topic Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls) in Among Friends

ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Annabellethecat66 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:38:13 GMT

This morning by 10:34AM I had already received two robo calls. So, I decided to look at the calls recently and WRITE them down.

Here's my list that only goes as far back as 25 July. I received 30 robo calls. Of those 30 calls 14 of them have the same 3 prefixes as mine. In other words say my home phone number started with 555 (then the last 4 numbers) there were 14 (so far) numbers that mixed up those 4 numbers.

That was so I would think it came from someone I know and answer it. They were even from areas right around my house! Locally! Because I have caller ID most of them had names with them (fake I guess).

My Virginia Congressman meets with his constituents in my area once a month in 2 nearby places.

I intend to take this list and ask him what he is going to do about it or at least TRY to do about it.

It has totally gotten out of hand! I have had this same home phone number for 48 years! I never even use it anymore because I get so many fake calls from it. I give Drs and close friends my cell phone number.

The only reason I don't get rid of it is because I have several important places connected to this one phone number. I don't want to have to change.

This country has gone to the dogs when a person can't even answer his home phone because it's usually a computer generated voice selling something.

I keep saying people must buy the stuff or they'd stop doing it.

Who is stupid enough to stay on the line and buy whatever they're selling?

I have a phone that I push the button and it blocks the numbers. All of these are new numbers. I've already filled up the thing to almost (swear to you) 500 robo call numbers.

Think about it. Think about how many times you can switch the last 4 numbers of your telephone number and come up with bogus numbers. It boggles the mind!

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

beach-mom — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:44:14 GMT

@Annabellethecat66 - We have "nomorobo," which has helped a lot. A wonderful poster here told us about it a while back. Our phone rings once and stops if it doesn't recognize the number. So we all wait to see if it will ring another time! But these callers are trying to outsmart us by starting to come through on local numbers. I answer those! But I usually end up hanging up right away.

If you haven't looked into it, check out nomorobo.com. Good luck!

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

phoenixbrd — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:55:43 GMT

Agree @Annabellethecat66 Wish, as a country, we could get a handle on this. You are right....I just don't pick up my phone at all anymore. I check in when convenient to see if there is any number that needs to be addressed. I have cells and a land line....it is the same situation on all three numbers. Do not call list is worthless at best. I just accept it as the norm and go about my business not putting any energy into the situation as I can't change it. The only thing I CAN do is block numbers...only takes a second. Also, I never pick up a scammer. Those that do and blow a whistle or have a smart answer are only doing themselves harm, the scammers have won because now they know they have a "live" line that can be sold to other scammers. Changing your long held number will also help, it was freeing to give up a land line number that I had for over 20 years. After that amount of time...your number is publicly known and is easily available to scammers.

The best we can do is just take care of business quickly (blocking the call) and not spend another second thinking about these scammers....not worth our energy/time.

(Yes, Nomorobo is helpful if it is available to you.)

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Annabellethecat66 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:53:34 GMT

@beach-mom Thanks for the heads up. I'll do that this weekend.

When I block the number it only rings 1 time and stops (it's probably similar to yours.

Say! You know what? That must be why I'm getting so many calls with the same 3 beginning prefixes as my phone number. It's to get around what you have. Because I'm more likely to pick it up if it starts with the same three prefixes as my number (even coming from Va)....that's crazy!

See, that's how they're getting around what YOU have. So do you know maybe 2 or 3 times in the past several months (maybe 7 or so) I've even had the phone ring and when I looked at the caller ID it was my own freaking phone number! Yepper! They found a way to call me on my own phone number.

The same thing happened to my friend down the street with his phone number! This is crazy isn't it?

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Annabellethecat66 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 00:58:44 GMT

@phoenixbrd My friend pays extra money to have her number unlisted and she STILL gets phone calls!

I don't know how they get her number because she barely uses her computer. She never goes to websites to look things up (doesn't leave 'cookies'), so it's a mystery....Oh! Wait! When you think of how often a person has to give out their phone number (Drs, lots of people).

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

phoenixbrd — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 01:03:57 GMT

@Annabellethecat66 I think most of us have "unlisted" numbers these days; it won't protect you. It is fairly meaningless, in our daily business because it is frequently required to supply your phone number. So your conclusion is correct.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

shopperqvc — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 01:11:56 GMT

@Annabellethecat66Do you have caller ID? I know most everyone has these days. I always check that before I answer. Also there is a white pages listing that you can do a reverse number lookup and leave a feedback about a number. If it's a "real" number but you got one of those scam calls supposedly from it, I also leave feedback saying I don't think the owner of the number really called. I just got a call supposedly from a local lady named Janet. I really doubt Janet is a guy with an Indian accent, and I told him that just before I hung up on him. He was "selling" home improvement. I'm betting you have to pay up front and after he gets "his" money you never hear from him again. These scammers are giving the people from India a bad reputation. nomorobo works on some numbers, and it's handy to have. But, a call blocker is important too. I can block 25 numbers through Comcast. If you have that you can go in through the Myaccount and go to history. You can block the numbers that called you. I don't know about any of the other providers. Yes, this is something that Congress should work on, and bi-partisan. I get these calls starting before 8 AM and after 9 PM. Like everyone else, I have a phone for MY use, not theirs.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Kachina624 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 01:33:53 GMT

@Annabellethecat66.
I have a recording on my line put there by my phone company (CenturyLink).   When a caller dials my number he gets a recording that says, "this number does not accept sales calls.   If this is a sales call, hang up now and add this number to your DNC list.   If it's not a sales call, press 1" . Only then does my phone ring.

I get maybe one ring from an unknown area code or sales person every two weeks.   It's practically eliminated a major annoyance. I've never gotten the IRS call. I still don't answer the phone unless I recognize the caller. I check those numbers on a "who called me?" website.  https://www.whitepages.com/reverse-phone?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlZuT347X2gIVzbjACh2guQdjEAAYASAAEgKlEPD_BwE&sem_account_id=1432223903&sem_ad_group_id=9645384937&sem_ad_id=263436944850&sem_ad_tag=&sem_campaign_id=229029337&sem_device_type=t&sem_keyword=%2Breverse%20%2Blookup&sem_lob=phone-generic&sem_location_id=1022580&sem_matchtype=b&sem_network=g&sem_placement=&sem_placement_category=&sem_target_id=kwd-47186410467&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=%2Breverse%20%2Blookup

Call your phone company and see if they have anything that would help you.   If you answer all the calls you get, you're asking for trouble

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

viva923 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 01:36:49 GMT

so far we have had good luck with a few ROBO calls. Lately tho it has picked up something fierce. I have a 5000 number call blocker. Can’t remember the name, I know it came from the UK. Anyway, it is hooked up to one phone and i answer that phone only. I like land line phones that is why I keep the line.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

lovesrecess — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 02:26:19 GMT

We cut our landline years ago; so nice not to get political campaign calls, etc. we both have iPhones and just block any call if we don't reconginize the number and it is recorded. Lately, the big push is from health insurance companies and they are from Phoenix and towns in Illinois. Blocking means that number can't call you again, but they have huge banks of numbers so the number just rolls the last number to a new one and they can call again.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Daysdee — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 02:34:44 GMT

I bought a call blocker a while back. One guy calls almost every day about getting vents cleaned. I block it, but then next time it is from another local number. Beside the numbers that are to be automatically blocked, I have blocked 108 callers. I try not to answer unless I recognize a number. Sometimes when I look at the blocker, it doesn't show the number or only 3 digits. I don't know why that is. The blocker does help, but I know some just call back from another number. I have also been on the "no call" lists, but that doesn't seem to help.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Mustang Shar — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 02:50:40 GMT

Wish there was a law forbidding these calls. I have to wonder, how many people dropped their land lines as a result? But NOW the calls come through cell phones

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Catty2 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 04:44:25 GMT

If it's a live person I've started asking them to take me off their call list. Since my state is having a primary election later this month, those calls are already starting. Today I asked one robocall if it was a recording. And some health thing calls maybe once a month and I actually yelled at the guy to take me off his call list last time he called. I'm sick of it and am going to start being as obnoxious as they are.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Sooner — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 04:50:29 GMT

these are driving us nuts. On our cable phone and our Iphones. SOMETHING does need to be done about this and yes, griping to our politicians WILL help.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

hckynut — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 06:56:53 GMT

@beach-mom

We have phones that have a feature called Smart Call Block. If the number and the name ARE NOT in my Telephone Directory, they are automatically block. It wiil block up to 1,000 numbers. And yes, they are using a "local prefix", some of which are numbers of my doctor's office, but I now have removed from my Directory, thus they are now blocked.

I call my doctor's office to see if they had called, and they had not, so that doctor's number is no longer in my Directory, thus it is automatically blocked.

hckynut(john)

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

geezerette — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 11:38:36 GMT

I’ve tried signing up for Nomorobo, but it’s not available for my line. So I have just gotten to the point that I don’t usually answer the phone unless I know the number. Fortunately I don’t have that many people calling me, so the call blocking feature I have takes care of a few of those unwanted calls—until they come up with a new number, that is. The people I do want to let though I have put on my call list so it shows who’s calling.

If I do answer an unknown number, my policy is that if no one responds within two seconds, I block the number and hang up. I figure it’s either a computer or telemarketer on the other end.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

CelticCrafter — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 12:14:46 GMT

Last week we were getting bombarded with calls showing a name and the local exchange on the Caller ID.

The only time I will actually answer the phone is when our daughter calls, my b-i-l calls or when my in-laws call. That's it - every thing else that manages to get past Nomorobo goes to the answering machine.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Lisa Y — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 12:49:39 GMT

Two points I'd like to make;

1. I have caller ID and when it's says the caller is "unavailable", so am I. LOL

2. I have called the "Do Not Call"Registry every year since it has been available and I still get tons of robocalls. Maybe it helps with some of the calls not getting through, but the amount I still get is ridiculous.

Thanks for letting me vent; so frustrating!

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

Annabellethecat66 — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 16:32:15 GMT

@Kachina624 I don't answer any of the calls anymore. I have Verizon and they do zip.

Re: ROBO (Advertising Calls)

shortbreadlover — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 17:53:00 GMT

i anwere the phone and i get a real person on the phone. when i do, i really cuss them out and tell them what a scam they are and not to call again . so far this has helped. they rarely call back