Community Chat

[Krimpette]

I have a land line.  I have had three calls in the last couple of weeks (the most recent being this morning) with the same pattern.  The phone rings three short rings but the number doesn't register on my caller ID.  In each case, they leave a message.  Their messages are read in such a fashion that it's almost impossible to discern what they are saying.  The only thing understandable is the phone number they leave, which always begins with 877.  Since the number doesn't register, I have no way of blocking them.  (Needless to say, i don't answer them, especially since I can't even understand them on the voice message!).   Anyone else get similar calls?

[dex]

@Krimpette  I haven’t received any but I am certain they will happen at some point.The scammers are high tec it seems

[queen75]

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@Krimpette wrote:

I have a land line.  I have had three calls in the last couple of weeks (the most recent being this morning) with the same pattern.  The phone rings three short rings but the number doesn't register on my caller ID.  In each case, they leave a message.  Their messages are read in such a fashion that it's almost impossible to discern what they are saying.  The only thing understandable is the phone number they leave, which always begins with 877.  Since the number doesn't register, I have no way of blocking them.  (Needless to say, i don't answer them, especially since I can't even understand them on the voice message!).   Anyone else get similar calls?

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@Krimpette I have been getting quite a few these past two weeks. Never answer and block them. 

[ALRATIBA]

I don't answer my cell phone or landline unless I know the caller.  Most of my friends are the same way, and we know to leave a voice mail, message each other or email.  

If I scroll through the caller numbers ... from all over the country.  No one leaves a message.  

On the cell ... a bunch of us around here have been getting calls and they leave a very brief (15 second) voice mail in what sounds like Chinese.

[Krimpette]

@queen75 How are you able to block them?  The ones I mentioned do not show up on my caller ID.

[queen75]

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@Krimpette wrote:

@queen75 How are you able to block them?  The ones I mentioned do not show up on my caller ID.

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@Krimpette I am able to see their numbers. If they block their numbers they do not get through. 

[dooBdoo]

               Those hidden/masked/blocked/unknown Caller IDs are just a part of the Caller ID spoofing used by criminals.

               The direct-to-voicemail calls, usually with no ring or just brief ones, are called "ringless voice mail" which is an attempt to bypass some of the laws by using loopholes in the system.   They also hope the recipients will listen to voicemail messages and call back (bad idea).   There are articles online about this.   Here's an example in a New York Times piece (copy and paste the link or search for the article title -- if you're blocked from reading it, clear your browser cookies/cache/website data):

"No, Your Phone Didn’t Ring. So Why Voice Mail From a Telemarketer?"

nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/phone-ringless-voicemail-fcc-telemarketer.html

[shaggygirl]

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

I don't answer my cell phone or landline unless I know the caller.  Most of my friends are the same way, and we know to leave a voice mail, message each other or email.  

If I scroll through the caller numbers ... from all over the country.  No one leaves a message.  

On the cell ... a bunch of us around here have been getting calls and they leave a very brief (15 second) voice mail in what sounds like Chinese.

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@ALRATIBA 

I just made mention in another thread of getting one of those Chinese or Japanese voicemails on my cell phone yesterday.

[Krimpette]

@dooBdoo  Thank you!  That's exactly what I experienced!  Annoying that I can't block them, but I definitely don't answer them.  The one this morning came almost right after an earlier call that showed up as "SPAM?" on my caller ID, which I did block.  Wonder if they were related calls.

[dooBdoo]

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@shaggygirl wrote:

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

I don't answer my cell phone or landline unless I know the caller.  Most of my friends are the same way, and we know to leave a voice mail, message each other or email.  

If I scroll through the caller numbers ... from all over the country.  No one leaves a message.  

On the cell ... a bunch of us around here have been getting calls and they leave a very brief (15 second) voice mail in what sounds like Chinese.

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@ALRATIBA 

I just made mention of getting one of those Chinese or Japanese voicemails on my cell phone yesterday.

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                @ALRATIBA and @shaggygirl, This might be the culprit (copy and paste link or search for the NPR article title):

"Chinese Robocalls Bombarding The U.S. Are Part Of An International Phone Scam"

npr.org/2018/05/10/609117134/chinese-robocalls-bombarding-the-u-s-are-part-of-an-international-phone-scam