Kind of getting annoyed with 3-5 calls a day that are either a pre recorded message trying to sell me insurance or literally just silence. I just had both of those in the span of about 3 minutes. Make that a third as I was typing this post. Does anybody have a solution to this besides not using a phone for calls anymore? Or is this just how we do things now?
If I don't recognize the number/or the caller isn't in my system, I usually just don't answer.
On every Android device I've had, I could block numbers. I started doing this for all of the calls and they've dropped off significantly. They only get through once every couple of weeks. On my device (OnePlus 6T), I go into the call history, hit the options on a call, then can select block number. On my last couple of devices, a long press on the call in the history would bring up a menu to do the same. YMMV.
1: Block the number if you know it is spam
2: Don't answer any number you don't recognize. They'll either leave a message, or it is spam. This is especially true if it is the same first 3 digits of your phone number. For instance, my phone number starts with 363 (not the area code). I don't answer anything that starts with 363 if it isn't in my contact list.
3: Google the number. If it is a legit number, it will pop up immediately as Flyin Miata or Daylan's Dry Cleaners.
David S. Wallens said:If I don't recognize the number/or the caller isn't in my system, I usually just don't answer.
This.
I wish that's all I got.
My work is mobile. I have dozens (sometimes hundreds) of people working for me who all work mobile. There is no way for me to know what their phone number is sometimes, or even their area code. I'm kinda forced to answer.
I block every call. It helps, but doesn't fix it.
I'd like very much to have a feature on my phone that was one touch to block someone, and that the block was recorded somehow and dinged their account. Consistent offenders would be prosecuted. My phone is typically 8-10 touches to block someone.
Not gonna happen. Phone and data providers make money on spam calls (they consume our data plans, and we have to buy bigger plans)
Blocking does help.
And once a spam call does get through, or leaves a message, it gets blocked.
We have an air horn by the phone at work.
I've been pretty happy with the Goog's efforts to combat this on my Pixel (I'm on their cell package Fi, too). They will automatically send flagged spam numbers to voicemail and if the number isn't on their list yet, they offer a one-button call screen that shows you the text of what the person is saying, e.g.:
"This caller is using a Call Screening feature, please state your name and why you're calling"
"...and you have 2 weeks to act on extending your vehicle coverage.."
<decline and add to spam list>
In reply to ShawnG :
Lovely in theory, but there's probably not even a human on the other end of these calls.
My cell phone is my only phone and I often get legit calls from numbers I don't recognize for work.
Other than the numbers that start with the first 3 digits of my number - then I can assume that is spam and gets automatically added to the blocked list.
For me, it's mostly car warranty calls, since my 2017 minivan warranty is running out soon (if it ever had one).
AT&T has a Call Blocker app that's pretty good about alerting you to spam risks and makes it easy to report / block annoyance calls on my mobile. Doesn't help my land line, though. Effectively all I ever get on my landline are 1-2 spam calls a day and doctor / dentist appointment reminders. I should drop it but it's cheap and frankly it's easier to just keep it than to figure out who all wouldn't be able to get ahold of me if I did.
For some reason all the unrouted voicemail on our work system winds up on my extension. So probably 5-8 times a week I get a message that goes "...concerned for your safety." and then some long-winded message repeated in Spanish. Apparently it just starts talking as soon as our VM system picks up and by the time my extension starts recording it, the message is almost over.
5-8 times a week, for the last 2+ years.
I can only imagine the return rate for whatever spam calls are pushing is in the low single digit percentages. But I guess robodialers are cheap.
David S. Wallens said:If I don't recognize the number/or the caller isn't in my system, I usually just don't answer.
Yup. 100%
Most annoying is that they ramped up hardcore when I was job searching a couple years ago and put my phone number on my resume and put my resume on Monster and other sites.
Google Fi is pretty good about blocking them, most of the time.
The ones that get through get belligerently racist rants that would make David Duke blush, threats to themselves and their families, air horns, gun shots, hammer on steel, etc. I just take out all my anger hatred and frustrations on them. They won't listen when I tell them to tag my number or the abuse will continue.
Sometimes they're too scared to hang up and you can hear them crying. That's when you ask why they don't just get a different job.
My favorites are the people who snap back, and start cussing me out because "I didn't take this job to be harassed and abused all day", well vajajaycake, maybe you shouldn't work for scammers then, because I sure as berkeley have not given anyone permission to call me about a non existent warranty on my 200+k mile old truck or to hear about health insurance that costs more than I make in a month.
In reply to David S. Wallens etal
I usually don't have my phone handy ( in my pocket or not easily visible) to see who is calling. Blocking phone numbers works for that number but not the one they are going to call next. I sometimes get 4-6 calls a day. I did sometimes hit whatever number they say to use to talk a scam expert. I sometimes ask them which car they are calling about. Of course that probably made it worse coz then they know there is a live person on the other end. Complaining to FCC... that is a joke!
I probably get 10 a week. Android (or maybe it's my google Fi) has all kinds of ways to weed them out. They almost always show up with a caller ID that says "suspected spam caller" because someone in the world already reported it as spam. Sometimes I get a number I don't recognize and I just ignore it.
There is also a button that let's me screen calls, and a setting that automatically rejects spam calls and doesn't bother me.
The downside is that I have an 818 area code, so half the time I call someone they assume I'M spam.
RevRico said:Google Fi is pretty good about blocking them, most of the time.
The ones that get through get belligerently racist rants that would make David Duke blush, threats to themselves and their families, air horns, gun shots, hammer on steel, etc. I just take out all my anger hatred and frustrations on them. They won't listen when I tell them to tag my number or the abuse will continue.
Sometimes they're too scared to hang up and you can hear them crying. That's when you ask why they don't just get a different job.
My favorites are the people who snap back, and start cussing me out because "I didn't take this job to be harassed and abused all day", well vajajaycake, maybe you shouldn't work for scammers then, because I sure as berkeley have not given anyone permission to call me about a non existent warranty on my 200+k mile old truck or to hear about health insurance that costs more than I make in a month.
I usually keep them on the line with the dumbest questions. The longer I keep them on the hook, the less time they have to scam someone else.
I love the "IRS" calls where I have to buy gift cards. I kept a guy going for a good 20 minutes last week about a pool I wanted to install. (I don't want a pool installed)
Daylan C (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to ShawnG :
Lovely in theory, but there's probably not even a human on the other end of these calls.
There was just now.
Someone about problems coming from our computer.
Got a big smile on my face right now.
Any more extended warranty callers, and I'm going to tell one of them that the cars we own range from 15 to 54 years old, their average mileage is above 200,000, and one of them currently has its engine disassembled after a mishap tuning my homemade turbo kit. If they still want to put together a quote after hearing that, I will ask them how I can expect a company willing to sell an extended warranty for a fleet like that to remain in business for the next six months.
We don't answer but I did a few times in the past.
what's their angle if I pick up and it's silence? What are they gaining?
I berkeley with them, lead them on, ect. I get one a week now if I'm lucky.
I had one on the phone for 4 hours.
Datsun310Guy said:We don't answer but I did a few times in the past.
what's their angle if I pick up and it's silence? What are they gaining?
I will put them on hold and check in every half hour.
Datsun310Guy said:We don't answer but I did a few times in the past.
what's their angle if I pick up and it's silence? What are they gaining?
One theory I've heard is that they want a recording of you saying "yes" for various nefarious purposes.
Ohhhhh if you want to have fun with it there is a service that has a pre recorded thing that the spam caller gets sent to that is a computer pre recording that you then get a copy of the interaction between the computer and the spam caller. My daughter has it and she got a call from Verizon. it put it to what eventually plays out as a guy on the phone with his wife giving birth. One of teh absolutely funniest things I have ever heard and teh fact that the Comcast sales person actually stayed on the phone for it shows that they are.
1. desperate
2. Incredibly rude and insensitive to not figure out that it probably was not the time to try adn sell something.
I will see about getting a copy of the recording from my daughter and post it up for you all to listen to.
The app is called robokiller. It is like $30 a year
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