I don’t know what list I got on, nor any idea how many times it’s been sold to other “businesses”, but along with annoyance I have questions.
I get automated calls that come up with my area code (I know they do it as bait). It seems to be the same prefix so I know it’s bullshit. Texts as well. I always block the number but with almost 10 million (?) numbers in my area code it’s almost futile.
Sometimes I’ll call the number back. Every time it ends with an automated recording that the number isn’t in service. The only fun I have is calling the extended car warranty people back and acting interested and leading them on. A week ago I was transferred 4 times up the “closer ladder” before he hung up on me. Best 45 minutes I’ve ever spent with my pants on.
Anyway, how does this work? A few times I’ll answer a call out of habit only to have the call drop right away. I assume it’s an attempt to verify working numbers.
All the caller ID info you see is spoofed; blocking or calling that number back is a fool’s errand. You’re either annoying some innocent person who never called you or you’re dialing a disconnected number. And the number you block is meaningless; you’ll never see another call from that number again.
They call every phone number in the USA. You’re not on any “list”. They can make thousands of calls per minute. They spoof the caller ID to be the same first 6 digits as your phone hoping you’ll think it’s somebody you know, or at least somebody nearby. And you’re therefore more likely to answer. It’s all lies; all of it. Blocking that number isn’t “almost futile”; it’s entirely futile and in fact counterproductive. Last week you may well have blocked the number of the plumber you’re going to Google up next week to fix your sink. His callback will be blocked and your sink won’t get fixed and you’ll never know why.
The usual situation when you answer and a moment later the other end hangs up is also simple.
They use a technique called “predictive dialing”. This dates from the 1980s. They have, e.g. 100 live humans ready to talk to the marks who answer. Meanwhile the computer is dialing hundreds of calls per minute, far more than the 100 people could talk to. The vast majority of the calls go unanswered or are answered by an answering machine or voicemail. As soon as the computer figures that out, it hangs up and calls the next target.
On the rare occasion the computer detects that a live human answered the call they immediately send the other end of the call to one of their waiting operators who starts talking to you. Profit!
But what happens if all 100 operators are busy at that instant moment and there’s nobody available to talk to you? Easy. The computer just hangs up in your face and keeps dialing other people at full speed.
The idea is to always have the 100 people busy which means the computer needs to make lots more calls so the moment a worker is free, there’s another call for them in just a few seconds max. Since calling you then hanging up costs them zero, why not do it? That’s better (for them) than letting a worker sit idle for even 10 seconds. They may well hang up on most of the people who really answer.
Last of all, the computer may well remember that you answered. If so you’ll be bumped in priority to be hit again in a few minutes. By answering a random call you’ve already told the computer you’re a sucker, and it’s job is to find the suckers. You’re now a marked man; at least for the next few minutes.
What I hate is that one company always spoofs the number and is able to leave a message. The other’s get blocked and my phone only rings once, but not this company. They call every day
I have seen my own number on CID at least twice. There was some talk recently of requiring the phone company to authenticate the ID before displaying it.
I feel the need to harken back to “Animal House” for issues like this one:
Now we could [fight 'em] with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!
What I keep wondering is why our great and powerful overlords in Washington are not doing anything about it. Most of us have unlimited plans but not everyone. Imagine being limited to the number of texts or call minutes. In that position I would have made national news
Mostly because the design of the phone system makes it technologically impossible to stop. And the telco’s have, so far, prevented the Feds from legislating the impossible.
Here’s a technological effort to retrofit spam-fighting capability into the phone system:
I hope so. But I think of the Patriot Act and where any legislation could go gives me a chill. I don’t know what the unintended consequences would be, but we all know they always exist.
I don’t understand why a company can call me for the last 18 months offering an extended warranty when I’m already good from Mitsubishi for another 3 years. If they keep calling it seems some people are buying in. Can’t they trace payments to the companies?
I’m hesitant to call my Rep since at least 3 times a month I get a recorded VM saying my Social Security number is suspended.
Actually I’m not sure who to be annoyed with. The companies or the people falling for it, making sure it keeps going on. (And yes, I understand senior fraud and the like).
If they can find child porn people based on cell phone use I just don’t understand why this can’t be quashed. Are they really smarter than the US Government’s best minds?
I personally have decided to be as rude and verbally abusive as possible to anyone who spam calls me. If it’s a robo call I try to push whatever buttons they need to connect me to a real world human and then yell at him.
It seems to work, to some degree. I get a lot fewer spam calls than my friends do.
They call me about extended warranties even though I don’t own a car and haven’t for 4 years. They call pretty much everyone.
It’s not illegal to spoof phone numbers. There are legitimate uses for that function. Granted, this use was not one that was anticipated when they created it.
My wife is a Nurse Practitioner. The main number of the clinic where she works is always the one displayed on the caller ID, not the direct dial number from which she calls them.
Similarly, when she had to work from home, I think it was Doximity that allowed them to call patients from personal cell phones and still have the clinic’s main number appear.
