Robo Calls

[Lee Baucum]

I still have a landline that I've had since my 16th birthday.
I'll be 65 in December.

This number is now bundled with our cable and internet service with Spectrum.

Logging in to my account with Spectrum I can manually add telephone numbers I want to block. That works well; however, they limit you to 30 numbers. I need at least 75! Or more!

Comparing more recent calls to numbers on the block list, it appears they just change a couple of digits and call again.

Of course, who knows if the number that pops up on the screen is really the caller's number?

I get calls from people who claim I called them and didn't leave a message. They just see my mumber on the caller id list on their phone. I didnt call them.

Other than just dropping this line I've had for almost 50 years, do you have any suggestions?

[Erv Niehaus]

I have call blocking on my landline and they still are getting through even using the blocked number.
Erv

[Jeff Evans]

One hundred blockables isn't enough.
It's a bane.

[Ken Boi]

Look into “Nomorobo”. It’s a free service you opt in to, and works against a big list of known robo-call numbers. It won’t catch them all, but adds another level of fighting back. If a number is on its list, your phone will ring once and then terminate the call.

I also wish the landline service providers would increase their call blockage list counts. Maybe 500?

[Jack Stoner]

They have almost limitless amount of numbers that they can "spoof" when calling. For example a phone number of 123-123-1234. They have the possibility of many thousands of numbers just with the last 4 digits in the phone number. Then add in the other 3 digits of a phone number, etc.

[Lee Baucum]

Look into “Nomorobo”. It’s a free service you opt in to, and works against a big list of known robo-call numbers. It won’t catch them all, but adds another level of fighting back. If a number is on its list, your phone will ring once and then terminate the call.

I also wish the landline service providers would increase their call blockage list counts. Maybe 500?

I'm going to log on to our Spectrum account and switch it on and try it out.

What a mess. Do a Google search for robocalls...pages and pages of complaints...

[Greg Lambert]

the only fix for this problems comes from the phone company and legislation.

ie. It is illegal to spoof a number. It is also illegal for the phone company trace a number without proper authorization.

the phone company can identify and match a number in their switch and block the spoofed number on request. This takes a software update in most switches. However this would not generate profit for the phone company so it has not been done.

The only way to stop all of these calls are to ensure the spoofers have all of the politicians private telephone numbers. This and only this will cause the politicians to get something done.

[Lee Baucum]

So far Nomorobo is working well. When a call comes in, there is a simultaneous ring at their end. The caller is screened and compared to some master database. If the caller is on the list, the call is blocked and no more rings are heard on our end. Calls from callers not on the list pass on through the gate.

So far none of the callers using those "V" names have made it past the gatekeeper. Quite a few other calls have been blocked, too. We just hear that first ring.

Legitimate calls have passed right on through.

[Lee Baucum]

Ah. Peace and quiet. Now we rarely get any calls at all...just the ones we want.

I wonder if the robocallers have learned not to call our number. We're not even getting the single initial rings.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Jerry Overstreet]

I may have to give that a try Lee. I'm able to block 100 calls with AT&T. I've got 70 numbers blocked and they're still coming. This is on my landline. I don't have any way to do that with my cell phone service.

With call blocking activated I just dial *61 and wait for the message that the last incoming number is added to the list. I don't answer anonymous calls or ones that have no number shown on my caller i.d. device.

I accidentally blocked a couple of my buddies' #. One has to go to att online to remove a blocked number from the list and/or setup your system to do what you want. It's a bit of a hassle getting to the page, but one can manage a lot of phone and internet stuff there.

For the last couple of years, I get calls with my neighborhood prefix in caller i.d. I learned really quick that scammers are spoofing and using numbers that are out of service or discontinued hoping you'll answer a local number. I had a tree take out electrical and phone lines and was out of service for a few days.
A lady called later on and said she was returning my call which of course I never made. I had a tough time making her believe I didn't call her.

Lots of the local incoming numbers I search on are numbers from people that are senior, been moved to retirement or care facilities or passed away. Somehow, these thieves everywhere around the world are able to harvest these numbers and attempt to use them for nefarious purpose.

I called at&t...they say there's nothing they can do.
I don't believe that there isn't something that can be done.
Someone with power and position to investigate these criminals needs to step up and if they can't prosecute them, at least put steps in place to prevent them from launching fraudulent attacks upon law-abiding citizens.

Seems that government agencies have no means of protecting us from this and the other massive scourge of identity theft...no one seems to care enough to do anything though.

[Lee Baucum]

Still working well!

[Jim Cohen]

The problem I've had with Nomorobo and other similar apps (e.g., "mrnumber") is that, yes, they identify the call as a robo and interrupt the ringing... but then they send it to my voicemail, where they are allowed to leave me a damn VM message! I don't want them to leave me VMs! Just get cut off and shut out. But I can't find a single app that can do that. I think there was a lawsuit some years ago that the scammers one that prevents app developers from just disconnecting them...

[Lee Baucum]

Jim - That's not happening at all. One ring and they nip it in the bud. They followed Barney's advice.

Click Here

[Hal Stackhouse]

Calls you are getting are probably VOIP calls. Mu phone service says that way they can use anyone's number and their name will show up. but it is actually a call from usually a solicitor. they say they have no way to stop it devised yet.

Hal

[Jim Cohen]

Jim - That's not happening at all. One ring and they nip it in the bud. They followed Barney's advice.

Click Here

Lee, I think the older versions of Nomorobo (which you may have) did that, while the newer ones don't, since that lawsuit was settled in the callers' favor.

[Lee Baucum]

Jim - I just signed up last month. How long ago was the lawsuit?

[Jim Cohen]

Lee, this is what their website says...

[Lee Baucum]

Ah. We're using it on a land line, well, actually a VOIP through our cable company.

[Robert Leaman]

I used a CPR CallBlocker for the past few years. The spammers/robocallers get one chance and when the CID appears on the CallBlocker, I push the RED Block Button and they never can make my phone ring again. Since I have six remote phones controlled by a base, when I am not close to the CallBlocker, I push #2 on any remote and the number is blocked. This device can store 1000 numbers for blocking.

[Jim Cohen]

I used a CPR CallBlocker for the past few years. The spammers/robocallers get one chance and when the CID appears on the CallBlocker, I push the RED Block Button and they never can make my phone ring again. Since I have six remote phones controlled by a base, when I am not close to the CallBlocker, I push #2 on any remote and the number is blocked. This device can store 1000 numbers for blocking.

That sounds hopeful, but I know that the spammers/scammers keep changing their number (or at least what shows up on the caller ID as their number, which may be a spoof), so I don't know how well it would work for me. I've had the exact same voicemail left on my phone over 100 times from 100 different phone numbers...

[J W Alexander]

Well I also have a landline---dinosaur that I am. I've solved the problem of ANY unwanted call simply by NEVER EVER EVER answering ANY incoming calls to that line. Everyone of importance including customers have my cell phone number so for the most part that works well.

However I have a Motorola flip phone and of course the Robo calls come in once or twice a day. Looking into the NoMoRobo service it only works with "smart" phones which I refuse to use.

So yeah those calls are super annoying but I'm learning to look at the Caller ID before answering, sometimes just letting the suspected RoBo calls go to VM.

I'm sure at some point they'll be stopped once again so until then I'll just ignore them.

[Jeff Garden]

Spoofing is rampant around here. They use the state area code and 3 digit exchange of a local number and randomly pick out the last 4 digits. Early on I fell for it a number of times thinking it was a local number (I live in a small town). It's probably darn near impossible to hunt down and prosecute anyone...I'm sure a lot of these scams originate from untraceable cellphones or from foreign countries. I've had to call Dell computers with a service question before, called the US number, and was talking to someone in the Philippines. The phony IRS scam ("you've been audited and are facing arrest unless you contact this number and pay a fine immediately") really fries my butt. I know enough to ignore it but think of the number of seniors who are terrified of a call like that and actually get coerced into making a payment.

[Dave Magram]

If you have an answering machine on your landline, you might try inserting a "Special Information Tone" at the beginning of your outgoing message.

The Special Information Tone consists of three sequential tones ("boo-eee-ooo") which are used by telephone companies to indicate when a number is no longer in service.

About a year ago, I downloaded a WAV file of the "Special Information Tone" someone had posted on the Web and recorded it on my outgoing message, waited for a second of silence, and recorded my usual outgoing message.

The robocalls were reduced by about 90% within a week.

- Dave

[Jerry Overstreet]

Regretfully, I have gone to a strict whitelist on my landline via ATT's dig. service. We'll see how that works. It's the only way I can think of that I can get any rest and preserve my sanity. It's so bad even my weekends and late evenings are getting these bogus calls.

I know some acquaintance calls will be missed, but perhaps they can reach me another way and important other calls can be reclaimed hopefully.

I have just now installed it so I don't know how well it's going to work. We'll see.

[J W Alexander]

For some unknown reason my calls have all but stopped---get maybe one or two a week now. The only thing I've done differently is checking most caller ID's which I've rarely done in the past. Those I guess are robo calls just go to voice mail which might be one reason they've slowed down a bit.

Sounds like we're all dealing with them---good to see there's some strategies that could be useful.