They all want your phone number now ?

[Bob Hoffnar]

I have stopped using my phone number in any internet transactions after noticing an increasing number of robocalls and spam texts. What I now do is use a skype or google phone when I need to interact with credit verification and stuff like that. I also don't give my phone number out to google, facebook, amazon or any of those companies.

It is amazing how valuable having complete tracking capabilities of some Joe Smo like me is to this new world. If only there some way for us to get a small percentage of the money that all these internet companies charge each other for our info. Like a personal copywrite/royalty system. But that is another subject.

[Mitch Drumm]

Yeah, they do.

However.........I've found that in reality they want A phone number. Any phone number, not necessarily MY phone number.

I gave my legit phone number out to a bunch of places, mostly online merchants.

Then, after a period of time, I changed my number, but did not update my personal info on these websites.

They don't know that my old number is extinct. My account hasn't been affected at all.

In recent years, I often deliberately give my old no good phone number out when opening a new online account. No problem.

However---for whatever reason, I've never gotten more than 6 or 8 telemarketing phone calls per year--and they are invariably from a robot type that just speaks for 30 seconds into my voicemail when it realizes an actual live human did not pick up the receiver.

[Bob Hoffnar]

I have found lately that company rebates come in the form of debit cards which need a telephone call to verify. By calling on your cel phone you give them your number. This is basicly passing out your personal information to large marketing firms that do nothing except collect and sell the ability to track you. They used to just collect email and online information. But the last 3 rebates I got would not allow me to verify on line. All roads led to me using my phone. None of the online links even existed.

[Dave Potter]

By calling on your cel phone you give them your number. This is basicly passing out your personal information to large marketing firms that do nothing except collect and sell the ability to track you....the last 3 rebates I got would not allow me to verify on line. All roads led to me using my phone.

I don't worry much about people who might want to track my phone. I keep the various "tracking" features ("Find My Phone", etc) disabled, and keep the GPS off, unless I need it for something specific. There may be other ways, like cell tower triangulation, etc, that could be used for tracking a phone, and if someone figures out where I am, that, and $ .50 will buy 'em a cup of coffee. I'm just not that concerned about it.

And there are some effective defenses against cell phone spam calls, robocalls, etc. I use an Android app called "Should I Answer?", which checks incoming calls against a cloud database of previously user-reported spam calls, and if I get one that matches the database, the app blocks it on my phone. It works. For the infrequent unreported numbers that get to me, **I** use the app to report it, and it never happens again.

[Richard Sinkler]

.50 for a cup of coffee? Where? Heck, I even charge a buck to anyone that comes to visit me at home.

[J W Alexander]

Yeah, they do.

However.........I've found that in reality they want A phone number. Any phone number, not necessarily MY phone number.

Absolutely true! In fact so many sites believe my phone contact number is (614) 555-1212 I've lost count of them!

Like Mitch for online orders where I'm receiving a package I'll give a legitimate number, so far none of those have resulted in SPAM calls etc.

[Jim Cooley]

When they ask for my phone number, I give them (area code) 867-5309 or 567-7203 (Lonesome 7-7203). It's worked every time...so far.

[Jim Cohen]

... that, and $ .50 will buy 'em a cup of coffee...

Yeah, you're showing your age, Dave.

(Of course, gas prices are back down to where they were a few decades ago - I paid $1.83 in New Jersey yesterday - but the coffee cartel won't let that happen to java. )

[Larry Carlson]

No one or any business has our phone number except for those with whom I initiated the contact and then a continuing discussion would be necessary.
As for email.......I change my address once every 3 months just to get rid of those idiot spammers that somehow grab on to me.
I do keep people I converse with up to date on that also and for the same reasons.

[Dave Potter]

you're showing your age, Dave. Of course, gas prices are back down to where they were a few decades ago - I paid $1.83 in New Jersey yesterday

I suppose I am. But even back then, I thought $ .50 was way too much for a little cup of flavored water. And to REALLY show my age, I remember buying gasoline at $ .25/gallon - nope, not a typo - twenty-five cents. That $ .50 I didn't waste on coffee filled up the gas tank on my Cushman motor scooter. Life was simpler (and safer) back then.

Ah, those were the days. Nostalgia's not what it used to be...

[Robert Leaman]

I have a little black box that filters calls to my number. When a call comes that I don't like, there is a big RED button on the box. When that button is pushed, the incoming CID is memorized in a data base and that number will never reach my phone again. To date, there are 243 stored numbers in a place that can hold 1000.

[Richard Sinkler]

Yeah, they do.

However.........I've found that in reality they want A phone number. Any phone number, not necessarily MY phone number.

I gave my legit phone number out to a bunch of places, mostly online merchants.

Then, after a period of time, I changed my number, but did not update my personal info on these websites.

They don't know that my old number is extinct. My account hasn't been affected at all.

In recent years, I often deliberately give my old no good phone number out when opening a new online account. No problem.

However---for whatever reason, I've never gotten more than 6 or 8 telemarketing phone calls per year--and they are invariably from a robot type that just speaks for 30 seconds into my voicemail when it realizes an actual live human did not pick up the receiver.

Cool info. I only give my cell number to people I want to call me, and merchants that might need to call.I also have a Magic Jack number which I use for people/places that I want to leave a message. I was shopping for Medicare supplemental insurance a couple of months ago. One (I assume) is using an auto-dialer. I get in the neighborhood of 20 - 30 calls a day. They use several different area codes, trying to fool you. I never answer them, and they don't leave a message. I tried to answer one a few days ago to cuss them out, and to leave me alone. Once she gave her name, the call ended, but I think I accidentally hang up on her. Those were companies that I did want to hear from. Still I gave them my "message only" number. The greeting is something like "I can't come to the phone. If you don't leave a message, I'll assume you didn't want to talk to me in the first place" .

I'll have to try the wrong number technique, but I really don't want someone getting my harassment calls.

[Richard Sinkler]

I have a little black box that filters calls to my number. When a call comes that I don't like, there is a big RED button on the box. When that button is pushed, the incoming CID is memorized in a data base and that number will never reach my phone again. To date, there are 243 stored numbers in a place that can hold 1000.

What is this box called?

[J W Alexander]

I'll have to try the wrong number technique, but I really don't want someone getting my harassment calls.

That was the logic behind my giving the number of my local phone company information line!

Another trick I've used dealing with SPAM and telemarketing calls is NEVER EVER answering my home phone/land line---NEVER. My customers and friends have the cell phone number--anytime the home phone rings I know its not someone I want to speak with.

That's worked for well over 15 years now----nearly perfect.

[Richard Sinkler]

I'll have to try the wrong number technique, but I really don't want someone getting my harassment calls.

That was the logic behind my giving the number of my local phone company information line!

Another trick I've used dealing with SPAM and telemarketing calls is NEVER EVER answering my home phone/land line---NEVER. My customers and friends have the cell phone number--anytime the home phone rings I know its not someone I want to speak with.

That's worked for well over 15 years now----nearly perfect.

That's how I use my Majic Jack. It's only a message phone.

[Dave Potter]

What is this box called?

The number of different kinds of "phone" connections anymore boggles the mind, and some of them leave subscribers pretty much defenseless against unwanted intrusions and spam calls. But the good news is, for Android cellphone users, the app I posted about earlier here is the bomb, and it's worth repeating, IMO.

I ditched my landline phone years ago, and now only have cell phone service at home. For Android phones, there's an app called "Should I Answer". There's no "black box", and no "buttons". It's transparent to the user, to the extent it needs to be.

The forte of this app is that it's cloud-based; people EVERYWHERE contribute their experiences, good, bad, or indifferent, about calls they've received, and those which are considered robocalls, spams, etc are rated in the cloud as "Negative", and the app uses that rating to block calls from that number on other app users' phones - pretty slick. If I get a call from one of those numbers, it's blocked...period. I don't have to do anything - it just gets blocked. The app reports what it's done with the call, to give me a chance to intervene.

It doesn't only rely on my own personal calls, it responds to the aggregate of calls received by all the worldwide users of the app. I like it.

Of course, there are options to whitelist numbers you need to receive calls from, etc, to give users flexibility, as one would expect. But it's a legitimate defense against spammers who disregard no-call lists, etc.

[Richard Sinkler]

I use an app called "Call Blocker" on my Android phone. It works pretty good. and it has a blacklist. My Magic Jack is my "land line". I never answer it. It's only a message phone. I only give that number to online sites and people and companies that I don't want to hear from.

[Robert Leaman]

For Mr. Sinkler: This lytle jewel is called a "CPR CallBlocker". Mine lytle box is Model V.202

[John Ed Kelly]

Another trick I've used dealing with SPAM and telemarketing calls is NEVER EVER answering my home phone/land line---NEVER. My customers and friends have the cell phone number--anytime the home phone rings I know its not someone I want to speak with.



Seems like you don't need a landline. Why not save some money and have it disconnected?

[J W Alexander]

Seems like you don't need a landline. Why not save some money and have it disconnected?

Every monthly bill that is pennies more than the last month has me asking this same question. I absolutely HATE talking on a cell phone, the only reason I have one is for my customer's convenience.

When home and conducting business its via the land line for the most part. At $38/month I'm okay with it as a out going calls only service---for the time being anyway.

[Richard Sinkler]

I just changed my MagicJack number because of all the spam calls. I'll just keep giving out my old number to the websites that ask for them, that I don't want to bother me.

[Godfrey Arthur]

When you pull back and see the big picture, knowing who you are what you look like, even your posture should you decide to wear a ski mask is readable and they can find you in a tick with GPS or who knows what else they've got they have not told us about.. All those who think they have control of what your devices see, hear and track are fooling yourselves. That's how they fool you, telling you you have a choice when the big news is you DON'T! All those who have Facebook have built themselves a facial recognition profile. That's what FB is all about: cataloging every human being on the planet. AND FOR MORE THAN ONE REASON. Some of it is for profit, some of it is for IP scanning so any new invention gets known and released before the inventor can move an inch. Yes all this DATA is worth something to corporations and people should get a slice of the pie you give out for free.

They ask for a phone to triangulate you. The more devices you buy into, the more wifi you use, the more social media forums you join where they know what you look like even the moles on your behind, THEY HAVE YOU PIGEON HOLED.

Where does this lead?

When the guacamole hits the pinata, they will know where to find you senor and as someone said, P-drones..you won't see them coming..

just saying..




http://www.businessinsider.com/edward-s ... one-2016-7

Headsup:
http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/obam ... ontrolled/

China has the strictest internet policies. Guess who had a powwow with those powers that be???

[Donny Hinson]

All those who have Facebook have built themselves a facial recognition profile. That's what FB is all about: cataloging every human being on the planet. AND FOR MORE THAN ONE REASON.

I believe that, Godfrey. I also believe that the big genealogy websites are nothing more than a way to get some money...and your entire lineage and background, into a government computer database, somewhere. On TV, people are being told to submit DNA samples (cheek swabs) so they can "know what their family roots are", when the real reason is probably that someone else wants to be able to identify anyone on the planet by their DNA.

[b0b]

We require a phone number when joining the forum to verify that the person is real, and to call them in the very rare cases when there is trouble with their membership. We don't share those numbers with any "business partners" or robocall them.

I've had people tell me that they didn't join because of that and/or our real name policy. My attitude is that if you don't want me to know you who you are in real life, I don't want to deal with you online. Some people view the internet as a fantasy world. I view it as a communication medium.