[SoonerRC]

I’ve been getting the same recording that my factory warranty is about to expire, it's my final notice, and they’re going to delete my file if I don’t respond. Press 1 to be removed from their call list, or press 2 to talk to a representative to extend my coverage.

I’ve gotten these calls a couple times a week for the last several months. Up until recently, I just hung up assuming the calls would go away. They haven't.

To caveat, the caller ID is my area code but a different number every time. I did some research on it. According to others, pressing 1 didn’t stop the calls. Others tried calling the number back but got some poor sap who said it was the wrong number. So, they’re spoofing. Some recommended silencing/blocking calls outside of their contacts. But, I use my personal phone for business too. And, you need a legitimate phone number and/or business name to file a complaint with the FCC.

I got another call on Wednesday, I pressed 2 to get a representative on the phone. The conversation went about as follows:

Scammer (Indian accent) – I’m with the extended warranty department. Can I get your vehicle information so I can confirm your identity?

Me – How do you not have my identity? You called me. Who are you? Who do you work for?

Scammer – I’m with the extended warranty department.

Me – Not your department, what’s the name of your company?

Scammer – I told you. I’m with the extended warranty department.

Me – That’s not a company name, that’s a department. What’s the name of your company?

Scammer – That is the name of our company. Can I please get your vehicle information so I can confirm your identity? (Not sure why but I’m now googling “Extended Warranty Department Company Robocalls”)

Me – Which vehicle are you talking about? I own several.

Scammer – Your most recent purchase. (Google results – Scam, Scam, Scam…)

Me – It’s a 1972 Chevy C10 (laughing a little)

Scammer – I think you’re wasting my time.

Me – Really? Does that piss you off? (more laughing)

Scammer – Hangs up.

I haven’t had another call since Wednesday. Although, I’m sure this isn’t the end of it. It might even get worse. But if I can’t beat them, I’m going to have a little fun with them. I’ve scripted some bogus answers to anticipated questions to see how long I can keep them on the phone before they hang up.

 

[1 Polaris]

I have phones that don't allow them.

 

[Dee Cee]

I scream horribly, throw the phone on the floor, stomp on it until it dies, shouting, "Die! Die! Die!" And then apologize to my pastor and those around me.

Actually, I used a great app called Mr. Number that worked absolutely fantastically up until early last year. It blocked virtually ALL nonsense for years - until it didn't. So now I'm back to not answering the phone if it's a number I don't recognize.

 

[K&M]

Simple.

Legit calls have a name on caller id like Joe Smith or ABC Roof Company. spam calls do not. They simply say Dayton, Ohio.

When my phone rings, I look at caller id. If it shows a city name, then I hit ignore.

 

[SoonerRC]

Simple.

Legit calls have a name on caller id like Joe Smith or ABC Roof Company. spam calls do not. They simply say Dayton, Ohio.

When my phone rings, I look at caller id. If it shows a city name, then I hit ignore.

I wish it was that simple. I get a lot of legit calls that show nothing but the number.

 

[Phazewolf]

I find that sexual harassment works well. Just get someone on the line and start asking or saying thing's you would never say. The more detailed the better, had 9ne guy so upset he threatened to report me and I told him that you called me this is what my customers call for and enjoy the abuse and they have not called back.

 

[RG1]

It got so bad recently I paid for an app called RoboKiller. It’s hilarious. It uses a bunch of random prerecorded identities to mess with them. It also has a large data base and auto blocks known scams. It got where I was getting 1 to 2 calls every hour. For 2 days straight. Got RoboKiller. Zero for months. It just notifies me when is messes with someone. Then I get to listen to the hilarious phone call. Best app I’ve ever bought.

 

[Wolfsnout Racing]

Man, you should here what I do with them...lol Sometimes it's best to get a laugh and have some fun. I blow their minds!

 

[rzrhle]

I put my phone in silent mode for unrecognized calls. I never hear a thing. Ever so often I will check my que for all calls and then clear them out.

 

[dafish]

So the only real answer is to push your phone service provided to fully implement something called Shaken/Stir (sometimes Stir/Shaken.

The short version is the sending carrier is required to certify the call is legit, and the delivering carrier has to authenticate.

It's actually going to screw up some legitimate business calling, but we can talk about that another time. For now:

1. The FCC mandated carriers have "something" in place by 6-21. Exactly what isn't defined (or I don't know it).
2. Everybody should be pressuring their phone provider.
3. Stay out of contracts. The next 6 months will show good, and bad, implementation. Personally, I'll leave over it.
4. We may get screwed anyway. Remember the "business screwed" comment? As a solution to that initiators sort of "grade" the call being placed. Nothing makes them refuse (again, that I know of) to place the call. Your carrier will know, but what if it too decides to deliver the call?
   1. In a perfect world we'd get to decide what call's we'd accept? Myself? I would elect to reject any call that the carrier didn't validate the sending number on. That's get into another can of worms I'll skip for now

So yea, call you phone company and demand to know what they are doing w/Shake/Stir. Making your best Bond joke of course!

 

[midwest1]

Besides my day job I do some moonlighting in security. I can tell you that these companies keep data bases of numbers that are answered by a live person. These numbers get traded and sold all the time. They play the odds and know that the more live people they speak with the more likely they are to snag someone to fall for what they are selling. Even the automated voices/computers calling you. All they are doing is seeing if it is a phone number that will be answered by a person and not some fax machine, or answering service. If you answer, even if you yell at them and hang up, the computer realizes it is a live number and it gets put into the data base. A lot of their auto dialers have systems that will spoof a number close to your own number so it looks like it is coming from someone local, increasing the odds you will answer.
Any number I do not recognize or that I am not expecting goes to voice mail. If it is a legit call I call them back, all it costs is 20 seconds of time. If for the next several months you are strict about not answering any of the calls then you will see less and less of them.

 

[dafish]

The above quite true!

I feel for the guys that feel they can't silence unknown calls...

 

[Taterface]

Check out scam baiters on YouTube. They mess with them all the time. Pretty hilarious!

 

[clemson726]

I don't get many robocalls but i like it when i do. The last one was an indian guy who's name was "Brad". I asked him what his real name was and again he said "Brad". I said to him that we both knew his name wasn't "Brad"... They'll hang up pretty quick. You can also tell them they need to speak to your captain or lieutenant. That's usually a short call as well.

 

[Max H]

Frank Rizzo from the Jerky Boys knows how to handle them ... 🤣

 

[EricB]

It got so bad recently I paid for an app called RoboKiller. It’s hilarious. It uses a bunch of random prerecorded identities to mess with them. It also has a large data base and auto blocks known scams. It got where I was getting 1 to 2 calls every hour. For 2 days straight. Got RoboKiller. Zero for months. It just notifies me when is messes with someone. Then I get to listen to the hilarious phone call. Best app I’ve ever bought.

I tried Robokiller. Hated it! If a call came in that was not in my contacts, RoboKiller would not let me answer. I missed too many important calls because of this. I had it about a month and cancelled knowing I would not get a refund of the remaining time.

My carrier, Verizon, does a much better job of identifying robocalls and I CAN STILL ANSWER the call if I want to.

Great Idea, but horribly implemented...

 

[RG1]

I tried Robokiller. Hated it! If a call came in that was not in my contacts, RoboKiller would not let me answer. I missed too many important calls because of this. I had it about a month and cancelled knowing I would not get a refund of the remaining time.

My carrier, Verizon, does a much better job of identifying robocalls and I CAN STILL ANSWER the call if I want to.

Great Idea, but horribly implemented...

I have missed a couple. Once I figured out how to work it, I have been good since. On the flip side. Leave a message or I guess it’s not that important.

 

[Dee Cee]

I have missed a couple. Once I figured out how to work it, I have been good since. On the flip side. Leave a message or I guess it’s not that important.

That's kind of how I am now. And if they don't leave a message, I go to Google and look up the number. If I spot it on one robocaller list or I can't find it as being a legitimate business, I block it.

 

[dafish]

A bit more on this:

I'm a huge Shaken/Stir supporter (one of the things trump doesn't get credit for), and I'm happy to say Verizon's call filter is starting to pay attention to it. I actually use their premium Call Filter, as well as free versions of Call Protect and Hiya.

These things said I'm not sure anything is blocking many calls. Call Filter reports only a few calls its blocked. In fairnedd its last in my priority order as I wanted to know if I was getting any value. Clearly that answer is "Not much", but I'm going to move it to first on priority and see if it starts reporting a lot of blocked calls.

if it does, that will tell me "Call Protect" which was first in priority order, was doing a lot. Today Call Protect, and I'm using the free version, doesn't tell me how many calls it's blocked. I do use it's "Range Block" feature often, as I find Spammers are lazy and will, if they start using a fake number, typically only change it by a few digits. Since I can willd card block as big a range as I want it's certainly a keeper.

Hiya doesn't tell me much, but free version no longer auto blocks calls, and the premium version doesn't have a family or "account" plan (like I get with my "doesn't do much" Call Filter service. What it does do is report when a call is suspect instead of auto-blocking it. And that doesn't happen very much! Maybe once a month. So it's not detecting much either.

At least for today my experience suggests that one of the following must be true:

A) None of the apps are doing much
B) Call Protect is doing a lot
C) Verizon's is doing more behind the scene's w/Shake/Stir than I thought.


Moving on, a tip for the desperate:

I've had "block unknown callers" turned on for a while too, and that of course stops all the noise. Here's why: I know a bit about cybercrime (I'm a technology consultant), and I know "hot" lists of known working and answered phone numbers are available on TOR (the dark web to many). If you can live with "block unknown callers" for a while, say 6 months, your number will have been scrubbed from regular use. That doesn't mean it will stop everything, but increasingly spam callers are using these lists and randomizing the calling patterns so they're harder to detect.

So goes the cat and mouse game of cybercrime.

 

[Praire2Rocks]

I started using HIYA, and went into the settings to block all calls from the FTC's list. 'The area codes include: 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876. ' Also 238, 672, 928, 509, and 868. I have it set to block calls from private numbers, and do nothing from saved contacts. This has stopped most of the calls.