How many scam calls are too many?

[Beap52 1,481]

I'm recovering from gallbladder surgery.  (If  you are interested, check out bumps and bruises, hiccups--the final posting I did last week).  

 

I've turned off the sound on my cell phone so I could rest.  The past couple of days the scam callers have hit me hard.  23 calls yesterday and 49 today!  I have not answered or responded to a scammer in probably going on  three weeks.  I  can figure any call coming in starting about 9 am is a scammer and usually  concluding five-ish in the afternoon-sometimes as  late as 7 pm.  The past two weeks the calls has dropped off significantly.

 

These idiots must have upgraded there computerized calling system because two or three will come within a couple of minutes with one hanging up and another scam coming in. About 1/3 of them are marked "Spam Risk" or "Telemarketer."  2/3rds are apparently active local area code numbers that they are using.

 

At this point, I may leave phone on silent and check from it time to time to see if it's anyone significant trying to get my attention.

 

[adsm08 3,338]

One. One is too many.

[ri702bill 9,533]

When I see "Spam" xxxxx come up on the ID screen, I usually let it go to voicemail - and they do not leave a message. If they call right back, I answer "Hello Spam xxxx" to let them know I'm on to them. They usually do not call back.

[Gasaholic 304]

3 hours ago, ri702bill said:

When I see "Spam" xxxxx come up on the ID screen, I usually let it go to voicemail - and they do not leave a message. If they call right back, I answer "Hello Spam xxxx" to let them know I'm on to them. They usually do not call back.

Or, you could just answer (in an authoritative voice) "FBI Field Office, Agent Mark Twit (or some other made up name) Speaking".  See how fat they hang up? 

[rmaynard 16,372]

I have all of my phones registered on the Federal Do Not Call List. Useless. Most of the calls are from out of the country but are disguised as local calls. DNC list only works (marginally at best) on calls originating within the U.S. 

I block all numbers that I don't recognize.

If I am in the mood, I will engage them without giving any information. I ask them how their day is going, what they are doing after they get off work, where can I meet them for a drink, and so on. Usually they hang up and move on to someone else.

 

With all the AI that is being used today, you would think that it could detect a SPAM call before it even rings your phone.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12 by rmaynard

[lynnmor 7,858]

That Do Not Call thing works perfectly, a considerable number of federal employees and retirees are living quite well.

 

When a spam call comes in we might answer if in doubt with one hello and if it is spam we then set the phone aside till they hang up.  This method might help the next person by tying up their line for a bit.

 

The AI scam will do nothing but add to the problem.  Huge data centers are being built all the time to get into your personal business, one is proposed near me so it can consume massive amounts of electricity and run up my bills.

[Beap52 1,481]

It's pretty amazing how we have conditioned ourselves to accept  spam.  In addition to phone scams, I report 4~15 spam emails per day. My grandbabies will never know what it was like before spam. Where you've expected to have a legit call every time.  I've gotten where if a call is spam I just let it ring because if I remove phone from holster and swipe to hang up, the spam  call has moved onto next potential victim.  I reckon there's enough profit, even with everyone knowing there are crooks out there willing to glean any nugget of information unsuspecting citizens provide, that it's worthwhile for them to continue. 

 

To me, spam texts would be aggravating. At least when I'm in the mood, I can mess with spam call. Texts--no way am I going to respond.

 

Some of my go to:

 

Engage caller and then lay phone down

When India and Pakistan were saber raddling I'd ask: "If your country and Pakistan go to war, who do you think will win?"

Make up name that requires me to spell it for them two or three times to get it right

When asked for age and birthday make sure the years don't jive. "I'm 73 and born in 1937"

I try to talk funny and act like I'm in India and say stuff such  " I'm just down the street in New Dehli from your call center."   "My Mahindra car....."   Is India's Medicaid as good as those people in America?"

 

I even have a scammer recognize me and tell me that last time I was so and so age and born such and such date.  Why would I do that?  I told him, "You scam me, I scam you."  He laughed and hung up.

[Handy Don 14,129]

21 hours ago, Beap52 said:

At this point, I may leave phone on silent and check from it time to time to see if it's anyone significant trying to get my attention

I hope you’ll recover quickly!

When you feel up to it, contact your phone service provider about filtering calls--there are some good options. 

Most likely, you provided your number somewhere and it wound up in the hands of a data merchant that will sell any bit of data they can to anyone who will pay. A phone number that someone will answer costs about 5¢ when bought in bulk. 

(BTW, this is how a lot of law enforcement agencies get around needing warrants for directly asking the phone providers for data. Instead, they just use a credit card, buy. from the merchant, and expense it.)

[adsm08 3,338]

8 hours ago, Beap52 said:

It's pretty amazing how we have conditioned ourselves to accept  spam.  In addition to phone scams, I report 4~15 spam emails per day. My grandbabies will never know what it was like before spam. Where you've expected to have a legit call every time.  I've gotten where if a call is spam I just let it ring because if I remove phone from holster and swipe to hang up, the spam  call has moved onto next potential victim.  I reckon there's enough profit, even with everyone knowing there are crooks out there willing to glean any nugget of information unsuspecting citizens provide, that it's worthwhile for them to continue. 

 

To me, spam texts would be aggravating. At least when I'm in the mood, I can mess with spam call. Texts--no way am I going to respond.

 

Some of my go to:

 

Engage caller and then lay phone down

When India and Pakistan were saber raddling I'd ask: "If your country and Pakistan go to war, who do you think will win?"

Make up name that requires me to spell it for them two or three times to get it right

When asked for age and birthday make sure the years don't jive. "I'm 73 and born in 1937"

I try to talk funny and act like I'm in India and say stuff such  " I'm just down the street in New Dehli from your call center."   "My Mahindra car....."   Is India's Medicaid as good as those people in America?"

 

I even have a scammer recognize me and tell me that last time I was so and so age and born such and such date.  Why would I do that?  I told him, "You scam me, I scam you."  He laughed and hung up.

 

If I know its a scam caller I won't even reject the call. If I am unsure or waiting for a call from a number I won't recognize I answer in Spanish and refuse to speak any English until the caller IDs themselves as someone I want to talk to. Most of the spam callers can't speak any Spanish, or anything but English, and most legitimate callers will either know enough to tell me who they are right away, or will speak enough Spanish to get me to actually talk to them.

 

Now door to door salesmen are another story. I particularly hate the ones from Verizon because once when my kids were little those a-holes came by every night for a week and woke the kids up right after we got them to bed.  Now when they show up if I even bother to do anything but yell and them and threaten them its demanding they produce a copy of their solicitation permit (required in my township for even entering the yard) and if they can't provide it (they usually say "my supervisor has it, he's up the street") I won't engage, I just pull my phone out and tell them I am calling the cops.

 

I almost felt bad for the last one from Verizon. Little 90 lb black girl shows up while I'm already mad about something else. My wife got to her before I even knew she was there and told her she better leave before I realized she was there and who she was. I heard that turned around, saw the Verizon logo on her shirt and laid into her from across the yard and didn't stop until she was out in the street. Poor girl probably thought I was gunning to be the local Grand Wizard or something.

 

The really stupid part of that story, Verizon services the OTHER side of my street, but not the side my house it on. Their service territory border runs up the middle of my road.

[Beap52 1,481]

11 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

If I know its a scam caller I won't even reject the call. If I am unsure or waiting for a call from a number I won't recognize I answer in Spanish and refuse to speak any English until the caller IDs themselves as someone I want to talk to. Most of the spam callers can't speak any Spanish, or anything but English, and most legitimate callers will either know enough to tell me who they are right away, or will speak enough Spanish to get me to actually talk to them.

 

 

A language other than English, now that's something I haven't thought of doing.   It's pretty easy to identify a spam call as there is almost always a tone that I assume happens when the spammer takes over from the computer.  Cebuano, is a Philippine language that we used for about ten years may be spoken again in our telephone conversations  .    Maayong hapon, kmusta ka? pangilad ka ba?  (good afternoon, how are  you?  Are you a scammer?)