Robocalls are Booming

DooKey

DooKey

[H]F Junkie
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Apr 25, 2001
Messages
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Last year the FTC received 3.4M complaints about robocalls. This year the number has grown to 4.5M complaints. The FTC is sponsoring events that pay cash to those that produce tech that will help identify robocalls. However, nothing to date has managed to stop this process. I don't know about anyone else, but I receive at least 3 to 4 robocalls everyday. I hope someone figures out how to stop this in the near future. You can review the FTC data here.

Americans clearly don't want such calls. In addition to all the complaints, use of the "Do Not Call" registry has exploded since it was started in 2003. 10 million numbers were registered in the first four days after launch, and the registry now hosts 226 million active registrations.
 
Our dnc list here is useless as charities are exempt. And guess who always calls?

We solved the problem by becoming a mobile phone only house a couple of years ago. Both of our phones have as standard spam filtering abilities.
 
Bah, the do not call registry is a joke. It is where the robocallers get all the phone numbers anyway. Well,...probably. I made the mistake of putting my cell number on the list and then all the calls started coming in. Stupid me.

I just listen to what business is sponsoring the call, then I black list them. I will not do business with them, ever,.....unless it is to buy them out so I can fire the asshat whi instituted the robocalls to begin with. So there!
 
I mostly try to ignore them but I have unloaded on a couple that called between 8pm-10pm. I know answering just triggers a an active # for their database but sometimes its difficult to keep ignoring, especially when they call every night at the same or later times.

I've also noticed that they're somehow able to monitor outgoing calls on landlines. On more than a few occasions when we've called long distance numbers to different states usually within an hour or so we'll get a robocall using the same state listed on the ID but either a different or no number. I suspect this is highly illegal but I don't know.
 
Easy solution that will never happen: The CEO of any company that uses robocalls and calls a company or person who is registered on the "do not call list" will face a $25,000,000 fine AND a minimum of 50 years in federal prison. Additionally, all equity in the company will be forfeit and seized by the government.

2nd solution: Any person who can help lead to the arrest of a CEO guilty of above offense will receive a whistleblower fee equal to 50% of all money and assets seized from the business per above.
 
I answer all the robo calls and dick with them. It wastes their time and resources and I have fun doing it! Especially the ones from India that claim to be Americans.

Some of the robo calls promote trips then ask you if you make a certain amount above 40k. I press the # for less than and they say 'sorry, you do not qualify.'

The # of robo calls since then has decreased drastically.
 
I have been tasked to answer phones at work this week since all the smart people took off. Several times a day, "This is an important call, do not hang up the phone", which by now I hang up on "This". Over and over. I pity the girl who normally has to answer, I'd be hyper pissed if my work was being interrupted by these ass hats.

I have a nice call blocker at home, if the number calling doesn't have a name (Unassigned or Unavailable), I never hear it ring. If it does ring and I can tell it's an ass hat, I press the Block button. If the call comes when I'm not there, I can enter the number and block it. It still logs the numbers in the caller ID, but the phone doesn't ring.
 
My robo calls has been from an area code and the first 3 numbers of my phone number. So with that, I know its a fake caller. And also, I don't answer any numbers I don't recognize unless I'm expecting a call.
 
Redmud said:
Can't phone companies prevent phone# spoofing? Most of the ones I get on my phone show up with my area code and the prefix of my phone number. I just ignore them, actually if I don't recognize the number I don't answer it.
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This is where we need to attack the problem from. If we can tell the number where the call is actually originating, we can report them (or tie up all their outgoing lines so they can't call anybody).
 
I used to get calls all day long, until I started answering them and then feeding them so much carp they started slowly dropping me off their call lists, but it has take a lot of time to get there. Had I never put my number on that damn list, I pobably would not have ever gotten any calls.
 
Dullard said:
I have a nice call blocker at home, if the number calling doesn't have a name (Unassigned or Unavailable), I never hear it ring. If it does ring and I can tell it's an ass hat, I press the Block button. If the call comes when I'm not there, I can enter the number and block it. It still logs the numbers in the caller ID, but the phone doesn't ring.
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The cable company kept raising the cost of the phone service (was almost free years ago with the bundle discount), so 2 years ago I transferred the number to Ooma.
Only $4/month (taxes), and no toll/long distant charges.
Used to have to use the cell phone to avoid the toll/long distant charges, now we usually just use the home phone.
I also replaced my old multi handset phone system with one that lets me block calls. Any marketing call number gets blocked.
It also matches the caller ID with the phonebook, and announces who is calling.
We don't bother answering the phone any more unless we are expecting a call or it's someone we want to talk to.

The do not call list is mostly dead. Many of these calls come from over seas and they have no legal requirement to obey the do not call list.
 
An answering service like an Auto Attendant used on a phone system would stop them for the most part. Something stupid "like pres 5 to speak to the Johnson's"
 
PaulP said:
This is where we need to attack the problem from. If we can tell the number where the call is actually originating, we can report them (or tie up all their outgoing lines so they can't call anybody).
Click to expand...

Not going to help much since most these calls come from overseas.
Maybe we need to start using drone strikes :D
 
I made the mistake answering a call on my cell a couple years ago. The lady ask if this is so and so and I said yes. She hanged up instantly and that day forth I got spam calls all day everyday. Even in the middle of the night. It was about after 6 months of not answering and blocking numbers before they stopped. I normally don't answer number if I don't recognize them but that one time it costed me. In the past few months I have noticed call from my zip code with the first 3 digits of my number and almost got me the first time but I didn't answer. I don't get those much so it doesn't bother me much. If it is important then leave a message and I'll get back to you.
 
the-one1 said:
My robo calls has been from an area code and the first 3 numbers of my phone number. So with that, I know its a fake caller. And also, I don't answer any numbers I don't recognize unless I'm expecting a call.
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Me too. If it's from my phone's area code, I don't answer.

It's like these spammers don't realize that lots of people get a cell number and then move eventually. It's been years since I lived where my cell number came from, so why would I pick up call from unknown numbers from that area code?

Spoofing has made the do not call list useless...
 
and the block unknown number feature on my phone is awesome at killing them before the phone even rings.
 
2017 has gotten out of control in my house. I got a huge increase in robocalls and telemarketing calls, because these guys realized that it is easy to spoof caller ID to get around the DNC list. They spoof disconnected numbers.
But more importantly, the FTC doesn't really do shit about complaints. It only stops fortune 500 companies from calling you. Every other crook gets a free pass.

4.5 million complaints ? Guess how many complaints they'll resolve in a year..... maybe 1000.
The gov't is underfunded, lazy, and wasteful, and useless.
 
Stupid gub'ment trying to regulate corporate! Maybe we should put a corporate guy in charge of FCC... oh, wait...
 
Old style digital answering machine on a now VOIP landline via fiber baffles most of the robots. I think the initial "Please leave a message" is enough for the robot caller to think the line is alive but then the now silent line baffles the message delivery computer or the human the line was switched over to.
 
If i recall right there is some weird law the prevents the phone company from blocking them.
 
I found this thread inspiring!

I just got off the phone with a robocaller. Here is what transpired.

Phone rings,....I note the caller ID is nothing from this planet and answer.
"Hello, may I speak with Leah?"
(ok, I already know this ia robo spammer as her voice is far too sexy to belong to anyone I know)
(I fire back)
Hello, you have reached a phone! (During this brief break, she tries to say something)
Press 1, if you want to leave a message.
Press 2, if your hair is on fire.
Press 3, if your Apple battery is going bad and your phone is slowed to a crawl.
Press...

That is as far as I got before the bitch hung up on me.
 
So... telemarketers ignore the national (USA) Do Not Call list and likely the state do not call registries as well. They spoof their caller id and/or use a number that cannot be reached. They never provide their name, company name and phone/address (all 3 are required). A robocall must make at least 4 rings or 15 seconds before giving up. If answered, a real person must respond within 2 seconds, or else it is considered an "abandoned call". Abandoned calls can only be less than 3% of volume over a 30 day period. Calls can only be made between 8am and 9pm in the local timezone of the person being called. Telemarketers cannot block caller id, and the number must be reachable for opting out, or another mechanism must be clearly stipulated in the call and must be honored. And of course, my favorite, a robocall can never call a cell phone.

These are (mostly) Federal crimes. And each call can carry a $16,000 penalty to max penalty of $1,025,000 (consumer lawsuits are $500 per each violation).

Yet, the system is completely broken. I get robocalls to my cell all the time. Regardless, caller ids are usually blocked or spoofed.

Obviously, there is a (very very very very small) exception list (charities, calls to inform the public, etc..), but that's less than 1% of the illegal unsolicited calls I receive though all of our numbers are the DNC registry.
 
Yes, laws are being broken, but the FCC guy is too busy making idiotic videos and killing net neutrality to be bothered with it.

Ohhhhh,....I just got on the hyperbole express! WOOHOO! Oops,..that would be WOO WOO!. :)
 
I use Hiya to block spam callers and text, it's community based so you can report unknown/private numbers as spam that isn't already on the list. It also has better Caller ID than any other app I've used.
 
MarkVI said:
Me too. If it's from my phone's area code, I don't answer.

It's like these spammers don't realize that lots of people get a cell number and then move eventually. It's been years since I lived where my cell number came from, so why would I pick up call from unknown numbers from that area code?

Spoofing has made the do not call list useless...
Click to expand...

I've been having lots of problems lately, and managed to take your approach. I requested a new area code for my phone to a place I'll never visit and just blocked all incoming phone calls with that area code. Robo calls have dropped significantly.
 
We use Google Voice as our VOIP landline. GV blocking spam calls, all unknown numbers go straight to voicemail. Nomorobo also monitors and hangs up on 1st ring.
Voicemail message opens with the SIT disconnected tone, but is followed by a personalized "you've been blocked but leave a message and we'll get back to you". Voicemail is translated by GV and emailed.

This has worked well for the last 4 or 5 years, keeping out 98% of robocalls and only late this year have we been getting the local prefix scams. Would love for GV to implement a captcha, but with the rise of AI it would be only be a matter of time before some enterprising criminal marketing scum figures how to use it to defeat captchas.
 
I forgot, I do get robo texts though. Here we have two main phone companies, optus and Telstra, I'll get a text with the line that says something like "There is a message waiting for you at www . testra .com" Or replace Telstra with optus. I'm like, yea sure, I think I won't click a likely spoofed link because why not just send me the text message? Tap the add to block list. Done. It's actually more convenient as I don't have a phone ringing and I can deal with texts in my own time, not as soon as they come in.

EDIT: Another thought, what happens if you start to say trigger words to the overseas call centers like talking about terrorism, bombs, destroying monuments, assassinations etc? Think they'll get acted on? :)
 
Generally I make a point to waste the time of at least one real person every time I get a call. There is always the potential that answering the call might cause me to get more calls, but that doesn't seem to be how it has worked out.
 
the-one1 said:
My robo calls has been from an area code and the first 3 numbers of my phone number. So with that, I know its a fake caller. And also, I don't answer any numbers I don't recognize unless I'm expecting a call.
Click to expand...

Same with me. My Verizon postpaid line was inundated with these calls until a month or so ago, and now it only gets one a week or so. My Cricket prepaid line has only been receiving "...let us pray for you. Press #xx to have a personalized prayer on the call back..." calls of late. Like you, if I do not have the # in my contact list, is isn't answered.
 
If I don't recognize the number, I won't pick up. No one calls me anyway except for a small group of people I know.
I have toiled with the Indian "Windows Company" people before. It was fun for a while to mess with them, but now they just piss me off. My wife thinks its funny to hand me the phone when they are on. Click.
 
If the FCC really wants to deal with this, they need to mandate an effective means of reporting (dial *whatever to report a spam call?), as well as mandating call records to follow up be kept. Something like the received headers on email. Calls (especially spam calls) do go through like 30 layers of routing, but your carrier should know where they received the call, and so forth.

If more than X% of calls are reported for a carrier/customer; monitor calls and refer to law enforcement. FCC/Congress could also make an exception to common carrier requirements for carrying known spammer calls.
 
My work line, mobile and voip, get 2-3 calls a day from robocallers. Heck my personal phone gets 1-2 a day. Luckily they think they are being clever by calling with a number that contains the first 3 of my number and I know instantly it's a robo caller.
 
I get several of these a day on both my personal and work phones. It's gotten to where if I don't recognize a number on my personal phone, I don't answer. If it's something legitimate, they will usually leave a message.
 
nutzo said:
Not going to help much since most these calls come from overseas.
Maybe we need to start using drone strikes :D
Click to expand...
And if the caller ID says "India: xxxxx" then at least we know it's probably a robo call and can block it, since few of us will ever receive a legit call from outside the country.
 
If it's a real person, try answering this way sometime: Central Intelligence Agency, how may I direct your call?
 
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