Spam phone calls getting out of control

[JHZR2]

I have my landline and our cell phones on the do not call list. Years ago it worked great. Now it is not doing as well.

Rarely if ever do I get a spam call on the cell phone. Maybe once every other year.

However, it's daily on the landline.

There are two ways they do this:

1) "friendly" entities that classify as nonprofit (like a university you attended, a cause you donated to, etc) apparently do not have to follow the rules or apply to the do not call list.

2) spammers who hide their phone numbers and don't care. Not sure what you can do.

The one I don't understand is recruiters. My wife gets calls from recruiters daily. At least once a day. And she has been happily employed in the same job for years. Perhaps because it is recruiting for a medical profession, since often medicine is considered "non-profit" (LOL), they get a pass???

A lot of calls occur in the middle of the day. So they just end up on the answering machine. Often otherwise Ill keep on the phone and give a runaround and have some fun, or even give the phone to my three year old, who doesn't know enough to say anything (yet, but must be taught soon) just to waste their time...

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Is anyone else dealing with this??? Prior to about 2 months ago, I hardly ever received any scam/spam phone calls on my cell. Now I get multiple calls from the same few numbers daily. Every number is listed on 800notes as scammers; I have no clue how my number got in the hands of these devilish criminals a-holes. They are all spoofed numbers so the DNC registry is absolutely useless these days.


Talk to them with a Russian accent and act mad.

 

[Cujet]

My iPhone has a long list of blocked numbers. I love this feature. It's cut down my bogus calls to near nil.

Unfortunately, the "caller ID blocked" numbers still get through.

I can't block the "caller ID blocked" ones, as it might be the boss on his airplane.

Even so, my phone is quiet and I am at peace.

 

[Dan55]

In your contact list set up a No Caller ID and click on Block this caller

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I have my landline and our cell phones on the do not call list. Years ago it worked great. Now it is not doing as well.

...it's daily on the landline.


X2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had my land line number on the DNC list almost since day one and it worked really well. For a LONG time I got no calls from telemarketers/spammers at all. In the last year or so that has changed though and I am constantly assaulted with unwanted solicitation by phone( Google, or claiming to be from Google, is the worst of the lot by far ). IT drives me nuts.

I finally have told all my family and friends that I may not answer when they call but leave a message or speak into the machine and I will pick up/call back right away if I am home. I have my AM set to pick up at 2 rings now and the speaker is on high volume so I can hear anyone speaking after it picks up from any room in the house. The telemarketers do not speak/leave messages so I can ignore any call that hangs up right after the AM picks up. Friends and family, or callers with a legit reason, do leave a message/talk so I know when to pick up or ignore now.

I usually check my caller ID every couple days and when I see a number I don't know show up multiple times I add it to my blocked caller list through Comcast which is ever so slowly reducing the # of spammers calling. Unfortunately, I am running out of room to add on the list as there is a limit to how many you can block. Might have to try removing some of the 1st ones and see if they come back? Some of them just call from a different number after getting blocked but using the blocked # list at least has reduced the volume of calls some. I also think a few that would then call using a different number have finally given up.

It is a real shame that this is allowed. Our government should be enforcing the no call list. Too much money involved though and too many back door deals and bribes going on I am sure. We should have the right to opt out of receiving calls like this and if companies do it anyway they should face severe and massive fines.

Now don't get me started on all the [censored] that shows up in my postal mail box daily that is unsolicited junk!!!!!

 

[GrtArtiste]

My response to telemarketers goes something like this:

"Look pal/honey...do you really think you have an opportunity to get money today from someone who hates your living guts? If the answer is no, then you really should stop wasting your time on me. If the answer is yes, then you and your employers are even dumber than I thought and you can keep right on calling because I will waste as much of your time as possible and I will be laughing at you all the while."

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Now don't get me started on all the [censored] that shows up in my postal mail box daily that is unsolicited junk!!!!!

i think there is a thread here on Bitog about using their mailing to send them your GARBAGE-in-a-box (literally)! something about being legal to extend an envelope to a fridge box size....
postal employees are happy, you have less garbage, and give them something....

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
I still have a land line and I am on the "do not call" list. I know it doesn't block political calls (heck, it doesn't block ANY calls!) because right before the last November election, we were getting about 30-40 calls PER DAY of people trying to sway our vote.
The best choice is to get an answering machine (or answering service) and let it take every call, because now they are spoofing the numbers and sometimes the caller ID says that the person calling is is our very own number. It's really funny how the government bragged on themselves when they passed the "do not call" list, but now they don't ever mention anything about it.
Our land line will probably be disconnected before the next election.


I tell every political caller that if they keep calling I will vote against them. I also seem to have been put on a sucker list for taking surveys. I tell all of the survey places, even Gallop, that I don't take surveys. Reminds me of one of the early episodes of Animaniacs.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: GrtArtiste
My response to telemarketers goes something like this:

"Look pal/honey...do you really think you have an opportunity to get money today from someone who hates your living guts? If the answer is no, then you really should stop wasting your time on me. If the answer is yes, then you and your employers are even dumber than I thought and you can keep right on calling because I will waste as much of your time as possible and I will be laughing at you all the while."

Do you really think that bothers them in the least? You're making it personal when the initial call is anything but. The only time you're wasting is your own.

 

[Rtstrider]

I have a few lines I answer with that aren't really appropriate for this forum lol but they do work and I usually get a good laugh or two out of the rep! Yes we get the debt collector calls 5 times a day for the old owner of our number...With the election coming up I expect the junk calls to go to a good 10+ times a day then settle back down. All of our numbers are on the dnc registry and that hasn't made any difference!

 

[hattaresguy]

I don't have a landline but on my cell I average 50 calls a day so I have to pick it up. I just don't pick up out of state numbers those are usually the spammers.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
I have a few lines I answer with that aren't really appropriate for this forum lol but they do work and I usually get a good laugh or two out of the rep! Yes we get the debt collector calls 5 times a day for the old owner of our number...With the election coming up I expect the junk calls to go to a good 10+ times a day then settle back down. All of our numbers are on the dnc registry and that hasn't made any difference!


Im pretty sure there are regulations on harassment of debt collectors. Id start recording them and then take it to the FTC or whomever oversees that. Sue for damages (wasted time), everybody else does...

 

[Touring5]

I use Nomorobo for my home VOIP line. Works like a champ (one ring and they're disconnected). Your phone service has to support simultaneous ring.

I believe they have a way to use their (free) service on cellphones too.

Edit: It looks like they DON'T work with cell phones.

 

[buster]

I've definitely noticed it too.