Uptick in Spam Calls

[spierceisu]

When I get spam calls, I go ahead and block the numbers. I haven't had much of an issue with spam calls since doing that. The past few days I have gotten about 6 spam calls from varying numbers. (says Des Moines). I ignore the calls and no voicemail is left. One of them I tried to call back and i got a recording from Verizon saying it is no longer in service. Is anyone else noticing more spam calls lately?

 

[carvers4math]

My neighbor works at the local hospital and frequently calls me to let her dog out. We have been getting a bunch of spoofing calls that ring in as the hospital and I answer cause I think it’s the neighbor. Have tried to get her to call on her cell and she forgets, but It works out if she leaves a message. The spoofers love to use the local police dept and Hy Five numbers too.

 

[Cyched]

I’ve gotten to the point where if I don’t recognize the number I don’t answer. If it’s truly important they’ll always leave a voicemail

 

[srjclone]

I got about 10 calls from the area code of where I grew up, over the span of 3 days at the end of last week. No Voicemails left. Haven't had a call from them since.

 

[knowlesjam]

Last 24 hrs...unrecognized calls from:

- Oelwein, Iowa
- Holcomb, Nebraska
- Nebraska City, Nebraska
- Washington D.C.
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Asheville, North Carolina

Didn't answer...no message left.

 

[CycloneSarah]

I’ve gotten to the point where if I don’t recognize the number I don’t answer. If it’s truly important they’ll always leave a voicemail

Yep I've been doing this for years. Unfortunately I've been getting some calls recently that do leave a message but its still a spam call about lowering interest rates. It's annoying to have to go in and delete them every time. And the numbers keep changing so blocking them doesn't do much good. #Firstworldproblems

 

[LincolnWay187]

Robo call have gotten incredibly bad the past year or so, especially as they mask their numbers as being local. FYI AT&T offers a free service to its customers that is helping flag and block those...Verizon is charging for the same type of service which is why I plan on switching in the next year to ATT.

 

[AgronAlum]

Don’t try and call them back. If you do get someone, it won’t be who called you. It’ll be the number they masked themselves as. I’ve gotten calls from people where they said they “missed” my call. Hell that one local central IA company was getting hundreds of calls because a robo failed used their business line.

I’ve been getting an obscene amount of calls for an extended car warranty (car I no longer even own) and student loan refi.

I get a lot of calls from random local numbers through work so I have to answer. These ******** shouldn’t be allowed to mask their callback numbers.

 

[JRE1975]

Just wait until you turn 65 and you get the medicare supplement calls. My wife and I have averaged over 25 calls a week for the last 3 months!

 

[CyTwins]

I get a ton of calls with the same area code and first 3 numbers as my current number that are all spam

 

[Al_4_State]

I'm up to like 2 or 3 per day.

I'm also on the "if I don't know it, I wait for a voicemail" system.

 

[billpickles]

Doesn't seem to do any good to "press 9 to be taken off the list" so I've started having fun with them. I listen to the spiel about whatever that particular caller is trying to sell me and then ask if I can get fries with that. Had one caller get mad at me for wasting his time....

 

[Rural]

They've perfected making a lot of them look local right down to the Podunk Center number.

 

[Prone2Clone]

Today I've had Houston, TX; Norwalk, CT; New York, NY; Gaithersburg, MD; and Chicago, IL. No messages.

 

[inCyteful]

Most of the big cell services have a spam mgmt offering now and I think it is no charge or minimal if any. They do a decent job of filtering out the obvious ones but the local spoofing calls will get through. Gets about 1/2 for me. Verizon has an interface that makes it very easy to block numbers as well. I catch a few more that way.

If they get through you need to do 1 of 2 things. Take the call and make sure there is an option to press a number to be removed from the list. If they don't offer that option you need to report them - again, Verizon offers a pretty simple interface to do that through. Not sure on the others.

Really important to do those items so that CAN-SPAM laws take effect on them. They are relying on you to not report them.

Oh, also do a search on CAN-SPAM and go to the govt registration site to register on the do-not-call list. Here is the link - https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx

Won't get them all but keeps it down considerably and only way we can push back against it.

 

[IlliniCy]

Most of the big cell services have a spam mgmt offering now and I think it is no charge or minimal if any. They do a decent job of filtering out the obvious ones but the local spoofing calls will get through. Gets about 1/2 for me. Verizon has an interface that makes it very easy to block numbers as well. I catch a few more that way.

If they get through you need to do 1 of 2 things. Take the call and make sure there is an option to press a number to be removed from the list. If they don't offer that option you need to report them - again, Verizon offers a pretty simple interface to do that through. Not sure on the others.

Really important to do those items so that CAN-SPAM laws take effect on them. They are relying on you to not report them.

Oh, also do a search on CAN-SPAM and go to the govt registration site to register on the do-not-call list. Here is the link - https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx

Won't get them all but keeps it down considerably and only way we can push back against it.

Just verified that my number was registered on the donotcall list in 2008. It has apparently worn off.

 

[inCyteful]

Just verified that my number was registered on the donotcall list in 2008. It has apparently worn off.

Yea, the big issue is that these shady telemarketers are fine taking the risk that they won't get reported and when they do, they just shut down and start over again. All we can do is keep reporting. Being on the list and then reporting you got called ups the ante a bit. Not ideal but my other idea of fighting it with cruise missiles seems impractical, for now.

I have a number of connections in the more professional contact center industry - there is a significant ground swell taking place to combat this but probably a year or two before we see something.

 

[ruxCYtable]

Doesn't seem to do any good to "press 9 to be taken off the list" so I've started having fun with them. I listen to the spiel about whatever that particular caller is trying to sell me and then ask if I can get fries with that. Had one caller get mad at me for wasting his time....

The press 9 thing is a scam as well. All that does is prove to them it's a valid phone number so they can call you even more and/or sell your number to others.

Android has a new feature with the last release that sends suspected spam calls directly to voicemail. Seems to be working fairly well for me. Other than that, if you don't know who it is DON'T ANSWER.

 

[jbhtexas]

Most of the big cell services have a spam mgmt offering now and I think it is no charge or minimal if any. They do a decent job of filtering out the obvious ones but the local spoofing calls will get through. Gets about 1/2 for me. Verizon has an interface that makes it very easy to block numbers as well. I catch a few more that way.

Somehow, it just seems that we should be to the point technologically where this fraudulent number spoofing should be nearly completely preventable. Can't the phone companies pretty much tell exactly which circuit, or device in the case of cell phones, a call is coming from? Maybe somebody who know the inner workings of the phone network could comment.

 

[inCyteful]

Somehow, it just seems that we should be to the point technologically where this fraudulent number spoofing should be nearly completely preventable. Can't the phone companies pretty much tell exactly which circuit, or device in the case of cell phones, a call is coming from? Maybe somebody who know the inner workings of the phone network could comment.

Not a technology issue. They can pretty much tell what toothpaste you used that morning from a technology standpoint.

Political issue. Including some privacy and freedom to do business stuff.

Shocking.