Robo-call the robo callers

General General Discussion
1

God I’m so fed up with these cowardly, rude, lying, scamming, time-wasting… you get the point.

I’ve had some doozies lately. Several are in that computer-reading-text voice. In very crappy English, it goes something like:

It has expired. You have four felony charges pressed against your name. The local cops will become involved. Please call us so that we can farther talk this matter….

Many times when you call the number there’s no answer / not a valid number, etc.

I really wonder, how many people die in crashes each year answering these useless calls?

When I have time I call back and when I reach someone I try to tell them politely, it’s bad kharma what you’re doing. It’s bad for you, it’s bad for the people you call, you are stealing from your own people, you should get a job where your soul doesn’t turn a little blacker every day. It’s immoral and illegal what you’re doing. Of course usually they hang up. Sometimes, they get nasty, knowing they are untouchable. I talked to one and told her she had reached, well, there’s probably some law against who I told her she had reached, but I spoke to her in Spanish (obviously her first language) and counseled her in a polite and non-threatening way that she was doing something that would lead to deportation and losing everything… I really got to her and she started crying. I told to to quit now… I bet she did.

I don’t think they are all lowlifes, some are just people trying to make a living until something better comes along. But judging by some of the responses, many are A-holes.

They’ve learned how to use numbers that appear local and in fact to pirate legit numbers-- like I called one back a month ago and it was the local eye care clinic. Personally I think it’s a major failure by the phone companies that they have not figured out how to stop this-- and all the rest of it.

How about we start a campaign and share numbers that can be gotten to, and give them what-for? Many times they can block you or automatically have a no-call-back number, but sometimes you can get through. I have one now that can’t seem to block me: 269 355 6537

I propose these rules: don’t yell, don’t swear. Take the high ground. Maybe we should agree on a short script so they get that it’s organized. Here’s what I am arriving at in recent weeks:

“What you are doing is illegal and immoral. It hurts people-- your own people. You have sold your honesty and allowed someone to pay you to lie and cheat people. This is bad for your soul-- why not find a job where you are not helping a criminal organization?”

Will this do any good? If everyone everywhere did it, I think it could…

2

I get those 2 or 3 per day on some days. I just dump them on the first ring or two. I never take a phone call from anyone not already a contact in my phone.

3

I use NoMoRobo.com and it helps a lot. I get very few anymore, because, unlike just blocking the number locally, when you report a junk call to NoMoRobo it builds a national data base. Your phone will rings once, but the call will get blocked by NoMoRobo and will never get through.

4

All good but I think they just pick another number to call from-- they seem to operate with complete impunity.

I can’t imagine how low their success rate must be-- I often wonder if that’s even the real reason for the calls but I can’t for the life of me figure out what else it is other than to cause accidents and lower national productivity.

5

I just click TALK, END and then block. Takes about 1.3 seconds. Don’t really pay attention or care enough to call them back or argue. Just click END. Honestly wouldn’t know if I get one call a month or one call a day. Not something I care enough to remember

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

6

I love messing with them. But that is just me.

If you never want a call from someone not in your contact list, simply move your entire contact list to your favorites, then turn your “do not disturb” on, and let favorite contacts be in the exception list.

No more calls from people you don’t know.

That is one way to do it on an iPhone at least.

7

Im able to block. I just select the number and click “BLOCK”.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

8

I can’t add any more phone numbers to my reject list. Last time I tried I got the message that the list was full.

9

Did I wander into the wrong forum?

10

Yep. Wrong “GD”.

But while I’m here… I keep them on the line and start asking ever more dirty questions.

11

Oh, yes this. I had a guy call me and tell me I’d won the publishers clearing house. I played along.

The scam was I had to pay for the secure delivery of the funds before they could have my presentation. I told him no problem, how much did I need. He asked if I had a bank, I said yes, he told me I’d need 750.00 to ensure (or insure, I don’t which he meant) the delivery.

I told him sure, I’ve got that much in the safe. I told him I’m going to open the safe. Meanwhile I’m motioning to my wife and telling her ‘Hey honey, we won the publisher’s clearing house, again!’ (I said again because my wife really won a smaller cash prize several years ago). She’s onto it and goes all exuberant while I hold the phone.

Then I tell the guy that I am opening the safe and set the phone down so he could probably hear me jacking with the dials. I pick up a random pistol, and hold it by the phone while I slam a mag home, and cycle the action. I then tell the guy I’m ready and that I have the cash and my gun to protect the cash, what’s next? We finally settle on Dillon’s to get the money order and he admonishes me not to ‘brandish’ my gun in Dillon’s.

So he’s staying with me on the phone and I actually go out to the truck, stop and shout at my neighbor about my good fortune, start the truck and actually drive off. I can just imagine this guy’s woody getting bigger as we approach his payday. I pull over and say well, here we are at Dillon’s, what do you want me to do with the money order after I get it? He tells me he’ll give me an address to send the money to.

That is when I told him, well this has been amusing, just how ****ing stupid do you think I am, you silly SOB? (cleaned it up but you get the idea). He’s still playing, offering me reassurances that it is for real, I once again ask him how stupid doe he think I am in rather coarse terms where upon he puts on his supervisor. I treated his supervisor to the same verbal harangue and hung up.

A good time was had by all.

12

I usually tell them about my STD’s that I got from relations with their mothers, sisters, wives, or daughters.

Not very creative I know, but satisfying nonetheless.

13

Oops, thought I posted this on GD… my bad.

Yeah maybe I’m not as adult about this as I ought to be:big_boss: but G.D. I find it so irritating and insulting…

14

I just dont answer phone calls tlfrom numbers I dont know. VM gets a call back(ussually). No message, no callback.

Also, sign up for do not call list. It works. When it doesnt, report it and it stops.

15

CPR Callblocker VR5000 is your friend.

I thought sure, I’d fill it completely, in my first month of ownership. Remarkably, after almost 2 1/2 years of use, I JUST blocked my 200th call yesterday. At this rate, it should take me over 23 years to finally fill it up (100+ of the most COMMON 800 numbers come pre-blocked, and you can block 5,000 more numbers total), and - thankfully - I don’t plan on living that long! :cool:

16

Well played 26th. Would have been fun to get the address to send something ‘special’…

There was a local scam about your relative caused an accident, you need to bring money now or else they were going to hurt your relative- don’t call the cops. There were actual meets, which surprised me because they wouldn’t have gone as planned ;). . I just assumed it was a way to get you out of your house.

17

So I answer something like this…

“Hang on a sec”

Me in background: “No you need to roll it up in the carpet and take it out the BACK DOOR”

“Who is this?”

18

Aren’t you just blocking the spoofed number? Couldn’t it end up being a local business, your Dr’s office, or kids school you block?

19

Ned, I think you’ll enjoy this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvXxnSEQKY

20

Blocking numbers can be tricky. Guessing it’s the same for scamers, but some companies will rotate out there numbers or will just out pulse what looks like a local number to you.

Blocking that number works for a short time but once they cycle there numbers you could be blocking a number you don’t need to.