anyone can go online and buy health insurance now.

I stopped answering my phone in February. That's when the telemarketers began leaving me nasty messages in response to my OGM "Hello; due to the proliferation of telemarketer calls, I no longer answer my phone. Legitimate customers are encouraged to leave a message".

My phone would not block calls and my online block option was not functioning (and was cumbersome when it returned to functionality). I've since gotten an iPhone, still do not answer my phone, and block nearly every caller who does not leave a message (I'll google the number first but lately, they are very close to my own number, are "new" spam numbers, and there is no record yet of their activities).

Whoever paid for my number must be pissed, because they have wasted their time with my number. I could hear the frustration when speaking to the brokers.

My only advice - never answer your phone from an unknown number. I'm self-employed, a great target for someone selling health insurance, and I've worked around it by making sure all my clients are in my address book.

Lastly, randomly meeting some geek who hears, "Oh, you're a so-and-so? Would you happen to have a card?" That is one of the little piss-ants who collect business cards to sell to his asshole uncle's telemarketing scheme. I've stopped handing out cards. People can have my card after they are customers.

quote:

Originally posted by Butch 2340:
I got a call last week from my own cell phone number with a 1+ prefix. Didn't answer and no message was left.

It was Rod Serling.

Does anyone make a landline phone that requires a caller to press a number before ringing? I've been looking for that for a couple years now.

We get telemarketing calls repeatedly from constantly changing numbers on both landline and mobile. Blocking is pointless.

I got one of those today - I can't block my own number

now, on my iPhone I told it to block calls that are not from my contact list (unless the call is tried 3 times)

so I am guessing the robot calls 3 times to circumvent this

with the latest software upgrade that feature appears to have been eliminated

This shit should be illegal. I don't know if it would fall under disturbing the peace or some other thing, it should be illegal. I get 5-10 of these calls a day. Every day.

Now they are starting to do it with texts too.

I really want to tell these SOBs that I have software that tells me who and where they are and that I'm coming to murder them and their family. Or just that I have a very special set of skills....

I'm not a fan of new laws for everyday bullshit, but Congress should get on this shit and bring it to an end.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer the phone. If it's legit, they'll leave a message and I'll them back.

I never get to talk to Jerry Smith from Mumbai. Screen all calls.

Best advice yet.

One of the main reasons I stopped being a Redskins fan in NFL... Dan Snider made his millions from selling phone lists for telemarketers. The other the little shit stole the team from the Cook family

That said, if I don’t know the number, I don’t answer, I give them twice calling, if after two..they get blocked

I use a two-pronged attack: I first look at the caller-id. If it's in my contact list, it's good to go. I also have a paid app on my phone (NoMoRoBo) that contains a constantly updated "black list" of numbers. If a call originates from one of these, a red warning button and "robo-caller" is listed on the caller id.

Finally, I have a voicemail message that informs callers that they are getting the message BECAUSE I don't recognize their number. I invite them to leave a message if they want to be added to my contact list. So far, no takers.

When I can't answer a call from someone in my contact list, they know to leave a message.

I haven't had a spam call in years.

IF I have the time and feel like spoofing a telemarketer, I answer the phone....."Sherriff's Office, Fraud Division,, Detective Patterson"

I've been getting the calls to reduce my credit card rate for a couple of years now. They call me at least 3-4 times a week. I've tried screwing with them, and finally found something that pisses them off.

The caller always has an Indian accent, so I talk back to them in my best Indian accent, and act like I'm stupid as shit. I tell them to yes, send me a credit card. Scammer says no, no, no, we want to reduce the interest on your credit card. I say yes, I like credit card. Please send credit card. Scammer says no, no, no.

I keep this going till they hang up on me, or start cussing me out. I've pissed more of these assholes in the last few months by doing this than any other thing I've ever tried. It's been kind of fun, because they hate it.

 
I have a couple of prepared text messages I can send the caller, if I feel like bothering. One of them says "I don't recognize your number. Please send a text". When it happens to be a scammer, I get an immediate text back saying your text could not be delivered, which is because they are not using a cell phone. If it's not a scammer, they will usually get the text. This method (of sending a text) at lease eliminates the recorded voicemail. I either don't answer an unknown number, or send that text. Many come from my VZ cell exchange, so they could be local callers that just happen not to be in my Contacts, and they will get the text, or if I just don't pick up, voicemail takes over.
 

When I got my new cell phone, one of the first apps I loaded was "Calls Blacklist".
This is a free app that effectively blocks calls and SMS messages based on your selected criteria. In my case, I told it to block anything incoming that isn't from a sender in my Contacts list.
I also changed my outgoing message to say something to the effect of "if you're hearing this message, I'm on another call. Leave a detailed message and I'll return your call as soon as I can".

Blacklist diverts incoming calls directly to voicemail if they aren't in my contacts. The phone never rings, and if they leave a message I get a chime. Only takes a moment to determine if it's real or bogus, and the bogus just get deleted.

It's made a huge difference in my day. Telemarketers don't bother me any more. At all.

Same here!! Calls from my area code with my phones pre-fix. All calling to reduce my credit card interest rate. I paid the 25.00 to the Robo-Killer app and have had peace and quiet since. Yes, I had to pay but the app is fantastic and worth the peace and quiet. Very user friendly app and it WORKS.

Check out Robo-Killer app.

quote:

Originally posted by motor59:
When I got my new cell phone, one of the first apps I loaded was "Calls Blacklist".
This is a free app that effectively blocks calls and SMS messages based on your selected criteria. In my case, I told it to block anything incoming that isn't from a sender in my Contacts list.

If all you want to do is block callers not in your Contacts, you can do that, at least on an iPhone, without any app. It is under Settings/Do Not Disturb.