Community Chat

[spent2much]

We have a landline.  If the caller ID indicates it might be a scam call, I mute the TV, don't make a sound, and answer the phone.  I don't even breathe into the phone.  After 10-15 seconds, I hear 2 very quiet clicks, which means they have hung up.  Then I hang up.  We're getting far fewer scam calls using this method.

[lovesrecess]

Not sure you can block calls when they are always changing at least one digit of the phone number....am sure that is how they want it. We don’t have a landline anymore, but we both get even more robocalls on our cellphones. I just decline the call, then block the number, whatever it is. I set up different rings for those on my contact list...I know that legally the robo calls aren’t supposed to be before 8 o’clock am or after 9 pm in the area they are calling. Almost impossible to enforce since they are set up and operated from islands or other countries. If you aren’t concerned about missing important calls, I would just unplug your landline when you go to bed and plug it back in when you wake up. They are a major aggravation to us all...and a major source of Medicare fraud from what I see in the news.

[kivah]

I don't have a cell only a landline. I'm 79 yrs old so I'm electronically-challenged. I got a few ideas from all you great women - and I'll try them starting tomorrow.

[BeccaLou]

@shoekitty Just received a flyer in with my phone bill this month that our voiice mail will at least alert us of scam calls, no extra charge on our phone bill. They say it helps if you don't  answer to calls that you don't recognise.

[Ms tyrion2]

The simplest, most economical advice is to not answer if you don't recognize the number. picking up and hanging up lets the caller know they have a live number.

I get very few solicitation phone calls any more.  I never, ever answer if I don't recognize the number. If it is a legitimate caller, they will leave a voice mail.

[shoekitty]

---

@Jag03 wrote:

I complained to my phone company about those annoying calls a few years ago. I was told that many of these calls from foreign countries. Some actually mask their number of origin by temporarily pirating unsuspecting citizens' numbers and using them to appear on your caller ID as the incoming call.

The actual owner of that phone number would have no awareness that their number is being used.

My phone company claimed that they cannot control this unwanted call traffic. 

---

Shoekitty said:  yes, this is true about pirating numbers.  I have gotten calls with Kaiser medical,  and a couple other well known names.  I was really mad about the Kaiser.  I answered it because granddaughter goes to Kaiser and had appt that day.  I answered, long silence then a lady with lots of back ground noise, told me contracters were in the neighborhood  to give bids.  I was so mad.

[Carmie]

I am signed up on NomoreRobo and do not call.  Everyday at 8:30 A.M. the calls begin.  I used to block the calls on my phone, but when I did, I would just get another call on the same number with one digit changed.

I now ignore the calls and don't answer.  About once a week, I check the call list and if I have a ton of calls from one number, I will block that number.

I only answer the phone when I recognize the caller, the rest can go to voice mail.

My sister is getting calls from irate people.  Someone is using her cell phone number to call people.  They call her back and want to know why she called them.  She keeps explaining that she didn't.

I see some new laws have just been signed to try to stop the calls.  I doubt they will work 100%, but if they can stop some of the calls, I will be grateful.  I get about 15 calls a day.

I get a ton of calls from a Maryland area code on my cell phone...which I never answer.

[ID2]

No landline phone here. I have a cell phone that I am able to block all unwanted calls. They call me once and that's it. My phone will recognize spam and not even put the call through to me. Love it!

[eyeron]

When we moved into our new home we didn't (initially) opt for an unlisted  number... like we had in our old home. We never had these annoying call in our old home but now...  all day long- we were getting robo/telemarketer calls, and also debt collectors for the person who had  our number before us.  After a while I couldn't take it anymore and I changed our number again to an unlisted number.  It didn't completely stop the unwanted calls but now it happens 2 or 3 times a week instead of 4 or 5 times a day.  Well worth the few extra dollars to have an unlisted number.  (I still like to have a land line).

[Fressa]

When we had our landline we put our number on the "Do Not Call" List. That worked for some numbers but not all. I let all the calls roll over to the answering machine. If it was a Robo Call they disconnected immediately. I read that some of those systems drop the number after a dozen or so tries. I'm not sure if I believe that or not. 

It is much easier with the cell phone because you can block the numbers. They will still get through occasionaly but not nearly as bad as the land line.  Good Luck.