Unsolicited Robo-Calls

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Kolohe
<Silver Donator>
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I know that telemarketers have been a thing forever, but the frequency of unsolicited calls to my cell phone in the last 6-12months has me feeling homicidal. After a quick google search and talking to coworkers, it seems that I'm not alone.

The most common calls I've been getting, 3 to 5 times a day, are
1. "Indoor Air Quality "
2. "Blue Cross/Blue shield" or other misc insurance stuff.

They also come from fake/spoofed numbers.

I'm already on the do not call list, and I asked these fuckers to take me off their call list at least 20 times each. I also found out that they're happy to reciprocate vulgarity with vulgarity.

Anyone else getting a massive uptick in calls like this? Since blocking numbers don't work, is there any other recourse for this bullshit?
 
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Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
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I know that telemarketers have been a thing forever, but the frequency of unsolicited calls to my cell phone in the last 6-12months has me feeling homicidal. After a quick google search and talking to coworkers, it seems that I'm not alone.

The most common calls I've been getting, 3 to 5 times a day, are
1. "Indoor Air Quality "
2. "Blue Cross/Blue shield" or other misc insurance stuff.

They also come from fake/spoofed numbers.

I'm already on the do not call list, and I asked these fuckers to take me off their call list at least 20 times each. I also found out that they're happy to reciprocate vulgarity with vulgarity.

Anyone else getting a massive uptick in calls like this? Since blocking numbers don't work, is there any other recourse for this bullshit?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mrnumber.blocker&hl=en_US
 
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Kiroy

Marine Biologist
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I know that telemarketers have been a thing forever, but the frequency of unsolicited calls to my cell phone in the last 6-12months has me feeling homicidal. After a quick google search and talking to coworkers, it seems that I'm not alone.

The most common calls I've been getting, 3 to 5 times a day, are
1. "Indoor Air Quality "
2. "Blue Cross/Blue shield" or other misc insurance stuff.

They also come from fake/spoofed numbers.

I'm already on the do not call list, and I asked these fuckers to take me off their call list at least 20 times each. I also found out that they're happy to reciprocate vulgarity with vulgarity.

Anyone else getting a massive uptick in calls like this? Since blocking numbers don't work, is there any other recourse for this bullshit?

i had to get a new phone number a couple years ago cause my old one was declared non-transferable by the FCC cause of some weird contract shit with the phone companies, needless to say I was pretty pissed but had to switch carriers and bite the bullet. so my new number was the old number of some bumfuck named ryan who is obviously in dept up to his ears, I get fucking debt collectors calling (usually automated so i have to call them to tell them to fuck off with my number) sometimes in person, plus whatever he did got himself signed up for every 'you've won a vacation' and 'we have questions about your account' scam in the nation.

i've got like 200 numbers blocked on my phone so far over the last year and it's finally starting to slow down to once every few days, but it was really bad for a while. Nothing you can do really, just keep blocking the numbers, they have a lot of em but it is finite.
 

Pops

Avatar of War Slayer
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I get calls from some Chinese scam to my Irvine cell phone. They leave a message in Chinese. The number is the Chinese consulate. I block it, but somehow they spoof it when calling.

Looking for FOB's I imagine.
 

Frenzied Wombat

Potato del Grande
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If you use AT&T download the "Call Protect" app. This thing has been the baby Jesus of unsolicited call blocking for me, and is probably the only thing AT&T has ever created of any worth. It will outright block scam calls, while reformatting your call display to say "telemarketer" or "nonprofit" for those types of calls. It's basically a user feedback generated call blocker--as numbers accumulate flags/complaints within the app, it blocks those calls.
 
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Bandwagon

Kolohe
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If you use AT&T download the "Call Protect" app. This thing has been the baby Jesus of unsolicited call blocking for me, and is probably the only thing AT&T has ever created of any worth. It will outright block scam calls, while reformatting your call display to say "telemarketer" or "nonprofit" for those types of calls. It's basically a user feedback generated call blocker--as numbers accumulate flags/complaints within the app, it blocks those calls.
I never had much luck with the 3rd party apps, but I never thought about seeing if Verizon had their own option. I'll check that out.

Also, it looks like there's even more news coming out about this bullshit than the last time I looked.

Why a $120 million fine can’t stop the “insane” growth of phone spam

Long’s Short Report: Combating robocalls

https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/...ions-against-unwanted-robocalls-and-robotexts

Robocalls Skyrocketed in April: Here Are 7 Ways to Stop Them

Consumers to robocallers: enough is enough

FCC, FTC working with companies to stop robocalls
 

Frenzied Wombat

Potato del Grande
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I get at least two "lower your interest rates" and "do you owe money to the IRS" calls a day. Since making the fatal mistake of donating money to a charity over the phone, I also get at least a few calls from nonprofits each day as well. Since getting the Call Protect app I haven't been fooled into answering a single one.
 

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
60,612
132,651
Its actually easy for me, since the most preferred method is to call w/ the first 3 digits of your number as the same as theirs.

for instance if your number is 1800-555-fohg

you'll get phone calls

1800-555-spam
1800-555-shit
etc,

theory is that you'd see the number and think "why is that number familiar, not thinking that it's familiar b/c it's close to your fucking number"

and you answer it.

Also don't ever SPEAK on a robocall

never say hello, and NEVER EVER give confirmation commands like

YES

OK

SURE

I AGREE

why? cuz they record your voice and say that you agree'd to being billed $1,000 a month, and they have a voice recording of you doing it, "IS THAT YOUR VOICE???"
 
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tyen

EQ in a browser wait time: ____
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ive been wanting to get into SMS spam, lol. I sent a few hundred awhile back and got like a 90% response rate. Was un fucking believable. Lucrative as shit.

Cant believe SMS hasnt ended up like email yet with the amount of spam.

I basically compiled a list of 300 companies and scraped their phone numbers from the Oregon Business registry. These were typically the people who filled out the articles of incorporation and whatnot. Blasted their phones, was pretty awesome.
 
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OneofOne

Silver Baronet of the Realm
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And we're supposed to feel bad for this fuckmonkey? Ya'll are fucking retarded.
 
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Fifey

Trakanon Raider
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Recently some girl named Amanda signed up to get health insurance through some 3rd party thing and for like 2 weeks straight my phone was nonstop ringing, finally blocked em all. Call log looked like this all week and I almost lost my mind.

Screenshot_20180521-180514.jpg
 
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Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
<Gold Donor>
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I've gotten some intense phone spam this year. It dropped to almost zero when I signed up to:
https://www.donotcall.gov/

I don't understand it, but I was getting dozens of calls from my area code (734). I wasn't sure what the value was in blocking them because I feel like they'd cycle through #s so quickly.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
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I've had two things calling me lately. One wants to talk about the warranty of my car, the other is from the "rewards program" to tell me all about the free shit I have acquired by using my credit card. My cars are all too old to have warranty, and I never use a credit card. This crap pisses me off, but I block the callers, and I'm good for a month or so.
 
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sadris

Karen
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Ok fags. Port your number to Google voice. Set up an asterisk server to handle calls for it. Screen based on your Google contacts list as a whitelist and forward those to your personal cell number. Those not whitelisted must press one to actually dial your number.

If there's any interest, I can post the asterisk and Python code to do this.

Haven't got arobo call since.
 

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,669
212,888
I've had two things calling me lately. One wants to talk about the warranty of my car, the other is from the "rewards program" to tell me all about the free shit I have acquired by using my credit card. My cars are all too old to have warranty, and I never use a credit card. This crap pisses me off, but I block the callers, and I'm good for a month or so.
i got those robocalls too about a warranty expiring on my 92 convertible. its hilarious, i blocked them all with the app i posted here. now i get live calls from "jason" with a solar company. blocked at least 5 of them in the last few weeks. hopefully jason runs out of numbers soon. it makes sense that a solar panel salesmen would be a scammer.
 

Bandwagon

Kolohe
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The House's Stopping Bad Robocalls Act would toughen requirements for carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile to dispense harsher penalties on spam callers, but it would also go further.

The measure requires that carriers authenticate calls and offer opt-blocking at no extra charge to consumers, with transparency rules to make sure you don't miss actual important calls. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission would be given extended statutes of limitation on robocall offenses.

The regulator would have to issue rules to protect against spam calls, crack down on robocall exemptions and submit a progress report on implementing a reassigned numbers database.

Besides being an annoyance for millions of consumers worldwide, robocalls can also be detrimental to the functioning of health care facilities, jamming up lines that are needed for real emergencies.

“The bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act offers consumers a way out by ensuring that every call they get is verified,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-NJ, and Greg Walden, R-Ore., said in a statement. “Americans should be able to block robocalls in a consistent and transparent way without being charged extra for it. Our legislation also gives the FCC and law enforcement the authority to enforce the law and quickly go after scammers. We look forward to moving this bill through the Communications and Technology Subcommittee next week.”

The Act is due for a panel vote next week.

Senators and lawmakers in the House will have to reconcile the differences between their bills before anything can be sent to the White House for President Trump's signature.


Robocalls in the crosshairs of bipartisan House bill
 
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a_skeleton_05

<Banned>
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I'm getting 2-4 a day now. The number blocking app I use helps, but it still rings for a second. Shit needs to cracked down on, hard.
 
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