Robo Calls

[3.0L]

It's insane and getting worse everyday. "This is car services." "This is medical services." "This is medicare." "We've been trying to reach you..." etc.

I bought a new set of Panasonic cordless phones so I'm now using the Block feature extensively. After a few weeks it is beginning to actually block some calls!

[Patton250]

I get 15-30 every day. It’s catastrophic now

[mapleleaf1773]

Its Murphys fault...

[Tommy-G]

I don't answer anything not in my phone book or my area code. I do get 20 text messages per week from CVS though about my prescriptions that are ready, not ready, almost time to reorder or just great job taking your meds.......BASTARDS

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by mapleleaf1773

Its Murphys fault...

You mean this ass?????

[e90335e36m3]

I sometimes entertain the "we want to buy your home for cash" calls. The lowball cash offers are fun to discuss.

What bothers me more are the scam ads on YouTube. Instead of policing opinions and perspectives, YouTube should be cracking down on all the Amazon FBA courses Kevin David and his kind are offering.

[mapleleaf1773]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

You mean this ass?????

Exactly...

[Alfisti]

wait, you're getting these calls on your cell? Are they with companies you have no former relationship with?

[tcphoto]

I do not answer the phone if I don't recognize the number, I mark the number "blocked" and add them to the Robocall in my contacts. I've accumulated quite the "Robocall" collection on my phone. At this point, my phone silences those calls and I delete them.

[dreamingat30fps]

Yup, 90% of calls I get are some sort of spam/scam. Tmobile labels the calls as scam call although I never answer calls from anyone not in my contacts so it doesn't matter. However it gets annoying just having to look at the phone, especially when in the middle of something, just to see scam call. There is no point blocking them because they have a new number every time they call. The only ones who leave a message is the people who have been desperately trying to let me know my vehicles warranty is expiring. It's amusing because it's always the FINAL attempt to reach me.... oh how I wish it was so.

The people who really want to buy my property for cash prefer to text me. I probably get one of those per week. It's usually not even for my property. The sad part is people must fall for this crap if they keep doing it. You know they have to be taking advantage of elderly people or people who are not all there.

Can we get a petition or something going to bomb these fucking call centers? Doesn't seem anything else really does anything to stop this nonsense.

[tdott]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

wait, you're getting these calls on your cell? Are they with companies you have no former relationship with?

It's a US thing.

They sell your data here like nothing.

[cmyx6go]

I get fucking extended warranty calls for cars I haven’t had in 10 years! I don’t answer unless I recognize the number. BS calls are off the charts!

[Esteban]

That's what I do. I only answer calls that are in my contact list. Everything else goes to voicemail. I honestly don't get many 'junk' calls. Maybe a couple a week.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Esteban

That's what I do. I only answer calls that are in my contact list. Everything else goes to voicemail. I honestly don't get many 'junk' calls. Maybe a couple a week.

Apple added a setting where it will route all callers not in your address book straight to voicemail without ringing. Enabled it on my personal iPhone, but am hesitant to use that nuclear option on my on-call work iPhone since I don't have most of my co-workers' saved in the address book on it.....

[Captain Blood]

I had a thread like this about a year ago, maybe a year and a half ago. Very frustrating. And it's very frustrating that I cannot reach out and grab and slap the people texting me about how "you paid your bill here's a bonus."

[dscabra]

I set my Android phone's Do Not Disturb feature up to send any caller that isn't in my contacts directly to voicemail. Guess how many messages I've gotten since doing so? The great thing is I don't even have to hear the phone ring now. I also have the T-Mobile scam blocker and it gets 90% of the true robocalls.

[fiveohwblow]

You can block unknown calls on iPhone as well.

Settings>Phone>Silenced unknown callers> On

[evil-G-nius]

It is insane how many of these calls come in and back to back at that! I get so many that I dame near never answer my phone anymore. The other day we had a malfunction with the alarm and no one in the family answered the damn phone when the alarm company called because we all thought it was spam...but it was not.

[zx10guy]

This junk is absolutely criminal. Just goes to show you how the people making the laws are paid off by these dirt bags. It's pure harassment.

It's so satisfying when someone goes after these scum bags.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by tdott

It's a US thing.

They sell your data here like nothing.

I agree you are terrible for it down there but I work in survey research and we call people all the time so I know the rules. Now, on your cell phone, if you have no prior relationship with a company, they CANNOT use an automated dialer to contact you. You guys use the term ROBOCALL so I will assume that is an IVR, a recorded message. These are almost always sent in an automated fashion, no agent manually dialing.

The act is called the TCPA, give it a google and you will see what I mean. From what you guys are describing, some of these calls sound extremely illegal and the fines are BY THE CALL and enormous.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

You guys use the term ROBOCALL so I will assume that is an IVR, a recorded message. These are almost always sent in an automated fashion, no agent manually dialing.

Yes, and they are sequentially/randomly dialing every single number in an exchange, with a recorded pitch and a "press 1 to speak with a representative" at what is usually an off-shore call center. (I manage a PBX with two exchange-sized DID blocks, and watch the incoming logs as these campaigns are happening.) Most spoof the caller ID, and some also spoof a number in the target's home exchange so they pick up thinking that it is a neighbor or local business.

From what you guys are describing, some of these calls sound extremely illegal and the fines are BY THE CALL and enormous.

The government fines them gazillions of dollars, and they never collect due to bankruptcy or because the telemarketers use shell corporations and off-shore call centers with no assets beyond a few PC's making random SIP calls. Lots of money to be made at even 0.001% response rate, and nearly zero financial/legal risk.....

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by evil-G-nius

The other day we had a malfunction with the alarm and no one in the family answered the damn phone when the alarm company called because we all thought it was spam...but it was not.

Have every single family member on your alarm company's contact list put an entry for "Alarm Company - Legitimate" in their phone's address books, and include both the phone number and SMS text numbers that they send out notifications from. That way, it is a known caller and gets through everyone's call screening as a legitimate caller/texter.

My iPhone's alarm company contact also has a note pinned to it with my account number, verbal caller password, and a list of all zone numbers to their locations so that I can identify what zone is being violated, malfunctioning, or tampered with.

You're welcome.....