Fewer scam phone calls?

Sunny

Sunny

SF VIP
Location
Maryland
I've just realized that I haven't gotten a single phone call from an unknown number in the past few weeks. For a long time now, I've pretty consistently refused to pick up when I don't recognize the number, so maybe that's the reason. All these calls may be coming from a single source, or just a few sources, who may have finally been arrested.

Or maybe, too many people have caught on, and their scam doesn't work any more? So they're working on a new one?

In any case, I don't miss them at all!
 

I used to get tons of them. Then I complained to my phone company, and gave them the phone numbers of the people that kept calling me. I noticed a lot less scam calls. But over the past year or so, the number of calls has gotten more again. Now I get 4 or 5 a week.
 
Sunny said:
I've just realized that I haven't gotten a single phone call from an unknown number in the past few weeks. For a long time now, I've pretty consistently refused to pick up when I don't recognize the number, so maybe that's the reason. All these calls may be coming from a single source, or just a few sources, who may have finally been arrested.

Or maybe, too many people have caught on, and their scam doesn't work any more? So they're working on a new one?

In any case, I don't miss them at all!
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Well I like to deal with them by answering and saying "oh - one moment please......"
And then I put the phone alongside the radio, turn the volume up full whack and go off pottering elsewhere for 10 minutes or so.
I have absolutely no conscience about wasting their time, after all their intention is to waste MY time and MY money!
 
Surprisingly I never get scamming phone calls. I donā€™t give out my phone number and never answer my phone unless I know who it is . I suppose itā€™s paying off.
 
Mine are bs texts.....and I also will go weeks without getting any and then they'll strike again....I did notice that with IPhone's latest update there is a new option to 'delete and report as junk' offered... hopefully there is somebody or something out there in IPhone land that is working on this.
 
hollydolly said:
I never get scam calls either. I have an unknown number blocking system on my phones..
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WOW THANKS FOR THAT! There are so many things on my phone to turn on, off, set, activate, moderate, and fine tune, that I didn't know I had that capability, but I just checked and it's there, and one good feature is that it sends the call to voice mail, which the robots don't bother with most of the time. So a long lost love from 50 years ago can leave a message if you don't pick up. And yes, that happened to me about 6 months ago, although she is married and just wanted to touch bases it seems.

Here's how it works on the iPhone 12. Go to:

"settings"... "phone"... "block unknown numbers"

and then switch to "on".
 
Jackie23 said:
Well, I have this option on my phone too and it is on, somehow, some way the scam still comes through....??
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Hmmm, I was wondering how effective it would be. @hollydolly Is your app an addon or the one that comes with the phone? Mine has only been on for an hour, so I won't know if it works until tomorrow or the end of the week.
 
Jackie23 said:
Well, I have this option on my phone too and it is on, somehow, some way the scam still comes through....??
Click to expand...
with my landline.. the phone rings.. and the automated voice says ''the number 012345678 is trying to call you.. do you want to accept the call'' .. or it will say Smith street surgery or Radiology at Alexandra hospital is trying to call you .. ''.. and then it gives me the option of pressing 1 for yes or 2 for no... . the person who is calling has no idea that I have answered the call, and if I refuse the call it sounds like to them it's just gone to answer phone...

On my Mobile phone it's different , I have it set to accept Known numbers only.. so I never get spam calls. I do get the very odd spam text, but I just block the number and it doesn't happen again..
 
I have noticed a definite reduction in spammers calls in
the last 6 months, but I imagine when spring/summer picks up the calls will increase....
 
perplexed said:
I answer phone and if it is a person I don't know they get click ( I hang up) and I have noticed my unwanted calls have all but stopped!
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I was told years ago that it's better not to pick up the phone, because then the scammer knows it's an actual number. But that was long ago, and these new unwanted calls probably are more sophisticated that just randomly dialing numbers. However, once I did pick up by accident found out it was a salesman, and gave him the click. I was then barraged with phone calls the next few weeks all with that same area code. And then it died back down to 5 to 10 a day.
 
JustDave said:
WOW THANKS FOR THAT! There are so many things on my phone to turn on, off, set, activate, moderate, and fine tune, that I didn't know I had that capability, but I just checked and it's there, and one good feature is that it sends the call to voice mail, which the robots don't bother with most of the time. So a long lost love from 50 years ago can leave a message if you don't pick up. And yes, that happened to me about 6 months ago, although she is married and just wanted to touch bases it seems.

Here's how it works on the iPhone 12. Go to:

"settings"... "phone"... "block unknown numbers"

and then switch to "on".
Click to expand...
The trouble with that "unnown number blocking" system is that sometimes I do get calls from a neighbor who has a question or something to tell me about one of the club activities I am in. They are probably in the "unknown" category, as this is the first time they have ever called me and are obviously not in my contacts. So their call would be blocked.

Or am I missing something?
 
Sunny said:
The trouble with that "unnown number blocking" system is that sometimes I do get calls from a neighbor who has a question or something to tell me about one of the club activities I am in. They are probably in the "unknown" category, as this is the first time they have ever called me and are obviously not in my contacts. So their call would be blocked.

Or am I missing something?
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According to the information on my iPhone, they can still leave a voice mail. Only about one out of 20 unwanted callers leave a voice mail, from my experience.
 
The cable phone service has an option of blocking all calls except for a limited quantity of specified "allowed" numbers. I know I'd forget to add someone or the list isn't long enough to allow all who'd I want to be able to call.
 
Only 3 today..(L.l)
I think I'm beating 'em...
After 4 rings..I pick up..but don't say anything..
And..wait till I hear it go off.

Maybe 'the big computer in the sky'....will get the message..
think it's a dead no.šŸ™„
 
We get one or two a day. If I donā€™t recognize the caller ID I disconnect it. Just once I answered one. Wow! It was my grandson, one that I didnā€™t know I had. So I played along. Seems he had been in an automobile accident, was arrested, and if he couldnā€™t pay the fine was in big trouble. I replied that he should have called someone else ā€¦ dial tone. I suspect that these animals are hoping to get their hooks into a victim of dementia and skin him or her alive. Too bad that the powers that be canā€˜t do more to stop them. Oh, and then there are the emails. Grrrrrr!!
 
If these sales people do get to talk to a real person, theyā€™re extremely aggressive. DD answered one from a known salesperson. He would not let her go. I could hear a bit of the conversation. They must be desperate. Finally she told him that she wouldnā€™t buy anything because of his aggression.

(PS. Sheā€™s more polite than I am. I took a major strip off the fellow from our Internet carrier recently.)
 
hollydolly said:
I never get scam calls either. I have an unknown number blocking system on my phones..
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Just to let you know, I'm really enjoying the blocking system you pointed out. I've actually forgotten about the calls, well at least until I check my "recent" calls page, but now I don't have to bother blocking, and I just zap all of them quickly. Less than 20% leave voice messages, so I can still access that in case it's a neighbor, but they are usually just dead air that lasts for 20 seconds.
 
ElCastor said:
We get one or two a day. If I donā€™t recognize the caller ID I disconnect it. Just once I answered one. Wow! It was my grandson, one that I didnā€™t know I had. So I played along. Seems he had been in an automobile accident, was arrested, and if he couldnā€™t pay the fine was in big trouble. I replied that he should have called someone else ā€¦ dial tone. I suspect that these animals are hoping to get their hooks into a victim of dementia and skin him or her alive. Too bad that the powers that be canā€˜t do more to stop them. Oh, and then there are the emails. Grrrrrr!!
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We must have the same grandson
....cause he called me too.šŸ¤£šŸ˜‚
and I played along..til he knew "I got him"
and hung up
 

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