Robo/unknown/fake name calls on the increase.

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  #46  
Old 09-12-2020, 07:28 PM
pyg122250@gmail.com pyg122250@gmail.com is offline
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Thursday night around 11:30 I received a call with no caller ID so I dismissed the call. Received the call 2 more times and I dismissed them. The 4 time I decided to answer it thinking maybe it could be a family member. The person on the line ask for me by name and said he was with the fraud prevention department. He gave me an address to verify - it was an address that I sold 4 years ago. When I told him it was incorrect he made an excuse that his computer had not been updated. I ask several times why he was calling so late and he said he was trying to help me as my credit card had just been used at a gas station on 466. He needed to know if I had just used my credit card. Before he could say another word I ask what bank he was working for. He hesitated and said Citizens. I told him that I didn’t have an account with them and he said he must have the wrong person and hung up.
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:29 AM
TooColdNJ TooColdNJ is offline
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Originally Posted by chrissy2231 View Post
I have 2 responses. I keep a whistle by the phone. Hopefully, I blow out their ear drums. Best advice is never answer the phone or open your door to unknown people. Unless I know you're visiting, I haven't opened my front door since 1991 when I was robbed.
That’s a great solution that’s been around for a while, but it scares the hell out of my dog, and my husband’s hearing aids explode!

Seriously— many, if not most, are recorded calls these days. Other than for those that just digit dial, if your telephone number is required when shopping online just put random numbers in... or you can always add the number of a person you really dislike!
  #48  
Old 09-13-2020, 07:31 AM
rmagee rmagee is offline
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I get a minimum of 3 of these calls per day. They are mostly recordings. That takes away my usual initial comment. I answer and immediately say "You are on a recorded line, please state your business".....If it is a live person the hangup occurs within 4 seconds. It's my newest hobby.
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:46 AM
davephan davephan is offline
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Originally Posted by retiredguy123 View Post
The system you describe will work as you say, but it is not appropriate for everyone. Some people don't want to block calls from unknown numbers. They may miss calls from people they know, but don't have them listed on their white list for several reasons. The caller may be calling from another number, or it may be a doctor's office or a new friend or business associate, or maybe someone gave away your contact number without telling you. And, a lot of people do not leave voicemail messages. They expect the person they called to return the call because their phone will show a missed call. Or, if somenoe leaves a voicemail, often when you try to return the call, the business is closed or you can't reach the person. I rarely leave voicemails, and I would not feel comfortable using a white list to screen my calls.
That’s a trade off. There could be stubborn people that refuse to leave a voicemail. But is it reasonable for you to put up with all the junk calls just because a couple stubborn people refuse to leave a voicemail?

You could include in your outgoing voicemail message that all unknown telephone numbers are screened, and it is mandatory to leave a voicemail, if they want to contact you.

The CenturyLink landline provider has a service called “No Solicitation”. If the telephone callers number isn’t on your “white list”, then the system doesn’t ring your telephone until the unknown caller hits “1”.

Years ago, Digitone had a call screener like that, which simply played an outgoing message to all callers. Then all callers had to hit “1” to ring your telephones.

A normal answering machine could be used like that, but then you’d hear the ringing sound from all the unknown callers.

If you we’re running a business where you got a lot of unknown callers, then screening the calls with a “white list” isn’t going to work. You’d simply have to live with more and more junk callers.

I think it’s unreasonable for myself to put up with hearing the telephone ringing with unknown callers because a couple people are too stubborn to leave voicemail. If those stubborn people get desperate enough to contact me, they’ll leave a voicemail.
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:46 AM
MacScuba MacScuba is offline
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It’s on the rise.
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  #51  
Old 09-13-2020, 07:47 AM
TooColdNJ TooColdNJ is offline
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If you answer the call it verifies that it’s a working number. I think sometimes the calls continue for that reason. Every single call that comes in from a number with the same area code as mine (out of state), I block it on my iPhone immediately. I’ve gotten less and less calls. If anyone from my past life isn’t in my contact list anymore, I don’t want to talk to them anyway. You can also block unknown texts the same way.
  #52  
Old 09-13-2020, 07:52 AM
davephan davephan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pyg122250@gmail.com View Post
Thursday night around 11:30 I received a call with no caller ID so I dismissed the call. Received the call 2 more times and I dismissed them. The 4 time I decided to answer it thinking maybe it could be a family member. The person on the line ask for me by name and said he was with the fraud prevention department. He gave me an address to verify - it was an address that I sold 4 years ago. When I told him it was incorrect he made an excuse that his computer had not been updated. I ask several times why he was calling so late and he said he was trying to help me as my credit card had just been used at a gas station on 466. He needed to know if I had just used my credit card. Before he could say another word I ask what bank he was working for. He hesitated and said Citizens. I told him that I didn’t have an account with them and he said he must have the wrong person and hung up.
That’s part of the scam, calling you late at night! The scammer wants to wake up people and catch them when they are disoriented, waking up, and are more vulnerable to giving out information.

That’s a variation of the old scam where someone calls you hotel room late at night, waking you up, pretending to be from the front desk of the hotel, wanting you to tell them your credit card number over the telephone, to “verify” your credit card number.

Some people are disoriented when waking up, and are not thinking clearly, and give the scammer the credit card number to the scammer that’s pretending to be from the front desk of the hotel.
  #53  
Old 09-13-2020, 07:56 AM
TooColdNJ TooColdNJ is offline
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Originally Posted by La lamy View Post
I've had a lot more scam calls, texts and emails lately. The "spoofing" (disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source) has also turned into them phoning me with a number that's almost identical to mine. Confusing. Also the typical ones about me owing the government money. My least favorite is emails that say they know my password (they showed me the right one), sure made me change them ASAP.
I received the same email! The password was one I never use anymore, from a website I obviously never go to. I just ignored the fact that they threatened to post nude pictures. Thank God i destroyed them years ago! NOT 😅😉
  #54  
Old 09-13-2020, 08:17 AM
Stu from NYC Stu from NYC is offline
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Originally Posted by rmagee View Post
I get a minimum of 3 of these calls per day. They are mostly recordings. That takes away my usual initial comment. I answer and immediately say "You are on a recorded line, please state your business".....If it is a live person the hangup occurs within 4 seconds. It's my newest hobby.
Interesting idea will give that a try but most are recordings until you get transferred to a real person
  #55  
Old 09-13-2020, 08:35 AM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is offline
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Sometimes the caller is a fake computer voice that can actually answer questions. For some strange reason, I can usually tell the difference between a fake and a real person. If I suspect a fake, I will ask them if they are real and they will say "yes". Then, I say, "what is 11 minus 8"? They never get that one correct.
  #56  
Old 09-13-2020, 09:34 AM
Stu from NYC Stu from NYC is offline
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Originally Posted by retiredguy123 View Post
Sometimes the caller is a fake computer voice that can actually answer questions. For some strange reason, I can usually tell the difference between a fake and a real person. If I suspect a fake, I will ask them if they are real and they will say "yes". Then, I say, "what is 11 minus 8"? They never get that one correct.
The trick is to ask a question they do not suspect.

Color of underwear is usually a good one
  #57  
Old 09-13-2020, 10:23 AM
LianneMigiano LianneMigiano is offline
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The ones I hate the most are when I get a call with MY OWN NAME in caller ID! How stupid do they think we are? Even with adding our line to DO NOT CALL registries we are still getting 6-8 a day on the land line. I have taken to not answering any number that I do not recognize and any without a name showing.
  #58  
Old 09-14-2020, 12:09 AM
Art cov Art cov is offline
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Originally Posted by Skunky1 View Post
I have had a scammer call me using my phone number. When I called the phone company about it they said there’s nothing they could do.
I had the same. I looked and my number was calling me! What’s the deal? Didn’t answer. When I do it’s a warranty call about a vehicle I no longer own. Annoying
  #59  
Old 09-14-2020, 05:49 AM
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Schaumburger Schaumburger is offline
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Originally Posted by rmd2 View Post
I used nomorobo and it did not stop the telemarketers,
I have used nomorobo for a couple of years now on my landline. It worked better at first. With nomorobo, my landline phone will still ring once, then stops if it is a robocall. When I was working from home daily from mid-March through early June, my landline would ring 3 to 4 times daily with robocalls. This still seems to be the case.

I also get usually 2 or 3 spam/telemarketing calls daily on my cell phone. I block those numbers, but doesn't seems to help much as these calls originate from every area code and state imaginable.
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