Unwanted commercial calls

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markpierce

markpierce

Master and Commander
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
12,557
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Carquinez Coot
Vessel Make
penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
My latest tactic in response to unwanted, anonymous commercial calls asking for me (receive several every day): "Mark Pierce is deceased, and his affairs are settled."
 
markpierce said:
My latest tactic in response to unwanted, anonymous commercial calls asking for me (receive several every day): "Mark Pierce is deceased, and his affairs are settled."
Click to expand...

I get lots of calls telling me the warranty has expired on my car and they can extend it for me. I sask if it is the warranty on the Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini that has expired and get a cough just as the line goes dead. There is a lovely U tube of a conversation where the person called pretends to be from homicide squad and thy are trying to call a murder victim, 'when did you last see the deceased?, we need your name address and s/S number so we can have a detective call and interview you personally.... ' HIlarious.:rofl:
 
Being on a do-not-call list is ineffective. That's my personal experience.
 
While reading this, I got a call on my cell phone.

Pretty cool thing, not sure if it's all Android phones or something unique about mine, but it showed the call as "possibly spam."

If I hang up on a caller after just a few seconds, it prompts me to block the number and/or report it as spam. I can go into the call history, and there's a menu option mark any caller as spam.

I can only assume it's a new feature to crowd-source the identification and blocking of spam numbers faster than the spammers can change them.

I hope it works. I encourage anyone with an Android phone to see if they have these options.
 
I get several a day on my cell phone, which is doubly illegal since it's on the do not call list, and as a cell phone, robo calls to it are illegal. But that doesn't stop anyone.

And blocking the number doesn't help much either. They call in with a called ID using a random, unused phone number. So the incoming caller number is constantly moving. I've tried calling the numbers back a number of times and they are always unused numbers.

The best I have coming up with is to do sort of the opposite of blocking spam numbers. Rather than blocking known offending numbers, I only answer known and recognized numbers. if I don't recognize the incoming number, I simply don't answer. Incoming calls are guilty until proven innocent. I figure if it matters, they will leave a message. I have yet to miss a legitimate call, which shows how bad the situation has gotten.
 
Do not call registry is completely useless.

These are computers simply dialing 1-111-111-1111 through 1-999-999-9999 intentionally programmed to not call 911. You do not have to answer to get put on the "hot list", if you let it go to voicemail the computer knows to continue randomly calling your number as it is "in use". Peter is right as they utilize any "out of use" numbers(continuous rings without answer) are harvested to be used as the caller ID number for them.

When you do answer and start talking they are programmed to sound and interact like real people and I've heard people hold conversations with them.
 
There should be a special level of hell for the folks who run those businesses that make all those calls.
 
I rarely answer calls from unknown sources. Usually push "talk" and "off" buttons without waiting for a response. Major problem is that my 98-year-old father uses an anonymous identity (and I keep suggesting he change his phone identity, unsuccessfully), leading me to answer some unwelcome calls.
 
For some funny laughs, look up Tom Mabe on YouTube...

Check out mr. number on you ur cell phones to help blacklist telemarketing calls.
 
"There should be a special level of hell for the folks who run those businesses that make all those calls."

Perhaps if they got billed for the answering phones minuets ihe fun would stop.

If its a more intelligent programed call, they may ask , are you ??? insert your name.

Should you answer YES it will be recorded and you have signed up for something bogus and expensive.

The voice ID copy of the YES will be "proof" of your purchase.
 
Lately I have wanted to try adding the SIT(Special Information Tone) for this number has been disconnected to the front of my voicemail message. If my guess is correct the computer dialing should list my number as out of service on its database and stop all future attempts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tones

It would seem I'm not alone in that thinking.
 
angus99 said:
"May" is the operative word, Mr. RT. Since putting all our phones on the list, robo calls have increased dramatically. :banghead:
Click to expand...
Same here.
All of our phones are on the Do not call list.
My wife and I plus the house phone get at least 3 a day each. If its important the caller will leave a message or show up as a caller in our contact list. The unknowns NEVER leave a message. It is getting worse and soon we will need the equivalent of email SPAM or pop-up protection. Anyone remember the X10 camera pop-up ads? Amazing how far that war has gone. Now its come to robo calls.
 
We dropped our home phone line entirely and only answer recognized numbers on the cell. If it's a legit call and we don't pick up, it goes to voicemail and we call back in 2 minutes. I haven't taken a sales call in 2 years. Problem solved.
 
Do not call requires maintenance in the form of reporting and informing the caller you don't want the call. Politicians, of course, are exempt. Also companies you have done business with can call until you inform them you do not want any further calls.
I get less than 2 unwanted calls a year. At least one is a politician wanting reelection money.
 
I can't imagine anyone doing business with a company that looks for customers this way. So where is the payback to the callers coming from?
I get a lot of calls for extended auto warranty, sometimes for cars I got rid of a couple of years ago, resort stays, and home security systems. I wouldn't dream of buying from a caller maybe some folks do?
 
I really like the idea of adding the SIT tones to my message. Will give that a go and see how it works. Thanks for that great tip.

Marty...................
 
The "money" is in running the 3rd party marketing service auto-dialer.

The real dupes are the businesses that purchase the dialing services, having been promised the strategy will boost sales... the outcome is irrelevant, the dialer has been paid...

RB
 
SIT tones embedded in answering machine message

MartySchwartz said:
I really like the idea of adding the SIT tones to my message. Will give that a go and see how it works. Thanks for that great tip.
Click to expand...

I published that tip in 1993 in Teleconnect Magazine. Two companies that I know of made boxes that always broadcast the SIT tone sequence when you pick the phone up, one sold by the late Radio Shack, and the other Mike Sandman in Chicago.

It only works when the predictive dialer is listening for SIT and other reorder tones on outbound calls. Lots of foreign calls don't check for it, just dial number after number hoping to find a sucker.
 
Because my cell phone is my moneymaker I have to answer. But I have found to immediately remain silent for a couple seconds. The auto dialer is 'listening' for voice/sound. If it doesn't hear an answer it disconnects. If you say anything or if there is background noise it connects the call to the recording or to the live person.
So just remain silent for a couple seconds if it's an unknown number. This has cut down immensely on calls.
 
Thank you for that tip cappy. I too answer all calls (that I hear, and the hearing is not wonderful!)

If it is a recording, my solution is a quick Update Number click.

I have a caller-id name set up with NO RING so I won't hear any more incoming from that number. Currently I'm at Z23 and the numbers are stacked in fax, home, mobile1, mobile2, and business. So I've had more than 110 calls in the past couple months. For me it is faster to answer and assign the number to Z-whatever.

I will keep silent from now on for the unnamed callers. Maybe that will help.

Most of my current problem is directly related to My Mistake. I inserted my phone number in an online form and BOOM! I've been inundated. It was my mistake and I'm dealing with the consequences. Argh!

And for the record I have no interest in college tuition, automobile warranties, government approved bank loans nor vacation property.
 
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