Telephone Calls! Help! [Stopping telemarketing calls]

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pjstack
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by pjstack »

Answering machines only cost $10 or $15 nowadays. Get one. Let your machine talk to their machine. "Problem" solved.
pjstack
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CountryBoy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by CountryBoy »

Our land line has an answering machine, like most people, and like many people ours gives an audio called ID so we can be in another room and hear who the call is from. 90% of the time the call is junk so we never even have to get out of a chair to go answer it.
We have the same setup but don't take any solace or satisfaction in the setup. The situation remains one where there is continual home invasion with no way to prevent same. We are seeking a way to prevent that situation continuing.

A house is not a home if you have no control over what happens in it. It has instead been turned into a public market place courtesy of the right of freedom speech of others.
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zaplunken
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by zaplunken »

NOMOROBO doesn't work everywhere, it is not available in my location.

I have just a land line through my cable company. I have Caller ID which is great. My phone also allows me to assign several different ring tones for a phone number I program into the speed dialing feature. So I use 2 ring tones. The normal ring tone I ignore. The special ring tone means this is someone I want to talk to but until I pick up or look at the Caller ID I don't know which person is calling. If I am expecting a call from someone that isn't in my phone's speed dial then I just pick up. The spoofing has made it impossible to block incoming phone numbers but they aren't in my speed dial list so they have the normal tone that I ignore. Voice mail will take any messages the normal tone calls make but usually they are not going to leave a message.
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telemark
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by telemark »

Mudpuppy wrote: At one time (I don't know if it still exists now), there was an answering machine product that would automatically play the tri-tone for a disconnected number (called SIT) at a low volume (supposedly low enough that a human caller would not notice but a machine would notice). I can't recall what the product was called, but it's easy enough to replicate. The trick is making sure the recording has the right frequencies to be recognized as the SIT and to choose the right tri-tone sequence (some are for temporary failures, so they wouldn't prevent the robodialer from calling back later).

Here's the Wiki on SIT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tones
That would be the TeleZapper (tm), which is still listed as available on Amazon. I haven't used it, so can't comment on how well it works.
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

CountryBoy wrote:
Our land line has an answering machine, like most people, and like many people ours gives an audio called ID so we can be in another room and hear who the call is from. 90% of the time the call is junk so we never even have to get out of a chair to go answer it.
We have the same setup but don't take any solace or satisfaction in the setup. The situation remains one where there is continual home invasion with no way to prevent same. We are seeking a way to prevent that situation continuing.

A house is not a home if you have no control over what happens in it. It has instead been turned into a public market place courtesy of the right of freedom speech of others.
It's not freedom of speech. Those people are crooks and periodically are thrown in jail. Just not often enough. They are hard to locate and often offshore.
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CountryBoy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by CountryBoy »

> dolphinsaremammals

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
!!!!!!!!!!!
Oddlot
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Oddlot »

Why, in this age of caller ID, would anyone ever answer a phone call unless it is someone they know? For anonymous callers, if it is important, the caller will leave a message. You can respond as you choose.

Nomorobo is a good first defense against the scammers and spammers. If you're system works with it, implement it.
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GerryL
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by GerryL »

This is why I use an actual answering machine with a speaker rather than the digital service offered (for a fee?) through the carrier: El Cheapo caller ID. My message says "I screen calls. Start talking." Most callers hang up. People who know me often start "Hi. ... You there...?"
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Boglenaut
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by Boglenaut »

Igglesman wrote:NOMOROBO. It works. You get one ring...if the caller is a robocaller or telemarketer, no more rings...but you can check it on caller ID.
I eliminated at least 5 calls per day.

Oh ---- and it is FREE.
OK, I just set it up. I'll report back my results after some time.
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Boglenaut
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Boglenaut »

Oddlot wrote:Why, in this age of caller ID, would anyone ever answer a phone call unless it is someone they know?

Job search. I kept hanging up on a legit caller once. Oops.
john94549
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by john94549 »

You can't stop them, but you can have an incredible amount of fun with them. First hint, when you say "hello"*, there is a long pause (that's their computer registering both a pick-up and a voice, as opposed to an answering machine). Second hint, whatever person finally comes on the line says "may I speak with 'fill in the blank.'" I always say "why", which is followed by a long pause, since "why" is not in their script. Third hint, the telemarketer begins the script, in which case I set the phone by the TV. Eventually, you get on the "crazies" list, which, I suspect, is better than the "do not call" list.

*I have also found answering "eeeYup!" is interesting. Another variant: "Howdy!".
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BolderBoy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by BolderBoy »

My parents were inundated with unwanted calls - often 20 per day - so once when I visited I volunteered to "take care" of the caller. When I answered and he started talking I interrupted with this routine: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdoogjic4I>

Then I found out it was my father's doctor. To the day he retired, that doctor thought my father had a lunatic for a son.


If you have a young child in the home - 3 years old is perfect - you could just hand the phone to her (preferably a girl child) and let her practice her telephone manners with the hapless caller.
mur44
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by mur44 »

I purchased a new Panasonic DECT phone that can block 250
telephone numbers. Previous Panasonic phone did
not have the blocking capability.

It is worth it as the previous one did not have the
blocking capability.
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zaplunken
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by zaplunken »

I had fun with "Danny" the other day, a man with an Indian accent. He was selling solar panels. I jerked him around for over 5 minutes until he finally gave up. I told him I live underground and I have not seen the sun for 20-30 years. Hard to believe he kept on after that comment! He asked how much I spend on electricity a year. I told him I don't have electricity, I use a hamster on a wheel to generate my electricity. No kidding he actually asked what that cost! I told him I spend $2 a month on sunflower seeds. I had a lot of fun, maybe I'll answer unknown calls more often! :D 8-) :wink:
Louis Winthorpe III
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Louis Winthorpe III »

Ooma gives you the option to automatically block all known telemarketers. Your phone won't even ring if a known telemarketer calls. We haven't gotten a robocall in years. All-in it costs us about $15 per month.
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potatoman
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by potatoman »

We dumped the landline a few years ago for this very reason. The phone was ringing maybe 5-10 times a day and they were all junk calls: tons of political robocalls, debt collection calls looking for someone with a similar name, alumni association calls, etc.

In the age of smartphones with many effective call blocking apps which can automatically block a constantly growing list of known spam numbers (truecaller, mr.number, etc), does it really make that much sense to continue paying for a home landline?
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

potatoman wrote: In the age of smartphones with many effective call blocking apps which can automatically block a constantly growing list of known spam numbers (truecaller, mr.number, etc), does it really make that much sense to continue paying for a home landline?
If you want a phone most likely to work in a power failure, especially disaster-related ones, yes. Sandy took out FIOS and cell phones in my area.
meebers
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by meebers »

I have land line thru my cable co. It offers a call blocking service that I can add numbers thru their website. I use the caller id on either my answering machine or thru an app provided by the cable co to add #'s to the list.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Doom&Gloom »

Thanks to everyone who recommended Nomorobo. I had never heard of it prior to this thread. I just set it up and am looking forward to seeing how effective it is.

My landline is via Comcast. Setting up Nomorobo was a bit of a challenge as it could not be done directly on Comcast's website, but had to be done via a smartphone app (available for free) in conjunction with Comcast's site. It seemed much more time-consuming than necessary, but the deed is done.
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potatoman
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by potatoman »

dolphinsaremammals wrote:If you want a phone most likely to work in a power failure, especially disaster-related ones, yes. Sandy took out FIOS and cell phones in my area.
Fair enough reason. I wonder if there's some super cheap landline service offered somewhere for those in earthquake/hurricane/flooding zones? I know there are cheap faux landline services like magic jack, but that relies on an internet connection.
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by bnes »

For contractors it's easy, at least in California.
Pretend to be interested, get their website, get their contractor licence,
and complain to the Contractor License Board. Worked for me.
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

potatoman wrote:
dolphinsaremammals wrote:If you want a phone most likely to work in a power failure, especially disaster-related ones, yes. Sandy took out FIOS and cell phones in my area.
Fair enough reason. I wonder if there's some super cheap landline service offered somewhere for those in earthquake/hurricane/flooding zones? I know there are cheap faux landline services like magic jack, but that relies on an internet connection.
In my area, only Verizon provides landlines and they are fighting tooth and nail to get rid of them.
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BigFoot48
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by BigFoot48 »

We screen all calls with an answering machine muted and leave the ringer off. Friends and family know to email if they want to talk real time and we turn the ringer on. Didn't know about Nomorobo but it looks good and will set it up.

One recent annoying call we kept getting was from a traffic ticket collection law firm out of Texas. We ignored it as the name they were calling for was not my full correct name. Then we got a letter saying an arrest warrant had been issued for the person with not my name but at my address. I sent them and the judge a letter drafted by a lawyer friend, and a week later got the calls again, so finally called them back and all they wanted was my phone number to remove "my" record. Never heard from them again.

Get few junk calls on the cell phone and I can see why many have dropped the land line in favor of cell.
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Mudpuppy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Mudpuppy »

dolphinsaremammals wrote:
potatoman wrote: In the age of smartphones with many effective call blocking apps which can automatically block a constantly growing list of known spam numbers (truecaller, mr.number, etc), does it really make that much sense to continue paying for a home landline?
If you want a phone most likely to work in a power failure, especially disaster-related ones, yes. Sandy took out FIOS and cell phones in my area.
Note that not all landlines are made equal. Landlines that are copper wire to the central office (CO) are likely to maintain power during a power outage, as many COs have generators to power them during blackouts. Landlines that are hybrid copper/fiber (e.g. AT&T uVerse) or pure fiber (e.g. FIOS) will only last as long as the battery packs on the fiber nodes.

Many areas, including my own, no longer have a pure copper to the CO option, which means the landline is not really as reliable as it once was. If you want reliability in case of a natural disaster, start a ham radio club in your town and sign up as volunteers with the local sheriff/police department. Many municipalities have disaster preparedness plans that include using local ham radio operators as communications people during natural disasters.
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Allocationist
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TeleBouncer Blocker

Post by Allocationist »

IMO, examples of problems caused by not answering unidentified callers is I have received important calls from "blocked" or "unavailable" numbers such as real-time fraud calls from credit card companies, physicians offices, etc.

IMO, a problem caused by using a voice mail system is you have to listen to (at least the first few words) of robo calls that want to leave a message on you voice mail system. Then you have to go through the message deletion process for each message.

IMO, some folks enjoy the ongoing challenge and effort required to construct a multilayer system to weed out the various types of annoying calls. I don't.

I have used the TeleBouncer Blocker (available at Amazon) on my "home phone" (VOIP/Vonage) for several years and I am very happy with it. The primary annoyance is that ALL incoming callers must to press the numeral one in order to make your phone ring. This process can be confusing to first time callers and annoying to friends and family but they soon adapt.The reviews on Amazon will give you many more details about how the system works and experiences/concerns of users.
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Toons
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Toons »

I use "Mr Number- Block" for android to screen all calls,the few that I get,fantastic app :happy

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... cker&hl=en
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by roymeo »

And remember:
The Do-Not-Call registry does not prevent all unwanted calls. It does not cover the following:
[*] calls from organizations with which you have established a business relationship;
[*] calls for which you have given prior written permission;
[*] calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements;
[*] calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt non-profit organizations.
http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/do-not-call-list

The politicians who created the system exempted themselves...if you live in a swing state/district you're probably already aware of this.
The sewer system is a form of welfare state. | -- "Libra", Don DeLillo
Bob.Beeman

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Bob.Beeman »

If you do accidentally answer an unwanted call ask if its OK to record the call. If they say yes, then you have the right to use the recording or transcript any way you want, including disparaging the caller on your outgoing message or in other ways.

If they say no, then a brief statement that you don't talk to criminals followed by a hangup is appropriate.

- Bob Beeman
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CountryBoy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by CountryBoy »

Thanks roymeo and Bob.Beeman
harmony
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by harmony »

Century Link offers two services. With "Security Screen" the customer must block phone numbers in advance individually. Lots of telemarketers get through this system. It is a pain to continuously block calls, one at a time, and the effort to update this is time consuming since the number of telemarketing calls seem to have increased exponentially recently. The list can only hold a limited quantity of #s. CL's other option is a "No Solicitation" service. This forces every caller to hear a message telling them if they are a solicitor to put this number on their Do Not Call list and hang up. All others are allowed to press "1" to continue or to "just stay on the line". (CL says that this should dump political robo calls, but that "stay on the line" part makes me wonder.) The CL customer is allowed to create a list of 25 ten-digit #s, area codes + prefixes, or area codes only, which allows these selected callers to bypass the message. I wish CL would allow more than 25 bypass numbers because most households I want to allow to bypass have two cell phones and a landline. I recently set up the "No Solicitation" service and will wait a while to report back on how it works for us.

The "No Solicitation" service mentioned above won't eliminate the first few rings, which must be ignored while the caller's number is screened or while the caller listens and responds to the recording. This might be too much of an interruption for someone with ADD, a sensory disability, or anyone else who needs peace and quiet. There is a product of some sort that CL told me about that can trigger a visual alert only. (The ringer has to be turned all the way down though.) For example instead of the phone ringing the lights in the hallway could flash. One might set lights in multiple rooms to flash so the room location would not matter so much.

Sometimes safety requires that calls be answered immediately, not postponed to the end of the day. For example, if a family member has a health emergency or a child has encountered stranger danger, you would want to know about it immediately, not at the end of the day when you finally listen to all of the messages on your answering machine. In our family we have someone with a serious health issue, so we all have pre-paid cell phone plans which we use only for family communication. We do not give our cell phone numbers out to anyone except for emergency reasons. If "No Solicitation" works, we could allow the bypassed calls to be forwarded to our cell phones. However, we prefer having our cell phone ring only if a family member has an immediate need.
Last edited by harmony on Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:13 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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BigFoot48
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by BigFoot48 »

Bummer. Century Link doesn't support the dual-ring feature necessary for Nomorobo to operate. Oh well, totally answering machine screening works pretty well.
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DonCamillo
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by DonCamillo »

tomd37 wrote:Talking about spoof call numbers, I had an incoming call showing my own telephone number as the calling number. :annoyed
This was a response to Nomorobo, which has been getting wide usage.

It did not take long for Nomorobo to respond by blacklisting calls showing the same number that was dialed.

Now the crooks (and EVERYONE trying to defeat Nomorobo is a crook!) use a random number from the same exchange for their spoofed caller ID. Legitimate companies pay Nomoro to bypass the filtering, but they can only call their own customers with permission.
Les vieillards aiment à donner de bons préceptes, pour se consoler de n'être plus en état de donner de mauvais exemples. | (François, duc de La Rochefoucauld, maxim 93)
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DonCamillo
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by DonCamillo »

BigFoot48 wrote: One recent annoying call we kept getting was from a traffic ticket collection law firm out of Texas. We ignored it as the name they were calling for was not my full correct name. Then we got a letter saying an arrest warrant had been issued for the person with not my name but at my address. I sent them and the judge a letter drafted by a lawyer friend, and a week later got the calls again, so finally called them back and all they wanted was my phone number to remove "my" record. Never heard from them again.
I got calls from a collection agency for someone I never heard of at my number. They kept calling after I told them to stop. I found a lawyer on line whose office was a few miles from the headquarters of that particular collection agency who made a specialty of suing them. I filled out the forms for the lawyer, and two years later agreed to a settlement and got a check for $200. The lawyer probably got $500, had probably had dozens of other clients at the same time. Those calls stopped shortly after I filled out the form for the lawyer. I'd have a nice retirement income if I got $200 for every illegal call!
Les vieillards aiment à donner de bons préceptes, pour se consoler de n'être plus en état de donner de mauvais exemples. | (François, duc de La Rochefoucauld, maxim 93)
postingname
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by postingname »

Prevention is still the best cure.

Analyze whether whoever is asking for your phone number really needs it. In many cases, an e-mail address will be good enough.

If a merchant or their software complains ("My software requires an entry in the telephone field"!), have a fake number or three ready that you always use.

Some healthcare providers will call literally every week. If you give your number to them, it will be almost impossible to stop the robocalls.

It's more discretionary whether or not you give a phone number to your brokerage. If you provide it to them and they abuse it, you may be able to change it to a fake number online.

Many other possibilities...

Oh, and just assume that anytime you give out a phone number, it will be sold.
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Boglenaut
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by Boglenaut »

Boglenaut wrote:
Igglesman wrote:NOMOROBO. It works. You get one ring...if the caller is a robocaller or telemarketer, no more rings...but you can check it on caller ID.
I eliminated at least 5 calls per day.

Oh ---- and it is FREE.
OK, I just set it up. I'll report back my results after some time.
So far, I got about 4 junk calls. NOMOROBO stopped one of them after 1 ring and three of them after 2 rings. So I'd say while not a perfect solution, so far it is a worthwhile improvement. I give it an "A" (pretty darned good for a free service!).
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by bnes »

I think the "do not call" list is set up wrong.
Telemarketers are required by law to download the list, and filter their calls.
Cheaters win.

How about instead if telephone companies (CLEC's and ILEC's) were required to
filter calls, unless a line was marked as residential, non-profit, or political.

THAT would stop a huge fraction of the calls.
Bob.Beeman

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Bob.Beeman »

To clarify my previous post, it would be a good idea to ALWAYS ask if you can record a call when (wittingly or unwittingly) answering an unwanted call.

Even if you don't have recording equipment, you should ask, and claim you ARE recording it if they ask. Why?

If everyone does this (including those without recorders) they can't talk to ANYONE without risking having a recording surface later. This is a good practice for everyone to follow, and it will help others with the same problem. It would be even better if most people actually recorded calls, and posted them or transcriptions.

If they give permission to be recorded, ask a lot of questions about their involvement, or lack thereof in any local crimes you know of. It isn't slander or libel to ask questions.

But just asking for permission will have a chilling effect on this nonsense.

- Bob Beeman
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Epsilon Delta »

bnes wrote:I think the "do not call" list is set up wrong.
Telemarketers are required by law to download the list, and filter their calls.
Cheaters win.

How about instead if telephone companies (CLEC's and ILEC's) were required to
filter calls, unless a line was marked as residential, non-profit, or political.

THAT would stop a huge fraction of the calls.
It would also stop a huge fraction* of legitimate and often useful commercial calls. Unless the telco knew about my "ongoing business relationships". That would give new meaning to "AT&T -- The ultra-right choice".

* i.e. all of them.
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soaring
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by soaring »

CountryBoy wrote:We are on the Do Not Call List but we get calls from companies, plus survey co.s, politicians, etc. all day.

We don't answer unless someone identifies themselves.

The phone is no longer our own; it belongs to any company that wants to sell something.

Please! How do we stop it ???!!!
We ALWAYS answer the phone even tho we know it is a telemarketer BECAUSE 80% or more will remove you from their calling list, at least that is our experience, IF you talk to them like another human being. Now I'm not talking about the USA wide "this is ____about your credit card" or a FEW other foreign calls.

We have had the same number for 8 years and during the past two years I would estimate we get about 2-4 call monthly. Of course that doesn't count during elections when they can call even if on DNC lists.

My brother in law answers screams and of course he remains on their list.

It takes a few years effort but if you think you will keep the same number then what do you have to lose by trying. It worked for me. I know there will be lots of disagreement.
Desiderata
victork
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by victork »

I've had reasonable luck with:
nomorobo.com

They will intercept calls from numbers you give them, and pick up and hang up after one ring.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Doom&Gloom »

I set up Nomorobo five days ago, and I'm very pleased with the results. I estimate my "junk" calls are down about 70%.

I still receive calls listed from "cell phone" and from spoofed local numbers, but the one-ring calls being short-circuited by Nomorobo are music to my ears. I'm sure I'll get annoyed with those one-rings after a while, but right now they're a nice reminder of my decreased aggravation.

Thanks to all who recommended Nomorobo in this thread!
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by bnes »

mur44 wrote:I purchased a new Panasonic DECT phone that can block 250 telephone numbers. Previous Panasonic phone did
not have the blocking capability. It is worth it as the previous one did not have the blocking capability.
Unfortunately, that may well prove of limited value. This class of caller uses a new caller ID each time. And they spoof legitimate businesses.

Now what DOES work is when your phone company blocks SPAM calls:
https://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2012/10/26/s ... -blocking/
Small regional carrier Sonic.net does just that.
Lilly
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:14 am

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Lilly »

Yesterday our phone # showed up on caller ID along with some initials and our last name. I answered it. It was Citi Bank. They called using our name and #. What next?

Best wishes,
Lily
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Doom&Gloom wrote:I set up Nomorobo five days ago, and I'm very pleased with the results. I estimate my "junk" calls are down about 70%.

I still receive calls listed from "cell phone" and from spoofed local numbers, but the one-ring calls being short-circuited by Nomorobo are music to my ears. I'm sure I'll get annoyed with those one-rings after a while, but right now they're a nice reminder of my decreased aggravation.

Thanks to all who recommended Nomorobo in this thread!
You'll get used to the one-rings. Initially, as an old person who grew up thinking phone calls had to be answered, I'd get halfway out of my chair and then realize it was a robo call. By now, as far as I'm concerned, it's not a phone call until the second ring :D and I don't budge until then.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Boglenaut
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help!

Post by Boglenaut »

Boglenaut wrote:
Boglenaut wrote:
Igglesman wrote:NOMOROBO. It works. You get one ring...if the caller is a robocaller or telemarketer, no more rings...but you can check it on caller ID.
I eliminated at least 5 calls per day.

Oh ---- and it is FREE.
OK, I just set it up. I'll report back my results after some time.
So far, I got about 4 junk calls. NOMOROBO stopped one of them after 1 ring and three of them after 2 rings. So I'd say while not a perfect solution, so far it is a worthwhile improvement. I give it an "A" (pretty darned good for a free service!).
UPDATE - a few calls are getting through, but I'd say this free service is still worthwhile. Maybe they should call it FEWERROBO.COM. ;)
gd
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Location: MA, USA

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by gd »

Hint- when you research nomorobo.com, disable adblocker plus, because ABP apparently blocks the site. To get more information, you need to give your email address. Call me a cynic, but I'll be giving my email I use for junk mail...
Edit- and yup, hotmail filtered their reply as junk mail. Maybe I'll reasearch this a little more before giving them my phone number...
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Doom&Gloom »

TomatoTomahto wrote:You'll get used to the one-rings. Initially, as an old person who grew up thinking phone calls had to be answered, I'd get halfway out of my chair and then realize it was a robo call. By now, as far as I'm concerned, it's not a phone call until the second ring :D and I don't budge until then.
Thanks. I'm also an old person who was raised the same way. I'm sure I'll get used to it in the same way I have gotten used to the one-rings from my mother-in-law which we have forwarded to my wife's cell phone to spare me the frequent wrong numbers from her "speed-dial" mis-presses. (Long story: no one can figure out how to re-program her speed dial numbers, and she won't accept a new phone.) Her one-rings are distinguishable from Nomorobo's as hers are very short, while Nomorobo's are a full ring.

Interestingly, I have found that my home phone does not log the calls siphoned off by Nomorobo but I do see them when I log into my account on Comcast. If it weren't for one particular frequent caller that spoofs a range of local numbers, Nomorobo would be running at 90+% on my junk calls.
Mudpuppy
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Location: Sunny California

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by Mudpuppy »

Lilly wrote:Yesterday our phone # showed up on caller ID along with some initials and our last name. I answered it. It was Citi Bank. They called using our name and #. What next?
My skeptical side highly doubts Citibank would have done that. They would risk several fines by spoofing caller ID data while making calls. I hope you did not give out any sensitive information, because this behavior is more consistent with scammers trying to get your Citibank or personal information than with something Citibank would legitimately do.
harmony
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Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:35 am

Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Telemarketing phone calls]

Post by harmony »

It has been more than 10 days since we set up Century Link's "No Solicitation" service and, as promised, I am back to report on how it has been working for us. We have not had one telemarketer call get through in that time period. We haven't even heard the initial ring, nor have we been getting the political / survey calls that we used to get. Before setting up this service, we used to get a couple of unwanted calls nearly every day, so this service is working much more to our liking than we thought it would. We need it to be very peaceful here for someone who is noise sensitive, but we are all feeling better able to focus on the tasks we must do.

The numbers that we have by-passed are getting through. I do still wish that Century Link would allow more than 25 numbers to be by-passed so that we wouldn't need to edit our list so often. Finally our phone is working for us instead of against us.
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CountryBoy
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Re: Telephone Calls! Help! [Stopping telemarketing calls]

Post by CountryBoy »

We installed NOMOROBO about a week ago and so far..............we are spam call/telemarketer free. Will take this a day at a time.

Many thanks.
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