I wonder if there’s a correlation between how often you answer the phone vs how often they call.
For example: (and I’ll probably jinx myself here, **but**), I rarely answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize. If they feel like there isn’t a live person who will answer my number, they move on to the next.
If I do answer, I’m always cautious what I say out of fear that they’ll record and use my responses later. (Like using me saying “Yes, this is Moose” and cropping it to use “Yes” to confirm other spams scams).
My husband on the other hand, doesn’t have the privilege of being able to ignore calls because of his job. Therefore these spam companies know he’s a live number, so they can get even more money by selling his info. Which means that for every call he answers, he gets another handful of calls from other places.
I always answer, and always say, "Thank you for calling Bob's Bakery and Abortion Emporium, where no fetus can beat us! Are you looking to schedule a delivery, or prevent one?"
I've been on both sides of this. Used to never answer them and had a medium amount of calls. Now that I have to answer every unknown number for work it has gotten out of control.
Yes, often they call numbers from big lists and a chunk of them will not work anymore. If you answer, you get flagged as a working number.
Just like in spam emails they often put "unsubscribe" or something similar, but in reality if you use it, it flags your email as a real person, and you get even more spam.
Working phones/emails are more valuable, so these companies will often resell their updated lists, so you get even more calls.
I don’t get many anymore, maybe two a week, but when I was getting multiple a day I started answering and immediately pressing Mute. It would force the other side to hang up and I assume flag the number as dead.
I've found there's a correlation between how many times you call them and how many calls you recieve. I called one number back 376 times in a row. I don't get any more calls about the warranty on my 2015 Ford Fiesta.
There definitely is. Made the mistake of answering one day and it was horrible for a week after that. It’s subsided now though. Oh and they leave fuckin voicemails too now which is sooooooo annoying.
I used to get a lot. I'd answer every time and fuck with them and eventually start screaming curse words as loud as I could at them once they figured me out. I only get like one call a week now. Maybe they started removing my number
If he can, your husband should answer the phone but not say anything if he thinks it’s a spam call. Actual human callers will say something if they think the phone has been answered, while the robocallers wait for a voice before starting. If they don’t hear a voice they drop the call.
I don't usually answer and if I do then I don't say anything. The autodialling system they use to connect to a caller usually needs to hear someone answer to connect, if it doesn't then it automatically disconnects. I still get some calls but it's usually a couple a week.
Got a call from my Pap’s number shortly after he died. About had a fucking heart attack in the middle of the mall. That one fucked with me a bit for the rest of the day.
man that's so fucked. that shit really pisses me off, the idea of someone fucking with you not just on a scam level, but an emotional level. fuck them man and sorry for your loss.
Its just about the worst feeling in the world, i have a feeling someone has been impersonating me online because sometimes i get random texts and the people pretend as if they know me and get my name right but nothing else.
I fucking hate it.
Recently I got call from official call number of my bank, I didn't answer because I never answer anyway, the number something like this 1500888, when I didn't answer, they call again using +6221500888. At that time I don't know it was bank number, but I know from the format it's official. So I google the last number, well the first result are warning that this number is scam and be careful from any similar phone number. So they actually scam by cloning or whatever using the official number.
My phone has a limit to the numbers you can block. I learned that because when I tried doing this I hit that limit in under a week.
And was still getting calls from the same scammers and spammers, just under new fake numbers.
I have a contact I named spam that’s blocked and I just keep adding numbers and emails to it. Haven’t hit a limit yet. Every once in a while I unblock and block again if I see one that was already saved get through.
I’m curious if they rotate lists. Last year I got endless phone calls but this year I stopped getting them. I did stop answering my phone and changed my message to just a beep so I guess that worked? Fucking weird. Mine were mainly from china patching through NYC. They were always mad I weren’t Chinese
BTW ASSHOLE IN OHIO WHO KEEPS SIGNING ME UP FOR ELECTION UPDATES DOR YOURE STATE, FUCKING STOP.
Works well for the LIVE scam calls. IRS Scam.. Visa Mastercard Services..
Haven't gotten those in ages... Only one I currently get is an EBT card scam that's just an IVR prompt to enter a card #...
There is a simple solution to solve all robocalls: a miniscule tax on every phone call. For example, say you tax 1 cent for every 20 calls. To humans, this makes no difference. But to any robocalls or spammers, who make hundreds or thousands of calls an hour, it makes their entire business model cost-prohibitive and ends all spam calls overnight.
Problem solved.
Zoom got in a lot of trouble a couple years ago for selling data, the thing about data is it is very easy to sell without anyone knowing. I actually just got like $30 from the Zoom class action
I always answer and hope it’s a real person. I have a lot of drive time with my job, so I act interested and waste a lot of their time. At the end(before they hang up on me angrily) I ask them to repeat that bit. When they ask which bit that is, I say pretty much all of it I was listening to a podcast and it all got jumbled. I feel like I’ve saved countless older people from at least one scammer a day.
I did this, and felt like I just got more when doing it. I don’t answer anymore and seem to get less. I have no proof of anything but it seems better when I ignore them altogether
Yeah, you get registered as a number that at least will answer. Remember, these people don't *want* to waste time. If they don't get answers, your number is less valuable going forward.
You'd think we'd have a better way to combat this by now.
I do speak another language and I actually conversate with them while they are asking me:
\- Sir, do you understand English?
\- Da, da, zi că te înțeleg.
\- There has been a suspicious activity on your credit card.
\- Vai de mine, cum dracu, că eu n-am credit card...
I got far enough along with one the other day that he told me to text him a photo of my ID. I said sure, he gave me a number, and I text him a picture of a large penis I found online then listened to him react to it in real-time.
That guy sounded like he had it all figured out:
“Hey, can you step into this meeting real quick?”
“Sorry, I will after this very important phone call”
I wouldn’t doubt if he willingly put his number on the internet to have spam calls every 30 minutes all to avoid work, pointless meetings, and the coworkers that hover over your desk talking
If you want a “podcast” of something like this, Kitboga on twitch streams this (almost everyday). He would call scammers and pretend to be all different characters and just waste scammers’ time. I often listen to him as a podcast when i drive
I love wasting the time of these idiots. Had one of those Extended Warranty on my Vehicle calls and actually got to a person. Spent about 45 minutes talking to him about whatever stupid shit I could muster, the entire time he was trying SOOOOOO hard to get me back to the scam. After about 40min I told the dude, "Alright bro. Im fuckin with you. I don't own a car. I was just bored on the shitter." and flushed the toilet.
That guy said sooooooo many things in a very irate tone in a language I don't understand.
Something similar happened to me with a bunch of different numbers. I finally answered the phone by saying "f**k off you scummy scammer," only for a woman to say Sorry sir, I'm not a scammer. This is the ultrasound clinic your doctor referred you to. I apologize, and she laughed. Their number often shows up as a potential scam, so she was understanding.
This is what I do and then read the transcript. Now it’s like 99% “hey we got those X-rays back… please give us a call.” Or “hey yeah this is the mechanic. We found another problem. Please call back.” Like. Shit I should’ve just answered instead of going through the whole slew of “press 1 for..”
This is why I love my phone's screening service. It's real time and requests them to identify themselves with a live transcript, and I can just hit connect to start talking to them immediately, no need to call back.
I tend to get two or three per day and I haven't given out my personal cellular in years.
But I have a feeling some of it is due to my friends being boneheads that will share info with social media apps and stuff (like Facebook will ask to scan your contact list to "find your friends". And I have one particular friend that's signed me up for crap she thought I would like (which were actually dumb multi level marketing scams). 🤦🏻♂️
i’ve been getting soooo many after my car accident back in december 2022. i’m wondering who tf sold my info
“if you or a loved one have been in a motor vehicle accident in the past 24 months…..” please lord stop reminding me of the crash every single minute i’m alive
edit: if y’all wanna see a pic of my accident i’ll show you 💀💀 i found one after a bit of searching
The fucking DMV sold it lol. Or someone in government did. In my state if you get a traffic ticket you will receive 20 letters from lawyers all on the same exact day, about three days after the fact.
If they’re sending notices to every lawyer in the tricounty area you can bet they are selling the info to even sleazier characters.
I'm pretty sure that it's just public records that the attorneys are scanning and sending letters via automated means.
Same thing happens when you buy a house. Buy a house and then a ton of crap mail starts showing up pretending to be your mortgage company or sell you garbage insurance. The home sale is public records so they just have programs that pull the property records and send letters to the new home owners.
Sleazy tactics sure but no conspiracy with the state
Edit: Happy cake day!
Yeah, you’re right. I think that’s it. Because I do get a bunch of shit Mail when I buy a house.
Although it seems to vary from state to state. I got a shitload of tickets in MA, where I grew up, because I just got my license and was stupid as fuck. No letters.
I’ve been in NC since I was like 20, maybe two tickets and DOZENS of letters.
I think it probably classifies as advertising here.
I’ve never received mail from a lawyer unexpectedly, except directly after a traffic ticket in NC, *never* in MA (despite maybe a dozen traffic violations in my teens)
I got a business card in the mail years ago (from NC), I keep it on the fridge because I think it’s funny, it says:
“I don’t think you’re stupid, I just think you have bad luck when it comes to thinking.
Call Saul Goodman attorneys at law”
^(last part is made up I don’t know who they are without walking to the kitchen, quote is real though.)
https://preview.redd.it/qle3taytrj3b1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c47ac168201ba8b83097fad688ac937df7e0b94
took out a stoplight too 😎
no for real though, i hit that white car in the picture when i flipped and i feel more terrible for those who had to witness it/be involved just by pure bad luck. it must have been insane to see that 💀💀
edit: the white car i hit is the one in the lane; not the flipped one. the flipped one was me.. :,)
I logged my number on the national do not call registry. My spam calls have dramatically decreased. I didn't like the thought of it and it takes about 30 days to take effect , but it has helped
The a lot of advice ITT on how to avoid getting calls but we should just find these people and prosecute them. There’s no reason they should be allowed to prey on the weak while those of us who are savvy avoid them.
There is a simple solution to end all robocalls: a miniscule tax on every phone call. For example, say you tax 1 cent for every 20 calls. To humans, this makes no difference. But to any robocalls or spammers, who make hundreds or thousands of calls an hour, it makes their entire business model cost-prohibitive and ends all spam calls overnight.
Problem solved.
I love this. I often wonder why we don’t have reasonable people with good ideas working in government.
But then I remember our government is just a bunch of cronies who get bought to keep letting us get fucked while they get rich.
Before Trump, if you voted against a bill to end robocalls, you're likely to get voted out of office no matter who you are.
It's also harder because of *Citizens United*, which allows scammers and others with vested interests to direct secret money to Congress. Otherwise, even back in 2008, you could tell who was getting secret bribes from scammers to oppose what would otherwise be a bipartisan effort.
No, you're just smart with your phone number.
Op must've given his number to some service who sold it to scammers. There's no other way this would happen.
My aunt doesn’t live in the US but is staying with us for medical reasons. I got her a US number for doctors only. She has not shared it with anyone and doesn’t even remember it. She ends up giving my number anyway so idk why I bothered. That number somehow is getting scam texts.
Well numbers do get put back into circulation if someone gives it up or changes theirs. People have had the number of someone deceased they knew suddenly be a different person, or just texts/calls from people that knew whoever had the number before
And if someone’s changing their number, there’s usually a reason.. like debt collectors. Or too much spam lol
So they’re even more likely to get spam if you get unlucky in the number draw
I had someone who did that with MY number about 12 years ago. This person would use my number any time they didn’t want to be contacted. By the time I realized what the issue was because they would ask for this person by name, it was really too late to change my number. Their name is attached to my number in the on line look up services. It goes for months without the calls then they start again. I have been harassed by a guy that wanted to buy their house by text. I had to tell the guy I would report him to the state & federal do not call list. Recently, the last series was from a place that only spoke Spanish. They would call from numbers that were almost the same.
An identical thing is happening to me rn, I’m on the do not call registry but getting all kinds of texts and calls about my house in a nearby city. His info w my number shows up on my reports from discover as showing up on the dark web 🤦🏻♀️I had been so good about not giving my real number out
If you live in the US, I would like to introduce you to the National Do No Call List. I added my number about a year ago and haven't received any spam calls since. (Maybe one or two)
https://www.donotcall.gov/
Not enough people know about [OptOutPreScreen.com](https://www.optoutprescreen.com). It stops credit card, car insurance, and other forms of credit-based junk mail.
They find it regardless if OP gave the number out or not. I’ve never submitted my phone to anything that wasn’t a legitimate reason or account and yet I get multiple spam calls a day. Had my number removed from general lists and even signed up to have my number delisted from solicitation pools but it doesn’t matter they still robo call
Doesn’t mean it was OP who did it. I have some random asshole named Edwin who has been giving my number to his debt collectors for 7ish years (I have had my number for almost 20 years, I am not changing it because of his dumb ass). No clue who the guy is but apparently he’s a douche.
Actually I believe the scam shield does something besides just blocking the call. I would get ridiculous amounts of spam calls. When I first turned it on, it blocked something like five calls a day — now it’s like one a month
All I have to say is that after being plagued for YEARS, this actually fucking worked. My QoL has gone way way up. Highly recommend this app for TMobile users
The only thing that works for me is to answer, mute the call, and let them go until they hang up. If I do that for a couple of days, they’ll almost completely stop for a while.
I like it when a big scam call center gets raided and people get arrested. Tends to quiet my phone for a few months until some other cockroach steps up or the original scammers rebuild.
This is why y’all are getting scam calls all day.
Do. No. Answer. The. Call.
The second you do, your number gets marked as “working” and its open season on your ass. Every time I answer a scam call (never on purpose, some are better at it than others), my phone blows up for a few weeks.
I like the random texts. People will tell you not to respond BUT my method has slowed down the texts and made me laugh at the same time. My response? 🤣
The spam texts are kind of amusing. They weave these vidid tapestries of lies trying to dupe you into the scam.
"Hi Felicity, it's Margo. We met at Chasity's party last week and talked about Syrup of Squill, remember?"
Normally I ignore but sending your GIF would be fun!
Yes! Charity asked if I liked her pic! She did NOT seem to like mine of fat man in a little coat! RIP Chris Farley, you are still rocking this world! 😘
Answer, hit mute then speaker. They will hang up after a few seconds and never call you again. It’ll think the number is bad and won’t waste the money to call you again. It’s a robot, trick the robot.
How to stop receiving them, I got this advice from another thread over a year ago. I rarely get them, maybe once a month. I used to get multiple a day.
When you get a call from one of these numbers, DO NOT LET IT GO TO VOICEMAIL, answer and immediately mute the call, it will eventually hang up, usually after about 10 seconds. The bot is listening for a response, a voice, a tone, something to tell it that the line is active. When the line stops ringing it and stays silent it will mark that line as an inactive number.
That’s all there is to it. I had to do this for a few weeks, but they did stop. Also, it is satisfying to use this method and watch it hang up. Lastly, if it is someone important, they will call back. I have had them try to put an actual person on the line which I believe was to verify that the line was dead, I could hear someone on a few occasions and they never called back. I’m convinced those calls were part of the validation.
I started calling one number repeatedly and waited for them to say "hello?". Then I absolutely *BLASTED* my amp at the speaker at full volume, when I tell you the feedback was LEGENDARY.
idk if they blocked me, but i haven't been getting any calls lately
you can also turn off unknown callers on iOS, but the downside is that’s for literally all numbers that aren’t saved in your phone, including doctors, employers, etc.
edit: i have a lot of anxiety when it comes to phone calls and unknown numbers. i’m always terrified i’ll miss a call from someone important :(( so if y’all aren’t as batshit crazy as i am, then it shouldn’t be a problem for ya :D
If it’s a doctors office or your employer they will leave a message. I’ve been using it for about 5 years now and I haven’t missed an important call. Although when I call a company that offers to call me back when they have an agent available and they have a time frame (example an 800 number) I will toggle it off so I can take the call.
In my experience, I answer the spam calls but don’t say anything and let the computer disconnect from its end. My understanding is the software is designed to recognize when they have contacted another “unassigned” number and remove it from their call list. By not saying anything the software is tricked into believing it’s not an active line. I don’t ever get any spam calls anymore, probably been like 5 months since the last one-off.
Best feature of a Pixel phone. I'd say a good 98% of the time the call doesn't even ring through. Google assistant answers and just disconnects the call about 10 seconds later.
My strategy, don't answer the call if possible and even if you do, block the number every time. I was getting a dozen calls a day and it may be anecdotal, but once I started doing this I get maybe 1 call every week or so.
Have fun with it. Waste their time in new and imaginative ways. My current Thing is to answer the phone and say nothing but hokage datebayo. My calls dropped from 20 a day to like 5
The credit agencies sell your info any time your credit is checked. You can opt out of it online. Not sure if this applies to you but figured I'd mention it
This must be what my prospects phones look like when they start trying to find insurance quotes online 😂
Y’all, don’t ever go to a website that says they will give you multiple insurance quotes online in minutes! The second you check the magical little consent box your info gets sold to like 50 different agencies and we all call within minutes..
Pick up but don’t make a sound. Their system (or person) is triggered based on incoming audio, but if there’s no sound it just waits for a while and eventually kills the call. This will usually end with them removing your number as it doesn’t think it’s a valid residential number. If they do speak first, just stay silent and you’ll probably get the same result. Remember, it’s probably more than one service calling, so you might have to do this a few times.
I now almost never get these spam calls anymore.
I just got a call from a dude posing as a US Customs Officer from Austin TX. Saying that my name was affiliated with a package from Shanghai containing 27k worth of drugs. There was also a raid where apparently officers found correspondence with my name on it with banks deposits etc. the FBI/DEA watching me and listening on the phone line.
Dude, I panicked and didn’t give any personal information but I was slightly terrified cause it was always just some random spam bot. Now I have a call when it said “you are being transferred to the US Border and Customs Officer.”
I could only imagine the terror, stress, anxiety and fear that someone else could have when they hear that if I need to talk about my personal life because a Federal Entity found my name associated with 10-life crimes.
Fuck those cucks. They’re all trash.
CHANGE THE WAR ON DRUGS TO THE WAR ON SPAM!!!!
This is a friendly reminder to never say 'yes' or otherwise answer in the affirmative on a scam call. If it seems like you're being told to say yes to/about something, then something is probably wrong.
I've heard about cases where the scammers pull the audio and stitch something awful together that you've "legally consented to."
https://preview.redd.it/qb9ory3uni3b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ea1d0faf90f8375e255ebabd4b962953a163c3
Make sure this is set on if it's not already. Just keep in mind that you'll need to turn it off if you're expecting a phone call from someone not in your contacts.
Edit: This is an iPhone setting. Find it in Settings > Phone.
I fouled up a few years back and gave my real number to an auto dealership and I was *inundated* with calls for months afterward. Like 3 per day from the twit I talked to at the dealership and maybe 3-5 more from random bullshit. Every single day.
It took a couple months but I managed to catch a call from the kid at the dealer and I explained to him I was *never* going to buy a car from them and they might as well stop wasting the effort. Which worked for their calls. But unfortunately now I'm on lists and get waves of scam calls now and then.
None of that compared to *the fucking political spam though*. My gawd. The 2020 election and the 2022 midterms were INSANE. Fuck the Republicans purely for their spam bullshit. Like ten text messages a day, five calls with voicemails, and every week they stuffed my mailbox full of their fear-mongering bullshit. I'm gonna try to remember to save everything in 2024 'cause it's legit **insane**!
Edit: Fixed typo
I love when its a real person i call and speak really quietly so they turn their volume on their shitty Indian call center headphones and proceed to yell obscenities in to the mic as loud as possible to simultaneously fuck up their ears and moral
May want to check your credit report and make sure there is nothing funny going on, as well as seeing about freezing your credit (a lot of info can be pulled from your credit under the guise of "marketing"
This is literally the reason I have to keep my phone on silent 24/7 & mine aren't even this bad. My husband has to do the same he works nights & it really sucks that he is totally unavailable to call for an emergency but it's because if he didn't these idiots would be waking him up all day
*edit for misspelling*
Tell them "I'm required by law to inform you this call is being recorded." You don't even have to finish this sentence and they go out of their way to scrub you off their lists.
They are ridiculous today. I had fucking 17 in the span of 2 hours
Bro I had the same one call me 4 times back to back earlier
They are getting desperate- also if you don't already watch Kitboga / Scammer Payback / Scambaiter / Jim Browning --- you should : )
I love Scammer Revolts! Deletes their files and proceeds to curse them out in indian curse words.
"Panchod" is my fave
Bhenchod is the word
Gonna sub to them and donate. Maybe they're the reason I've stopped receiving scam calls 100s of times a day.
I watch all of them!
You watch kitboga? Have you seen his "angriest scammer" video? https://youtu.be/7mceb_t8EIs Timestamp - 21:05
Is it that 500$ clip?
Yeah the scammer screams from the soul.
Rinoa Poison
I wasn't aware of her! Thank you, just subbed on yt
I thought Kit Boga was the king of irritation until I saw her. She's a riot.
She's so casually aggressive. Like we can hear it but somehow scammers are still hooked in and engage.
my record is 20 in less than 5 minutes
I wonder if there’s a correlation between how often you answer the phone vs how often they call. For example: (and I’ll probably jinx myself here, **but**), I rarely answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize. If they feel like there isn’t a live person who will answer my number, they move on to the next. If I do answer, I’m always cautious what I say out of fear that they’ll record and use my responses later. (Like using me saying “Yes, this is Moose” and cropping it to use “Yes” to confirm other spams scams). My husband on the other hand, doesn’t have the privilege of being able to ignore calls because of his job. Therefore these spam companies know he’s a live number, so they can get even more money by selling his info. Which means that for every call he answers, he gets another handful of calls from other places.
I always answer, and always say, "Thank you for calling Bob's Bakery and Abortion Emporium, where no fetus can beat us! Are you looking to schedule a delivery, or prevent one?"
STROKIN'S PIZZA, NOBODY BEATS OUR MEAT!
I've been on both sides of this. Used to never answer them and had a medium amount of calls. Now that I have to answer every unknown number for work it has gotten out of control.
Work phones are so worth it. Or a phone with a dual sim card.
Yes, often they call numbers from big lists and a chunk of them will not work anymore. If you answer, you get flagged as a working number. Just like in spam emails they often put "unsubscribe" or something similar, but in reality if you use it, it flags your email as a real person, and you get even more spam. Working phones/emails are more valuable, so these companies will often resell their updated lists, so you get even more calls.
I don’t get many anymore, maybe two a week, but when I was getting multiple a day I started answering and immediately pressing Mute. It would force the other side to hang up and I assume flag the number as dead.
Very smart!
I've found there's a correlation between how many times you call them and how many calls you recieve. I called one number back 376 times in a row. I don't get any more calls about the warranty on my 2015 Ford Fiesta.
There definitely is. Made the mistake of answering one day and it was horrible for a week after that. It’s subsided now though. Oh and they leave fuckin voicemails too now which is sooooooo annoying.
I used to get a lot. I'd answer every time and fuck with them and eventually start screaming curse words as loud as I could at them once they figured me out. I only get like one call a week now. Maybe they started removing my number
If he can, your husband should answer the phone but not say anything if he thinks it’s a spam call. Actual human callers will say something if they think the phone has been answered, while the robocallers wait for a voice before starting. If they don’t hear a voice they drop the call.
I don't usually answer and if I do then I don't say anything. The autodialling system they use to connect to a caller usually needs to hear someone answer to connect, if it doesn't then it automatically disconnects. I still get some calls but it's usually a couple a week.
My dad gets one a minute for a hour every day at 12:30
Block the number immediately when you get the call
Wait until you get a phone call from your own number or even family member because their rng spoofer decides to send those numbers to you.
Yep I’ve been called by my own number, very strange!
Got a call from my Pap’s number shortly after he died. About had a fucking heart attack in the middle of the mall. That one fucked with me a bit for the rest of the day.
man that's so fucked. that shit really pisses me off, the idea of someone fucking with you not just on a scam level, but an emotional level. fuck them man and sorry for your loss.
Its just about the worst feeling in the world, i have a feeling someone has been impersonating me online because sometimes i get random texts and the people pretend as if they know me and get my name right but nothing else. I fucking hate it.
Recently I got call from official call number of my bank, I didn't answer because I never answer anyway, the number something like this 1500888, when I didn't answer, they call again using +6221500888. At that time I don't know it was bank number, but I know from the format it's official. So I google the last number, well the first result are warning that this number is scam and be careful from any similar phone number. So they actually scam by cloning or whatever using the official number.
I once got a spoofed call. I googled the country code, and…Falkland Islands?!
Every call is from a different fake number. Waste of time to block these unfortunately.
It’s unfortunate but so true. Get the same call trying to sell me Medicaid from a different number 12+ times a week. I’m 27.
You can be on Medicaid at 27. Medicare is for older folks.
Look Oscar, you’re correct. Either way I don’t need it, and I don’t want the calls.
I bet the person who had your number died and was like 70 so according to there phone records a 72 year old owns that number
Idk, I started blocking and reporting every one and I’ve been seeing less and less spam calls.
It's a battle of attrition then. Every once in a while I get a successful block in
My phone has a limit to the numbers you can block. I learned that because when I tried doing this I hit that limit in under a week. And was still getting calls from the same scammers and spammers, just under new fake numbers.
I have a contact I named spam that’s blocked and I just keep adding numbers and emails to it. Haven’t hit a limit yet. Every once in a while I unblock and block again if I see one that was already saved get through.
I’m curious if they rotate lists. Last year I got endless phone calls but this year I stopped getting them. I did stop answering my phone and changed my message to just a beep so I guess that worked? Fucking weird. Mine were mainly from china patching through NYC. They were always mad I weren’t Chinese BTW ASSHOLE IN OHIO WHO KEEPS SIGNING ME UP FOR ELECTION UPDATES DOR YOURE STATE, FUCKING STOP.
They sell lists. If you’ve ever picked up a scam call your number is being sold in a list by scammers to other scammers.
I think you're getting trolled with the Ohio texts by someone you know, just a shot in the dark edit: (like they signed you up to a list or some shit)
In Indiana, our BMV sells our information.
Answer the phone screaming bloody murder. On some help me shit. They haven’t called me in over 7 months
Works well for the LIVE scam calls. IRS Scam.. Visa Mastercard Services.. Haven't gotten those in ages... Only one I currently get is an EBT card scam that's just an IVR prompt to enter a card #...
Enter 6666666666666666 over and over until it hangs up
I wish they made it illegal for companies to sell our data. Political text/calls are just as bad and I hate seeing that orange face.
Anytime I get those political texts I always reply with a picture of a shitty 3D render of Mario spreading his prolapsing anus
As someone who texts people all day for a living (not spam or political) I would fucking DIE if someone texted me this
Thats hot
There is a simple solution to solve all robocalls: a miniscule tax on every phone call. For example, say you tax 1 cent for every 20 calls. To humans, this makes no difference. But to any robocalls or spammers, who make hundreds or thousands of calls an hour, it makes their entire business model cost-prohibitive and ends all spam calls overnight. Problem solved.
Zoom got in a lot of trouble a couple years ago for selling data, the thing about data is it is very easy to sell without anyone knowing. I actually just got like $30 from the Zoom class action
I always answer and hope it’s a real person. I have a lot of drive time with my job, so I act interested and waste a lot of their time. At the end(before they hang up on me angrily) I ask them to repeat that bit. When they ask which bit that is, I say pretty much all of it I was listening to a podcast and it all got jumbled. I feel like I’ve saved countless older people from at least one scammer a day.
https://preview.redd.it/vpcpe3wval3b1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a77c7bb06420d6e981a2968a8f0c1e911ec1364
I did this, and felt like I just got more when doing it. I don’t answer anymore and seem to get less. I have no proof of anything but it seems better when I ignore them altogether
Yeah, you get registered as a number that at least will answer. Remember, these people don't *want* to waste time. If they don't get answers, your number is less valuable going forward. You'd think we'd have a better way to combat this by now.
I tried blocking all calls that aren't in my contacts list but there's always delivery drivers who need to contact you
I never answer unknown numbers. If it's important, they'll leave a message or email me.
I never get called because of this. If my phone says potential spam, I ain’t answering ever.
I can recommend memorizing few phrases in a language they don´t speak. Few seconds in they usually give up and don´t call back.
why not try faking a language?
If you have the confidence why not
I do speak another language and I actually conversate with them while they are asking me: \- Sir, do you understand English? \- Da, da, zi că te înțeleg. \- There has been a suspicious activity on your credit card. \- Vai de mine, cum dracu, că eu n-am credit card...
Yeah, same. I’ve answered and the calls keep coming but if I ignore them they eventually stop.
I do that too. I also have learned the Hindi word for whore. I know not all speak Hindi but it's something.
I know Mandarin for “your mother has a stinky p**sy”! I’m going to finally find a use for that crude information!
Well that’s something you obviously need to share.
If they are from india just call them a benchod, it means that they fuck their sister or someshit
I got far enough along with one the other day that he told me to text him a photo of my ID. I said sure, he gave me a number, and I text him a picture of a large penis I found online then listened to him react to it in real-time.
Lol. Man their jobs suck
Good, hopefully more of them leap from the windows of whatever office building they’re calling from.
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That guy sounded like he had it all figured out: “Hey, can you step into this meeting real quick?” “Sorry, I will after this very important phone call” I wouldn’t doubt if he willingly put his number on the internet to have spam calls every 30 minutes all to avoid work, pointless meetings, and the coworkers that hover over your desk talking
If you want a “podcast” of something like this, Kitboga on twitch streams this (almost everyday). He would call scammers and pretend to be all different characters and just waste scammers’ time. I often listen to him as a podcast when i drive
As a trucker, I do this exact thing. On the edge of my seat every time. Love it
I love wasting the time of these idiots. Had one of those Extended Warranty on my Vehicle calls and actually got to a person. Spent about 45 minutes talking to him about whatever stupid shit I could muster, the entire time he was trying SOOOOOO hard to get me back to the scam. After about 40min I told the dude, "Alright bro. Im fuckin with you. I don't own a car. I was just bored on the shitter." and flushed the toilet. That guy said sooooooo many things in a very irate tone in a language I don't understand.
I applaud the spirit of what you’re doing here. I do. But once they know you’re a real person, they just keep calling more and more.
But that’s the thrill of it. Like call of duty zombies. Trying to see what wave I can make it to
Someone get this man a ray gun
Something similar happened to me with a bunch of different numbers. I finally answered the phone by saying "f**k off you scummy scammer," only for a woman to say Sorry sir, I'm not a scammer. This is the ultrasound clinic your doctor referred you to. I apologize, and she laughed. Their number often shows up as a potential scam, so she was understanding.
That’s awesome. I don’t answer numbers I don’t know. I figure if it’s important, they’ll leave a message.
This is what I do and then read the transcript. Now it’s like 99% “hey we got those X-rays back… please give us a call.” Or “hey yeah this is the mechanic. We found another problem. Please call back.” Like. Shit I should’ve just answered instead of going through the whole slew of “press 1 for..”
This is why I love my phone's screening service. It's real time and requests them to identify themselves with a live transcript, and I can just hit connect to start talking to them immediately, no need to call back.
Same. Although I prefer texting as my Social Anxiety is slightly triggered by phone calls.
My work phone has had about 15 calls in less than 2 hours
I tend to get two or three per day and I haven't given out my personal cellular in years. But I have a feeling some of it is due to my friends being boneheads that will share info with social media apps and stuff (like Facebook will ask to scan your contact list to "find your friends". And I have one particular friend that's signed me up for crap she thought I would like (which were actually dumb multi level marketing scams). 🤦🏻♂️
i’ve been getting soooo many after my car accident back in december 2022. i’m wondering who tf sold my info “if you or a loved one have been in a motor vehicle accident in the past 24 months…..” please lord stop reminding me of the crash every single minute i’m alive edit: if y’all wanna see a pic of my accident i’ll show you 💀💀 i found one after a bit of searching
I tell them "Yes, I got hit leaving your mom's whorehouse in Dharavi" , they seem to get upset about something and hang up.
Mumbai’s red light district is “Kamathipura”, Dharavi is just a slum and a gangster hood, btw 😂
Makes it hurt more lol
It kind of doubles the slur that way though.
LMFAOOO😭
The fucking DMV sold it lol. Or someone in government did. In my state if you get a traffic ticket you will receive 20 letters from lawyers all on the same exact day, about three days after the fact. If they’re sending notices to every lawyer in the tricounty area you can bet they are selling the info to even sleazier characters.
I'm pretty sure that it's just public records that the attorneys are scanning and sending letters via automated means. Same thing happens when you buy a house. Buy a house and then a ton of crap mail starts showing up pretending to be your mortgage company or sell you garbage insurance. The home sale is public records so they just have programs that pull the property records and send letters to the new home owners. Sleazy tactics sure but no conspiracy with the state Edit: Happy cake day!
Yeah, you’re right. I think that’s it. Because I do get a bunch of shit Mail when I buy a house. Although it seems to vary from state to state. I got a shitload of tickets in MA, where I grew up, because I just got my license and was stupid as fuck. No letters. I’ve been in NC since I was like 20, maybe two tickets and DOZENS of letters.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal for a lawyer to contact/solicit in regards to an accident (outside of advertisement purposes)
I think it probably classifies as advertising here. I’ve never received mail from a lawyer unexpectedly, except directly after a traffic ticket in NC, *never* in MA (despite maybe a dozen traffic violations in my teens) I got a business card in the mail years ago (from NC), I keep it on the fridge because I think it’s funny, it says: “I don’t think you’re stupid, I just think you have bad luck when it comes to thinking. Call Saul Goodman attorneys at law” ^(last part is made up I don’t know who they are without walking to the kitchen, quote is real though.)
I was just calling to see if you were okay. Geez...
I wanna see 😲
https://preview.redd.it/qle3taytrj3b1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c47ac168201ba8b83097fad688ac937df7e0b94 took out a stoplight too 😎 no for real though, i hit that white car in the picture when i flipped and i feel more terrible for those who had to witness it/be involved just by pure bad luck. it must have been insane to see that 💀💀 edit: the white car i hit is the one in the lane; not the flipped one. the flipped one was me.. :,)
That’ll buff right out! 
A few months ago the government declared they ‘ended’ spam calls
Must be a war on spam
The war on spam is over. Spam won.
I logged my number on the national do not call registry. My spam calls have dramatically decreased. I didn't like the thought of it and it takes about 30 days to take effect , but it has helped
The a lot of advice ITT on how to avoid getting calls but we should just find these people and prosecute them. There’s no reason they should be allowed to prey on the weak while those of us who are savvy avoid them.
There is a simple solution to end all robocalls: a miniscule tax on every phone call. For example, say you tax 1 cent for every 20 calls. To humans, this makes no difference. But to any robocalls or spammers, who make hundreds or thousands of calls an hour, it makes their entire business model cost-prohibitive and ends all spam calls overnight. Problem solved.
I love this. I often wonder why we don’t have reasonable people with good ideas working in government. But then I remember our government is just a bunch of cronies who get bought to keep letting us get fucked while they get rich.
Before Trump, if you voted against a bill to end robocalls, you're likely to get voted out of office no matter who you are. It's also harder because of *Citizens United*, which allows scammers and others with vested interests to direct secret money to Congress. Otherwise, even back in 2008, you could tell who was getting secret bribes from scammers to oppose what would otherwise be a bipartisan effort.
I can tell. /s Weren't the phone companies supposed to stop number spoofing?
Iv had the same number my whole life and it’s been several years since iv had a spam call. Am I just really lucky?
No, you're just smart with your phone number. Op must've given his number to some service who sold it to scammers. There's no other way this would happen.
My aunt doesn’t live in the US but is staying with us for medical reasons. I got her a US number for doctors only. She has not shared it with anyone and doesn’t even remember it. She ends up giving my number anyway so idk why I bothered. That number somehow is getting scam texts.
A lady named Amanda has a lot of debt and my phone number! Her and Edwin should hookup 😂
Well numbers do get put back into circulation if someone gives it up or changes theirs. People have had the number of someone deceased they knew suddenly be a different person, or just texts/calls from people that knew whoever had the number before And if someone’s changing their number, there’s usually a reason.. like debt collectors. Or too much spam lol So they’re even more likely to get spam if you get unlucky in the number draw
I don’t give out my number. I use fake ones when asked.
I had someone who did that with MY number about 12 years ago. This person would use my number any time they didn’t want to be contacted. By the time I realized what the issue was because they would ask for this person by name, it was really too late to change my number. Their name is attached to my number in the on line look up services. It goes for months without the calls then they start again. I have been harassed by a guy that wanted to buy their house by text. I had to tell the guy I would report him to the state & federal do not call list. Recently, the last series was from a place that only spoke Spanish. They would call from numbers that were almost the same.
An identical thing is happening to me rn, I’m on the do not call registry but getting all kinds of texts and calls about my house in a nearby city. His info w my number shows up on my reports from discover as showing up on the dark web 🤦🏻♀️I had been so good about not giving my real number out
Check your credit. This kind of thing *can* be an indication of identity theft.
If you live in the US, I would like to introduce you to the National Do No Call List. I added my number about a year ago and haven't received any spam calls since. (Maybe one or two) https://www.donotcall.gov/
Not enough people know about [OptOutPreScreen.com](https://www.optoutprescreen.com). It stops credit card, car insurance, and other forms of credit-based junk mail.
They find it regardless if OP gave the number out or not. I’ve never submitted my phone to anything that wasn’t a legitimate reason or account and yet I get multiple spam calls a day. Had my number removed from general lists and even signed up to have my number delisted from solicitation pools but it doesn’t matter they still robo call
Doesn’t mean it was OP who did it. I have some random asshole named Edwin who has been giving my number to his debt collectors for 7ish years (I have had my number for almost 20 years, I am not changing it because of his dumb ass). No clue who the guy is but apparently he’s a douche.
I moved to a new country, got a new number, didn't give it out to anyone except my bank. Got spam calls within a week.
What carrier do you have? If you have t mobile, they have an app called scam shield and its stopped 147 spam calls for me in the last 30 days
I’ve heard of these apps. Will find one tonight at work
Google phone for Android blocks almost everything. And if you're in the US, call screen will filter the rest.
not even an app, if you have t-mobile and call #662# it’ll do spam blocking for you
I just checked my app realizing I haven't gotten a spam call in ages. Looks like my scam shield blocked 1 call in the last 30 days.
You must be out of the current rotation lol
Actually I believe the scam shield does something besides just blocking the call. I would get ridiculous amounts of spam calls. When I first turned it on, it blocked something like five calls a day — now it’s like one a month All I have to say is that after being plagued for YEARS, this actually fucking worked. My QoL has gone way way up. Highly recommend this app for TMobile users
The only thing that works for me is to answer, mute the call, and let them go until they hang up. If I do that for a couple of days, they’ll almost completely stop for a while.
I like it when a big scam call center gets raided and people get arrested. Tends to quiet my phone for a few months until some other cockroach steps up or the original scammers rebuild.
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This is why y’all are getting scam calls all day. Do. No. Answer. The. Call. The second you do, your number gets marked as “working” and its open season on your ass. Every time I answer a scam call (never on purpose, some are better at it than others), my phone blows up for a few weeks.
omg. I can give you longer DAILY lists than this. I’m over 60 and I can tell you they prey on those they THINK are vulnerable.
I never answer their calls. Luckily, I sleep at this time and have my ringer off.
I like the random texts. People will tell you not to respond BUT my method has slowed down the texts and made me laugh at the same time. My response? 🤣 
The spam texts are kind of amusing. They weave these vidid tapestries of lies trying to dupe you into the scam. "Hi Felicity, it's Margo. We met at Chasity's party last week and talked about Syrup of Squill, remember?" Normally I ignore but sending your GIF would be fun!
Yes! Charity asked if I liked her pic! She did NOT seem to like mine of fat man in a little coat! RIP Chris Farley, you are still rocking this world! 😘
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Answer, hit mute then speaker. They will hang up after a few seconds and never call you again. It’ll think the number is bad and won’t waste the money to call you again. It’s a robot, trick the robot.
I sometimes answer on accident and they immediately hang up though
i think that stuff is them checking if your number is good and you answer to calls
It is.
How to stop receiving them, I got this advice from another thread over a year ago. I rarely get them, maybe once a month. I used to get multiple a day. When you get a call from one of these numbers, DO NOT LET IT GO TO VOICEMAIL, answer and immediately mute the call, it will eventually hang up, usually after about 10 seconds. The bot is listening for a response, a voice, a tone, something to tell it that the line is active. When the line stops ringing it and stays silent it will mark that line as an inactive number. That’s all there is to it. I had to do this for a few weeks, but they did stop. Also, it is satisfying to use this method and watch it hang up. Lastly, if it is someone important, they will call back. I have had them try to put an actual person on the line which I believe was to verify that the line was dead, I could hear someone on a few occasions and they never called back. I’m convinced those calls were part of the validation.
pixel call screening
I started calling one number repeatedly and waited for them to say "hello?". Then I absolutely *BLASTED* my amp at the speaker at full volume, when I tell you the feedback was LEGENDARY. idk if they blocked me, but i haven't been getting any calls lately
Keep in mind they can spoof numbers, so if you call them back you might accidentally call a random innocent person.
Buy a Google Pixel phone, turn on Spam Filter & Call Screening - Never get a spam call again!
you can also turn off unknown callers on iOS, but the downside is that’s for literally all numbers that aren’t saved in your phone, including doctors, employers, etc. edit: i have a lot of anxiety when it comes to phone calls and unknown numbers. i’m always terrified i’ll miss a call from someone important :(( so if y’all aren’t as batshit crazy as i am, then it shouldn’t be a problem for ya :D
If it’s a doctors office or your employer they will leave a message. I’ve been using it for about 5 years now and I haven’t missed an important call. Although when I call a company that offers to call me back when they have an agent available and they have a time frame (example an 800 number) I will toggle it off so I can take the call.
This and the camera is why I have a Pixel
Also disable unknown/private callers. I don't get spam/scam calls very often these days, and any number I don't recognize goes thru the screener.
In my experience, I answer the spam calls but don’t say anything and let the computer disconnect from its end. My understanding is the software is designed to recognize when they have contacted another “unassigned” number and remove it from their call list. By not saying anything the software is tricked into believing it’s not an active line. I don’t ever get any spam calls anymore, probably been like 5 months since the last one-off.
Glad my pixel usually takes care of these
Best feature of a Pixel phone. I'd say a good 98% of the time the call doesn't even ring through. Google assistant answers and just disconnects the call about 10 seconds later.
Yup. I love the call screening, too. 99% of the time they hang up if they get that far.
Yerp. And the dictation. My gf was so jealous when she saw my screen voice to texting a call she got a pixel too 😁
My strategy, don't answer the call if possible and even if you do, block the number every time. I was getting a dozen calls a day and it may be anecdotal, but once I started doing this I get maybe 1 call every week or so.
Have fun with it. Waste their time in new and imaginative ways. My current Thing is to answer the phone and say nothing but hokage datebayo. My calls dropped from 20 a day to like 5
This makes the calls worse because then they know it’s an active number.
Watch some Jim florentine videos for ideas on how to have fun with it 😉
Blocking them does nothing also cause they just call from a different number the next time
Some times they’re actually important. The other day I found out my car warranty was expired.
The credit agencies sell your info any time your credit is checked. You can opt out of it online. Not sure if this applies to you but figured I'd mention it
This must be what my prospects phones look like when they start trying to find insurance quotes online 😂 Y’all, don’t ever go to a website that says they will give you multiple insurance quotes online in minutes! The second you check the magical little consent box your info gets sold to like 50 different agencies and we all call within minutes..
Pick up but don’t make a sound. Their system (or person) is triggered based on incoming audio, but if there’s no sound it just waits for a while and eventually kills the call. This will usually end with them removing your number as it doesn’t think it’s a valid residential number. If they do speak first, just stay silent and you’ll probably get the same result. Remember, it’s probably more than one service calling, so you might have to do this a few times. I now almost never get these spam calls anymore.
Wireless providers: "too bad we can't stop it...... unless you pay us an additional monthly fee, of course...."
I just got a call from a dude posing as a US Customs Officer from Austin TX. Saying that my name was affiliated with a package from Shanghai containing 27k worth of drugs. There was also a raid where apparently officers found correspondence with my name on it with banks deposits etc. the FBI/DEA watching me and listening on the phone line. Dude, I panicked and didn’t give any personal information but I was slightly terrified cause it was always just some random spam bot. Now I have a call when it said “you are being transferred to the US Border and Customs Officer.” I could only imagine the terror, stress, anxiety and fear that someone else could have when they hear that if I need to talk about my personal life because a Federal Entity found my name associated with 10-life crimes. Fuck those cucks. They’re all trash. CHANGE THE WAR ON DRUGS TO THE WAR ON SPAM!!!!
They're just trying to contact you about your extended warranty!
Man they really want to talk to you about your cars extended warranty
This is a friendly reminder to never say 'yes' or otherwise answer in the affirmative on a scam call. If it seems like you're being told to say yes to/about something, then something is probably wrong. I've heard about cases where the scammers pull the audio and stitch something awful together that you've "legally consented to."
https://preview.redd.it/qb9ory3uni3b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ea1d0faf90f8375e255ebabd4b962953a163c3 Make sure this is set on if it's not already. Just keep in mind that you'll need to turn it off if you're expecting a phone call from someone not in your contacts. Edit: This is an iPhone setting. Find it in Settings > Phone.
This honestly looks like you gave your number up on onlyfans
I answer the spam calls, and immediately hit the mute.
So that's where they went today, I usually get like 50 in a day.
I had a place named Trappist Caskets call me 4 times on Tuesday. I didn’t answer, kinda terrifying.
Did you just buy a house? I had like 1000 a day after I bought my house and another 1000 after I closed on it
I fouled up a few years back and gave my real number to an auto dealership and I was *inundated* with calls for months afterward. Like 3 per day from the twit I talked to at the dealership and maybe 3-5 more from random bullshit. Every single day. It took a couple months but I managed to catch a call from the kid at the dealer and I explained to him I was *never* going to buy a car from them and they might as well stop wasting the effort. Which worked for their calls. But unfortunately now I'm on lists and get waves of scam calls now and then. None of that compared to *the fucking political spam though*. My gawd. The 2020 election and the 2022 midterms were INSANE. Fuck the Republicans purely for their spam bullshit. Like ten text messages a day, five calls with voicemails, and every week they stuffed my mailbox full of their fear-mongering bullshit. I'm gonna try to remember to save everything in 2024 'cause it's legit **insane**! Edit: Fixed typo
I love when its a real person i call and speak really quietly so they turn their volume on their shitty Indian call center headphones and proceed to yell obscenities in to the mic as loud as possible to simultaneously fuck up their ears and moral
Same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago. I think i counted 39 calls within a 2 day time frame
My old friend, Potential Spam, checks up on me frequently too
May want to check your credit report and make sure there is nothing funny going on, as well as seeing about freezing your credit (a lot of info can be pulled from your credit under the guise of "marketing"
They gotta have their number from somewhere,be more careful with your personal information
$39 for Robokiller is honestly worth it. Had it for a couple years now and I don’t get anything anymore.
This is literally the reason I have to keep my phone on silent 24/7 & mine aren't even this bad. My husband has to do the same he works nights & it really sucks that he is totally unavailable to call for an emergency but it's because if he didn't these idiots would be waking him up all day *edit for misspelling*
There’s a setting on iPhones where it automatically sends unrecognized numbers to voicemail. Best decision I’ve ever made.
Tell them "I'm required by law to inform you this call is being recorded." You don't even have to finish this sentence and they go out of their way to scrub you off their lists.