# Sorry ass mutherfucking phone scammers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 2, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308 "2015-10-02T22:02:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/1 "2015-10-02T22:02:29Z")
three calls so far in the past 6 hours. :mad: I was a bit worried until google turned this up. [https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call) The Do Not Call list is the biggest joke of all time. My phone just rings off the hook from these telemarketing scumbags. Why can’t the Attorney General put together a Federal task force to hunt these scamming fuckers down? Prosecute them and throw their ass in prison? > [@](#): > > “Hello, we have been trying to reach you. This call is officially a final notice from the IRS, Internal Revenue Service. The reason of this call is to inform you that IRS is filing a lawsuit against you.” That was the message on my answering machine when I returned home from work. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/2 "2015-10-02T22:10:41Z")
Because they’re mostly in other countries. The ones here can spoof the number they’re calling from. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/3 "2015-10-02T22:14:53Z")
“Off the hook?” You keep your phone on a hook? I’m thinking a coat hook, cuz no way a fish hook. Who would do that? When I get calls that I don’t recognize the number, I just let it go to voicemail, where I may or may not listen to it. (Don’t hurt me too much, **Thelma Lou!** ) ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/4 "2015-10-02T22:22:32Z")
Are the calls coming in on a landline? [PhoneTray Pro](https://www.phonetray.com/) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/5 "2015-10-02T22:39:20Z")
The Do Not Call Registry worked for a few years. I made sure to renew. Doesn’t seem to do any good anymore. I’ll look at that software. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/6 "2015-10-02T22:56:36Z")
[http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-irs-scam-20150708-story.html](http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-irs-scam-20150708-story.html) This one got caught but is only getting 14 years. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/7 "2015-10-02T23:40:09Z")
If you have a relatively modern landline you can give [nomorobo.com](http://www.nomorobo.com) a try. It works by having you set up multi-ring on your phone, so it rings the nomorobo number at the same time it rings in your house. Their magic computer does a quick lookup of the caller ID info and determines if the call is worth your time. If they deem it a junk call, they pick up and hang up. You just hear one ring. It’s the telephone equivalent of those spam email filtering products like Brightmail that were so popular before Google and others got better at filtering spam. I have FiOS, and it was pretty easy to set up the multi-ring. In the time since I set it up I have had maybe one call every two or three weeks that gets through. Some people don’t like the one-ring, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I smirk with glee as I say “Gotcha!” when they plonk a caller. My backup is [this thing](http://www.amazon.com/CPR-Call-Blocker-V202-Telemarketer/dp/B00JG02ZEY) which makes it a snap to blacklist and hang up the moment the call turns sour. Since I work at home, I’m usually right next to the red button when a suspicious call comes in. If you can’t do nomorobo, check out one of those call blocker devices. Phone company blocking service is a joke: they give you a blacklist of 10 numbers at most. This device allows a couple thousand numbers. ETA: My mom’s iMac is sitting in a box in my dining room, shipped across the country, because some bastard scammer convinced her to let him run diagnostic tests on it. I’m installing a fresh hard drive and the latest OS and shipping it back to her. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/8 "2015-10-03T00:13:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Do Not Call Registry worked for a few years. I made sure to renew. Doesn’t seem to do any good anymore. I’ll look at that software. thanks. Why would the Do not call registry apply here? These people are already criminals trying t steal from you. Why would they obey a little law while trying to break a really big one? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/9 "2015-10-03T04:07:39Z")
Can’t help with your specific problem, but here’s some random things that come together amusingly: [ul] [li]Prosody is the analysis of human speech patterns[/li][li]Asterisk is an open source VOIP system that you can run if you know how, that supports various plugins[/li][li]An Australian company with a series of telemarketer time-wasting phone tree options went under, but the recordings somehow still exist[/li][li]“Larry” is the amusing product of the above[/li][li][This guy](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrBZYWrikliO6EPZKM7KxVQ) has dozens of Youtube recordings of Larry such as [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scgw7leXrHc).[/li][/ul] P.S. - Listen for the duck. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/10 "2015-10-05T15:01:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > three calls so far in the past 6 hours. :mad: I was a bit worried until google turned this up. > [https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call) > > The Do Not Call list is the biggest joke of all time. My phone just rings off the hook from these telemarketing scumbags. > > Why can’t the Attorney General put together a Federal task force to hunt these scamming fuckers down? Prosecute them and throw their ass in prison? Holly golly gee willickers. Three calls in SIX hours. That is off the hook man. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/11 "2015-10-05T23:38:15Z")
When we bundled our phone, wifi and cable with TWC, we started getting alerts on the TV when the phone rings, that show the phone number and name that the caller wants you to see. Since we answer the landline maybe once every two months, 99% of the time I glance at the TV and then ignore the phone. But if you actually use your landline, you could look into whether your local cable bundle includes this little perk. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/12 "2015-10-06T00:50:59Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > three calls so far in the past 6 hours. Maybe they read your threads on the SDMB, and recognized a likely sucker? ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/13 "2015-10-06T01:01:48Z")
For those not already on the federal do not call registry, I recommend you STAY OFF!! I suspect the criminals use the registry to identify good phone numbers so the do not call registry becomes the do call registry. I had my landline on the list years ago, but added my cell phone early this year. Suddenly my cell began receiving junk calls. Coincidence? Maybe. Website devoted to this issue: > **[Phone Number Lookup](https://800notes.com/)** > > Type a phone number in the box below and click 'Search' to find out who is using that phone number. If the phone companies cared to help, I’m sure the number spoofers could be stopped cold. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-ass-mutherfucking-phone-scammers/733308/14 "2015-10-06T19:22:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > three calls so far in the past 6 hours. :mad: I was a bit worried until google turned this up. > [https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call) > > The Do Not Call list is the biggest joke of all time. My phone just rings off the hook from these telemarketing scumbags. > > Why can’t the Attorney General put together a Federal task force to hunt these scamming fuckers down? Prosecute them and throw their ass in prison? I’ve gotten two messages today: > [@](#): > > "Internal Revenue Service. The reason of this call is to inform you that IRS is filing a lawsuit against you.” & that I should call some 314-xxx-xxx phone # to get more info. Ummm, I got a _refund_ in April, which means I didn’t owe them anything then. I’m _sure_ they’re suing me, especially because I haven’t received _any_ correspondence in the mail from them (well, there was that email in my junk folder that I deleted.) :rolleyes: OTOH, I had T-Mobile phone service, & they’ve been hacked, so maybe I should **panic!** :eek: