General Discussion

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts) Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:10 PM Sep 2013

Please Don’t Press Any Buttons When You Get A Scammy Robocall

I've sorta figured out that Do Not Call list doesn't work anymore
how about you???

“It doesn’t matter if you’re on the Do Not Call List,” Lois Greisman, associate director of marketing practices at the Federal Trade Commission, which investigates and takes action against illegal robocallers, tells the Wall Street Journal. “A lot of them are fraudulent calls and people who engage in fraud are not going to abide by the Do Not Call registry.”

If you receive one of these automated calls, especially one from a company you’ve never heard of or never done business with, you’re often presented with two options: press “1? to speak to a customer service rep (though the people on the phone are usually doing you a disservice), or press “2? to be removed from the caller’s list of customers.

Pressing “2? may work, but more than likely it does nothing more than end the call; and you’ll probably continue receiving calls. In some cases, it may actually put you on additional scam-bait lists, because the caller at least knows that it reached an active line owned by someone willing to pick up when an unfamiliar number calls.

Some exasperated readers have told us they pressed “1? because they knew they could at least then yell at a real person. Problem is, the simple act of pressing that “1? puts you on a so-called “hot” list of consumers. This list will be sold and resold and resold and you will now continue to get calls from additional scammers.

http://consumerist.com/2013/08/27/please-dont-press-any-buttons-when-you-get-a-scammy-robocall/

19 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Please Don’t Press Any Buttons When You Get A Scammy Robocall (Original Post) dixiegrrrrl Sep 2013 OP

I was phone bombed last week, Baitball Blogger Sep 2013 #1

And as the article says, many phone numbers you see are spoofed. dixiegrrrrl Sep 2013 #3

new thing warrior1 Sep 2013 #2

I talk to them, pretend to be interested, and waste their time for 15 minutes or so. Nye Bevan Sep 2013 #4

Rachel from Cardholder Services dixiegrrrrl Sep 2013 #10

kick, rec, no text upi402 Sep 2013 #5

If I don't know the number, I never pick up NightWatcher Sep 2013 #6

This is all very well if you're not looking for a job dickthegrouch Sep 2013 #7

Employers wouldn't leave a message? NightWatcher Sep 2013 #11

From the Federal Trade Commission: Angus86 Sep 2013 #8

Thank you. Welcome to D.U. Judi Lynn Sep 2013 #13

Yeah, it's been very frustrating. I pretty much let the machine screen everything now. pnwmom Sep 2013 #9

Just turn the ringer off when you do not wish to be disturbed. PADemD Sep 2013 #16

True. Can I also turn off my recorded message? When I turn off the ringer, I still hear that. n/t pnwmom Sep 2013 #17

Don't know what brand you have. PADemD Sep 2013 #18

If I can't find a way to do it on this machine, maybe it's time to look for a new one. n/t pnwmom Sep 2013 #19

Even if you're not on their lists, you'll get demon-dialed. backscatter712 Sep 2013 #12

All that spying and our 'law enforcment' can't catch these scammers? Data mine these fuckers as a Bluenorthwest Sep 2013 #14

It also doesn't matter if you have an unpublished number either quinnox Sep 2013 #15

Baitball Blogger

(46,757 posts)

1. I was phone bombed last week,

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:12 PM

Sep 2013

receiving twelve calls in one day from different area codes. This is getting serious.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

3. And as the article says, many phone numbers you see are spoofed.

Reply to Baitball Blogger (Reply #1)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:23 PM

Sep 2013

The hell side of technology, it seems.

warrior1

(12,325 posts)

2. new thing

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:14 PM

Sep 2013

i've been seeing is "Out of Area" call in my caller id. Calls at least 10 x a week.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)

4. I talk to them, pretend to be interested, and waste their time for 15 minutes or so.

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:34 PM

Sep 2013

Then I report the call to the FCC.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

10. Rachel from Cardholder Services

Reply to Nye Bevan (Reply #4)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:59 PM

Sep 2013

has apparenlty been caught by the FCC.
Re-incarnated as a nameless car muffler warrenty robocall, tho.
And has a voice alike from a home security robo call outfit.

upi402

(16,854 posts)

5. kick, rec, no text

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:38 PM

Sep 2013

NightWatcher

(39,343 posts)

6. If I don't know the number, I never pick up

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:40 PM

Sep 2013

Let the machines get nothing for a while and they'll eventually stop. Don't answer to argue with them, it lets them know your number is valid.

dickthegrouch

(3,183 posts)

7. This is all very well if you're not looking for a job

Reply to NightWatcher (Reply #6)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:54 PM

Sep 2013

I, however am doomed to need to respond to every call I get in the vague hope that it becomes my next job.

My fury at the scammers is only tempered by my telling them that they *ARE* violating federal law and if they don't want to experience the profanity laced diatribe that I then unleash on them they should lobby their boss to remove people on the DO NOT CALL LIST from the list of people they are told to call.

NightWatcher

(39,343 posts)

11. Employers wouldn't leave a message?

Reply to dickthegrouch (Reply #7)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 02:22 PM

Sep 2013

I'm just glad I ditched the landline years ago. If someone wants to reach me, my phone is in my pocket. Be it at home or on the road.

Angus86

(27 posts)

8. From the Federal Trade Commission:

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:58 PM

Sep 2013

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers without prior consent. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers' cell phones without their consent.

from http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0133-cell-phones-and-do-not-call-registry

Thus, whenever I get one of these calls I press "1" and politely let the operator know that they've committed a federal crime by robo-calling my cell phone, and they politely respond by immediately hanging up. After doing this 2-3 times on the same robo-calls I've stopped getting them completely. I've found this also works for unsolicited text messages.

Judi Lynn

(160,609 posts)

13. Thank you. Welcome to D.U.

Reply to Angus86 (Reply #8)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 02:34 PM

Sep 2013

pnwmom

(108,991 posts)

9. Yeah, it's been very frustrating. I pretty much let the machine screen everything now.

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 01:59 PM

Sep 2013

But the sound of the ringing, especially in the evening, is still an annoyance.

PADemD

(4,482 posts)

16. Just turn the ringer off when you do not wish to be disturbed.

Reply to pnwmom (Reply #9)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 08:17 PM

Sep 2013

After getting wrong number calls at 2 a.m., I turned off the ringer on my bedroom phone.

pnwmom

(108,991 posts)

17. True. Can I also turn off my recorded message? When I turn off the ringer, I still hear that. n/t

Reply to PADemD (Reply #16)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 08:19 PM

Sep 2013

PADemD

(4,482 posts)

18. Don't know what brand you have.

Reply to pnwmom (Reply #17)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 08:51 PM

Sep 2013

My answering machine (Vtech) has an on/off button and a volume control.

pnwmom

(108,991 posts)

19. If I can't find a way to do it on this machine, maybe it's time to look for a new one. n/t

Reply to PADemD (Reply #18)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 08:59 PM

Sep 2013

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)

12. Even if you're not on their lists, you'll get demon-dialed.

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 02:28 PM

Sep 2013

They'll start with an area code and a prefix, and call every number from, for example, 212-555-0000 to 212-555-9999.

Many of these scam outfits operate out of India or elsewhere in the world - the FCC can't touch them.

I'd say the thing to do is lobby the FCC and the telcos to start blocking these scamsters at their switching equipment - require them to vet telemarketers, block calls from telescammers, essentially do for phone calls what every ISP now does for email - spam-blocking.

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)

14. All that spying and our 'law enforcment' can't catch these scammers? Data mine these fuckers as a

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 02:37 PM

Sep 2013

public service. Where is the damn NSA, too busy listening to the calls made by teen aged girls for prurient interest to bother with Boston bombers, telephone scammers....what do they do?

quinnox

(20,600 posts)

15. It also doesn't matter if you have an unpublished number either

Reply to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)

Mon Sep 2, 2013, 02:38 PM

Sep 2013

I have that, yet I still get robo-called by these kinds of jokers.

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