The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

Telemarketers on the cell phone

JasconiusJasconius sword criminalmad onlineRegistered User regular
edited February 2015 in Help / Advice Forum
Sometime in the last year my phone number seems to have made it into some sort of mass telemarketing list and now multiple times weekly I get what check out to be telemarketer calls

Here's the prob though, when I answer they don't actually say anything on the other end. It's usually just static and then hangup. (not fax machine static mind you, just robo-call sounding dead air)

So I can't just tell them to fuck off. All I can do is keep answering (or ignoring).

Any ideas on what to do about this?

this is a discord of mostly PA people interested in fighting games: https://discord.gg/DZWa97d5rz

we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Jasconius on

Posts

  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    Call your provider and have them block the number.

  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    Since that happens to me with multiple numbers, I have a contact called DO NOT ANSWER - TELEMARKETERS. I just add each new number to that so I know not to do it again.

    Also, I have my bank's anti-fraud number listed in my phone, because I ignored a call from them once thinking it was a telemarketer. Whoops.

    SrUxdlb.jpg
  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular
    Jasconius wrote: »
    Sometime in the last year my phone number seems to have made it into some sort of mass telemarketing list and now multiple times weekly I get what check out to be telemarketer calls

    Here's the prob though, when I answer they don't actually say anything on the other end. It's usually just static and then hangup. (not fax machine static mind you, just robo-call sounding dead air)

    So I can't just tell them to fuck off. All I can do is keep answering (or ignoring).

    Any ideas on what to do about this?

    There's a half decent chance that it's not telemarketers, that it's instead a fraud scam. There are a bunch that came through locally that I know of; the actual messages may potentially vary somewhat from area to area. Those sorts of fraud calls use the same techniques as a telemarketer, in that they have an outbound dialer that tries to call people to make a connection, and then it tries to hand you off to the next available agent. This link explains a little bit more about how outbound dialers work.

    If it's fraud, then if they ever do manage to make a connection you may get a message like "Congratulations! You've been randomly selected for a free trip to the Bahamas! Press 1 to claim your prize!" or "Hello, this is the credit department calling, with an important message about your card." If they don't provide a company name in their greeting, you can almost always assume that it's fraud - one of the oldest and most common tricks that fraud sources have is to let the mark fill in the blanks for them.

    If it's not fraud, it could be anything from problems with the dialer at the other end, your phone trying to put them through to voice mail and the dialer picking up on that, errors on their end, the agent on the other end of the line having a shitty day and just hanging up on people as soon as the connection opens, etc.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    I used to use a call blocker app on my phone before had to use my phone more for work. It was pretty effective for finally stopping the spam I was getting, as it has a general black list populated with user reports. It was nice since the app eliminated them from both ringing my phone and from polluting my recent call list.

  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    prob is it seems to be a different number every single time. just this week I've had three from three different states, same story, pick up and no answer, or missed and no voicemail

    and yeah all the google searches sound more along the lines of fraud than telemarketing "free cruises" and whatnot

    so nothing to do but block em one at a time? damn

    this is a discord of mostly PA people interested in fighting games: https://discord.gg/DZWa97d5rz

    we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    The app I mentions stock list seemed good enough to block the bulk of the calls, so I wasn't manually blocking a new number everyday. I think I was using call control.

  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular
    Jasconius wrote: »
    prob is it seems to be a different number every single time. just this week I've had three from three different states, same story, pick up and no answer, or missed and no voicemail

    and yeah all the google searches sound more along the lines of fraud than telemarketing "free cruises" and whatnot

    so nothing to do but block em one at a time? damn

    That's the really annoying thing about fraudsters.

    The fuckers never play by the rules.

    Fuck those guys.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Jasconius wrote: »
    prob is it seems to be a different number every single time. just this week I've had three from three different states, same story, pick up and no answer, or missed and no voicemail

    and yeah all the google searches sound more along the lines of fraud than telemarketing "free cruises" and whatnot

    so nothing to do but block em one at a time? damn

    Another problem with this is that, chances are, the number is probably spoofed anyway, basically the phone equivalent of getting an email from your grandmother trying to sell you viagra. You're probably just blocking random people who aren't actually calling you while the fucks calling you just merrily change the number in their spoofer device/app every few days to make sure you can't block them.

    Considering how many of these numbers are local, but how few of the callers I'm connected to seem to be, I'm pretty sure they just use numbers off their calling list for this. Probably makes people less likely to ignore it.

    Hevach on
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    I believe Google Voice has an option where it blocks a number and plays that "line disconnected" sound when it does so your number is likely to get pulled off the list. At least that was the theory.

    Don't know if you could add that to the beginning of your voicemail for a few weeks or not. Probably not really a centralized list of "Scam these numbers", so I guess it matters if it's one group or a bunch of different people doing it.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    Iruka wrote: »
    The app I mentions stock list seemed good enough to block the bulk of the calls, so I wasn't manually blocking a new number everyday. I think I was using call control.

    What's the name of it? I want to try it

    this is a discord of mostly PA people interested in fighting games: https://discord.gg/DZWa97d5rz

    we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flexaspect.android.everycallcontrol&hl=en

    I'm on android, didn't mention that. If you are on an Iphone, there are probably similar apps but I cant recommend a specific one. Anything with a good blacklist should work in theory, but this app did actually keep my phone from ringing, which was impressive and convenient.

  • tinwhiskerstinwhiskers Registered User regular
    https://www.donotcall.gov/

    register your number there.

    6ylyzxlir2dz.png
  • LouiseLouise Registered User new member
    Calls like that are terrible! I've had my share, too, only got silence from the other end. It was so annoying that I almost always kept my phone off and missed important calls. I wondered why the government can't seem to do anything about these offenders. They're harassing people! Well, good thing a friend suggested I get this call blocker app to help me filter incoming calls. I did and blacklisted unsolicited callers. After a week, all of them were gone. I guess these callers are connected, they share the same list of people they call.

  • LouiseLouise Registered User new member
    I don't know where these callers get people info and I don't think you can make them stop by asking, Jasconius. I suggest you get the callblocker app by Callercenter.com instead, and add their phone number to your blacklist.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Anybody with more than two posts have a recommendation for a callblocker app?

  • silence1186silence1186 Character shields down! As a wingmanRegistered User regular
    https://www.donotcall.gov/

    register your number there.

    This is good to do, but I've still been getting unsolicited calls, and when I ask to be put on the caller's do not call list, they hang up on me. So it may not be a fix for fraud/scam calls.

  • WiseManTobesWiseManTobes Registered User regular
    Have you tried calling the number back ever?

    I started doing that and learned something scary, I would call back, and get just random families houses, completely unaware their phone was being ghosted by telemarketers, we've actually got a decent list going and our phone company is finally going, oh shit , about it.

    Steam! Battlenet:Wisemantobes#1508
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    For the first time in the 10+ years I've had this number, I received a switchboard scam call yesterday. I'd protected my number for a really long time, so I don't know if one of the recent data thefts have someone enough info on me to put me on a list or what.

    The call was static \silence, followed by what sounded like a tv before a guy with an accent said, "Hello... This is United States grant department..." At which point I hung up.

    What is this I don't even.
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    https://www.donotcall.gov/

    register your number there.

    This is good to do, but I've still been getting unsolicited calls, and when I ask to be put on the caller's do not call list, they hang up on me. So it may not be a fix for fraud/scam calls.

    For fraud calls they're ideal outcome involves them breaking the law so the do not call isn't gonna do much to them.

    Have you tried calling the number back ever?

    I started doing that and learned something scary, I would call back, and get just random families houses, completely unaware their phone was being ghosted by telemarketers, we've actually got a decent list going and our phone company is finally going, oh shit , about it.

    Yea, caller ID isn't secure. It's always been ridiculously easy to fake.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Yea, caller ID isn't secure. It's always been ridiculously easy to fake.

    It's also legal to fake except in a handful of cases, so the stuff to do it is really easy to get. If you do it while committing fraud, it's an add-on charge (usually something prosecutors drop in a plea deal), and if you're a debt collector, you can only spoof it to another number that dials back to your office (I know of a few various offices like doctors and lawyers that do this on their fax line, so they can use it to make calls in a pinch but call backs will still go to the front desk). Pretty much everyone else can do it all they want.

    Hevach on
  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular
    A Don't Call list works fine for blocking out legitimate telemarketers, but there's really no such thing as hiding your number.

    Outbound dialers used for legitimate or illegitimate purposes will almost always just be churning through number blocks. For example, 205-206-0000 to 205-206-9999 are Seattle, Washington numbers in the vicinity of Pike Place Market. If you're in that block, and someone decides to target that block, it doesn't matter if you have your number unlisted and have never posted it anywhere and have never getting out - the brute force "call everyone" method will result in you getting a call. And obviously, you can replace the numbers in there with whatever numbers you like - for example, the 508-203 number block is in Foxboro.

    Keeping your number from being associated with your name can be difficult, but it's somewhat possible. Avoid brute-force dialing, especially by people who already don't care about the law? Not possible in the slightest. They won't know who you are, but they do know you have a number in that specific area. Smarter fraudsters will do things like find gas stations along major routes in the area that the number block belongs to and claim that you won your prize by filling up there.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Sign In or Register to comment.