Bastard Spammers

I have maybe two hundred spammer phone numbers which my land line blocks. In the past couple of weeks, I have gotten several spam phone calls on my cell phone. The spammers are spoofing local numbers, using this area code and the prefix assigned to local cell phones.

I got a call last week from some old guy who was really pissed about receiving a spam call from my phone number. Couldn't convince him that it wasn't me.

Isn't technology wonderful.

Things went quiet for a while for us, but lately the guys wanting us to refinance our mortgage or consolidate our credit card balances have been fairly relentless. Haven't seen number-spoofing exactly, but the caller ID is often garbage.

Your name & number can spring up for any number of reasons -- applying for a credit card, buying some large item online, searching for real estate with Google, buying a car, etc.

When we paid off our mortgage we stopped getting loan spams, but we started getting other spams on travel and major purchases.

Our tv (if it's on) displays the caller ID on incoming calls. We only pick up the line if we recognize the caller.

I have TWICE gotten the newest scary spam call, where the caller identifies himself as "IRS agent such-and-such" and launches into this long speech about how the IRS is about to start action against me and I need to provide identification information immediately.

It's bullshit of course. The IRS does not call you.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Your name & number can spring up for any number of reasons

Or they can just call random numbers, which is what I expect is happening here. The caller is a recording and they don't use my name.

NoCoPilot wrote:

We only pick up the line if we recognize the caller.

I ignore the land line completely. Never answer it. If it's someone I know they will leave a message. But the spam on the cell phone is new. I do occasionally get calls to my cell phone that only display a number, and it is a call from someone I do business with. So I don't normally ignore local calls to the cell.

Bunch of assholes out there.

Friend of mine has an intercept message, says something like "You have reached a number that does not accept solicitation calls. If you are a solicitor please add this number to your Do Not Call Registry. If you are not a solicitor press 1 now to be connected."

It's intrusive but effective.

Good news.

Sun of a gun: a solar energy “Do Not Call” violator is brought to justice

_Howard wrote:

I have maybe two hundred spammer phone numbers which my land line blocks. In the past couple of weeks, I have gotten several spam phone calls on my cell phone. The spammers are spoofing local numbers, using this area code and the prefix assigned to local cell phones.

I got a call last week from some old guy who was really pissed about receiving a spam call from my phone number. Couldn't convince him that it wasn't me.

Isn't technology wonderful.

Yup. Same here. Once I mark them I know but they change numbers so fast it's not helpful. I have different reactions depending on my mood. There was one day I played along and just acted seriously moronic. Another day I answered the phone "Hola" and proceeded to say I didn't speak English. Other days my reaction begins with "look here you curry eating mother fucker...." Just depends.

I still use my mother's trick, if it's a live person. I set down the phone very quietly while they're talking and go back to my business.

It usually takes them a few minutes to notice I'm not there anymore. This wastes their time in the same way they would like to waste mine, but without me having to call them names or yell.

Earlier today, I had a call that caller ID said was from somebody named Bernstein. I don't know anybody named Bernstein, so I answered thinking it was going to be a wrong number, and it was an Indian guy from "the computer support department". Fucking bastard.

Make sure you're on the Do Not Call Registry. It's free and it does help.
Www.donotcall.gov

It only helps with honest businesses. It does no go at all for those spammers who spoof their phone number.

Here's a variation.

US Federal Court: “you didn’t show up for jury duty” scammers slicker than ever