Security threat.

[Brickwizard]

I used to get quite a few dodgy phone calls, when I received them, I then asked the caller to hold whilst I patch the call via my computer, when asked why, my answer was I have an auto trace facility on the computer, and. It will tell me where you are calling from. Most hang up immediately, others take a while to cotton on to what I have said, If I have had a lot of calls and have got pissed off I will answer, good day Bedford crematorium, how can I help, and they hang up [friends and family know this so won't hang up.], other tricks I use are, please hold on whilst I transfer this call to my office, they will speak to you, and if asked what office, I say City of London cyber crime unit, or oh did you not know I work for GCHQ ! they never come back

 

[ML_113]

I enter phone numbers in my contacts. For numbers I don't recognize, I don't answer - especially the ones starting with 8 or 9, or from area codes that I rarely deal with.
The ones who left a voice mail, I might call back - depending on ... its content.

 

[KGIII]

I live in California in the US. We are one of the few who still have a POTS landline phone, so we get spam phone calls.

Heh... Me too!

Everyone around me has a landline, due to the sporadic nature of cell connections and the even spottier connections made by satellites. They're still pretty common in my area.

The law used to require they provide a landline to anyone who wants it, but now they no longer require that. The law changed six years ago to let them provide the service over the internet or wirelessly. But, those areas must be covered by those services, or else the company still has to provide service.

My internet doesn't qualify as 'broadband' and my cellular service is spotty at best.

So, they still cover me - for now.

Also, I only have voicemail (technically an answering machine) on one line. I have voicemail disabled on my other phones. The answering machine is the number I have posted on my signs where I ask people to call in and leave a message if they plan on hiking, camping, hunting, etc. on the property. It's a safety issue.

 

[MikeWalsh]

Heh...

Using Linux when you ask for help people give you that deer in the headlights look.

^^ Lol!

I get the same reaction when people ask which version of windows I use......and my standard reply is..."windows?....what's that??"

^^ Lolol!!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I got a phone call saying my phone and internet were being cut off.

^^ Lololol!!!

Been there.....done that.....bought the T-shirt.....AND worn it out and replaced it, too. The web's full of comedians, ain't it?

Sheesh.


Mike.

 

[bob466]

The scammers are at it again...got a phone call yesterday and today saying...my master card has a transaction of $1300 Australian dollars (yes that's what they said) for an overseas purchase...press 1 to approve or something like that.

I'd be worried if I had a master card

still waiting from them to cut off my phone and net too.

 

[Condobloke]

I usually ask them if they like Chinese food....and offer them flied lice if they would like to pop around for a bite.....

Edit to add:.....rotten spell check......missed my spelling mistakes again !!....obviously instead of flied lice it should read fried rice !!!!
Amazingly I have had quite a few have taken me up on the offer.....would you believe that !
I have had to then politely decline to furnish them with my address

 

[sphen]

I live in California in the US. We are one of the few who still have a POTS landline phone, so we get spam phone calls. I can recognize most of them from the caller ID display. They rarely leave messages. When I must pick up because I am expecting a call from an unknown number, the calls follow easily recognized patterns. I won't bother with the details.

The flood of spam phone calls that we have in this country come from a small number of sources, but they are prolific.

These days, I am so rude. Sometimes I am in the mood to answer calls with "Good morning! Tell me why you are not a spam phone call?"

A new pattern emerged this morning. They play loud white noise that sounds like someone is calling you from a car with a lot of background road and wind noise. Most of us recognize that sound. If you do not pick up, that white noise keeps playing long enough for the answering machine or voicemail. So far, two out of four have "WIRELESS CALLER" as the CallerID. If you say anything or make a sound, it passes you through to the spam caller trying to sell you something. In the one case where I picked up, it was about a pharmacy network, which is something else that is new and different. Most recent spam calls have been for handyman-contractor-home repairs-roofing ... or Medicare.

Before this morning, the callers usually disconnected by ring 3 or 4 without leaving a message. This new pattern leaves a modest length message on the answering machine. The message is that white noise.

-> My hypothesis is that they are targeting landlines with answering systems that play the audio on a speaker as they record messages. You hear the "person in a car with road noise" sound and decide to pick up. That is only a feeling but it fits the pattern.

 

[mrcrossroads]

A new pattern emerged this morning. They play loud white noise that sounds like someone is calling you from a car with a lot of background road and wind noise. Most of us recognize that sound. If you do not pick up, that white noise keeps playing long enough for the answering machine or voicemail. So far, two out of four have "WIRELESS CALLER" as the CallerID. If you say anything or make a sound, it passes you through to the spam caller trying to sell you something. In the one case where I picked up, it was about a pharmacy network, which is something else that is new and different. Most recent spam calls have been for handyman-contractor-home repairs-roofing ... or Medicare.

Before this morning, the callers usually disconnected by ring 3 or 4 without leaving a message. This new pattern leaves a modest length message on the answering machine. The message is that white noise.

-> My hypothesis is that they are targeting landlines with answering systems that play the audio on a speaker as they record messages. You hear the "person in a car with road noise" sound and decide to pick up. That is only a feeling but it fits the pattern.

Putting your number in the national Do Not Call registry helps some. Some still call but not as many. We still have a landline for emergencies but always let the VM catch the calls.

 

[Condobloke]

There is a habit in regional NSW (Australia) involving callers who block their number. They are rarely answered.

In other words the phone rings (mobile) and the screen says no caller id

I do not answer it.

If a number shows which is not identified by my list of contacts, my response can be as harsh as "what do you want"....or as mysterious as dead silence (I say nothing leaving it to them to say the first word.....or of the number shows and I am greeted by some boofhead telling me my phone etc is about to cut off or amazon is about to sue me etc etc etc...simply hang up and block the number.
The same applies to text (sms) messages....if my contacts list does not identify them, I do not respond.

I have been around for a fair while (I am not young) and many, many people know me. My contacts list is quite extensive.

If some boofhead, and this includes the Australian Government, cares to call me with a 'no caller id'....then they will suffer the same consequences.
I have had a Govt department which emailed me and asked why they could not contact me via the phone number which I gave them. By the time I have finished 'dishing them up', and reading them the riot act, including a dissertation on the number of people, both elderly and young, who have been scammed/relieved of life savings etc etc etc.....they issue a meek apology.....and if they have any integrity whatsoever, they will call back with their phone number showing on screen. It is only then, that they get 'nice' Brian.

In defence of my 'system'.....I have reduced the number of bs sms messages to 4. The guy must have an infinite number of phone numbers to call from....either that or some clever device that alters the number for him

The number of actual calls to my phone with no caller ID, is very low...perhaps one per week.

I have not had a call from the gentleman at 'microsoft' for possibkly a year....i almost feel left out !!....which leads me say that a great number of phone owners have a FOMO (a Fear Of Missing Out)

if the people that matter know how to contact you...they will. They have the contact details that matter....eg your actual phone number

Rant over. Gotta go, the phones ringing...

 

[sphen]

For the record, most calls here ring through to voicemail. Occasionally I must wait for a call from an unknown number, so I learn what I can. If I must deal with them, at least I can get a better understanding of how they operate. I have many options to change how it works; I know that.

 

[bob466]

I wish those bloody scammers would stop calling me because I'm not that stupid.