Just hang up? We do hang up. I've been on the national do not call list for several years and still the majority of calls are robo calls, sales calls; anywhere from 4 to 9 calls daily. That's not what I'm paying the telephone company for. Sometimes I'm actually doing something important and bogus calls are a very annoying interruption. This isn't a situation of "get over ourselves". Maybe you should get over yourself.
1
If only Hillary had listened to me and adopted a death-penalty-for-robocallers platform.
4
I like to torture people who robo call me. A loud fog horn works, or when I have free time, waste their time asking questions. Since I live in the D.C. area, I even thanked them for calling and asked them to stay on the line longer since I am with the FBI and want to track them down to arrest them.
“Excuse me, sir, I’m on the Do Not Call list.” “That’s okay, I’m a politician and I’m excluded.” “No, sir, you are not. This number is on the Do Not Call list, not the, “Do Not Call Unless You’re a G.D. Politician.” (Sound of my phone slamming down).
It’s a Republican corporate world. I asked my phone company for the ability to see who’s calling, they sold me Caller ID, “That will cost you extra.” I asked the phone company how to block people that blocked their Caller ID numbers. “That will cost you extra.” I asked the phone company why some callers could change their Caller Identification to, 000-000-0000; or any other number that gets around; Block, Blocked Callers. “THEY pay extra.” I asked the phone company why they allow numbers into our exchange that have phony area codes (like 000). “We collect a fee on all calls.”
Now my home phone does not ring. All calls go directly to, Leave A Message. My doctors, banks, Stores, et cetera, have only my home phone. They can only leave a message. Only my friends have my cell phone number. And any time my cell phone rings and the number is not in my Contacts, the call goes to, Leave a Message. This is the only way I could fight back. Our government is not there to help.
It’s a Republican corporate world. I asked my phone company for the ability to see who’s calling, they sold me Caller ID, “That will cost you extra.” I asked the phone company how to block people that blocked their Caller ID numbers. “That will cost you extra.” I asked the phone company why some callers could change their Caller Identification to, 000-000-0000; or any other number that gets around; Block, Blocked Callers. “THEY pay extra.” I asked the phone company why they allow numbers into our exchange that have phony area codes (like 000). “We collect a fee on all calls.”
Now my home phone does not ring. All calls go directly to, Leave A Message. My doctors, banks, Stores, et cetera, have only my home phone. They can only leave a message. Only my friends have my cell phone number. And any time my cell phone rings and the number is not in my Contacts, the call goes to, Leave a Message. This is the only way I could fight back. Our government is not there to help.
4
You've explained it pretty well. The phone companies view it as a revenue source, to annoy their paying customers. The phone companies could reduce such calls to almost nothing but they sell us the service and then sell someone else a service whereby they can annoy their own paying customers. They can do something but they won't give up that extra revenue. What other company plays their customers against each other? Oh, except the government; they're experts at that game.
I used to have a small business with a business phone number that ran from our residence. My 6th-grade son looked up the name of a classmate in the phone book, called someone with the same name, called from the work phone, and left a message with the business phone number. Even though he left a personal message with his name, and it didn't sound like a marketing call, the homeowner tried to get us fined $10,000 for an unauthorized business call.
3
My solution is to not pick up any number not in my contacts. If it is someone who needs to reach me they will
Leave a message. With caller I'd on land lines this is also the best approach. If it is a call form are real
Person who needs to reach you they will probably call you right back thinking they may have dialex wrong.
Leave a message. With caller I'd on land lines this is also the best approach. If it is a call form are real
Person who needs to reach you they will probably call you right back thinking they may have dialex wrong.
1
Now more than ever, look to your state Attorney Generals for enforcement. Most states have their own telemarketing registries and their enforcement actions. Some even have their own do not call lists. Arizona has a strict law requiring registration of telemarketers and how they can do business.
2
Fellow tech-challenged: If you pick up your land line and have to shout "Hello" it notifies a caller his robot reached an active number. Don't keep shouting. Hang up if there's silence and no one at the other end says, "Hello?" Hang up after your 1st Hello or wait silently for his Hello. Lately, if you hear a "bloop", a robot just notified the idling marketer. A real caller should try to call back but a robot will go on to the next number. I think many robotic dialers are used by callers to work from home.
Many suggestions here are great but somewhat technical for the average Luddite. So I apologize for my "breaking news." Maybe I'm speaking to the elderly. Hello, Elders.
I like my retro phones. It would probably cost a $100- $200 to bring such a bronze age dinosaur back to the shelves, before even retail markup.
I love my old desk model and I think of my keypad as a great, recent improvement over pulse-tone/dial technology. The receiver is heavy bakelite, the bells are brass and if I accidentally drop the thing on the floor it sometimes seems to work better.
I can cradle the receiver on my shoulder, which prevents the tennis elbow I get from holding my cell phone which gets hot. I had a few vintage desk phones (1970's) and swap parts when the cords fail or the ringers die. The bells make delightful wind chimes especially when both notes are used. And I hate wind chimes. It would be great to find a trove of old Western Electrics in any condition.
Many suggestions here are great but somewhat technical for the average Luddite. So I apologize for my "breaking news." Maybe I'm speaking to the elderly. Hello, Elders.
I like my retro phones. It would probably cost a $100- $200 to bring such a bronze age dinosaur back to the shelves, before even retail markup.
I love my old desk model and I think of my keypad as a great, recent improvement over pulse-tone/dial technology. The receiver is heavy bakelite, the bells are brass and if I accidentally drop the thing on the floor it sometimes seems to work better.
I can cradle the receiver on my shoulder, which prevents the tennis elbow I get from holding my cell phone which gets hot. I had a few vintage desk phones (1970's) and swap parts when the cords fail or the ringers die. The bells make delightful wind chimes especially when both notes are used. And I hate wind chimes. It would be great to find a trove of old Western Electrics in any condition.
3
Cradling the receiver on your shoulder is a great way to get a crick in your neck.
2
Odd that the story doesn't mention that consumers can file their own civil actions in small claims court and easily recovery $500 to $1,000 or more. Not to mention much larger recoveries for civil actions in Superior Court or Federal Court. I wonder what the statistics are for consumers? How much have violators paid out in statutory damages to consumers for the last 5-10 years? Without keeping track at all, I'm personally aware of dozens of such civil actions and I'm sure there are 100s, if not 1,000s annually, just in LA and the Bay Area.
The issue with that is it's difficult at times to identify the actual source of the calls. And I've used small claims in the past for other matters. Maybe it's different in California, but in Massachusetts, small claims court has very limited enforcement powers.
"Pickup" used as a verb should be spelled "pick up". When used as a noun or adjective, it can be joined into one word or hyphenated.
2
Sorry to be late to the discussion, but two important things to add:
1) If your home phone is on a VoIP line, you can use the free service from nomorobo.com to block most of these calls. (I have no affiliation with them other than as a user)
2) Last summer the now former FCC chair, fed up with the torrent of complaints about scam calls, demanded the carriers come up with firm plans to block these calls since the FCC removed regulatory roadblocks to them stopping calls. The carriers joined with Google, Amazon & other tech firms to work on such a plan, reporting progress last fall, but no word since, and no sense of what DJT's FCC chair intends to do about keeping up the pressure to block scam calls.
NONE of this in the Times Insider story, but nomorobo.com has been mentioned previously (they "won" an FTC "contest" on blocking such calls) and the FCC actions are public information. The Times has never to my knowledge done a story on the former FCC chair's stop scan initiative.
1) If your home phone is on a VoIP line, you can use the free service from nomorobo.com to block most of these calls. (I have no affiliation with them other than as a user)
2) Last summer the now former FCC chair, fed up with the torrent of complaints about scam calls, demanded the carriers come up with firm plans to block these calls since the FCC removed regulatory roadblocks to them stopping calls. The carriers joined with Google, Amazon & other tech firms to work on such a plan, reporting progress last fall, but no word since, and no sense of what DJT's FCC chair intends to do about keeping up the pressure to block scam calls.
NONE of this in the Times Insider story, but nomorobo.com has been mentioned previously (they "won" an FTC "contest" on blocking such calls) and the FCC actions are public information. The Times has never to my knowledge done a story on the former FCC chair's stop scan initiative.
2
All true and all good points. I’ll be following up with the current FCC to see where Robocalling efforts stand. Thank you, Cecilia
If you read the law you will note how it was written by the telecoms and corporate America. The exclusions cover politicians, charities, and here's the one you have to love -- any business or subsidiary that you have previously done business with. It's ridiculous. I was an early adopter on every phone, faithfully renewed, and the calls never stop. They get worse. You can't even use block caller because they change locations, exchanges, and phone numbers all the time. A useless act if there ever was one.
1
New Law: No Calls by any Organizations, Commercial , Political, Charities. We are paying for a phone service for our convenience, not to be harassed. Mail us a letter if it's that important.
1
Such a law would violate the First Amendment and a court would quickly so rule.
1
Maybe . . . if we all called our elected representatives . . . Nahhh, I have enough to do every day. The callers will keep calling and I'll keep hanging up or letting the calls go to my answering machine. My phone just rang. Really. And it was a legitimate call! A real call! Wow! It actually happened.
There is a technical solution to landline robocalls: it's named, appropriately enough, NoMoRoBo. But its implementation requires your Telco to provide an option called simultaneous ring. Why don't they do so? First because they may make money from such calls, and secondly because politicians love robocalls at election time. Eliminating robocalls would constitute abrogating "freedom of speech".
The do not call list is useless. I receive calls from the same companies week after week. I don't have caller ID on my home phone so I frequently am disturbed by these calls. On my cell phone, I don't answer any calls from numbers I don't recognize. I do check them in my recents lists with a reserve lookup. It is rare that there isn't a comment about the caller offering some bogus deal.
Worse than unwanted calls from charities are those from politicians. Just before the election, I hated to answer the phone because even those I supported with my vote were harassing me in my own home with calls. Both of these were exempted from using the list which makes no sense. We are advised by the government not to give money to telephone solicitors because they could be scams. Politicians, by definition, are scammers. So neither should be calling us.
Worse than unwanted calls from charities are those from politicians. Just before the election, I hated to answer the phone because even those I supported with my vote were harassing me in my own home with calls. Both of these were exempted from using the list which makes no sense. We are advised by the government not to give money to telephone solicitors because they could be scams. Politicians, by definition, are scammers. So neither should be calling us.
2
Wholesale phoning could be discouraged if the federal government would apply or raise a fee on each outgoing telemarketing call, whether or not anyone picks up. Having to pay pennies per call would discourage wholesale phoning and make telemarketers more selective. During the last 45 years, I responded to one phone solicitation (from my phone company, and I regretted it). If telemarketers had to pay an extra fee per outgoing call, they might make and use their own registry of people who do not respond to telemarketing.
I turned off the ringer on my landline phone. I am alerted to calls by the caller ID and answering machine lights, plus the answering machine's outgoing message and any incoming message. The answering machine's light and optional beep tell me if a message was recorded. If I am on the phone when a call comes in, it goes to my phone company's answering service. I cannot hear any phone-related sounds when I am asleep.
I use caller ID, and maybe the incoming message on the answering machine's speaker, to decide whether to answer the phone. I don't pick up the phone unless I want to.
I registered on the Do Not Call list, on a credit card offer list, and on a junk mail list. I responded to mailed privacy statements by requesting minimal information sharing. I canceled mailed catalogs. I still get some irrelevant calls, but I can ignore them since my phone doesn't ring.
I turned off the ringer on my landline phone. I am alerted to calls by the caller ID and answering machine lights, plus the answering machine's outgoing message and any incoming message. The answering machine's light and optional beep tell me if a message was recorded. If I am on the phone when a call comes in, it goes to my phone company's answering service. I cannot hear any phone-related sounds when I am asleep.
I use caller ID, and maybe the incoming message on the answering machine's speaker, to decide whether to answer the phone. I don't pick up the phone unless I want to.
I registered on the Do Not Call list, on a credit card offer list, and on a junk mail list. I responded to mailed privacy statements by requesting minimal information sharing. I canceled mailed catalogs. I still get some irrelevant calls, but I can ignore them since my phone doesn't ring.
A good method of dealing with robocalls is to record a Special Information Tone (SIT) at the beginning of your voice mail or answering machine message. Just google for an "out of service" tone and download it. Most of the time, the dialing computer will put you on an out-of-service list and you will get no more calls from that particular spammer. Since phone spammers share dialing lists, it is quite effective. It cut our spam calls from a half dozen a day to several per week.
3
My wife and I have our own cell phones and a did have a land line. I got rid of it because the only calls I got were robocalls. Now I get the same number of calls on my cell phone.
Since there is no way to punish these people I think they just use the "do not call list" as their "do call list" as it guarantees to them this is an active working number. I block all these numbers but they just switch to another number and try again in a few days.
I now use the method that If you aren't in my extensive list of contacts I just don't answer the phone.
Since there is no way to punish these people I think they just use the "do not call list" as their "do call list" as it guarantees to them this is an active working number. I block all these numbers but they just switch to another number and try again in a few days.
I now use the method that If you aren't in my extensive list of contacts I just don't answer the phone.
Since I began subscribing to YouMail on my cellphone, the number of calls I receive from callers not in my Contacts list has dropped by over 80 percent. When I see such a call on my screen, I can easily have it blacklisted so calls from these numbers do not evoke a ring. For a small monthly fee the service will do a voice-text transcription of messages, which is forwarded by text or email to you.
Advertising is everywhere. Years ago I was traveling in a country where no one spoke English. One would think a person would be free of American advertising in a far off land. However as I was climbing up a stairway in a public arena there it was on each riser; a KFC and col. Sanders ad staring at me with each step. There is no escape.
I get a lot of phishing phone calls that I know are part of a criminal scam. I want to point out that this illegal activity CAN be shut down on the network level. For example, Verizon if they wanted, could prevent you from even receiving these calls. The telecommunications companies should be addressing this problem. They have the $$$ and resources. It's inappropriate that they don't address it. It's not the consumer's job.
5
The phone companies need to enforce caller id rules, that require a caller to use a name and number that correctly identifies the caller. And, the number must be able to be called back. No passing the buck on this one. And, requiring a contract in writing before a credit card could be charged, on a purchase initiated by a telemarketer, could go a long way. Come on FCC!
1
Keep a big whistle by your phone. It works wonders.
I don't know if anyone further down the comments thread has mentioned this yet or not but nomorobo (www.nomorobo.com) and associated mobile app is brilliant. The phone only rings once when it's a robocall then is disconnected.
1
The Do Not Call law is a disaster.
Guy makes a call on a phone, that's free speech. Same for a robot. SEC regulations against robocalls violate, completely violate, your 30th amendment rights.
I'm proposing a 100% tariff on all phones shipped to Pakistan. Western Electric, take note: We're keeping our jobs here.
Guy makes a call on a phone, that's free speech. Same for a robot. SEC regulations against robocalls violate, completely violate, your 30th amendment rights.
I'm proposing a 100% tariff on all phones shipped to Pakistan. Western Electric, take note: We're keeping our jobs here.
Verizon and others could easily stop this but they don't. Follow the money, always.
1
Phone companies use ANI Automatic number identification, for billing and other administrative purposes. It's fundamentally different from Caller ID as it cannot be blocked and since it allows the phone company to bill for things like toll free number usage, it's accurate too.
There's no reason with some modifications, ANI information can't be aggregated and identified as spam and automatically blocked or automatically fined.
Additionally, it's time all phone numbers become registered and if they fail to register, as some overseas VOIP callers would try to do, invalid, fake or counterfeit ANI would block them from even accessing the USA PSTN. (public switched telephone network).
This is an off the cuff comment, so there's some technical isue here, but with some effort, nothing that can't be done if the will exists.
There's no reason with some modifications, ANI information can't be aggregated and identified as spam and automatically blocked or automatically fined.
Additionally, it's time all phone numbers become registered and if they fail to register, as some overseas VOIP callers would try to do, invalid, fake or counterfeit ANI would block them from even accessing the USA PSTN. (public switched telephone network).
This is an off the cuff comment, so there's some technical isue here, but with some effort, nothing that can't be done if the will exists.
2
Try nomorobo. I read about it in the Times. It does block numbers for most carriers and its free. You have to keep entering stray numbers that get through, but it helps.
1
100 penalties since 2003! Oh boy, they are working overtime at the FCC and FTC.
The number of complaints is leveling off because there is no point in complaining. There is effectively zero enforcement. I can provide dozens of working phone numbers from India-based scammers that claim to work for Dell or Microsoft who need to talk "about the security software that was installed on my computer". Yes, I am on the worthless do not call registry.
Here is a test: If anyone at the FTC or FCC would like to enforce the law, post your contact info or ask for mine. I won't hold my breath.
The number of complaints is leveling off because there is no point in complaining. There is effectively zero enforcement. I can provide dozens of working phone numbers from India-based scammers that claim to work for Dell or Microsoft who need to talk "about the security software that was installed on my computer". Yes, I am on the worthless do not call registry.
Here is a test: If anyone at the FTC or FCC would like to enforce the law, post your contact info or ask for mine. I won't hold my breath.
1
On my cell, I use TrueCaller. At home, we use NoMoRoBo to block robocalls, including those annoying political calls that peak the day before an election.
For the calls that go through, I only say "Hello" once. Usually, a robo caller system listens for "Hello" to be said twice. By saying it once and waiting, I don't trip the system. If it is a live person, they will respond after one. If I don't get a response, I hang up.
For the calls that go through, I only say "Hello" once. Usually, a robo caller system listens for "Hello" to be said twice. By saying it once and waiting, I don't trip the system. If it is a live person, they will respond after one. If I don't get a response, I hang up.
My brother in law, while home alone suffering dementia, gave away tens of thousands of dollars to Republican front groups. Oh how I hate these people
who knew, had to know from how he spoke, that he was not in control of himself.
My personal solution is to keep a piercing whistle close by and when I get a live one I let it rip. Don't bother to criticize me, I feel just fine about hurting anyone connected with these scum companies.
who knew, had to know from how he spoke, that he was not in control of himself.
My personal solution is to keep a piercing whistle close by and when I get a live one I let it rip. Don't bother to criticize me, I feel just fine about hurting anyone connected with these scum companies.
2
Haha, remember back in the Obama days when being pestered by robocalls seemed like a real issue worth discussing in America's paper of record?
1
Don't answer any call from a number you don't recognize. If the call is truly for you they will leave a message. You can google any phone number and find out if it has been reported as a marketing call.
1
i'v mentioned this on other articles on this topic. easiest way to thwart these low life companies is to get yourself one or more google voice #s. you can then forward them to cell/land/work. then, when you get an unwanted call, you login to google voice and block the number. they will then onwards get an out of service message and will scrub he number from their lists. i get maybe one call a month if that to my actual #s which i give out very carefully.
3
This is so funny, in an apropos sort of way. We spent december, an entire monthy, doing daily "Unsubscribe", and it has only resulted in an increase in spam. slightly, but an increase. So, basically now, it's simply weed out the "keepers" and hit delete for the rest. I'm thinking about making a list of products and then putting it on facebook. It may not stop the spam but will express an opinion about how certain products allow their marketing to occur. Sort of a personal "i don't patronize" list. More like checkers than chess.
3
If you don't have caller ID, get it. You will also need messaging. With those two things in place, try to never answer the phone unless you recognize the number. Most of the call centers only allow 4 rings before they go on to the next victim, and you'll feel so good when the ring dies away and you can dine in peace, at least until the next call. Do you suppose that the FCC breaks out the costs associated with Don't Call maintenance. Sounds like they are 100% avoidable and should be eliminated.
2
I wanted a land line as a back-up for my cell. (Should the cell service go down). All calls go to my answering machine and 99 percent or more calls are robo-calls. I am on the national do not call list. At least it the fake IRS scam calls have calmed down due to the perpitrators being discovered in India (Those criminals should be extradited and tried here for all the millions they stole from US citizens). On the verge of cancelling the land-line as it just seems to be a receiver for robo-callers. A free blocking service by landline companies would help greatly. At least on my cell I can block and do block the sales calls.
3
Indeed, I feel that I am paying Verizon for the privilege of receiving robo-calls. What effort are the phone companies taking, if any, to stop this annoyance?
1
I was ok getting human spammers... when I threatened to report them they listened at least 75% of the time.
Robo calls though make me want to throw my phone out the window because there's absolutely no way to make them stop. Last year I was going through therapy for extreme anxiety and panic attack issues... while Robo-calls were not the cause of my anxiety they certainly didn't help... I think I just broke down crying once they were driving me so crazy when I was getting close to a dozen calls a day.
Robo calls though make me want to throw my phone out the window because there's absolutely no way to make them stop. Last year I was going through therapy for extreme anxiety and panic attack issues... while Robo-calls were not the cause of my anxiety they certainly didn't help... I think I just broke down crying once they were driving me so crazy when I was getting close to a dozen calls a day.
4
Quite simply I have given up answering the phone. When you get five or six robocalls a day even though you are on the Do Not Call list, you know the system is broken. If someone wants to talk to me, they can leave a message or text or email me.
7
I have suffered. I received hundreds of calls when I got a landline phone which Comcast virtually shoves down your throat when obtaining new cable and internet service. In fact, they market it as a "free" item; in other words, the price is the same whether you sign up for cable TV and Internet, or add landline telephone service as well. It's the same price for 2 or all 3 services. The agent hard sells the "free" telephone service because they are being paid millions of dollars by the "robo-call' companies. It is very much like junk mail with the US postal system. That is another story, however.
10
Comcast offers "nomorerobo" https://nomorobo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205762195-Comcast which will significantly reduce robo calls. The telephone rings once for a robo call.
1
The phone service that Comcast provides is not a "land line"....it is a VOIP service that goes thru your modem/gateway/computer.
2
I have had a long standing policy regarding calls made to my home. I used to have an answering machine and let it pick up. If you knew me well enough you knew I either would pick up and answer or I wasn't home. If you were a solicitor I didn't have to deal with you since most of them hung up immediately anyway. Sadly for my business I have no such recourse and am constantly running to answer a phone call from a robo device. And at the moment at least blocking incoming numbers on my cell phone seems to work for calls, if not for text messages.
2
And then we have the mess known as ATT, which allows the selective blocking of UP TO TWENTY NUMBERS….because we all know there are no more than 20 scams existing in the world.
So here is what I dp: my landline ringer is turned off and I have a free-standing answering machine [old time corded phone} which I turn off for days at a time. I check att missed calls list every morning and return calls that are of interest…also everyone who matters to me has my email…not the one that came with att.
Speaking of att email..I never go to it because, despite the fact that I get a monthly bill from att and thus am paying for it, it is full of ads.
So here is what I dp: my landline ringer is turned off and I have a free-standing answering machine [old time corded phone} which I turn off for days at a time. I check att missed calls list every morning and return calls that are of interest…also everyone who matters to me has my email…not the one that came with att.
Speaking of att email..I never go to it because, despite the fact that I get a monthly bill from att and thus am paying for it, it is full of ads.
The FCC is a joke. No teeth. If that group can't understand that loud TV ads are an egregious and obvious invasion of privacy and solve that simple problem, I cannot justify their existence.
12
The do not call program is failing because corporate profit motives far out paces federal mandates to control it. Just as when the law was passed to lower TV commercial volume a few years ago, and the lobbyists managed to slip in a clause that allows the volume to be still turned up (to match the highest db level of the program!). The fact that congress (republicans and democrats) allowed it is just more evidence that our elected representatives do not represent the people, but their personal sponsors and donors.
18
I suggest that the next time you get one of these calls, ask them to call you back at another number so that you can talk to them further. Then give them the number of your favorite congressional representative...
17
I have a friend of mine in Philadelphia who got sick and tired of calls, like the aforementioned, that usually came at dinnertime.
His response was..."I'm very interested in your product/service but, before we discuss it, would you have a few minutes to talk about Jesus?" you'd be surprised how few calls he now receives.
His response was..."I'm very interested in your product/service but, before we discuss it, would you have a few minutes to talk about Jesus?" you'd be surprised how few calls he now receives.
12
From the New York Times: Last year, about 15 billion robocalls were placed to numbers on the Do Not Call registry . . .
A smartphone is no guarantee
That you won’t be called constantly
About mortgage rates
And cruise line updates
(or sent poems like this one, for free)
A smartphone is no guarantee
That you won’t be called constantly
About mortgage rates
And cruise line updates
(or sent poems like this one, for free)
2
Like all predators, these callers make their living off the most vulnerable among us. The elderly with dementia, mentally handicapped, the lonely, etc... That's why they keep calling.
This won't stop until the people running these call centers go to prison.
This won't stop until the people running these call centers go to prison.
7
The penalties for violating Do Not Call are simply not working. Here's an idea: We have a death penalty in this country...
4
The list is a joke for most of us. Instead of the caller having the onus to find out if a number is posted, the DNCL should notify the caller to stop and desist.
Nomorobo is doing the list's job although occasionally something slips by. Especially if it originates from outside the U.S. The phone companies are useless, unless there is the threat of physical harm.
An answering machine helps; try to get someone else to record your message, to thwart the latest scams.
Nomorobo is doing the list's job although occasionally something slips by. Especially if it originates from outside the U.S. The phone companies are useless, unless there is the threat of physical harm.
An answering machine helps; try to get someone else to record your message, to thwart the latest scams.
4
If our congress cared, they would beef up the laws to provide relief. This might encourage increased fines and greater efforts to track down offenders (paid for by said fines); they might use some of the same technology the robocallers use to identify and thwart them.
As obafgkm said, the number of complaints has leveled off because we have given up. Our phone is only for junk calls and my in-laws; we never answer. We keep it only because it would be more expensive to obtain DSL another way.
As obafgkm said, the number of complaints has leveled off because we have given up. Our phone is only for junk calls and my in-laws; we never answer. We keep it only because it would be more expensive to obtain DSL another way.
6
Congress doesn't care because the perpetrators are paying off the members through "campaign donations." Lobbyists write the bills, not representatives.
For landlines, and if it works (doesn't with all providers), Nomorobo is a wonderful solution for robocallers. Phone rings once, and then hangs up. Not perfect, but hugely helpful. And free.
4
Can't get Nomorobo on my Verizon landline. I complained. They laughed.
I frequently have voices messages that came from phone numbers that were out of service. It appears that FCC does not have a good way of stopping this kind of phone call.
They make zero effort.
Complaints have dropped off because people know the futility of lodging a complaint. I have received telemarketing calls from company wanting to sign me up to electric provider. They always ask me for my con-ed account number. When I tell them I need to find the bill, they say they will wait on phone till I do. I put phone down and when I pick it up 2 hours later, they are still on it. You'd think they would get the message.
3
My phone has become useless. I don't answer calls and just check for messages once a day. I just keep the phone in case I need to call 911. This is where deregulation--in effect, as a result of non-enforcement--takes us.
6
And one more use for land line. Using it to call my cell phone when I forgot where I put it.
I'm retired, and sometimes have time on my hands. I have led on telemarketers for several minutes, having them believing I am really interested in their products. Of course, I've never given one of them any information that they could use to steal from me. But I've had some believing they were going to sell me a roof, or an insurance policy, or whatever. I usually manage to get their company name. I end by saying something like, "Wow, I really need some roof work done, and now I know who not to call."
With those callers who claim to be from Microsoft, calling because of my computer malfunctions that I "... probably haven't even detected yet, but Microsoft has... ," I tell them that my computer has just gone on the fritz, that the screen went all blue, and then script came on reading, "Warning, warning, warning, Crap coming in." Then I say, "And guess what, as soon as that script came on, you called."
Just takes a minute or so of their time, before they catch on.
With those callers who claim to be from Microsoft, calling because of my computer malfunctions that I "... probably haven't even detected yet, but Microsoft has... ," I tell them that my computer has just gone on the fritz, that the screen went all blue, and then script came on reading, "Warning, warning, warning, Crap coming in." Then I say, "And guess what, as soon as that script came on, you called."
Just takes a minute or so of their time, before they catch on.
1
This Microsoft Windows tech support group has scammed my 90 year old father out of hundreds of dollars.
We tell him to not respond, but he's lonely and not playing with a full deck. First he bought "lifetime tech support" for his PC for which he provided his login and pw.
Then they started threatening him with destroying his PC if he did not give them money. He went to the store, as directed, and purchased iTunes gift cards at $100 each and gave them the card numbers.
We had the police come to the house. Nothing can be done.
We tell him to not respond, but he's lonely and not playing with a full deck. First he bought "lifetime tech support" for his PC for which he provided his login and pw.
Then they started threatening him with destroying his PC if he did not give them money. He went to the store, as directed, and purchased iTunes gift cards at $100 each and gave them the card numbers.
We had the police come to the house. Nothing can be done.
2
If you really want to have fun, keep a loud whistle by your phone.
Don't say a thing, just blow. It is VERY satisfying. I did it twice to the Microsoft callers recently, made my day.
Don't say a thing, just blow. It is VERY satisfying. I did it twice to the Microsoft callers recently, made my day.
It should be a requirement that cable and land line companies provide free unlimited blocking. I think this is the only solution. If these companies get aggravated with all these calls coming through that they have to deal with with no charge to the consumer, then something will probably change. As it is, the problem has exploded since all these scammers/telemarketers know now that the Do Not Call has no teeth.
About cell phones. I was So delighted that my Samsung had seemingly unlimited call blocking. It worked Great until all of a sudden I got the message that my Block list was full. Now, sadly, I have to go through and unblock numbers that haven't called in a while. Surely it would be an easy fix for Samsung and any other phone manufacturers to increase significantly the number of allowed blocked numbers.
About cell phones. I was So delighted that my Samsung had seemingly unlimited call blocking. It worked Great until all of a sudden I got the message that my Block list was full. Now, sadly, I have to go through and unblock numbers that haven't called in a while. Surely it would be an easy fix for Samsung and any other phone manufacturers to increase significantly the number of allowed blocked numbers.
4
No, they want you to buy their overly priced caller I.D. instead.
Where I live the caller I.D. costs MORE than the landline itself.
I eliminated it and never pick up the phone anymore, just let it go to the answering machine. Or pick up after it starts recording if it is actually someone you want to talk with.
Where I live the caller I.D. costs MORE than the landline itself.
I eliminated it and never pick up the phone anymore, just let it go to the answering machine. Or pick up after it starts recording if it is actually someone you want to talk with.
In my opinion robocalls themselves should be banned and those found to have employed them ought to have every bit of skin flayed off their backs and their bloody flesh rubbed with salt. Plus Community Service.
9
True caller is an app that helps me block spam numbers like this in India. Works very well. Its more like crowdsourcing where users of truecaller tag certain numbers as spam and then it automatically blocks them for everyone. But it works for smartphone. Not sure if it works of landlines. Somehow, in India we do not get spam calls on the landline.
"Does anybody suffer at all for violating the FCC's Do Not Call list?" is a better question.
I pay for Caller ID, but it doesn't work. (I especially resent the ones that say "Call from...Unknown Caller.")
Funniest line in modern fiction:
"She didn't get many calls at home because she was on the federal Do Not Call list." (from John Sandford's "Gathering Prey")
I pay for Caller ID, but it doesn't work. (I especially resent the ones that say "Call from...Unknown Caller.")
Funniest line in modern fiction:
"She didn't get many calls at home because she was on the federal Do Not Call list." (from John Sandford's "Gathering Prey")
8
One one time something possessed me and I called the unknown number on my DoNotCall registered phone. Some guy with an Arabic accent told me he was with the IRS, something about my refund. I started calling him relentlessly, several times a day for weeks, demanding that he take my SSN. after a few days, he asked, "Are you making fun of me?" Priceless. Of course, it felt a little demented and a colossal waste of time, etc etc, but I actually successfully annoyed a scammer. he never called again. It felt like a victory. Of course, there are still daily calls and txt messages, but ... I got one.
16
Nomorobo is a great free service for cable or fiber optic based land lines. It rings once and they pick up the call. If it rings a second time, i know it's a real call, so I pick up. I still get up to 5 single rings a day, and I've had two nuisance calls that have slipped through in the six months since I signed up, but it has liberated me from this intense annoyance. My blood pressure returned to normal. Nomorobo is not free for cell phones, but blocking a telephone number is so easy to do on a cell phone that it doesn't seem necessary.
6
Another technique one may use for a landline, is to forward the landline's calls to your cellphone. Then you can turn off the cellphone whenever you don't want to be bothered and calls can still come through but you won't be bothered.
It's gotten so bad with robocalls that on my business line, I had to create an outgoing message saying that I can no longer answer incoming phone calls due to the amount of robocalls. I ask clients to leave a message or send me a text message or email -- the email is much less hassle to use than a phone.
It's gotten so bad with robocalls that on my business line, I had to create an outgoing message saying that I can no longer answer incoming phone calls due to the amount of robocalls. I ask clients to leave a message or send me a text message or email -- the email is much less hassle to use than a phone.
1
Maybe on leap day we could get NSA to focus on finding these creeps and send them to Guantanamo. It would do wonders for citizen support of all that spying.
18
I agree, Ms. Parson, a balmy holiday in some of the Gitmo cells should dissuade them (no, fellows, these boards are not for the surf.) It should be easy to locate the culprits. It's as easy as monitoring Andrea Merkel's phone conversations.
1
When --and, of course, if -- Americans by the millions write to their congressmen and senators and demand an end to this nuisance, it may just stop. Sending the enforcement responsibility to a tiny federal agency with lots of other demands on its small staff, the FTC, was congress' way of saying it doesn't give a damn.
The federal government clearly has the technology to identify the abusers, it simply lacks the will to track them and shut off their ability to communicate with their victims. For most of us such calls are just an annoyance (although there is always the worry that the call you don't take may involve a family crisis); for the disabled determining whether to take a phone call is a challenge.
I seriously doubt whether the first amendment provides a constitutional right to impose unwanted annoyance on millions of citizens via ostensibly regulated communications devices. But if it does, let's find out. Shut them down and let them seek recourse through the courts.
Folks, get mad as hell and let your elected representatives know that you're not going to take it anymore. The worst that can happen is that you learn there's nothing effective that can be done about it.
The federal government clearly has the technology to identify the abusers, it simply lacks the will to track them and shut off their ability to communicate with their victims. For most of us such calls are just an annoyance (although there is always the worry that the call you don't take may involve a family crisis); for the disabled determining whether to take a phone call is a challenge.
I seriously doubt whether the first amendment provides a constitutional right to impose unwanted annoyance on millions of citizens via ostensibly regulated communications devices. But if it does, let's find out. Shut them down and let them seek recourse through the courts.
Folks, get mad as hell and let your elected representatives know that you're not going to take it anymore. The worst that can happen is that you learn there's nothing effective that can be done about it.
14
I answer my land line phone with caller ID. When I hear a voice on the other end, which is usually with a foreign accent, I blow a loud sports whistle and then hang up. I do not get a return call.
11
I start screaming at the top of my lungs
Stop calling here
Stop calling here
Stop calling here
Usually they're gone by the time I stop.
Stop calling here
Stop calling here
Stop calling here
Usually they're gone by the time I stop.
I gave up reporting these because nothing is ever done. It is hard for me to believe that there is any enforcement at all.
23
Unfortunately I think many people like you Barbara also gave up reporting all the robocalls. It would take a great deal of time to report all the illegal phone calls received -- it can be as many as 8 to 10 calls a day for me. Blocking these numbers doesn't work, either -- some of these operators seem to have dozens or hundreds of phone numbers. You block one and they use another.
1
"In some cases" they "seem to be" getting worse, Ms. Kang? Please name one place in the known universe, just one, where they aren't. (I may move there.)
9
My IPHONE can now block calls. So I can now google the number and if I see it is someone I do not want to talk with, I just block them. This is a great solution to the do not call list. Finally, I get to block anyone I want to. Maybe there will be an APP that will help me see if a call is a robo call. I have not looked, but there is a need.
4
Complaining is useless. I don't answer the landline at all any more, and I never answer the cell unless I recognize the number. If it is someone with legitimate business they leave a message.
11
Right. That's what I do and it works.
Same with me...I never answer my landline, and actually it's also gotten to the point where I rarely answer my cellphone. I actually have an outgoing message on my phone stating that, due to robocalls, I can't answer the phone any more and that people can reach me faster via email.
A few years back, I went through the complaint process on numerous occasions, and received a nicely drafted letters, each thanking me for contacting them, and essentially telling me, don't call us, we will call you. Repeating that script on numerous occasions, and with the robo calls increasing in frequency, I came to the inescapable conclusion that the well meaning statute is, well, useless.
9
Having time to waste, I often press"1" to talk to a live operator, figuring I'm happy to waste their time. Many of these people are clearly Americans, working in American call centers run by Americans.
Just follow the money. I'd be happy to have a credit card linked to a separate law enforcement account, to give to these people to buy their vacations or whatever. Follow the money to the people running these call centers, and throw them in prison. Preferably in a cell with a phone that keeps ringing with unwanted solicitations.
Just follow the money. I'd be happy to have a credit card linked to a separate law enforcement account, to give to these people to buy their vacations or whatever. Follow the money to the people running these call centers, and throw them in prison. Preferably in a cell with a phone that keeps ringing with unwanted solicitations.
12
That's a good idea, follow the credit card payments to scammers. To take a credit card payment they have to have an account with a processor. Enforcement can start there.
Why is it up to us to solve this..why are phone companies allowed to process robo calls..we should not have to spend two seconds thinking about this garbage, let alone going through various contortions to minimize the effect on us.
14
They are a cash cow for the telephone companies is why.
how can I personally sue these pests since I AM ON DO NOT CALL LIST AND STILL THEY CALL
7
Would you throw open your front door without knowing who was standing out there? Then never answer the phone without knowing who is calling. If you still have a landline, get a cheap answering machine and screen every call. Anyone legitimate leaves a message or calls back.
The National Do Not Call is a joke. So, we either don't answer the daily calls from the same numbers or better yet answer and when you get a person ask them to hold on a minute and just don't return until they hang up.
7
I signed up for a service. www.nomorobo.com
It is free for your home/landline and a monthly fee for a cell phone.
It recognizes junk calls and doesn't let them go through. Sometimes there is a brief partial ring, which lets me know they caught it.
I think it is great. Don't have it on my cell but great for the landline.
It is free for your home/landline and a monthly fee for a cell phone.
It recognizes junk calls and doesn't let them go through. Sometimes there is a brief partial ring, which lets me know they caught it.
I think it is great. Don't have it on my cell but great for the landline.
3
Not all providers support this option. Verizon for one.
The Do Not Call list is a joke. I have had my ph number listed there several times. I consistently get 1-3 scam phone calls a day. From people offering me a low cost college loan, (I'm 56, and a college graduate), to money my dear departed grandmother left me ( she died 20 years ago), to Microsoft offering to "Help me" with my computer problems. I have close to a hundred numbers blocked on my phone. And still they call. As a result, I no longer answer calls from ph numbers I don't recognize. If they don't leave voicemail, they are googled, and then blocked. This perhaps hurts legitimate businesses more than the everyman, as they must respond to each call coming through. That means wasted time and money for them." Spoof" cards are the problem, in which anyone from in or outside the country can plug any prefix, any number and dial continuously until they get a sucker on the line. Our government needs to go after the makers of this technology, as it's purpose is only to enable the scammers and or terrorists from detection. Scams by phone are now a multi billion dollar business in this country. Something should be done to address it.
6
I tried calling the Do NOT CALL Complaint line once. It had a number of menu options, was very confusing and there was no human available to complain to. What is the point.
(If I am in the mood I just keep them on the line as long as I can. Ask for their personal information. Name. Address. Ask them to send me information in the mail. They usually hang up on me.)
(If I am in the mood I just keep them on the line as long as I can. Ask for their personal information. Name. Address. Ask them to send me information in the mail. They usually hang up on me.)
3
The reason complaints have leveled off is that people know the feds will do nothing. If they are really not able to find these people, obviously our national security apparatus is worth zero.
6
I just got one as I was beginning to type.
Of course, there is a *conspiracy* by my local phone company to do nothing.
Unless... you get caller ID $4/mo, selective call blocking, another $3/mo. Far be it from them, the local PUC and the FCC to *mandate* call blocking in return for being a regulated monopoly.
Of course, there is a *conspiracy* by my local phone company to do nothing.
Unless... you get caller ID $4/mo, selective call blocking, another $3/mo. Far be it from them, the local PUC and the FCC to *mandate* call blocking in return for being a regulated monopoly.
4
The do not call list has clearly become a please call list
4
No fun for those with disabilities to struggle to the phone only to find out it is some of this rubbish.
11
Change the law to a $10,000 fine for unsolicited calls, and make it applicable to the company that the call is for. Put a lifetime ban on telemarketers that use robo calls, and put the repeat offenders in a pen whee we can throw rotten food at them.
22
Complaints may be "leveling off" because people are giving up on enforcement.
The DONOTCALL complaint page may be there only to drain off complaints, and make you think something is done. I wouldn't be surprised if everything we input goes into the bit bucket.
The DONOTCALL complaint page may be there only to drain off complaints, and make you think something is done. I wouldn't be surprised if everything we input goes into the bit bucket.
34
That's exactly why I stopped using the complaint page. I think I'm wasting my time.
I'm never bothered any more by telemarketers and other scam callers. Here's how. FIrst, I have never given out my mobile number to anyone except a cruise ship, and I never get any scammers from them. Second, my land line has Caller ID. If I recognize the name, I'll answer. If I don't, or if there is no identification, I don't answer. Callers can leave a message, but almost never do. If the call is legitimate, as from an acquaintance who doesn't identify, I can pick up the phone when I hear the answer start or call back if a message is left. I get 10 - 20 unidentified calls a day but I have never made the mistake of picking up the phone. I might get one message a day on the answering machine.
3
You still have a land line?
1
A lot of the elderly don't have mobiles, mostly because the screen and the numbers are too small for them.
You'll be old one day, hopefully, and find out!
You'll be old one day, hopefully, and find out!
The DNC lists were very effective when they were first created, but not so much anymore. My guess is that enforcement was lax and so no one cared. Also I filed several complaints with both the State and the Feds and didn't hear back. I think emails should be added to the list as well.
10
Because of the incessant landline calls from organizations I have no connection with, and also because of the useless calls from those that I do (places I have purchased something), or those exempt from the law (politicians), I am about to change the nature of my landline. The phone will not ring, the answering machine will pick up immediately and silently, and the announcement will go something like this: "We no longer answer this number. If you know us, you may leave a message, call our other lines, or text us. If you are not irrelevant, we will be in touch."
7
We thought we had solved this problem by canceling our landline a few years ago, but now get regular calls from mortgage lenders, insurance companies, resorts, etc. We have had to block texting because these companies will send us texts because we don't answer their calls. We've registered both our cell phones on the federal DNC list, but to no avail. Guess we'll have to switch phone companies to allow us to block all robo calls. But this should all be unnecessary! Why can't the DNC law be enforced and violators punished?
18
An even more relevant question: why are phone companies allowed to put through robo calls at all..we should not have to spend two seconds thinking about this garbage.
3
You might think that an issue which touches very nearly every adult American would be put on ordinarily available NYT Website, not relegated to the "Times Insider" section. What are we to think? That the Times is using this as a lure to get more subscribers for this additional cost section?
Why not runs stories about the do not cal list where they have the greatest chance of readership so there is a better chance that the wasteful, misleading and annoying junk calls can be ended by a public outcry?
Why not runs stories about the do not cal list where they have the greatest chance of readership so there is a better chance that the wasteful, misleading and annoying junk calls can be ended by a public outcry?
15
My parents get more scam calls than I do even though we're all on the Do Not Call list. So robocalling is only a small part of the problem. The more worrisome part is that the scammers know who our senior citizens are and actively target them. The question is HOW are they getting lists of senior citizens?
28
From the government?
2
Most of the people with land lines are seniors.
So by definition, if you are using a random number generator -- which is what call centers to -- you have a higher probability of getting a senior's line than a younger person who probably uses a mobile only.
So by definition, if you are using a random number generator -- which is what call centers to -- you have a higher probability of getting a senior's line than a younger person who probably uses a mobile only.
Senior citizens have landlines, senior citizens answer the phone, they don't want to be rude and may want someone to talk to. There are also companies that sell lists of customers who make these purchases--and then there are the people who fill out sweepstakes and online applications. How about targeting the credit card processors who enable these merchants to accept credit cards, despite high levels of fraud complaints?
I just saw another article on this subject on nbc news site with suggestions for products like PrivacyStar for Android cell phones, NoMoRobo for Voip and IOs, and a link to Consumer Reports review on products. There is one called Digitone Call Blocker but costs $110 for the home. I'm going to try PrivacyStar on my cell. A trick I use at home if I answer the landline there is I tell them this is a place of business. That seems to help curb the calls with everyone except Card Services.
4
So "Do Not Call" registry is essentially toothless in the face of continual harassment of citizen by scammers and legit unscrupulous businesses alike.
The FTC/FCC should establish a commission with the power to systematically track miscreants, fine and if necessary jail them. Something needs to be done to concentrate minds.
The FTC/FCC should establish a commission with the power to systematically track miscreants, fine and if necessary jail them. Something needs to be done to concentrate minds.
10
Repeat offenders could be taken out and shot.
3
I use NOMOROBO to block solicitation calls. The only requisite is that your phone line is via the internet. You have all calls ring simultaneously with NOMOROBO website. They'll hang up for you if it's identified as a robo caller.
If it's an unknown caller to NOMOROBO, then it'll ring. You can report robo callers.
Its blocked 95% of the calls to my home. I would have to say, for a free service, it's working.
If it's an unknown caller to NOMOROBO, then it'll ring. You can report robo callers.
Its blocked 95% of the calls to my home. I would have to say, for a free service, it's working.
3
Not free in App store for IPhone.
Free for home use, but they do charge for mobile phones.
1
Fair enough. But my android phone allows me to block calls. At least you have that option for you.
This is why the election polls can be so wrong. People, especially the young and poor don't take these calls. Recall the polls and primary results in the Michigan Democratic primary. Clinton was considered a 10 point favorite and lost big. After this primary poll failure, I thought all bets were off in the general and that ended up being the case.
Americans have changed their behavior
Americans have changed their behavior
5
Very interesting comment and something I had not thought about. And certainly a valid concern. Thank you.
i registered a complaint on the do not call list and then got more calls / now i don't even answer my phone if there's no caller id - it's infuriating to get those calls / we live in a society where free speech is robocalls and corporations are people / i call foul
11
I must have a really boring life, I like telemarketers. I politely greet them,
place the phone on the counter, than wonder off to do household chores,
check laundry, etc. They never call back more than once. If they're
Messing with me, less time to attempt scamming someone else.
place the phone on the counter, than wonder off to do household chores,
check laundry, etc. They never call back more than once. If they're
Messing with me, less time to attempt scamming someone else.
14
Yes, I answer, play dumb and string them along as long as possible.
1
There needs to be an increase in the price of initiated calls to the point where mass telephone telemarketing makes little financial sense. This is the only answer to international cheats. We cannot arrest, fine, or jail them. Use the tax revenue to pay for something like 911 support, or some other universal good. My guess is the tax could be quite small, like $0.01 to 0.05 per call. Well worth the price to me.
10
I finally solved the problem by discontinuing my land line. I only use the smart phone now. That stopped almost all unwanted calls. Then I put a block on every number that reaches my cell phone that comes from a place I don't recognize. What a relief!
7
but how do you get a phone call from someone you don't know who really does need to get in touch with you (i.e., doctor, broker, bank, etc.)?
Blocking each call individually not my idea of a solution.
3
TJust tke the same steps you would if you moved and got a new phone number. A few calls to the doctors, dentist, etc. Three months now, and no problem. I've only blocked about six or so numbers, since unwanted calls to my cell number are infrequent. BTW, none of my grown kids have land lines.
I recently discovered that my cable/phone service provides a free robo-call blocking service. I set it up and it works quite well. My phone rings once, then stops. The robo-call gets some kind of message and they are gone.
3
Nomorobo is a free service that works with landline phones. After I set it up, my phone became much less of an annoyance. One ring and the caller gets sent off to la-la land.
1
I know murder and torture are against the law, but I swear, if I ever get hold of Bridget from Cardmember services, it will NOT be pretty.
97
It's Rachel in Illinois. Ugh.
4
Made my day.
yes, racel in illinois, but we also get bridget sometimes.. agreee with previous statements that there should be a way to prevent this outrage by the congress, fines for telcos, They shouldn't allow this at all. it is a joke on the public use of a utility. it's idiots hacking your personal life every day. "john" from the microsoft windows department calls repeatedly. who are we kidding? i resent the fact that India thinks Americans are fools who are just sitting around waiting to give him our money. Trump could, no doubt, issue an Executive ORDER. maybe that would work.
We no longer answer the phone. At all. Unless a message is left, or unless we recognize the caller: We IGNORE.
32
As do I. If it's important, caller will leave a message. Although I finally gave in after 2 weeks of 3 calls a day, but no messages, to discover the Red Cross wanted me to donate blood again.
This is not freedom of speech, it is invasion of privacy. It should be easy to stop illegal calls on cell phones since those numbers are not listed in directories. They have to be shared from some source or the number randomly accessed mathematically. Why not fine cell phone providers when numbers are hacked?
17
the FTC and the FCC - more examples of ineffective Federal agencies with huge budgets and staffs contributing little in comparison to what they cost us
4
For a while I had a service from my phone company whereby phone numbers on a list I made would ring my phone as usual. Any incoming call from a number not on the list would be told that this number does not accept solicitations and that they could press a number to continue. If they didn't press the # my phone never rang at all. This service was discontinued by the phone company but I'd sure pay to get it back.
5
I simply do not answer my land line any long and simply let it go to voice mail.
I do not answer my cell phone unless the number is in my contacts or from a very reasonable location. I am not a person who talks much on the phone and most of the talking I do is for business.
If I am in doubt about a call it goes to voicemail. If it is important a message is left and I call back.
What however infuriates me however is that I pay good money for both my landline and my cell phone and need both for emergency purposes. Cell phone service is spotty where I live and I much have a land line for security.
I recognize that the Oligopoly who operated legacy telephone companies profit from robocalls and telemarketing. That is the real reason we cannot end this scourge.
I do not answer my cell phone unless the number is in my contacts or from a very reasonable location. I am not a person who talks much on the phone and most of the talking I do is for business.
If I am in doubt about a call it goes to voicemail. If it is important a message is left and I call back.
What however infuriates me however is that I pay good money for both my landline and my cell phone and need both for emergency purposes. Cell phone service is spotty where I live and I much have a land line for security.
I recognize that the Oligopoly who operated legacy telephone companies profit from robocalls and telemarketing. That is the real reason we cannot end this scourge.
31
I so agree with you, RIchard. Phone companies can stop these annoying calls but they don't. While I'm not a big fan of government intervention, I do think the government needs to step in and demand phone companies start blocking all of these calls, whether to landlines or cell phones. I've written to the FCC regarding this. Perhaps if more people wrote demanding that the phone companies block these calls, the FCC might actually make it a requirement.
1
There you have it, the proof that humanity in the age of marketing is basically a vile, miserable, disgusting species. Every single thing they do is in some way based in greed & intent to annoy others for corporate gain.
Robocalls are just a branch of that insidious invention, marketing: The science of Manufacturing demand.
People who work in the industry of 'manufacturing demand' by infiltrating people's minds, whether it's through interrupting dinner with computer-generated phone calls, pop-ups that dim the entire screen until you find the tiny x to click, billboards, pages & pages of insidious ads intended to make women feel so insecure about their bodies that they'll run out & impulsively buy Calvin Klein while becoming bulimic, this is what has made modern marketing evil.
Look: If you produce a product, you have the right to design a nice package, maybe a nice sign for your store. But you do not, ever have the right to invade the universe with your incessant marketing message. Give people the choice, the option to buy your product or service, not try to flog them into imagining they need it.
People who work in marketing, who scientifically attempt to manufacture demand through manipulation, are foul, vile, miserable bad-seeds, a scourge on society.
Robocalls are just a branch of that insidious invention, marketing: The science of Manufacturing demand.
People who work in the industry of 'manufacturing demand' by infiltrating people's minds, whether it's through interrupting dinner with computer-generated phone calls, pop-ups that dim the entire screen until you find the tiny x to click, billboards, pages & pages of insidious ads intended to make women feel so insecure about their bodies that they'll run out & impulsively buy Calvin Klein while becoming bulimic, this is what has made modern marketing evil.
Look: If you produce a product, you have the right to design a nice package, maybe a nice sign for your store. But you do not, ever have the right to invade the universe with your incessant marketing message. Give people the choice, the option to buy your product or service, not try to flog them into imagining they need it.
People who work in marketing, who scientifically attempt to manufacture demand through manipulation, are foul, vile, miserable bad-seeds, a scourge on society.
37
preach it brother paw
1
Does the Do Not Call list and reporting system do any good at all? I'm not clear about that from this article. It seems to say only 100 penalties have been leveled over all these years. That's pretty pathetic.
10
maybe the problem exists only in the imagination?
The reason the robocalls and unsolicited marketing calls are on the rise is that regulators are under the foot of politicians who in turn are in the pocket of businesses. It would be very easy to make the practice stop by enacting and enforcing legislation that makes it a crime. The truth is, our politicians say one thing and do the opposite when they are out of sight.
28
A timely article indeed, and a few things:
1. I lost my phone Oct. 1 and when I got a new one, I got a new number, because the amount of daily robocalls I got far, far outnumbered the sole two people I talk to every day - my mother and my girlfriend. This despite the pretty-much-useless "Do not call" registry, which I'd registered for in early summer. SIGH
2. The commenters asking "Does anyone actually BUY anything from these calls?" The answer is: if no one bought, the calls would not be made.
3. The commenter saying "Now if we could just get the USPS on board with refraining from sending junk mail, that would be great" is spot-on. I have started collecting all junk mail, removing my address and simply dropping it back at the post office, so THEY have to go through garbage, too, in between important communications. It would be different if I got junk mail for fresh broccoli, coffee, soy milk or other stuff I actually use. But it's always for junk food restaurants, pork chops or other crap I will never, ever buy, coupon or not.
And by the way, GEICO, I don't own a car, so your constant stream of ads for insurance go straight in the trash.
1. I lost my phone Oct. 1 and when I got a new one, I got a new number, because the amount of daily robocalls I got far, far outnumbered the sole two people I talk to every day - my mother and my girlfriend. This despite the pretty-much-useless "Do not call" registry, which I'd registered for in early summer. SIGH
2. The commenters asking "Does anyone actually BUY anything from these calls?" The answer is: if no one bought, the calls would not be made.
3. The commenter saying "Now if we could just get the USPS on board with refraining from sending junk mail, that would be great" is spot-on. I have started collecting all junk mail, removing my address and simply dropping it back at the post office, so THEY have to go through garbage, too, in between important communications. It would be different if I got junk mail for fresh broccoli, coffee, soy milk or other stuff I actually use. But it's always for junk food restaurants, pork chops or other crap I will never, ever buy, coupon or not.
And by the way, GEICO, I don't own a car, so your constant stream of ads for insurance go straight in the trash.
6
Re: your frustration with junk mail. Several years ago I virtually eliminated it from my life. Here's what to do;
1. keep a list of all incoming commercial mailings for six months so you don't waste time calling anyone twice
2.for those you want to continue hearing from {my personal example is LLBean] you call them and tell them you ish to continue getting their mailings but you do not want them to "distribute my name".
2 for those which annoy you, call and asks to be removed from their mailing list and the list of any "sister companies".
because these mailings cost money they always comely. Oh wait, I did have one problem..with the AMA if you can believe that. I ordered a nifty little book from them about poisonous plants and they decided I must be a medical profession lad the mailing onslaught began..even telling me when I repeatedly called and explained the error that they would not remove me. Finally I told them that if I got any more mailing I was going to give them a 'change of address' to my childhood home and that worked. geez.
3 From then forward anytime you order something from any new company ask them not to distributor name.
I still get the occasional unwanted piece of mail but very very infrequent an a call usually resolves the matter.
1. keep a list of all incoming commercial mailings for six months so you don't waste time calling anyone twice
2.for those you want to continue hearing from {my personal example is LLBean] you call them and tell them you ish to continue getting their mailings but you do not want them to "distribute my name".
2 for those which annoy you, call and asks to be removed from their mailing list and the list of any "sister companies".
because these mailings cost money they always comely. Oh wait, I did have one problem..with the AMA if you can believe that. I ordered a nifty little book from them about poisonous plants and they decided I must be a medical profession lad the mailing onslaught began..even telling me when I repeatedly called and explained the error that they would not remove me. Finally I told them that if I got any more mailing I was going to give them a 'change of address' to my childhood home and that worked. geez.
3 From then forward anytime you order something from any new company ask them not to distributor name.
I still get the occasional unwanted piece of mail but very very infrequent an a call usually resolves the matter.
When all else fails, there's always the Seinfeld approach. (24 sec. video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllDWSbuDsQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllDWSbuDsQ
1
Consumers must also be action oriented, every time you get one of these calls, lodge a complaint. Those making the calls can only be held accountable (and fined) when the complaints are made formally, not just to each other. Also, put the onus back on the caller -- I receive very few of these calls now because I escalate the inquiry at the top of the call --
How did you get this number?
This number is on the 'Do not call list'
I will be filing a complaint as soon as I hang up
Fines are associated with the filing of complaints
In the case of robocalls I have taken to providing a text message when i reject the call
"This number is on the Do Not Call list and a complaint will be filed associated with this call."
How did you get this number?
This number is on the 'Do not call list'
I will be filing a complaint as soon as I hang up
Fines are associated with the filing of complaints
In the case of robocalls I have taken to providing a text message when i reject the call
"This number is on the Do Not Call list and a complaint will be filed associated with this call."
if we lodged complaints every time there would not be time to go to the bathroom.
3
Good article and useful comments. My home is deluged with these unwanted calls, and I wonder daily, when my government is going to do something about this small, but annoying scourge of life in America.
I remain critical of the NY Times insisting on pushing the Times Insider, to get extra cash out of its subscriber base. This report on robocalls is not really a Times Insider story, this is one of the most important consumer protection scandal stories or our times. For the NY Times to try and harvest something extra, by taking big news, and making it, pay extra for big news, is not only questionable, its despicable. What a great way to ruin your once excellent brand.
Meanwhile, the intensiveness of robo calls is big news. The NYT should be covering it every week, because their subscribers, and the American public, and this subscriber, want relief.
I remain critical of the NY Times insisting on pushing the Times Insider, to get extra cash out of its subscriber base. This report on robocalls is not really a Times Insider story, this is one of the most important consumer protection scandal stories or our times. For the NY Times to try and harvest something extra, by taking big news, and making it, pay extra for big news, is not only questionable, its despicable. What a great way to ruin your once excellent brand.
Meanwhile, the intensiveness of robo calls is big news. The NYT should be covering it every week, because their subscribers, and the American public, and this subscriber, want relief.
11
David, I sympathize, but also I tend to cut the Times a bit of slack on some of these experiments on raising revenue. Major papers are disappearing forever, and the Times is reliant on profits just like any other commercial enterprise. I'm a home subscriber and have been for over 30 years; now retired, I sometimes fear the day will come when I can't afford to keep the subscription, the price of which just went up again. There are things they've tried that I didn't like, but I root for them to find a path through an ever-changing landscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_newspapers_of_the_United_S...
2
the scams and frauds are rampant and the constant interruptions are terrible. it may sound draconian, but "exteme" measures on several random abusers and call center operators might discourage the activity. Is there no way to retaliate against these vulture? air horns?
1
If the executives of these phone pirates went to prison, these violations would end overnight.
8
I have an utterly different strategy for dealing with such calls. I put on a thick accent and play dumb for as long as I can keep them on the phone (often 10-20 minutes). In the meantime, I do simple housework (there's always plenty). I figure that if that can only make 3-10 calls per hour, their business model won't work.
The fun thing is that they're looking for gullible people. If you answer instructions like "get on the Internet" by asking how to get "onto" the Internet if it's in the computer, they think they've got a fish on the line and start being really patient regardless of how outlandishly you response. Try it and pass it on!
The fun thing is that they're looking for gullible people. If you answer instructions like "get on the Internet" by asking how to get "onto" the Internet if it's in the computer, they think they've got a fish on the line and start being really patient regardless of how outlandishly you response. Try it and pass it on!
I've found that in many cases, if an actual number shows up on your called ID, and you call the number, you'll get a recording giving you the option to have your number taken off their list. While it's possible that this is just a way of collecting numbers for other marketing efforts, my unscientific analysis is that it does get them to stop calling.
1
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much you can do about the robo callers. I report them when I can, but when I'm feeling mischievous (and its a live person), I ask them if they're naked. I continue this line of inquiry for the duration of the call and keep steering the conversation back to their state of undress. They usually get frustrated and hang up, while I spend the rest of my day smiling. Passive aggressive - sure, but my phone, my rules.
4
this could be construed as being sexist and politically incorrect.
I always cherished these calls during dinner time, specifically before the rise of robocalling.
It was always refreshing to see my father put on a serious face and deepen his voice.
"Is Mr. Meyer available?" They would politely ask.
"Who is this? What's your association with Mr. Meyer?! This is Sergeant Vitaly with the local police department, we've got Mr. Meyer dead on the floor here in what appears to be a triple rape homicide. I want some answers now!"
Needless to say, they usually tried to get off the phone very quickly after the first back and forth. I miss those dinners *sigh*.
It was always refreshing to see my father put on a serious face and deepen his voice.
"Is Mr. Meyer available?" They would politely ask.
"Who is this? What's your association with Mr. Meyer?! This is Sergeant Vitaly with the local police department, we've got Mr. Meyer dead on the floor here in what appears to be a triple rape homicide. I want some answers now!"
Needless to say, they usually tried to get off the phone very quickly after the first back and forth. I miss those dinners *sigh*.
7
I have effectively ended calls from fraudsters by frustrating them, and even non-human robo calls have ceased. It takes a few minutes of your time, but it works and can be fun to do.
If you get a real person, act confused, slow, and very very scared. Ask them to repeat everything four or five times. And when they tell you anything, relay it several times to "Jim in the other room" (who is a little deaf) yelling at full volume. Put them on hold while you "go to your computer."
When you have had enough fun, end the call by saying "let's do this again when you call tomorrow" and hang up.
I've done this with 5 or 6 scams and they never call back. And they must be removing me from lists because the number of all robo calls has dropped dramatically.
If you get a real person, act confused, slow, and very very scared. Ask them to repeat everything four or five times. And when they tell you anything, relay it several times to "Jim in the other room" (who is a little deaf) yelling at full volume. Put them on hold while you "go to your computer."
When you have had enough fun, end the call by saying "let's do this again when you call tomorrow" and hang up.
I've done this with 5 or 6 scams and they never call back. And they must be removing me from lists because the number of all robo calls has dropped dramatically.
3
The only reason it appears hopeless is that the collusion of the telephone companies has been ignored from the early days. Whomever distributes those robocalls is profiting from the traffic. They enable all the variations, and get paid for it. My land line is connected to wires and a phone company. It's pretty clear that any bunch of simultaneous calls other than emergency notifications, is fraud. But they make money from it.
We can't squish all the callers in and out of the country, but, by golly we can get the very small number of phone companies; if not for profiting, then for defrauding their customers who did not sign up for 'fake' calls.
If you pay to receive legitimate calls, and 99% are unwanted, they owe you 99% of your money.
By the way, my own mother fell while dashing to answer a telemarketing call, and subsequently died.
We can't squish all the callers in and out of the country, but, by golly we can get the very small number of phone companies; if not for profiting, then for defrauding their customers who did not sign up for 'fake' calls.
If you pay to receive legitimate calls, and 99% are unwanted, they owe you 99% of your money.
By the way, my own mother fell while dashing to answer a telemarketing call, and subsequently died.
4
Unfortunately, it has been my experience that the robocallers won't identify the company of origin unless the recipient presses "1", which it then accepts as approval of a business relationship and therefore exempts them from the Do Not Call registry. I have noticed a number of companies call and give the recipient the option of pressing some key to be placed on the company's own "Do Not Call" list, a clear sign of contempt for both state and federal regulations regarding "Do Not Call" (and the companies promptly ignore your request for no calls--I have received numerous calls from such companies within a couple of days and again long after asking to be placed on their list).
2
Pro Tip: If you see a number you don't recognize on you caller ID, pick up the phone, but do not say anything - just listen in total silence. The predictive dialers that the robo-callers use are triggered by your voice saying "Hello?" When they hear your voice the call is immediately transferred to a human. If the computer that is listening doesn't hear anything, after a few moments the call is simply disconnected. Also, after a few moments of silence, an actual human would say something to see who picked up - a computer does not.
After a while the calls seem to drop off, as the robo-call computers start to flag your number as bad.
After a while the calls seem to drop off, as the robo-call computers start to flag your number as bad.
2
why not just speak jibberish and continue doing so well after you have the human on line?
1
There's a warm place in hell for whoever came up with the idea of unsolicited direct marketing. The scam artists are simply an inevitable hookworm on an already insidious practice. You wonder that the telecommunications industry hasn't taken independent action.
You'd think the communications industry would realize telemarketers are bad for business. You're not making customers happy about your product and services. This applies as much to phone lines as penny fliers in the mail. Cable television is fast becoming an unwanted artifact as well.
The only justification I can fathom is inelastic demand with entrenched, oligarchic supply. The companies don't care because consumers have few alternatives for essential services. Good luck appealing to regulation commissions on that one. The deck is pretty well stacked.
Millennials are mostly cutting cords for exactly this reason. Given the opportunity, I'll pass on any company that subjects my household to unwanted harassment. Thanks but no thanks. The internet is beginning to degenerate into the realm of traditional telecommunications but fortunately isn't there yet. The pathways around mass industry malfeasance are still prolific with or without the government. We'll see how long that lasts. I might just go low tech with books and board games again. If only I could find a spam filter for USPS.
You'd think the communications industry would realize telemarketers are bad for business. You're not making customers happy about your product and services. This applies as much to phone lines as penny fliers in the mail. Cable television is fast becoming an unwanted artifact as well.
The only justification I can fathom is inelastic demand with entrenched, oligarchic supply. The companies don't care because consumers have few alternatives for essential services. Good luck appealing to regulation commissions on that one. The deck is pretty well stacked.
Millennials are mostly cutting cords for exactly this reason. Given the opportunity, I'll pass on any company that subjects my household to unwanted harassment. Thanks but no thanks. The internet is beginning to degenerate into the realm of traditional telecommunications but fortunately isn't there yet. The pathways around mass industry malfeasance are still prolific with or without the government. We'll see how long that lasts. I might just go low tech with books and board games again. If only I could find a spam filter for USPS.
9
"There's a warm place in hell for whoever came up with the idea of unsolicited direct marketing"
Ain't capitalism just grand!
And while we're on the subject:
Why can't I request only 1st class mail in my mailbox? Because the lobbyists for the junk mail industry have more money than I do!
Ain't capitalism just grand!
And while we're on the subject:
Why can't I request only 1st class mail in my mailbox? Because the lobbyists for the junk mail industry have more money than I do!
4
One very simple way to stop the practice is to copy tax statute strategy. Placing a small, very small (say 10¢) "transaction fee" on each call. Then monthly billing would be determined on the greater of the two amounts (the two being 1) the costs incurred by number of minutes used, and 2) the total of transaction fees.
Entities abusing the Do Not Call rules would pay significant amounts for "robocalls, those recorded calls offering cruise ship and insurance deals that hit thousands of numbers at a time".
Entities abusing the Do Not Call rules would pay significant amounts for "robocalls, those recorded calls offering cruise ship and insurance deals that hit thousands of numbers at a time".
17
Now explain that again....how exactly would you tax guys in India and China?
You're assuming ethical behavior from unethical people. Decentralize the accounts through masking and you've side-stepped the transaction tax. Think Netflix on AWS but for telephone numbers. Spin it up and spin it down. The phone number exists only as long as the phone call.
1
Robocalls are Skyped. They are not on anyone's monthly phone bill, besides originating in foreign countries.
Don't answer the call if the name of the caller is not on your contact list. I continue to be amused by the urge family and friends feel to answer a call from a number they do not know. If the call is important then the caller will leave a voice message.
52
My phone is my alarm clock. The calls start around 9 AM each morning, so then I know it's time to make coffee. Naturally I never answer; but they kkeep on trying.
I don't answer. I google the number and then block it. But of course they use spoofed numbers so this doesn't really do the job.
Absolutely correct. There seems to be some compulsion in the human condition to answer a call. If you do not know the number, do not answer it. Afterward, add it to your block list.
2
For many of us, these calls are annoying. But for others, usually seniors, these calls are muggings. Criminal, not civil. If this were Street crime, politicians would be up in arms.
There only one reason why this continues --- some lobbying firm must be paying the political class to ignore it.
There only one reason why this continues --- some lobbying firm must be paying the political class to ignore it.
105
Yes, as Pat says, these calls are "muggings" for the elderly in more ways than one. Literally, they take money out of the pockets of hard of hearing elders or those with cognitive deterioration. But also it causes elderly to go to the phone in the evenings when they are tired, it's dark and they are more likely to slip and fall--also a sort of mugging. I know this first-hand with my own mother. I spent several evenings per week just answering her marketing calls to try to get these people to cease and desist--but it's a fools errand. There are no teeth in the federal law. (And, the junk mail to the elderly looking for money is a story for another day.)
4
I simply don't answer unless the number is from someone in my Contacts(Mac/IOS). They can always leave a message if it's legit.
8
Yes, but the ringing in itself is very annoying at the dinner hour.
5
The fact that a government program like the Do-Not-Call Registry has no effect, and my telemarketing calls have actually increased, is one more reason people do not believe our government can protect us.
Do you know how many elderly people have lost their savings to telemarketing scams? It's shameful.
This is how a non-politician like Trump was elected, as a protest to government spending and programs that do not work.
Do you know how many elderly people have lost their savings to telemarketing scams? It's shameful.
This is how a non-politician like Trump was elected, as a protest to government spending and programs that do not work.
32
Actually trump lost by 3 million votes and those who voted for him wanted to slap down the elites who have an education, those who believe in stability and anyone else who doesn't watch Duck Dynasty!
Give me a break!
Give me a break!
7
Don't blame me, I voted for Hillary. But dismissing 60 million people as, "those who voted for him wanted to slap down the elites who have an education, those who believe in stability and anyone else who doesn't watch Duck Dynasty!"----well, that intolerance of others and refusal to acknowledge that someone else might have an opinion that differs from yours is why Trump is in the White House.
2
The government cannot protect us. How true! Maybe I should just shoot my phone and claim self defense.
Does ANYONE ever buy anything from these robo callers? I know some people get sucked into IRS scams, etc., but the sales calls - does anyone buy anything?
10
Unfortunately, the elderly are often victims of telephone scammers due to a reduction in the cognitive function. When my father is 86 and in the early stages of dementia, he answered a scammer's call. The scammer told him he was calling from my Dad's credit card company and they needed to verify is social security number. Of course Dad gave it to him. My stepmother found out, called me, and we put a fraud alert on all three of the credit reporting agencies, and notified his bank, brokerage firm, and credit card companies.
2
If they didn't get enough response to make it possible, then they wouldn't keep doing it. So the answer to your question has to be yes.
1
Well, gosh, I rent an apartment and just last week I bought new siding from a telemarketer. I didn't need it, had no place to put it, but the deal was just too good to pass up.
1
The companies selling the stuff hire the call companies from another country where they can not be policed. When confronted with a malicious call company, the sellers can simply say, "Oh, they said they wouldn't do that - guess we'll fire them". It would be helpful though, to publicize the actual sellers' names on a list for unscrupulous marketing, like YELP or Angies List or some Consumer Protection site. If you stay on the phone long enough to get the Company's name, you could add them to the list before you even hang up, then ask them to confirm they are or are not on that list: if the say they are not, you can scream "LIAR'S" loud enough for the telemarketer's supervisor to hear, and then hang up, add that number to your blocked list, and enjoy your dinner.
One real danger that uses this number spoofing tech is for your phone to ring once and then hang up. If it's your cell phone and has a local prefix, you might call it back. At that point a robot asks you a couple of questions designed to elicit a positive reply, like yes or OK or Sure, which is then recorded. Now the spoofer can use your phone number and your voice to accept charges on various phone order stuff and you won't see it until your phone bill shows up.
Can't we just ask the NSA to reel them all in - I'm sure the meta data shows mass call centers pretty well - and slap them hard, revoke their telemarketing license and give us our privacy back?
One real danger that uses this number spoofing tech is for your phone to ring once and then hang up. If it's your cell phone and has a local prefix, you might call it back. At that point a robot asks you a couple of questions designed to elicit a positive reply, like yes or OK or Sure, which is then recorded. Now the spoofer can use your phone number and your voice to accept charges on various phone order stuff and you won't see it until your phone bill shows up.
Can't we just ask the NSA to reel them all in - I'm sure the meta data shows mass call centers pretty well - and slap them hard, revoke their telemarketing license and give us our privacy back?
4
Sometimes, especially during the last recession, telemarketing jobs were the only jobs available. Lots of people had to take them. I have sympathy for the poor people who have to take those jobs, so if I accidentally pick up the phone, I try to be polite. Naturally, I never buy anything but sometimes I get hooked into a charity or political party call for donations. So, it's just best never to answer any landline call unless you KNOW.
The telecommunications industry has readily available solutions to the problem but doesn't want to endure the cost of fixing the problems. They will need some legislative help: callers must first enter their actual name or phone number into the caller ID system. There are companies which provide peering services which allows Internet calls to be made. These peering charges are part of the cost of a Skype call to allow you to connect a call over IP. The data stream of the VOIP call has the real number of the caller and the caller ID data provided by the caller. If the two do not match the peering provider could terminate the call. I'm trying to simplify the process and have left out some details but resolution of the problem has been available for years. To a certain extent the Telco industry has a vested interest in junk calls. The peering providers do charge a very small amount for each call but for those generating millions of calls these charges become significant.
1
Talk about a first world problem. Don't answer the phone if you don't recognize the caller. Check your messages once a day, and add any unwanted callers to your blocked list. Stop giving your phone number to internet web sites. Install software on your phone to facilitate the blocking.
Do not devote federal resources to solving an annoyance. People, get some priorities. This should be the worst thing that ever happens to you.
Do not devote federal resources to solving an annoyance. People, get some priorities. This should be the worst thing that ever happens to you.
1
You obviously don't have an elderly relative. They ALWAYS answer the phone. They may be using a walker and be half-deaf, but they will spring across a room to answer a ringing phone. And they are very vulnerable to fraud.
2
As prior commenters have mentioned, the elderly are common victims. Your methodology is of course great for individuals with no social concern, and no relatives who are less savvy.
1
The most annoying part is, if your phone is not answered and then goes into voicemail, my voicemail signals a call is waiting. This involves my dialing a 10-digit number and navigating the voicemail menu to hear the message, which often is nothing more than a hang-up. The options available to us as consumers all involve some kind of action on our part. That's what's truly annoying.
15
Robert: Get an answering machine in addition to voicemail. Unless you are using the phone, the answering machine will pick up rather than voicemail. The answering machine will let you screen calls as they are coming in, and will take fewer keystrokes to operate.
I sometimes managed to trick them to give me a real number so I can report ti the Registry. But most of the time the number shown on the Caller ID is not real.
4
The list has become so useless that I propose an opt-in list, and commercial solicitation outside the list result in jail time (even minimal jail time like one day would do) for CEOs of those who repeatedly solicitation outside the list.
2
Based on the total of negative externality costs imposed on average Americans in lost-time and aggravation of those illegal ('don't call' CANSPAM2003 violation) 15 billion calls, the participants in these crimes should be greatly increased (in fines, and jail time). Much of the illegality is with communications firms that support these illegalities with technology and services behind the telemarketing law breakers themselves.
5
It's not that fines and jail time need to be increased.
It's the enforcement of the existing laws that's needed!
It's the enforcement of the existing laws that's needed!
Has no one heard of NOMOROBO? It's a great service that you can sign up for online. The phone will only ring once and then they are gone. It doesn't block all calls but most of them. Just go to: nomorobo.com and sign up.
7
It is great if you have a land line. Otherwise, it is $4.99 month for a family plan.
1
NOMOROBO has been very effective in eliminating these annoying calls. The phone does ring once, but then the call is dropped. If a rogue call gets through I report the # to them and they put it in their database.
Landline registration is free; mobile is $1.99 per month. Verizon does not cooperate.
I registered my 92 y.o. Mom, since I was worried about her getting scammed.
Landline registration is free; mobile is $1.99 per month. Verizon does not cooperate.
I registered my 92 y.o. Mom, since I was worried about her getting scammed.
1
Wow, blessings on you!
The Times even covered that: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/technology/two-deterrents-to-robocalls...
The Times even covered that: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/technology/two-deterrents-to-robocalls...
Since the do not call list only serves to block businesses from doing business, not withstanding that President Bush signed the bill how long do you suppose that it will last under Trump and the current batch of Republicans who feel that businesses are over regulated? By what right do impede the harassment of those honest business people from trying to make a profit at all hours?
2
7
We have the option of call forwarding on our home phone. We forward the robocalls to other robocallers. We hear the phone ring one short ring and we know the call was forwarded. Very satisfying.
28
But what if the robocallers are using an innocents number masking their true identity and you forward other robocallers to that innocent? In essence, you could be the victim of someone doing that to you, no?
I would love to do this. How does your phone recognize a robocall?
I'd like more on how to do this.
I just unplug the phone.
Call blocking is ineffective because the robocalls can randomly pick a phone number that will appear on your caller ID. It can even be your own. They can even pick caller ID's from your local area so you think it's a local call. You block it and another number is used. Looked at the government websites and they say report it to your phone company. Tried that. No help.
I'm told that robo computers blast out the calls, almost starting with 000, then when it gets a hit (not necessarily answered), it picks a calling number that appears on the caller ID. If you answer, the computer then rings back to the company sponsoring the calls. You get some service person -- or computer message advising you of some "deal". It would seem easy for enforcement agencies to figure out the sponsoring company, e.g. cruise line, and then lower the hammer on them.
I'm told that robo computers blast out the calls, almost starting with 000, then when it gets a hit (not necessarily answered), it picks a calling number that appears on the caller ID. If you answer, the computer then rings back to the company sponsoring the calls. You get some service person -- or computer message advising you of some "deal". It would seem easy for enforcement agencies to figure out the sponsoring company, e.g. cruise line, and then lower the hammer on them.
11
Jftiz,
I've had a call blocker for two years. During that time less than a dozen calls have gotten through (but never to get through again after being individually blocked). I've found a call blocker to be a huge blessing.
I've had a call blocker for two years. During that time less than a dozen calls have gotten through (but never to get through again after being individually blocked). I've found a call blocker to be a huge blessing.
1
Fines imposed on the likes of Sprint aren't going to make a dent in the problem. The main problem isn't big companies like Sprint that occasionally bend the rules, but the fly-by-night outfits that impersonate the IRS, offer free cruises, etc. etc. etc. What the FCC needs to do is set up a big sting operation, backed by technology that allows them to trace calls back to the real caller (not the number that pops up on your caller ID). To the extent that the calls come from a foreign country, FCC needs the authority to create enough havoc with calls from that country to incentivize its government to cooperate in shutting down the perpetrators.
22
Even if these offenses carried jail time, how are you going to jail the people sitting in their cubicles in the Philippines or wherever, or their bosses? At least twice a week, the same guy calls me claiming to be from Microsoft tech support to warn me that my computer has a virus and he can fix it with special software. This is a well-known scam that many people are warning about on various websites. The guy gives a different American-sounding name every time but it's always the same guy with an Asian accent. He sometimes addresses me by first name so I'll think it's someone I know. Caller ID shows a different number every time, sometime toll-free, sometimes local. It's so frequent and routine that it's a joke. My responses range from reasoned discussion about why he's wasting his and my time to cursing him out, but it's meaningless because a few days later he calls back and goes through the same thing. I also get plenty of calls offering credit-card consolidation, and hitting the right number to be removed from the list is a waste of time. The FCC appears to be powerless to do anything about this. The Do Not Call List has become pointless.
50
I've found a call blocker to be the best $100 I've ever invested. The tiny number of calls that get through can still be individually blocked--forever.
1
I usually get at least 1-2 scam calls per day even though I am on the do not call list.
Sometimes I don't answer, but try calling the number back. Most of the numbers are bogus and 'out of order'.
As far as I'm concerned, business licenses should be immediately repealed for any company making illegal calls.
Sometimes I don't answer, but try calling the number back. Most of the numbers are bogus and 'out of order'.
As far as I'm concerned, business licenses should be immediately repealed for any company making illegal calls.
33
I have complained to the F.C.C. many times about these misfits. Many of them aren't located in the U.S., they call via computer from other countries. I ask the F.C.C. to find them and lock them up. They intrude in our lives. I once was torn between caring for a sick loved one and answering the phone. I wouldn't have minded if it was someone or something connected to my life. It wasn't. It was a robocall.
2
How about an article telling us how to get compensation for unwanted calls, when we are already on the Do Not Call list, please???
28
Robo-callers have to connect from a VoIP/IP network (calling based on the internet) to the PSTN (public switched telephone network); also known as POTS (plain old telephone service).
To do that, they need the complicity of a US Public Telco with access to the PSTN. So we know where these junk calls are coming from. One typical scenario is a small local telco in a sparsely populated area, that is not
profitable; except for money they get from robo-call operations that dump millions of calls into the PSTN system through their "portal".
These "bad operators" are telco's that are Federally licensed, and given the right regulatory environment their license to operate could be taken away.
In some sense, robo-calls are an unintended consequence of US Telco de-regulation in the 90's. The current PSTN technology (SS7) has no way to authenticate caller ID's. The Bell System monopoly controlled the number assignments and constructed all the caller ID information. Now anyone can spoof any caller ID.
Ironically, we've had commercial telephony technology since the late 90's called SIP (session initiation protocol) which authenticates both call endpoints, and can't be spoofed. This would eliminate robo-calls, but it requires overhaul of the phone system, which is in critical need of overhaul (to IP based services) for many reasons.
To do that, they need the complicity of a US Public Telco with access to the PSTN. So we know where these junk calls are coming from. One typical scenario is a small local telco in a sparsely populated area, that is not
profitable; except for money they get from robo-call operations that dump millions of calls into the PSTN system through their "portal".
These "bad operators" are telco's that are Federally licensed, and given the right regulatory environment their license to operate could be taken away.
In some sense, robo-calls are an unintended consequence of US Telco de-regulation in the 90's. The current PSTN technology (SS7) has no way to authenticate caller ID's. The Bell System monopoly controlled the number assignments and constructed all the caller ID information. Now anyone can spoof any caller ID.
Ironically, we've had commercial telephony technology since the late 90's called SIP (session initiation protocol) which authenticates both call endpoints, and can't be spoofed. This would eliminate robo-calls, but it requires overhaul of the phone system, which is in critical need of overhaul (to IP based services) for many reasons.
86
Hello, I’d like to learn more. Care to reach me please at cecilia.kang[at]nytimes.com? Thank you.
We have a lawyer in Santa Fe who is making a hobby of filing suit against robocallers and winning a number of cases with awards in the range of 20K.
37
Share his contact info, I'm sure we'd like to give him more ammo.
I've found NOMOROBO works well on both landline and cell phone, in call blocking.
3
I've found the Do Not Call Registry to be useless; Filing a complaint leads no where. I even have a Throw-Away cell phone rarely used, but have calls and texts coming in regularly. I have a landline too. I recently got a landline call from a "John Williams" with a thick accent telling me he could register me onto "The Supreme Do Not Call List"... And the ubiquitous 'Microsoft" Calls; Calls about my "Student Loan"...There really is no mechanism to ban the calls or means to enforce the Call Registry.
2
Spoofing is another part of the problem. These calls flash a number from your home area code. Since no one actually memorizes phone numbers anymore the digits fool you into thinking it might be a valid call. They can be reported. I had this problem for a couple months. Reported all of the calls. Problem gone.
For telemarketers....just keep yelling. "NO ENGLISH" into the phone in a fake accent. Works for me.
For telemarketers....just keep yelling. "NO ENGLISH" into the phone in a fake accent. Works for me.
4
I think the next time I accidentally answer one of these calls, I will smack the receiver on my old style land-line house phone a whole bunch of times. But that might damage my phone. One time I politely asked the caller to wait just a minute and then put the receiver down on the table and walked away. The caller was left hanging for I don't know how long thinking that I was a great prospect and then hanged up. I also have jabbed a key on the phone set multiple times, making a really annoying mechanical sound in the caller's ear.
Those of us who are interrupted a dozen times a day by random sales calls wish in our hearts that the perpetrators would all rot in prison. It is possible to stop these at the service providers by tracking the source of the huge dial-out transactions, and I'd hope to see that happen. Meanwhile I've put an answering device between myself and these criminals. It's inelegant in that my phone still rings, but their machines hang up within a few seconds, and that's the best I can do.
23
Prison? No. But at least a substantial fine? Not even that, and that is supposed to happen. More to the point, there does not seem to be any way to stop them. They are the Whack-A-Mole of disturbing marketing. So to paraphrase --- Can no one rid us of these meddlesome beasts?
8
i answer the phone, press one, ask them to hold the wire while i go searching for my visa card, and then go away, back to work. if we all did that they'd reach far fewer people. of course i'd rather shoot them, but that's not a good option.
49
Heaven knows, phone customers need the help.
I consider robo and telemarketing calls a form of home invasion because they use telecommunications services for which I pay more than chicken scratch to peddle uninvited and unwanted dross while deranging what I truly value: undisturbed time with my family and friends.
This article is right, registration with "do not call" and call blocking software might help, but not much. The hucksters always stay a step ahead.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
I consider robo and telemarketing calls a form of home invasion because they use telecommunications services for which I pay more than chicken scratch to peddle uninvited and unwanted dross while deranging what I truly value: undisturbed time with my family and friends.
This article is right, registration with "do not call" and call blocking software might help, but not much. The hucksters always stay a step ahead.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
3
I would like to know who or which group at the FTC to call.
Every phone # we have is on the Do Not Call list. My 90 year old father has been repeatedly defrauded by Indian call centers, disreputable stock sellers, magazine sellers, auto warranty sellers.
Yes, he should not pick up the phone and give away his info and money. I've told him. The police have told him. He's old, lonely and easily persuaded.
No one cares. No one does anything about this. It's a joke.
~
Every phone # we have is on the Do Not Call list. My 90 year old father has been repeatedly defrauded by Indian call centers, disreputable stock sellers, magazine sellers, auto warranty sellers.
Yes, he should not pick up the phone and give away his info and money. I've told him. The police have told him. He's old, lonely and easily persuaded.
No one cares. No one does anything about this. It's a joke.
~
86
The FCC should have telecommunications companies enforce this or pay a penalty. The way they wrote this law it puts all the burden on each individual consumer. Which is totally ineffective. Make the service providers enforce laws.
Frankly, a class action lawsuit may be what is needed.
Frankly, a class action lawsuit may be what is needed.
I have installed robocall blocking software on my line and my mother's, and it seems to work quite well. The phone still rings, but only once so we know it is not a real call. I recommend that readers look into this.
8
The federal and state civil laws against spam phone calls (and junk faxes) give victims the right to go to court to recover minor damages but also to get an injunction against the spammer with respect to everyone, not just the plaintiff. Such laws are called "private attorney general" statutes.
But one can't get injunctions in small claims courts, one has to go to big-time courts (of general jurisdiction), which is next to impossible to do well without a lawyer. Bringing the action costs far more money than a victim will ever recover in damages over just one violation. So these FCC and FTC laws can never be privately enforced by the victims, and the government is almost entirely useless except in a very occasional egregious case.
But one can't get injunctions in small claims courts, one has to go to big-time courts (of general jurisdiction), which is next to impossible to do well without a lawyer. Bringing the action costs far more money than a victim will ever recover in damages over just one violation. So these FCC and FTC laws can never be privately enforced by the victims, and the government is almost entirely useless except in a very occasional egregious case.
11
Sounds like a good GoFundMe idea. Raise some money, $5 per person, to take them to court and get an injunction.
1
We got rid of our landline because we got a half dozen junk calls a day. I get a lot on my mobile, but I'm in the habit of blocking numbers I don't recognize, and this helps -- they calls have dropped off. If I accidentally block someone who I shouldn't have, they'll figure out a way to contact me if they need to. But this is annoying.
2
I'm fairly certain that the technology exists to allow consumers to block all incoming calls except those that they place on some sort of electronic list. While an imperfect solution, it would go a long way to solving the problem.
In the meantime, remember that almost all of these calls do not connect you to a live person until you've been on the line for a few second. If I answer a call and don't hear anyone immediately, I hang up.
In the meantime, remember that almost all of these calls do not connect you to a live person until you've been on the line for a few second. If I answer a call and don't hear anyone immediately, I hang up.
4
From what I understand, this doesn't reallly help; somewhere an electronic brain registers that someone picked up and thus is available at that time of day. Now
The easy way to deal with this would be to offer a bonus to anyone working for the FCC or FTC who gets these calls and takes action.
That action would be to play along and order whatever the caller is selling so they can find out who it is. And then take legal action.
If the callers are selling something, their business can't remain anonymous forever.
Does this really take a lot of brain power to figure out?
That action would be to play along and order whatever the caller is selling so they can find out who it is. And then take legal action.
If the callers are selling something, their business can't remain anonymous forever.
Does this really take a lot of brain power to figure out?
2
I've found two ways to reduce it... there is a number entered into my 'blocked calls' list that picks up the majority of phone spam and re-routes it after one ring. If there is a number that makes it through, chances are they will call repeatedly- even leaving rob-messages. I don't answer it- but if the same number shows up daily for a long enough period, I put it on my block list. Anyone with a digital voice product can probably create a block list. My numbers are on the 'Do Not Call' registry; however, this has proven fare more effective. In fact, I simply don't answer my landline phone unless I recognize the number on CID. If I happen to miss a legit call, they'll certainly leave a message- but that rarely happens.
2
Why is a spoofed caller ID even possible? Why is this feature not eliminated from all telephone service entirely?
108
Cost to fix this "bug"? 5-10 trillion dollars.
US phone technology (land lines) is close to 100 years old. The last architecture change was Bell Labs introduction of SS7 (signalling system 7) in 1975. It was a huge undertaking and much of our phone system is now "frozen" in this 40 year old technology": critical "control links" for call switching run at the speed of a dial-up modem (56kbps), and it assumes a fully "trusted network".
Telco's at the time were owned by national governments (outside of US) and by the Bell System in the US. There were no personal computers or hackers. The call switching system exchanges call connection requests that are just simply "trusted". It's technology that works anywhere in the world, and has to, as it's enforced by International treaty conventions.
US phone technology (land lines) is close to 100 years old. The last architecture change was Bell Labs introduction of SS7 (signalling system 7) in 1975. It was a huge undertaking and much of our phone system is now "frozen" in this 40 year old technology": critical "control links" for call switching run at the speed of a dial-up modem (56kbps), and it assumes a fully "trusted network".
Telco's at the time were owned by national governments (outside of US) and by the Bell System in the US. There were no personal computers or hackers. The call switching system exchanges call connection requests that are just simply "trusted". It's technology that works anywhere in the world, and has to, as it's enforced by International treaty conventions.
3
Because it's great for the phone company -- they provide the means for scammers to bother you, and then offer to sell you protection against them. Organized crime is envious of such a great scheme.
SS7.
Takes me back to my telecom days.
Thank you.
Takes me back to my telecom days.
Thank you.
I suspect that the Do Not Call list is the first thing robot callers might want to download and add to their list. It provides a massive list of people who are already receiving unwanted calls and have not installed NOMOROBO or some similar device.
4
The most common impediment to enforcement cited by the FCC and FTC is the inability to identify the offenders in this era of Caller ID spoofing. If these agencies were to offer a significant reward you can be sure a number of low-paid line workers would be happy to turn in their criminal employers. The result would be an increase in respect for our "freedom to be left alone."
2
It's called call block. We have it on our cell phones and landlines and rarely get unwanted calls. If we do I have great satisfaction in using call block!
1
JAIL?
Those critters should be executed...at Superbowl halftime.
(not with firearms, but some sort of cutlery...don't want to hurt any cheerleaders)
Those critters should be executed...at Superbowl halftime.
(not with firearms, but some sort of cutlery...don't want to hurt any cheerleaders)
15
Hmm, why not make this a criminal offense?
It sounds as though the financial penalties are viewed as just the "cost of doing business" for these companies.
Sending a few executives to prison is probably the only thing that will have an impact.
Since I doubt anyone in the public would oppose having criminal penalties, one wonders if this isn't just another example of our beloved Congress working for the industry lobbyists instead of the American public.
It sounds as though the financial penalties are viewed as just the "cost of doing business" for these companies.
Sending a few executives to prison is probably the only thing that will have an impact.
Since I doubt anyone in the public would oppose having criminal penalties, one wonders if this isn't just another example of our beloved Congress working for the industry lobbyists instead of the American public.
82
I agree that we should send someone to prison. However, since no one went to prison for the mortgage backed security problems that tanked the banks and caused the great depression of 2008, the likelihood that anyone will go to prison for a few, even a few million, spam telephone calls is zero.
1
My land line is almost useless. We get 20-30 unsolicited calls a day despite being on a no call list, some before 7 in the morning. We just don't answer it. It's for outgoing only. And now, I starting to get unsolicited calls on my cell, also despite being on a no-call list.
28
There are product that you can use to re-route phone spam- it's not foolproof but highly effective. If you have a digital voice product, you can also create a blocked call list and add an unlimited number of numbers that keep calling you. Using both of these, I get very few calls these days- down from a dozen/day.
It occurs to me that the no call list is the problem. Perhaps scammers are getting numbers from hacking it.
I wonder if the "number of complaints has leveled off" because consumers, like me, have given up complaining to the government.
122
no, it has just reached the saturation point.
I gave up long ago, and use a combination of Nomorobo, manual blocks at the phone-account level (woefully limited in my provider's case), and simply not picking up unknown and strange numbers.
Yes, that means people who I've already done good business with but improperly call-ID, random pollsters, scammers who pretend to be random pollsters, religions, "super PACs", and religious "super PACs" may get ignored from time to time. Well, this is war, and sometimes winning a war requires a held nose, averted gaze, washed hands, and collateral damage.
Yes, that means people who I've already done good business with but improperly call-ID, random pollsters, scammers who pretend to be random pollsters, religions, "super PACs", and religious "super PACs" may get ignored from time to time. Well, this is war, and sometimes winning a war requires a held nose, averted gaze, washed hands, and collateral damage.
Finding that asking to be put on the "do not call list" is a sheer waste of effort, I no longer bother to answer my phone most of the time. Those who know me well leave messages for me on the phone company answering machine. The nuisance call cretins usually will not bother to do that.
These are white collar crimes and you don't throw those people in jail. In short, they issue fines that can be treated as a cost of doing business and don't even cover the public costs of enforcement. It does, of course, limit the competition so some people will still answer their phones. If there were no penalties at all, robocalls would be totally worthless since no one would answer their phone for unidentified numbers.
1
HANG UP!! Isn't that easy? But no, you all are so self important and full of yourselves that you have to make a measly few seconds phone call in to a federal case! Why? I'll tell you why. Because you have to put some excitement into your miserable lives. When in fact the only time your phone rings is when a stranger calls. Anyone who knows you don't call anymore, because they know you. Why would they? They don't want to be sucked in to your self made torment! So just hang up already! Have a nice day!