So my cell was getting bombed with robocalls, at times there were dozens a day. I pressed 9 to be removed from the do not call list, I pressed 2 to talk to a human and requested in person to be removed and nothing changed. I even downloaded an app and that helped a little but didn't eliminate them.

So a few months ago I started answering the calls and set my phone down and said nothing. Usually the call terminated after 10 or 20 seconds. I thought maybe the software would think my number was a fax machine or dead number. Well two months later and I rarely receive a call now, maybe 1 a week. I think my theory worked and I just wanted to pass this on to others annoyed with these calls.

Want to get this shut down? Set up robo-calling to go after the prominent Democrats with messages supporting Trump and against Liberalism and there will be bills on the floor of Congress within a week

I have a simple system. If the number calling isn't in my contacts list (and therefore displays a name) I don't answer it.

If they insist and leave a voice mail, I delete it without listening to it.

I uploaded truecaller to the eye fone, it's caught a few calls, I've noticed fewer calls getting through since I installed it,

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I have a simple system. If the number calling isn't in my contacts list (and therefore displays a name) I don't answer it.

If they insist and leave a voice mail, I delete it without listening to it.

The Mr Number app is excellent. You can designate that all calls be blocked other than the ones in your contact list. It works great.

Just wish there was a device for landlines that would block all calls except numbers in your white list.

I kept getting calls from spoofed numbers that either began with my IPhone’s prefix or the local exchange prefix. I’d block them as they showed up, but since the spammers kept changing the final four digits and calling again, it got tiresome listening to the cellphone ring incessantly and having to block each individual number. A little googling supplied the solution.

If you make a new contact (call it spam1 or whatever you want), you can then add a phone number to that contact with wildcard characters (*) for some of the digits. Then just block that phone number that has the asterisks in it and no more calls from the troublesome prefix or prefixes. I think it still allows them to leave a VM, but they never seem to. Don’t know if Android has a similar feature, but it works with IOS.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I have a simple system. If the number calling isn't in my contacts list (and therefore displays a name) I don't answer it.

If they insist and leave a voice mail, I delete it without listening to it.

The Mr Number app is excellent. You can designate that all calls be blocked other than the ones in your contact list. It works great.

Just wish there was a device for landlines that would block all calls except numbers in your white list.

There is, it’s called Digitone. I’ve used one for years. You’ll have to enter your whitelist manually since it can’t connect to a cellphone, but it will block everything but numbers on that list.

Heck...I've gotten two calls from myself recently....

what's up with that??!!

I've got a couple of those call screening apps on my phone and they capture some of that garbage...but I still get a few calls a day easy.

If we can put a man on the moon why can't we stop robo-harassment?

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
I kept getting calls from spoofed numbers that either began with my IPhone’s prefix or the local exchange prefix. I’d block them as they showed up, but since the spammers kept changing the final four digits and calling again, it got tiresome listening to the cellphone ring incessantly and having to block each individual number. A little googling supplied the solution.

If you make a new contact (call it spam1 or whatever you want), you can then add a phone number to that contact with wildcard characters (*) for some of the digits. Then just block that phone number that has the asterisks in it and no more calls from the troublesome prefix or prefixes. I think it still allows them to leave a VM, but they never seem to. Don’t know if Android has a similar feature, but it works with IOS.

Cool. I had no idea you could use wildcard phone numbers. Thanks for the tip!

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Want to get this shut down? Set up robo-calling to go after the prominent Democrats with messages supporting Trump and against Liberalism and there will be bills on the floor of Congress within a week

Politics in an apolitical thread.

I avoid installing apps because they can sometimes do more harm than good.

I downloaded a ringtone from the apple store called "Silent" and set it as my default ringtone. I set all my contacts to something else. If I hear my phone ring then I know it's someone in my contact list. Otherwise, I have missed calls from Robocallers but I never hear the phone ring.

I switched my landline from AT&T to a bundled package with Spectrum.

When I was w/att got several junk calls per day. Spectrum offers a blocking service called nomorobo and it really helps. Junk calls ring once and then go silent and the # is displayed on tv if it's on.

Rarely does a robocall get through nomorobo.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I have a simple system. If the number calling isn't in my contacts list (and therefore displays a name) I don't answer it.

If they insist and leave a voice mail, I delete it without listening to it.

The Mr Number app is excellent. You can designate that all calls be blocked other than the ones in your contact list. It works great.

Just wish there was a device for landlines that would block all calls except numbers in your white list.

Great unless someone is trying to call you because there's an emergency with your kids, dog, house etc. and they're not on your list. If someone goes through the trouble of leaving a voicemail, why not take the 10 seconds to listen to it?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Want to get this shut down? Set up robo-calling to go after the prominent Democrats with messages supporting Trump and against Liberalism and there will be bills on the floor of Congress within a week

Politics in an apolitical thread.

Sorry.... was going for the funny not the politics.

Sometimes if I am on this PC and get a robocall, I perss one or whatever they say for a real person. But I never say anything. I open my link to music and rick-roll the person.

quote:

Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:
So my cell was getting bombed with robocalls, at times there were dozens a day. I pressed 9 to be removed from the do not call list, I pressed 2 to talk to a human and requested in person to be removed and nothing changed. I even downloaded an app and that helped a little but didn't eliminate them.

So a few months ago I started answering the calls and set my phone down and said nothing. Usually the call terminated after 10 or 20 seconds. I thought maybe the software would think my number was a fax machine or dead number. Well two months later and I rarely receive a call now, maybe 1 a week. I think my theory worked and I just wanted to pass this on to others annoyed with these calls.

You're missing out on one of the true joys in life, which is confronting the phone scammers.

I always press whatever button it is to talk to the human. Then I insult the shit out of them when they answer. Occasionally, you'll get a spirited one that will escalate the insult game.

I've had two really good ones. One was an Indian or Pakistani guy that said he was going to come fuck my mother, to which I told him that my mother had standards and he'd never have a chance. The second was a young American sounding girl that said if I wasn't going to fall for the scam that we should do phone sex instead. I did not do phone sex.

I've had some other funny ones, but it's become somewhat of a hobby. The one I got this morning was the health insurance one. When I got to the guy I called him a scammer and he was to shocked at somebody calling him out he didn't even respond. I finally said that I wasn't going to give him my personal data and he hung up without a word.

Edit: Also I have a Google PIxel 2 and the newest Andriod has a call screen button where the phone will answer the call for you and play a recorded message. Anything the caller says is transcribed with speech recognition and you can decide if you want to answer or not. It's highly effective, especially against legitimate telemarketers.

quote:

Originally posted by 380Swift:

legitimate telemarketers.

Oxymoron

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:

I kept getting calls from spoofed numbers that either began with my IPhone’s prefix . . .

If you make a new contact (call it spam1 or whatever you want), you can then add a phone number to that contact with wildcard characters (*) for some of the digits. Then just block that phone number that has the asterisks in it and no more calls from the troublesome prefix or prefixes . . . it works with IOS.

Probably half of the junk calls that I get show caller ID with the same first six digits as my iPhone number, so when I saw your post I thought "What a GREAT idea!"

I started to do this, then had an "Oh, shit" moment when I realized that my wife's phone number is the same as mine, except for the last digit. Hers ends in 7, mine ends with an 8. If I use your method I would be blocking calls from her.

Wait, maybe . . .

Block lists can help a little, but spammers have learned how to "spoof" their phone number ID so that you think it is your local area code, or as noted above, even from your own number.

When I have time, I actually answer and talk with the salesperson. But My goal is to artfully waste as much of their time as possible, but asking endless questions and needing clarifications. I know I am not going to give out any of my real information or buy anything, so I consider it entertainment. Robocalls persist because there must be some morons out there actually buying stuff from the robocaller. My goal is to make it too wasteful of their time. I don't know if it has any real effect, but it is a little bit fun.

Last year at this time I was getting 30-40 a day. Orchestrated, I think, by a group of health care insurance brokers who have seen their revenue drop sharply.

Occasionally a real broker would call, give bonafide name location, and claim my info was entered into his website.

The kicker is the broker always wanted my name and address to remove me from the callings. You NEVER surrender any additional information. Because it goes into the database.

I even answered the phone with the wrong name and within hours was getting more calls and texts addressing me by the wrong name.

These days it is 3-10 per week, if that. I never answer, sometimes I google the web-search the number, then it goes to Block Number on the iPony.