Robocall Firm Is Facing a $37.5 Million Fine from FCC for Spoofing Consumer Numbers

BSmith said:
1 down, 24,000 more to go!

It is so bad, my Wife changes her phone number once every 3 months or so, so she can get work done. She keeps filling up her block lists to.

Don't ask me who she is giving her number to that is causing this. I have no idea. I know she knows diddly squat about trying to be secure with her information.

She should not the problem.
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I doubt anyone is getting her number, they just run down potential numbers till they get a hit then call it again and again. my wife and I have consecutive numbers, I will get a robocall, and when I hang up on them, she gets one from the same company about 2 seconds later.
 
Why would you want to just block them, then your voicemail gets filled with spam or a blank messages, which is just as annoying. Now I just pick up any call I get and immediately mute and set the phone on my desk. If it's a recording it wastes time from one of their lines, otherwise it just hangs up if it detects no audio. I'm hoping they start flagging my line is dead or something and I start dropping from lists. I've been on the DNC list since like 2009, so that bullshit doesn't work.


How about they add systems/check like rDNS for email to make this fucking bullshit phone number spoofing impossible.
 
Dalexx said:
I pretty much kept my cell number under lock and key for years, but eventually I put it somewhere and all of a sudden I started getting calls from myself. I'm almost positive ATT just sold it outright, but since they started happening after I cut my landline, I'll have to blame my cable company, or electric company or maybe insurance company. It one of the utility companies I care about, all the ones I don't care about I left my old disconnected number with them
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they have robo dialers that just try every number.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
they have robo dialers that just try every number.
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I understand that, but the odd part is that the city code changed. When I had a landline I got calls from the landline city code, but never on my cell. When I switched to cell only, I had a small gap of about 2 months of no calls and then suddenly my cell started getting anywhere from 2-5 calls a day, all from my cells city code. The good part for me, is no one I deal with has the same city code as my cell, so when I see a number with that code, I auto ignore it. I understand the point of the robocallers using your area and city code is to make you think it's someone you know. I was more commenting that I barely gave out my cell number and yet shortly after adding it to my utilities profile, I started getting calls.
 
About fucking time.
Quadroople the fine and don't call me in the morning.

PS I'm pretty sure the article left out the part about the gov selling the donotcall registry;)
 
They should strip all the assets from the company. Take all the hardware and electronics, search them for any evidence, then send them to e-waste. Can't risk auctioning them off cuz some other fucker would buy them for the same plan.

Next, they take the owner(s) and throw them in prison. Implant an audio device in their skull that constantly plays the sound of a phone ringing, and then the automated message that the company plays. If it's like the ones that I get it will go something like, "Hi we recently did some remodeling on your house and I'm just following up to see if there's any more work you want done!"
Play different variations on this because you don't want him to get bored. This will play day and night constantly, being played louder at night.

Since it's probably considered cruel and unusual punishment for the prisoners not to have a TV these days, give him a black and white one that plays an infomercial on loop which cannot be muted or turned off.

Provide a metal hook attached to the ceiling of the cell and a length of rope. Maybe a book on knots.
 
They make so much money they don't care, one guy who was caught literally went in, testified, admitted to everything paid the fine, walked out and kept doing it. There has to be a fundamental change in how telephone calls are made so they cannot be easily spoofed in order for anything to be fixed. The fines will never be enough.
 
chili dog said:
They should strip all the assets from the company. Take all the hardware and electronics, search them for any evidence, then send them to e-waste. Can't risk auctioning them off cuz some other fucker would buy them for the same plan.

Next, they take the owner(s) and throw them in prison. Implant an audio device in their skull that constantly plays the sound of a phone ringing, and then the automated message that the company plays. If it's like the ones that I get it will go something like, "Hi we recently did some remodeling on your house and I'm just following up to see if there's any more work you want done!"
Play different variations on this because you don't want him to get bored. This will play day and night constantly, being played louder at night.

Since it's probably considered cruel and unusual punishment for the prisoners not to have a TV these days, give him a black and white one that plays an infomercial on loop which cannot be muted or turned off.

Provide a metal hook attached to the ceiling of the cell and a length of rope. Maybe a book on knots.
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Would not matter they would just do it offshore. You have to change the telephone system so its not so insecure.
 
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DigitalGriffin said:
they have robo dialers that just try every number.
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No actually they have a list of numbers from the do not call list they work off of and other numbers. They don't even need to try every number because some where some how your number is on one of these lists, most likely you actually signed up for the list to stop calls like this. Little did you know that that list is EXACTLY the list they use to know who real people are they can spam.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
"Mr Number" too

But to be honest it wouldn't be that hard for the PHONE companies at the PBX to CHECK the callback number and see if the circuit leading to that phone is actually active. If it is NOT, then flag the incoming circuit and start a traceback. I really don't understand why this is so hard to fix.

But that would cut down on revenue for phone companies wouldn't it if there were no more robocalls?
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There are legitimate reasons to spoof the number.
We have multiple outgoing lines on our PBX, but they are all set to send our main local number. Customers would get confused if they kept getting calls from different numbers.
 
Here read this article about this and it will tell you about how lucrative this industry is its a decent article. it is clear very few people here understand whats going on.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...dfb2e37492a_story.html?utm_term=.ac1e85ce27e2

Then ask yourself what possible solution is there. Everyone here keeps talking about how their \wives are blocking the calls, the only person winning is them. Because they can spoof phone calls they do not give one shit if you block a call, they will call you with another number, because initial calls are prerecorded they lose no time only you do, and unless you are willing to give some minimum wage or indian outsourced person a hassle and waste your own time doing it they have little to no cost. This is just like in the old days when we were stupid enough to try to block email addresses, illegal spammers generate millions of email addresses on the spot you were never in a million lifetimes going to be able to block enough of them so stop blocking phone numbers now.

There is one difference though with email, an email can be scanned ahead of time to determine the contents and computers can block them based on that. But you cant screen a phone call for content that does not exist so making spam filters for phone calls is a losing game.

The only solution is to upgrade the phone protocols so they are secure enough that they cannot be spoofed. Then the companies would actually have to purchase phone numbers for use and once that started costing them money those numbers could be tracked and blocked.
 
nutzo said:
There are legitimate reasons to spoof the number.
We have multiple outgoing lines on our PBX, but they are all set to send our main local number. Customers would get confused if they kept getting calls from different numbers.
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There is no legitimate need to spoof numbers you do not have the right to use if you have a legitimate need buy more numbers. If you need to cycle numbers then you need to buy a whole bunch of them. ​


DigitalGriffin said:
"Mr Number" too

But to be honest it wouldn't be that hard for the PHONE companies at the PBX to CHECK the callback number and see if the circuit leading to that phone is actually active. If it is NOT, then flag the incoming circuit and start a traceback. I really don't understand why this is so hard to fix.

But that would cut down on revenue for phone companies wouldn't it if there were no more robocalls?
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I don't think phone companies are winning on this deal. First of all now days almost every plan in existence gives you free unlimited calls, and the few that don't only make you pay for your outgoing calls. Second due to how horrible this problem is a lot of people are being pushed to just not pick up their phone, they are even looking to other ways to communicate with people. This is actually something that is harming the phone companies, think about a world where no one cares to use a phone number, everyone just messages each other from some app like whats app or even facebook because they see no need to pay for a phone number. That world was quickly approaching the phone companies saw lots of people saying screw it I only need the data and that is why they started making texting a phone calls unlimited.

So all that's really going on now is the phone companies have to manage millions of robo calls that congest their network. And those robo calls are pushing people away from the traditional phone number.
 
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I've gotten robocalled by a company spoofing a number that happened to be in my contacts list, so when I picked up expecting to talk to someone I know I got Jenny from fucking credit services.
 
I can't believe that phone spoofing is still a thing. The phone companies really need to upgrade their crap!

Also for anyone with VOIP service - Comcast digital voice, Phone service through FIOS, etc. NomoRobo is free for your landline. On my cel phone I happily pay for an annual sub to them - they don't catch everything but they catch the vast majority. I no longer want to throw my phone across the room when it rings.
 
The owners of these companies should be sent to the cartels in mexico to be dismembered so I can watch it on bestgore.com
 
If my number was spoofed, will I get any money from this? Hahahaha. No.
 
This company is in my town - Tucson. It's all over the local news, and I'm damn happy that they're having a fine that steep. Now if only they would be willing to enforce the rules on ISPs and other companies that clearly deserve it...
 
I canceled my home phone effective next Friday since all I got was junk calls. Anyone know of an android app to whitelist numbers, instead of the one by one blacklist feature since there are a whole shitload of numbers available to spoof?
 
RealBeast said:
I canceled my home phone effective next Friday since all I got was junk calls. Anyone know of an android app to whitelist numbers, instead of the one by one blacklist feature since there are a whole shitload of numbers available to spoof?
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See my post earlier "Should I Answer" for Android will do this and works really well.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
"Mr Number" too

But to be honest it wouldn't be that hard for the PHONE companies at the PBX to CHECK the callback number and see if the circuit leading to that phone is actually active. If it is NOT, then flag the incoming circuit and start a traceback. I really don't understand why this is so hard to fix.

But that would cut down on revenue for phone companies wouldn't it if there were no more robocalls?
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What do you mean about "active"? Has a voicemailbox? Has a human on the other end that answers? That the person calling actually owns the callback number?
 
/dev/null said:
What do you mean about "active"? Has a voicemailbox? Has a human on the other end that answers? That the person calling actually owns the callback number?
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They know if your number is active that is dedicated to your line. That's how the phone company knows to give you a BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT instead of a Ring Ring Ring tone on the other end when you call someone.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
They know if your number is active that is dedicated to your line. That's how the phone company knows to give you a BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT instead of a Ring Ring Ring tone on the other end when you call someone.
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What if I'm using a sip phone & I don't have an inbound number? What do I send?
 
viscountalpha said:
How the hell is any of that legal, no wait I'll answer my own question. Money.
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It's legal simply because it's not illegal to do, which I know sounds like a circular argument but the reality is anyone can "own" a corporation there's no laws that state the person who's in charge or owns the company needs to work X number of hours at said company.
 
BSmith said:
1 down, 24,000 more to go!

It is so bad, my Wife changes her phone number once every 3 months or so, so she can get work done. She keeps filling up her block lists to.

Don't ask me who she is giving her number to that is causing this. I have no idea. I know she knows diddly squat about trying to be secure with her information.

She should not the problem.
Click to expand...

that is not the way they work. they start with valid first 6 digits of phone numbers . this info is easily available. then they dial all 10000 numbers. for caller id they give a number starting with the first 4 or 5 digits. Blocking numbers does nothing because it will be a different one tomorrow. changing your phone does nothing because they dial all numbers in a block.
 
i seen them 2 company names Spam in other forums as well (did not want to post the name just in case you have a auto block got them to spam companies)
 
BSmith said:
1 down, 24,000 more to go!

It is so bad, my Wife changes her phone number once every 3 months or so, so she can get work done. She keeps filling up her block lists to.

Don't ask me who she is giving her number to that is causing this. I have no idea. I know she knows diddly squat about trying to be secure with her information.

She should not the problem.
Click to expand...

and others

why change the number every month, just get a phone that has Truecall - call blocking built into it ( "Enhanced Call Blocker Cordless Home Phone" i think should work for a google search)

they norm use robo call system so soon as it hears a automated message on your phone it hangs up or talks anyway but it cant press the # button to leave there name so the phone hangs up on them and your house phone does not ring (most phones show how many calls have been blocked and missed calls) and if it ends up actually a real spam caller person (not robot) who called you they know that your likely going to block them so they usually hang up as well

they won't hit your voicemail on the phone until they have left there name and pressed # or whatever button your phone asks for (if they don't press the button it hang up on them) your phones do not ring unless you whitelisted them (norm 1 to allow once 2 always allow 3 ignore them 4 block them) or they have left name and #

this assumes your phone provider does not charge for caller display feature to be enabled
 
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rudy said:
The only solution is to upgrade the phone protocols so they are secure enough that they cannot be spoofed. Then the companies would actually have to purchase phone numbers for use and once that started costing them money those numbers could be tracked and blocked.
Click to expand...

So you want all legitimate companies to have to upgrade or replace their phone systems to support this new protocol?
Do you work for a company that sells phone systems?

Our office PBX is old, but still works fine for our needs. It would cost 10's of thousands to replace and would be a huge hit on the company bottom line.
 
i get spoofed calls daily.

They can't do shit about it.

If it weren't for this whistleblower, this company wouldn't be caught.

FCC is useless
 
jiminator said:
that is not the way they work. they start with valid first 6 digits of phone numbers . this info is easily available. then they dial all 10000 numbers. for caller id they give a number starting with the first 4 or 5 digits. Blocking numbers does nothing because it will be a different one tomorrow. changing your phone does nothing because they dial all numbers in a block.
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Here is why the Wife and many of her colleagues, block them.

When sitting in a meeting with a dozen associates, all who have to carry their cell phones with them and be able to answer in a moments notice (most of them are doctors), the constant barrage of phones ringing interfere with being able to get the job done. They have no choice but to block calls. Not all the calls have fudged the caller ID. It has only been recent where some companies are using rotating caller ID's.

Changing her phone number has proven somewhat effective. After getting a fresh number she cuts the calls down from 1 every 5 minutes to less than 1 an hour, for a few weeks.

In order to fight this melee of robocalls, her company is in the process of issuing pagers and centralizing incoming calls so they can filter out the scammers from those who need to talk to the doctors and other members of the company. Then they can drop the requirement of having cell phones on all the time. This seems to be an option/strategy many large companies are looking at.
 
nutzo said:
So you want all legitimate companies to have to upgrade or replace their phone systems to support this new protocol?
Do you work for a company that sells phone systems?

Our office PBX is old, but still works fine for our needs. It would cost 10's of thousands to replace and would be a huge hit on the company bottom line.
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Truthfully I do not think I or any of the millions of amercans care about your companies bottom line lol. Just being honest I am looking at this from a sky high view not just your selfish personal view about your company. Sometimes technology changes and yes if you have some 20 year old system you gotta upgrade, just like if you are still running windows XP you might have to upgrade. That said I don't know if such a system would require the end users to upgrade anything maybe it wouldn't maybe it would. What I do know is that there will never be an effective solution and things will only get worse as long as anyone anywhere in the world can spoof any number they want to with zero consequence.

For a counter point look at the post a couple up where another company has to develop a whole system that may cost as much or more than your company just to combat the spam callers. That's kinda the point your company might lose money another company might save money, but society as a whole will be a better place to live in if this is fixed.
 
rudy said:
Truthfully I do not think I or any of the millions of amercans care about your companies bottom line lol. Just being honest I am looking at this from a sky high view not just your selfish personal view about your company.
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You must be referring to all the people that want to raise taxes on business.
They will care when they lose their job because the company has to cut cost or shuts down.

Actually they will probably not care, because they will listen to the politicians blame it on greedy businesses or the other political party...…
 
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