# Illegal Scam **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021 "2021-10-06T19:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/1 "2021-10-06T19:07:38Z")
For a long time, we’ve been seeing - several times a day - the screen on our landline displaying “SPAM RISK” when the phone rings. That’s a commentary on our times, for sure. Well, Spectrum went one step farther today. The screen today displayed “ILLEGAL SCAM”. (OK. Actually, “ILLEGAL SCA”. That offers the possibility that’s they’re protecting us from an imitator of the Society of Creative Anachronism." But I have my doubts.) Has anyone else seen this? Is this only on Spectrum customer phones? Do the people on the other end not test the calls to see how they come through? So many questions. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/2 "2021-10-07T03:37:35Z")
I have AT&T landline and I get “Telemarketer” or “Suspected Spam” a couple times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/3 "2021-10-07T09:06:27Z")
Part of me wanted to ask: if the telco can identify it with sufficient confidence to label it ‘ILLEGAL SCAM’, why wouldn’t they just drop the call? After a moment’s thought, I think the answer is: because that sounds like a service they could charge extra for, coming soon… ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/4 "2021-10-07T10:07:01Z")
Aren’t scams illegal by definition? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/5 "2021-10-07T12:17:26Z")
At point of delivery, usually. At source, probably. Some people claim it’s not illegal to scam foreigners in certain countries; that seems kind of dubious, but if law enforcement is powerless or careless, then I suppose it’s sort of true in a defacto sense. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/6 "2021-10-07T13:05:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Part of me wanted to ask: if the telco can identify it with sufficient confidence to label it ‘ILLEGAL SCAM’, why wouldn’t they just drop the call? > > After a moment’s thought, I think the answer is: because that sounds like a service they could charge extra for, coming soon… For a long time the number from my kids’ school showed up as “Scam Likely” on our callerID, probably because our provider was able to tell that they were calling a substantial amount of people in a very short time (for things like announcements on conferences, snow days, etc.) So just auto-dropping the call could result in a lot of people not getting needed information. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/7 "2021-10-07T14:41:46Z")
I get SCAM LIKELY on some calls (T-Mobile). Regardless, I don’t answer any calls from outside my area code. There could be a legit reason why someone seems to be calling from Jacksonville, Florida\*, but they can leave a message. \*they could be local but like me, kept a phone number from where they lived previously. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/8 "2021-10-07T15:17:46Z")
Yeah, I suppose I wonder what is the value of the ‘scam likely’ message in that case though if it cries wolf. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/9 "2021-10-07T15:18:16Z")
I’m a frequent flyer at the Red Cross Blood bank, and they’ll send me a recorded reminder call a few days before my eligibility comes up. Verizon Wireless labeled these as suspected scam calls until I put the number into my contacts list. I suppose the recorded or computer generated call coming from a toll free number might trigger some algorithm. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/10 "2021-10-07T15:40:39Z")
If some of called labeled spam are legitimate, don’t they leave a voice mail message if you don’t pick up? I’ve never gotten a SPAM RISK call that left a voice message. Other scammers have, but they didn’t have warnings attached. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/11 "2021-10-07T15:43:44Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I get SCAM LIKELY on some calls (T-Mobile). I recently started getting calls with that ID on my Boost Mobile phone and Comcast/Xfinity will soon start doing the same for our landline. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/12 "2021-10-07T18:59:33Z")
Verizon says Potential Spam. On my landline, if it gets through NoMoRobo they almost universally hangup as soon as the beep from my voice mail hits. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Regardless, I don’t answer any calls from outside my area code. There could be a legit reason why someone seems to be calling from Jacksonville, Florida\*, but they can leave a message. Most of the spam supposedly comes from within my area code. And from the same first three digits of my number. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/13 "2021-10-09T16:26:08Z")
My fiancée’s landline displays either “SCAM LIKELY” or “POTENTIAL SPAM.” Frontier Communications. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/14 "2021-10-09T16:27:38Z")
I get warned about scams right away but they still take up space in my voicemail. I only have three voicemail slots and yesterday all three were filled with spam. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-scam/952021/15 "2021-10-09T16:46:49Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Most of the spam supposedly comes from within my area code. And from the same first three digits of my number. Same with me on my landline. So I let the calls go to my answering machine, but they never leave a message (of course)