General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPhone scammers are spoofing everyone's phone numbers lately
I've read that others have noticed an uptick in recorded spam calls. They usually come from local area codes, and often start off with "Don't Hang Up!" before they go on to talk about car warranties or credit card savings.
Calling back one of these numbers usually gets you a confused person on the other end who swears that they didn't call you. I myself have been on both sides of these calls, both calling back a number in my phone history to get a person who didn't call me, and being called by someone else who says I just called them.
What I'm concerned about is the integrity of our phone systems. It used to be pretty hard to spoof a number, but now fly-by-night car warranty boiler rooms are able to afford it?
Also wondering whether this is going to lead to more chaos around election time. Certainly can't trust the caller ID of the people calling you anymore.
kimbutgar
(21,210 posts)Phone. I get all those numbers with the first three digits of my phone at least 4 times a day. Today I already got two of them.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)Actually, we both are. I've been blocking a half dozen a day for weeks now.
Amishman
(5,559 posts)They'll be using a new number shortly and you will still have the real owner of that number blocked
Don't block them
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)And I'm filling up my blocked list as well. Not an issue for me because only two or three people legitimately call me anyway.
Louis1895
(768 posts)...and I thought it might be a repairman calling me back so I answered. I said hello and some woman went into a rant about me calling her! I told her "No, you called me" and she said yes but that was only because I called her multiple times and to stop doing it! Then she hung up on me!
I think my number was spoofed by someone and now I am getting irate phone from their victims.
spooky3
(34,483 posts)htuttle
(23,738 posts)...using the power to spoof caller ID on a massive scale.
tonyt53
(5,737 posts)eleny
(46,166 posts)SharonAnn
(13,778 posts)imanamerican63
(13,817 posts)When I see there is an odd number, I let it ring & then block that number. I'm waiting to see if my number to show!
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Any number with my prefix is automatically ignored and most others are as well unless I am expecting a call and in that case I usually know the number from which it is coming.
Boomerproud
(7,968 posts)n/t
rurallib
(62,451 posts)csziggy
(34,138 posts)Week before last I was expecting a call to set up a MRI scan. I didn't get one but when I called them last Monday to find out why (after I received a letter from them), they claimed they called me twice and left messages both times. The only two calls that I got the previous week were both nonsensical numbers (011-000-0000) and only rang once.
I've gotten calls from disability insurance companies with blocked numbers.
These kinds of calls I cannot miss - I have to make sure I answer since as with the MRI calls the offices will not try very hard to get in touch and often do not leave messages.
spanone
(135,885 posts)no shit
MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)generate the 'Scam Likely' message? I get bombarded with unknown numbers with my area code and they always end up leaving a voicemail about health insurance...plans available in my area blah blah blah. Different # every time multiple times per day.
cyclonefence
(4,483 posts)and have no idea of how. It started, out of the blue, only recently, maybe in the past four months or so. If you find your phone's user manual online, you may be able to figure out how to activate it, if it's an option for you.
I searched "scam likely caller id" and found this:
T-Mobile and MetroPCS (which is owned by T-Mobile) now offer a Scam ID feature thats turned on by default. Whenever someone calls you, your cellular carrier checks that number against a database of known scam phone numbers. If it matches a reported scammer, the callers number is tagged with Scam Likely so you can keep your guard up when you answer the call.
This feature is designed to protect against robocalls, tech support scams, IRS impersonation scams, and really any kind of phone call that attempts to defraud you.
The Scam Likely tag is applied on the carriers end of things, before the call is even sent to your phone. The tag appears on caller ID, so this works with iPhones, Android phones, and everything else. The setup doesnt require any special software on your phone.https://www.howtogeek.com/340192/who-is-scam-likely-and-why-are-they-calling-your-phone/
I don't have T Mobile or MetroPCS, btw.
spanone
(135,885 posts)crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)It's a part of enhanced caller ID. I'm not opting for it as it's $2.99 per month.
MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)for it at that price either. But you made me think I should call Verizon to inquire as to what possible solutions are out there. My cell # is the primary contact for our family, my kiddos school, doctor etc. sometimes I just need to answer. Thanks!
wasupaloopa
(4,516 posts)If they need to talk to me leave a message
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)iscooterliberally
(2,863 posts)The problem for me is that I have a missing kitty. She's been gone about 6 months now, but she has a microchip. Any unknown number could be a shelter or vets office somewhere trying to reach me. My cell phone is good about saying 'Scam Likely' when an unknown number rings. I have learned to wait 2-3 seconds before I say anything when I answer the phone. It seems that the pause confuses automated calls and they disconnect.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)Its not that the phone system is messed up. It is that it hasnt advanced since caller ID technology came about and it isnt going to anytime soon, but modern technology makes spoofing the Sigbal easy- any VOIP or analog based system that connects via a PBX can send whatever signal the administrators of that system want and the system from then on will repeat it.
That was a handy thing when it was still a little hard to do it and was used legitimately- like from the Sheriffs office we could call from our phones that all had their own number but the caller ID would show the main office number for the SO and not our desk number.
But now it can all be done with a simple computer program that voice dials it all.
And since most of it originates overseas, very hard to legally clamp down on. As soon as the phone company finds and shuts down one they go to a new number.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)I had to help set up and administer an Asterix system at one point, and we soon discovered that we couldn't just set the outgoing phone number to anything we wanted to, though the software would have allowed us to do so. If we didn't set the correct outgoing number according to the telco, it would just override it. That was with ATT.
I'm reminded of the sorts of trust issues that had to be worked out on the internet with SSL certificates, etc. What to do about a telco that is a 'bad actor'? Especially if they are overseas. Deny all calls through them? What if they are the only telephone company in the area?
dembotoz
(16,844 posts)HAB911
(8,916 posts)htuttle
(23,738 posts)In both cases, sort of bolt-on solutions to legacy technologies.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,049 posts)By blocking Truth in Caller ID Act legislation.
Scammers, both foreign and domestic, can always depend on the GOP to keep them in business, and their voters to become gullible customers.
WhiteTara
(29,722 posts)I got while a young woman living alone who would from time to time get heavy breathers on the phone. The whistle deterred them from calling again.
So, I kept getting calls here and I warned the callers for months (they seem to be the same ones over and over) So finally one day, I just said, I have warned you many times and now I have something for you. I blew my whistle. Not very well but a little shriek came out and that was the last call. He did call me an asshole before I hung up.
matt819
(10,749 posts)It's out of hand.
Everyone who answers the phone, including me, answers with hello with a question mark at the end. Not sure if any call is legit anymore. I'm probably at the point of not answering actual business calls. I only use my cell, and I have hundreds of blocked numbers and use a spam call service - Nomorobo. And calls still come through. I make sure to add every legitimate call to my contacts list, so that I can answer properly if they call in the future.
Petosky Stone
(52 posts)and have hundreds of "free" apps on their phones?
I was recently in a dollar store and the cashier asked everyone for their phone numbers....
And everyone just spit them out, no questions asked. These stores have no "clubs" or "discount cards".
I get one hang-up call every couple of months. I don't answer or call back (those in themselves are huge mistakes).
Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Like you, and apparently several others, I have been getting those calls as well. I have even called back to find someone wonder who I was and vice versa. It is disgusting. It needs to stop!
Squinch
(51,021 posts)just trying to shit all over another human being.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)These people are completely soulless. Funny how many people who work for the "IRS" have Russian accents.
Squinch
(51,021 posts)mail.
Terrible, terrible people.
BREMPRO
(2,331 posts)communications and trust among each other. I'll just ignore until we have a responsible administration that is willing to do something about this daily nuisance.
CountAllVotes
(20,878 posts)I tend to turn off the phone and turn off the answering machine and to hell with it!
So much for the Do Not Call list eh?
One thing I was told to never do is this:
If you get a call and you don't know who it is and they ask for you by name, DO NOT SAY the word YES this is he/she. They are using the word YES to say you are agreeing to whatever they are selling or scamming.
So don't say YES, just HANG-UP!
Qutzupalotl
(14,333 posts)about their exciting offers. I had heard they were looking for a Yes so they can charge my credit card or sign me up for something I don't want. I make it a point to yell NO! or if I'm mad, fuck off!
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Once I got a call from someone claiming to be from "Medicare". I nearly hung up on the guy, since that's a common scam, but I happened to be working with someone from the REAL Medicare Administration on a legit business project. Fortunately I figured it out and didn't alienate someone who was trying to help me solve an issue...
But yeah, if the call is from my prefix code and I don't recognize, I hit the bitch button.
TCJ70
(4,387 posts)...its never worth it.
alwaysinasnit
(5,075 posts)I answer the phone with "law office." They hang up right away.
yonder
(9,678 posts)Where we used to get 6 or 7 a week, we're now getting that many a day. All of the sudden it was like a switch turned on. The calls coming from a shown non-local area code remained about the same, but the ones showing our local area code increased.
I don't know what to make of it. In the 60's we put a man on the moon in 9 years - with 60's technology. It sure seems we should be able to stop this with the technology we have today.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)First decade of this century, I was getting so much spam that email practically became useless. Then it seemed like ISP's and such came up with better spam blocking technology to the point where it's manageable again.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,438 posts)and now most people use Social Media for communication. I only use e-mail for registration purposes, bills, etc.
Thunderbeast
(3,419 posts)Not foolproof, but clearly more fun!
https://jollyrogertelephone.com
Best $8 per YEAR I spend.
renate
(13,776 posts)This looks hilarious!!
I googled it and found this... too funny!
https://www.npr.org/2016/02/25/468149405/jolly-roger-telephone-company-uses-software-to-entrap-telemarketers
TheBlackAdder
(28,222 posts)JDC
(10,135 posts)It will provide you with a notification of a local area code and prefix spoofing as well as marketing numbers that are group identified into a database. If you want to block, you can right drom there also. Free app. Its pretty good, been using it for a year or so.
musette_sf
(10,206 posts)I then check the number against the corporate directory, just to make sure it wasn't someone calling who I legit need to talk to but is not in my contacts list.
Actually got a call recently from a number that matched a fellow employee's number in the directory - someone I didn't know who worked in a different functional area. Called him "back" to find he hadn't called me, and had no idea why I was calling him "back".
Liberal In Texas
(13,580 posts)A) Illegal
B) Not actually possible with currently available tech.
C)Violators actively prosecuted.
There just isn't any will to do this with the current repub government. Caller ID is a joke. It's not enforced.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Needless to say, I just did a call reject.
Purrfessor
(1,188 posts)and set it as the ringtone for everyone I expect to get calls from in my contacts list. If it is activated I know to answer it. Otherwise I dont even check when the default ringtone is activated. If its important they will leave a message.
Iggo
(47,571 posts)If its important they will leave a message. If its important they will leave a message.
If its important they will leave a message. If its important they will leave a message.
If its important they will leave a message. If its important they will leave a message.
If its important they will leave a message. If its important they will leave a message.
Seriously. You can't say that enough.
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)for my cellphone. So when a number starts with that area code, I know 9.9 times out of ten I am being spoofed.
If the number calling has an in-state area code, then that's when I pick up.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)answer, even though I have lived in Boston for the past 6 years. I still retained my old NY phone number. I was blocking the numbers for a while, but it didn't seem to stop them from coming through.
I almost never have my phone on ring unless I am expecting a call and never pick up if it isn't someone I know. If it is important, they will leave a message. But still, it's very annoying. Why would people do this?
KentuckyWoman
(6,696 posts)most of our crap calls are supposedly from Medicare or medical related.
I have yet to see them spoof a number of someone I actually know, but expect that to be on the horizon.
CousinIT
(9,259 posts)...I just block the damn things.
May be useless but until/unless another solution is devised well, it's all I've got.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,902 posts)I personally have not seen an uptick in spam phone calls, and I am definitely not seeing ones from my own area code, let alone ones that seem local to me.
I generally don't answer a call unless I actually recognize the number. It can go to the answering machine, or if I'm on a call, to my voice mail. Most of the time a spam call doesn't leave a message, and the ones that do -- like the fake IRS ones -- I simply delete.
I have both a land line and a cell phone, for what that's worth. I do get far fewer spam calls on the cell, but it enrages me when I do, because I'm under the impression that such spam calls should NEVER show up on a cell.
marybourg
(12,637 posts)worse than useless. Answering machines worked to effectively screen unwanted calls, if used ruthlessly.
demosincebirth
(12,543 posts)area51
(11,923 posts)I've gotten a few calls on a cell, in some Asian language. Wonder if it was the same marketer as yours.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)Usually about once per week now.
DFW
(54,445 posts)I usually just start answering in Swedish or Italian, or something a call center targeting Germany isn't likely to have trained its callers to speak.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)The name didn't mean anything to me, so I just let it go. But I looked up the phone number and people were reporting it as a scammer.
I bet lots of people answer when they see a hospital's name on the ID.