Have you heard of this scam?

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I put all three of my numbers on the Nation Do Not Call List. What a waste of time that was.

It worked for a long time. It's only the last year or two that the scammers have been ignoring it.


I'm planning to ask my Senators and Rep to introduce legislation making it a felony to spoof a phone number. That should be a no-brainer.

Right now, it's just a violation of FCC regs, and they don't have the manpower to enforce it.

 

[teg]

I have caller ID,, If I do not recognize the #,,,
I click the cordless phone on,, then off immediately,,

Scammers NEVER call back,, real calls think they simply need to call back.

I do about the same thing but I hit talk BUT I never say anything... It's an automatic phone caller that only routes calls to the scam artists, if it detects sound. After 5 seconds or so of me not talking it will automatically hang up. I do this for two folds, it ties up their line for 5 seconds so they can not call another person AND they get charged for making the phone call.

If the phone rings and no one picks up, they don't get charged.

 

[Bird]

I put all three of my numbers on the Nation Do Not Call List. What a waste of time that was.

I agree, unfortunately.

 

[Looking4new]

I have hands free on my desk phone. It sits right beside the thrashing machine I call the CPU of my computer system. It makes things very noisy when I punch the speaker phone and talk. Very annoying for whomever is trying to talk to me. :laughing:

 

[Thomas]

I just hang up,or if I am in mood I babel foreign language and they hang up.

 

[EddieWalker]

I never answer my phone and it's always on mute. I check it when it's convenient for me, and reply to messages that I've received. Just about every day I get several calls from area codes all over the country that never leave a message. I believe that all of them are scams of some kind. I read that there are computer programs that create fake phone numbers, including my own area code, that call looking for real numbers and any type of information to connect to that number. Then those numbers are sold to others who try to collect more information until eventually there is enough known about that number and who owns it to scam them.

A couple from Nigeria who where living in Austin TX where recently arrested after scamming $7 million dollars out of people all over the country this way.

I just read on FB, so it might no be true, that if you call back to certain numbers, you are billed for it. Sometimes it's a small amount with the hope you don't notice it on your bill, other times it's $30 to $60

My parents have a real phone and they are unable to ignore it when it rings. They have people asking for money all the time. One was a so called grand son broke down in Colorado that needed money. Another was a friend from work who was in trouble. Then there is the IRS calling and demanding payment. They even had a bill collector call for payment on the electric bill for ten years ago, which is about 5 years before I built them their house.

It's sad that some people fall for these things. It's scary that I never know when my parents might fall for it.

 

[joecoin]

My cell was being called several times a week by good people in Asia who wanted to refill my Viagra prescription (which I never had). They would always start out by asking me how I liked the Viagra so far. I would respond that "I'm using it right now, can I send you a pic?" They would go right past that, but that gave me time to click on a short cut on my desktop that would play the famous Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan yell. I would tell them they needed to speak to my associate, put the phone up to the speaker and let Tarzan rip on full volume.

Then I'd hang up.

I don't get those calls anymore, too bad.

 

[teg]

...I don't get those calls anymore, too bad.

Can't wait till I retire so I can screw with them full time...

 

[turnkey4099]

I do about the same thing but I hit talk BUT I never say anything... It's an automatic phone caller that only routes calls to the scam artists, if it detects sound. After 5 seconds or so of me not talking it will automatically hang up. I do this for two folds, it ties up their line for 5 seconds so they can not call another person AND they get charged for making the phone call.

If the phone rings and no one picks up, they don't get charged.

I jsut lay the phone down and let them talk until the realize they have been had.

 

[two_bit_score]

I jsut lay the phone down and let them talk until the realize they have been had.

Lots of times there isn't even a live person on the other end. I've heard some robots on the phone that sounded live at first.