Phone Spam


EarlJibbs
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I get these calls from different numbers across the United States. I generally do not answer them unless I know someone from that state. Whenever I do answer them, it is silence then the line disconnects. If I call back, generally it is a disconnected number or no one picks up. Is anyone else running into this? What kind of information could someone possibly be gleaming off of me from a call like this? Sometimes it is two or three times a week or weeks go by without anything. I got two calls this morning, one from Dallas and the other from AZ somewhere. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Three little thoughts EJ:

1. I personally never answer phone calls unless I know the exact person. A watered down version of this would be to never answer phone calls outside of your immediate area code.
2. Many of those calls are robocalls, automated calls. The idea is that once you pick up, it then lets a human know they should engage with you. If there is no human available at the time, it will hang up. Since it is a robocall, it will just keep trying again until it can connect two humans. If you wait it out, it might last about 1-2 weeks. 
3. Robocalls are also used to verify that a number is active. Once you answer it, they know it is active and then can turn around and sell your number on a "verified active" list to other real solicitors. 

Point being for me. If it is someone I care to talk to, they will already be programmed in my phone OR they will leave a message and I can call them back.
Good luck!
 

Edited by NeedleinA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes the robo calls are for voice mail only.  They have a set message to behave as it if were a real person talking.  But the illusion would be broken if a real person were to speak to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, NeedleinA said:

Three little thoughts EJ:

1. I personally never answer phone calls unless I know the exact person. A watered down version of this would be to never answer phone calls outside of your immediate area code.
2. Many of those calls are robocalls, automated calls. The idea is that once you pick up, it then lets a human know they should engage with you. If there is no human available at the time, it will hang up. Since it is a robocall, it will just keep trying again until it can connect two humans. If you wait it out, it might last about 1-2 weeks. 
3. Robocalls are also used to verify that a number is active. Once you answer it, they know it is active and then can turn around and sell your number on a "verified active" list to other real solicitors. 

Point being for me. If it is someone I care to talk to, they will already be programmed in my phone OR they will leave a message and I can call them back.
Good luck!
 

Makes sense. I answer calls in CA and up in Dallas since I have family in both. I have received calls from my brother from different phones in CA depending on where he is working. Other than those two, I don't bother picking up. I guess if it was an urgent item and I did know them, they would leave a voicemail. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use an app called "Mr. Number".  It can block numbers, forward straight to voice mail, or let you answer.  If it knows it's spam, it will block it, but notify you.  Then it has a popup which tells you what other people have written about the caller, and you can submit your own report which adds to their system.  It works well.  You only get so many blocks a month (and then they charge you to check a number), but that's more than enough and I have never paid to use the service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are what I call "Probe calls" where they don't care if you answer or not. They're just testing the number. If you do answer, there may be no one on the line at all. That way, they can establish a pattern of when you are near the phone.

On the other hand, Sister Carb, for instance, has a Colorado number from when she and Carborendum lived here. One of our other children has a Wisconsin number, but he lives in Phoenix. Looking at the number may or may not reveal anything useful about the caller.

Lehi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The caller ID that you see can also be easily forged. Many telephony providers allow the customer to have control of the outgoing ANI/caller ID that will show up on the called persons phone, particularly if the customer making the call is a business.

I've been managing VoIP telephony systems for a few years now for various companies as part of my job and I can easily configure our systems to make a call to my cell phone or anyone else's phone and have the caller ID show up as any number I like, including numbers that don't comply with national standards here in the US, such as '012345'.

 

That's not to say that every telco the call passes through en route after the callers own telco will allow a blatantly forged caller ID, but in my experience, they do.

Edited by Mahone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share