Spoofed Numbers

[MossRoad]

- We've qualified for a lower mortgage rate (we don't have a mortgage).
- We've got a virus on our computer and Microsoft wants to help us over the phone (I was in I.T. for 25 years, yeah buddy).
- The warranty is due to expire on our car (we never had a warranty, the car was bought used, as-is).
- We've won a cruise! (I get sea-sick :laughing

 

[Garandman]

Not rude? I burn the ears off those #$%^^&!!!***)))**'s. Even those that can't speak English get the message and hang up quick!

I got a call from 典he IRS and asked 的s this the IRS of Pakistan? He got really angry and told me he was going to 釘low my house.

Another IRS called, so I asked for my refund. Called them 14 times until they blocked me!

 

[sixdogs]

Back before cell phones and caller ID, I used to occasionally get calls at the office from someone soliciting funds for "the state police" that I knew was a scam. I would just tell them to swing by the office later and we'll talk about it. I barely got those words out before I was disconnected. I still use that wording when I get pinned by someone on the phone and it never fails to impress.

 

[MitchellB]

We started getting scam calls on our landline from local numbers that almost match our own home phone number. Not many people have a similar prefix number to ours because we have had it so long and those sets of numbers are no longer in common use unless older businesses or home owners still use them. A few days ago my wife began a conversation with a woman who number keeps calling my wife cell phone, but she says she never called. The strange part is, she says she is getting calls from my wife's number also, but my wife does not know her or ever called, except to return a missed call to discover that all this is going on. They had to block each other's number.

 

[Beltzington]

How many of you have had a call saying they missed a call from you when you didn't call them? I have had it happen a few times and my call history clearly shows only the incoming call. Seems like the phone companies could figure out a way to stop number spoofing.

Comcast provides a land-line service they call Nomorobo which detects and disconnects suspect numbers. The only catch is the phone will ring once, I guess they are comparing it to a database and if it matches the call disconnects. I would assume other providers offer the same or similar service. It also is available for mobile phones as an app but did not receive good reviews for the iPhone.

 

[Jstpssng]

My cordless for my landline allows me to block those calls, but I need to be there to block them when it rings the initial time. It does show up on my caller ID list though.
The same phone also ties into my cell phone via Bluetooth.

 

[flyerdan]

Armstrong & Getty had a guest on the other day talking about the tech that the scammers use, they expect the spoofed number scams to increase to a full 45-50% of all cell calls by next year.
I remember when robocalls first started one way to combat them was to record on your answering machine those three tones that precede the "We're sorry, the number you dialed..." message which would cause the offending computer to kick the number from it's database.

 

[GLyford]

I remember when robocalls first started one way to combat them was to record on your answering machine those three tones that precede the "We're sorry, the number you dialed..." message which would cause the offending computer to kick the number from it's database.

Guy I knew in college was gleefully telling me that he was programming robocall systems, and they had figured out the "three tones" thing. It would fool a human caller, and a filter set up with a bandpass filter, but they noticed that it did not fool the phone company...the fake tones were required to be slightly different from the phone company tones to not actually fool the phone companies' own equipment. So their robocaller was programmed to filter the exact fake tone frequencies as "known good" instead of disconnected.

Haven't talked with him since.

 

[Fuddy1952]

This has worked for me.
I would talk to the telemarketers for about a minute...enough to establish a conversation. Then I explain how lonely I am... I have absolutely nothing but this phone to the outside world. I love and enjoy their calls...so please put me on a call list so I get 50 a day...then (use your imagination) how I enjoy telling them off...I'm schizophrenic, whatever insanity comes to mind. They hang up.
I kid you not...I was getting 30-40 calls a day, then it tapered off.
For the last few weeks we may get 1-2 a week.
A year ago I just cussed them out...then I got MORE calls. Telling them I enjoy the calls stopped them!

 

[Diggin It]

If there is one thing I am to telemarketers/scammers is rude. I am a rude crude SOB. I like to start psychoanalyzing them and try to make them question why they don't have a real job and why they are doing this. All of this of course is to take up their time.

While certainly not always the case, sometimes these are homebound, disabled, infirm people who can't find other jobs or are unable to leave home to look.

I'm with the guy above .... unknown numbers don't get answered at all. No message, no return call.