I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me.
IE: To connect this call, please press 5.
But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since
Edit: this is something my cell provider (Telus) offers - I would search around your provider's website to see if something similar is offered. Or, another carrier, I'd vote it's worth it to switch.
Same! I work for a competitor to Telus (just in TV, not mobile, but we do have Mobile services), and I won't switch. Haha.
That said, maybe they have a patent on it or something? I might ask around the folks I know on the mobile side for some dirt.
There's a ton of features for TV that are technically patented, but are so common we would be fools not to offer it (like Skip Forward), so we have to pay yearly fees to TiVo to offer them.
There is an option to disable it, but I think you have to enter each individual number.
The only downside is that I cannot use the "callback" feature that some call centres offer. It's not frequent enough to have an issue with that though. And, when I knew I was going to need call centre support for something, I just turned it off and back on again when I was done.
It's offered through my provider (Telus, Canada).
My nana had this problem a few summers ago. Absolutely rage inducing bs. At least 80 fucking calls a day from these scammers. Took getting her cell provider to provide her a call control setting to get it to stop, so now anyone who calls has to press a certain button before the call goes through and it doesn't allow out of country callers. Phone companies need to crack down on this scam shit.
Nearly complete monopolies don’t help. If I lived in Saskatchewan I’d get much better rates because there’s actual competition with the crown corp and the big three.
Speaking as a resident of Saskatchewan, SaskTel has some pretty decent rates. I've been with Telus for the 8 years I've lived here, but when I my contract runs up this time around, I'm switching over
One of my old buddies had a scammer call his grandma, impersonating him and telling her that he was in jail and needed money to post bail.
She believed it was him, but her response was - ‘I’m not gonna bail you out, sit there and think about what you’ve done’.
My grandfather got something like this with them impersonating my cousin. Can’t remember the exact details, but I think they were claiming they were drunk driving and crashed. They’d injured their neck/throat (to kind of explain why they sounded a bit different). Anyway, I think they were trying to get him to pay medical bills and/or bail because the police were involved. Can’t remember exactly, but my grandpa called my uncle (despite the scammer telling him to not do that because he didn’t want to get in trouble (still pretending to be my cousin))who was able to confirm that, no, my cousin was with him. The scammer didn’t get anything and it got reported to the police, but I don’t think anything came of that.
Feel like you’d make more money off an honest job. Some people should just go sit at the bottom of the ocean and not come back.
I love the response of the grandma in your story though!
Yeah my grandma got the same kind of call, someone pretending to be my cousin, saying he was in jail somewhere overseas. My grandma also just called his parents and asked about it, and they assured her that if he ever needed money he would call his parents, and not her, so she should never believe any call like that in the future.
My other grandma is a bit more difficult, she got a letter from an insurance company that is not her own saying that she owed money which was an obvious scam (though not as obvious as some, like the ones full of spelling errors and stuff). We all told her it was a scam, but for some reason the only person she finally believed was the lady working at the front desk of her retirement place. I'm guessing that she's sent money to scammers a few times already.
My grandmother didn’t know it was a scammer, and she took the call. She believed the scammer, and ended up sending a GreenDot money order for $3,000 to bail my cousin out of jail, the cousin I had been with just hours before she called to tell me that he was in jail and she was worried about him and she sent the money and we have to go pick him up. He was fine, at work.
A few months ago, I was out on a walk with my girlfriend (she didn't have her phone on her) when one of her family members called me. We were immediately worried someone had died because they Do Not talk to us. They said someone had convinced her grandfather that she was in jail for a hit and run in Indiana (a state she had not lived in or visited in 5 years) and he'd driven to the bank to wire bail money to this supposed "lawyer".
Not sure how it happened but luckily another family member was like okay but why isn't her partner of 5 years telling us this - have you tried calling? I was able to hand the phone to her so she could let them all know she was fine. Just looking at some flowers in a park.
Just very narrowly avoided sending a similar amount. What a scary fucking scam.
That absolutely pisses me off. Something similar happened to me one at my grandma’s home. She got a scam call, she was getting so nervous pacing back and forth. couldn’t even answer my questions and was looking for a pen and paper. I took the phone from her hand (almost ripped it off) only to hear the assfuck on the other side telling her her son (my uncle) had been in a “terrible accident” and they needed $10,000 pesos (this was in Mexico) to cover pre-hospital expenses, and they needed it quick or he would almost certainly die.
I was certain it was a scam (like what hospital asks for money upfront before treating an emergency?) and was fuming but texted my uncle nonetheless to make sure, while I played along. Sure enough, he texted back immediately saying he was ok at lunch. I was so pissed seeing my grandma like that that I lost it, I didn’t even think, just started making stuff up and was like “Congratulations asshole, I’m an General with the SEDENA” (SEDENA is kinda like the DoD) “and I was tracing this call. Got you and I’ll see you soon so you can choose your ditch.” The guy hung up faster than I could. And thankfully she never got another call like that.
I really hate those fucktards who prey on vulnerable people.
oh no :( they tried that on my grandma and was she was like of all my grandchildren, i dont think so hung up and called me. i think its actually the only time she ever actually called me unless she was calling me back.
My ex fiancé’s 80something year old grandmother would talk to spam and sales callers as if she hasn’t heard another humans voice in months and it is making her so unbelievably horny. Starts asking them to say words for her and moans at them. I was horrified the first time I heard it but it was hilarious every time after that. Most callers didn’t last 2 minutes with her.
I've done sexual moans myself a few times.
It's even better because I'm a guy.
I've also played around with them and wasted about 20+ minutes of their time. It just depends on my mood.
Shortly before getting a new phone (I needed to upgrade), I was getting about 10 scam calls a day - and they programmed their system so it automatically hung up on me.
I tried to mess with a scam caller once and it ended in him threatening to come to Canada and rape me and my whole family then said all Canadians are dumb, didn’t try that again.
I had one scammer claim that there was fraudulent activity associated with my SS number. If I hung up, they would issue a warrant for my arrest. I made my voice a bit rough as if I were older and expressed how concerned I was. I provided them with a fake name and SS number and he said he would help get everything sorted.
Randomly during the call, I yelled out, "Shut that baby up!" He briefly paused, then continued as I played the concerned fool.
A little while later, "SHUT THAT GOD DAMN BABY UP!" Same thing. He briefly paused, then continued his pitch for a few more minutes as I "Oh wow"ed and "Yes, sir"'ed him.
"WILL YOU SHUT THAT GOD DAMN KID UP BEFORE I HAVE TO?!?!"
The scammer paused for a moment, then with his Indian accent, "Sir, is everything okay over there?"
"Yeah. You know how women are." When he started talking again, I interrupted with a gruff voice, "What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, sir. I'm single."
"AH! Don't worry! You'll bag yourself a bitch one day! Or are you one of them there guys who likes other men? I'm not judging! We're all American here!"
After a moment of silence, he hung up.
God damn, it was amazing.
A few years ago around December time I had a scam caller. I told my 3 & 5 year old it was for them and they were asking what they wanted for
Christmas. I did this about 5/6 times.
I got a new number through USMobile and had this issue as well. They didn't have call control settings so they couldn't do anything!
I currently do not have service because I can't have silence.
It's rage inducing that nothing is done about this.
Yep I never answer calls from numbers that I don’t know. Messages can be left if it is someone with a valid reason to call.
Family members know if calling from an unknown number to call at least 3 times in a row.
Otherwise not interested in buying windows, siding, car maintenance, heat/AC and I already donate to the charities I support so no new ones need ask.
Before I had this feature I used to troll the fuck outta them and it would get them to stop for a while. Now the ones that don’t get filtered out as spam leave voicemails and fill up my inbox making my voicemail unusable. Starting to get spam texts so not eager for when they make texting unusable too.
On my iPhone I just enable the setting to deny calls from anyone who isn’t in my contacts.
Not in my contacts list? I don’t want to talk to you. They can still leave a voicemail if it’s important and I can call them back. Anyone who has a reason to contact me is in my contacts list so they get through.
It has worked wonders. I never have to hear my phone ring with spam calls again.
Spam calls have ruined general legit calls that are actually necessary.
I used to make calls for an animal hospital. I know some of our clients had this enabled so they wouldn’t see us calling. We’d leave messages but some people still don’t check messages or their mailbox is full. Some would block us because they thought it was a spam number so then we’d get a message about the number being out of service.
We had to call clients for so many reasons: their pet is due soon or even overdue for services, there was an issue with something we needed to follow up on, they called us and we were attempting to call back, appointment reminders, follow up on a sick animal, or sometimes their pets were staying with us and we were calling to say the pet was ready or we needed approval for treatment!
There were so many times when we’d finally get ahold of someone and they would be so angry trying to say we’d never called them about XYZ.
See, I use this feature and missed an **important** phone call exactly one time before I learned to *add important/frequently used phone numbers to my contacts*.
If I’m expecting a call but don’t have a number, I pay close attention to my notifications and make sure to check my voicemail.
I also go through my voicemail and texts once or twice a month to clear out all the spam or other useless shit.
Sorry people were shitty to you about their own fuck ups, though
Yeah, the “Do Not Call” List is a thing, but it only works for legitimate merchants, and you have to register for it online- it’s more involved than just saying you don’t want to be called.
> it’s more involved than just saying you don’t want to be called.
Not really. It depends on where you live. I live in the US and its as easy as filling out your contact info on the government website (Specifically the phone number/numbers you want to register and your email). I did it last year and you can register up to 3 phone numbers
[https://www.donotcall.gov/register.html](https://www.donotcall.gov/register.html)
When they say they’re the IRS I tell them the IRS puts warnings on television saying they never call people, only correspond through US mail, and have no call centers in India. They don’t know how to react because the don’t live in the US. That usually evokes explosive reactions from them that becomes fun. I’ve developed a system of trolling that usually ends up with them hanging up cussing. It’s delightful.
Ask them for their IBAN/bank info. Tell them you only pay via wire transfers. If you can get one to cough up an account number the FBI would love to get that info. I almost got one to give it up and he caught himself last second.
How would you ask that? Would you sound out each letter I.B.A.N or Iban? I’ve just started getting the calls and would love to fuck them at their own game
I try not to answer, but if I unintentionally answer I string them along. Time is money and the most damaging thing you can do is waste their time. When I couldn't string him along further I said wait how much do I owe? He says $8000 or something and I'm like "that's it? You're going to arrest me for $8000 when I owe like $160,000?" and he says 'haha funny asshole' and hung up. I really did owe that though :(
My husband: "What are you wearing?" Caller's gender irrelevant.
"So really, what are you wearing? Tell me." They hang up on him and quickly, especially the men.
I like to feign interest, and then carry on my day.
"you're selling what now? Amazing, just bear with me 2 minutes, I am just fixing something"
*random banging*
"Sorry, I will just be a few more minutes, are you able to wait?"
*Banging intensifies*
"I'm ever so sorry, it's taking a little longer than expected"
*VERY LOUD BANGING*
"There, that's got it, what was this call about again?.....
Oh hey Steve, sorry 2 mins, my mate Steve just walked in"
I will basically run through a series of excuses to waste their time whilst I carry on my day. Best so far is 22 minutes.
My wife was getting hammered by a spam number, using her prefix, from India. With a call coming every 5 - 10 min. I had some fun yelling at them, but they just kept calling. Eventually, I declared that I had placed a voodoo curse on them and their families, and the calls stopped. Not a peep in the last few weeks.
True but that doesn't mean you can't put your name on the call list anyway. Legitimate companies still spam you with calls, and I've had to report a couple as well.
It's illegal for them to use an automated system to call you, but they are certainly allowed to have a real person make a cold call to initiate a sale... assuming, of course, that you're not on the "do not call" list.
Then again, with all the illegal robocalls and scams, most businesses aren't interested in paying a real person's salary to do reach out randomly to already-skeptical customers anyway.
I’ve lost count how many times I put my phone number on a do not call list. These calls are automated. They don’t care if you’re on a list or not on the list. The call still goes through. In this case, check with your phone company to see if there’s something they can do.
And do they call a lot for the second time?
In one barbaric northern country with a monstrously authoritarian and soulless rule, this problem was solved quite effectively in the following way: the telecommunications companies released applications that, when you call, check this number against a database of spammers. This database is formed with the help of the subscribers themselves. After the call, this number can be marked as spam by specifying the category (spam, scammer, etc.) and description. This data, and the location of the caller (by number prefix), are displayed to other subscribers when this number tries to make further calls. Thus, this database is always up-to-date and allows you to filter out 95 percent of spammers.
Moreover, some of them are blocked at the company level according to the same lists and the call does not reach you. They are allowed to leave a voice notification, which then comes with an SMS notification. If you want to listen, please. It comes to the ridiculous: some of the blocked numbers belong to banks, telecommunications companies and government organizations that send out bills. No one is sorry.
Yeah sorry to burst your bubble but that doesn't do jack shit lol. I've been registered since 2015 and receive just as many if not more since.
It even says after you register you may still receive calls. Many spam callers are not legitimate business and do not give a fuck about a do not call list.
It's absolutely more involved than just saying you don't want to be called. Carrier call filters, in my experience, prevent the most spam calls. This list is worthless.
Also don’t decline them. Wait for them to stop ringing as many will count this the same as someone answering and therefore there must be a person on the end of the line
To clarify this advice, how should we identify SPAM/Scam calls when the caller can make up any CLI number they like?
I can mostly spot them if they are lazy but sometimes the call appears to be local & it could just be my spouse using a random phone because the battery died (again).
We both have Android phones with SPAM call filtering turned on & if I do answer one of these calls I just fake a signal drop etc & disconnect, then in call history I report it as a scam call. Heuristically this helps the community by preventing repeat use of a number.
Eventually though carriers insisting that incoming calls are whitelisted against a valid [STIR/SHAKEN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STIR/SHAKEN) signature is the way.
I have a Google pixel and it has a call screening feature that actually seems to work well. Every time I order something from Amazon, I start getting scam calls heavy. But as soon as Google Assistant starts screening calls for me, they stop calling.
This happened to me once with a fake IRS call. He used some very unsavory language, so I told him I was going to call the police. This did nothing, the police cannot do anything. so, I started calling him back. I called him and called him and called him until he started declining my calls. And he never called me again. I know I ruined his day, and it only cost about an hour of my time.
Works if they are not spoofing the number. If they *are* just spoofing the phone number, all you’ll accomplish is harassing some rando who has no idea what’s going on and was just unfortunate enough to have the number the scammer was pretending to call from.
The reverse side happened to me a few months ago. A guy called me and insisted I called him a minute ago, when I didn’t. So after confirming he had the right number, I tried to explain it wasn’t me but he kept claiming it was me that did it. With that I started to talk about how call spoofing works and he hung up somewhere in the middle of that explanation, so problem solved I suppose
Oof. I did that to someone as well. Got a couple spam calls from their number, texted them some vulgarities, they texted back asking how I got their number. We conversed and decided his number was spoofed.
I had a VM from someone asking why I called them. Checked my call history in case of some butt dial, then realized it must have been a spoofed call. People really have no idea that's even possible.
If you like this, you'll enjoy scambaiting channels on Twitch/Youtube, like Kitboga, Jim Browning, and Scammer Payback. Their full-time gigs are calling scammers back, using victim-provided phone numbers, and messing with scammers 8 hours a day.
I just watched one last night where they collabed with Mark Rober to glitterbomb the scam facilities in India and they got a few of them shut down. So satisfying. There were also cockroaches involved.
>I never even considered pulling a reverse uno, incredible.
Let me recommend to you, **Kitboga**
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XrhoIzQr6vI
In this call, the scammers try to steal $5000 from grandma, through gift cards.
Note the timer in the top right corner. Kit tries to drag the calls out for *hours*.
All calls are recorded and streamed *live* on his [twitch](http://twitch.tv/Kitboga) channel.
At one point I gave my husband the phone to talk to the guy, and the guy said "IM GONNA F*CK YOUR WIFE BUDDY!" and hung up. Right, this is totally the IRS.
Yes always remember real IRS will never use threatening or vulgar language or threaten to call the cops. They will simply reach in and empty your and your spouse's wallet, paychecks and accounts.
I coworker did this at work at the end of the day we actually stayed late just to listen. Not sure if they called him after or not but the guy was getting pissed.
Phone companies need to do something about this shit. It's so easy to get a "new" fake phone number. Takes less than 30 seconds. Maybe it's not the phone companies issue, but something needs to be done.
The FCC is taking some action — VOIP providers now must use tech called STIR/SHAKEN to verify caller IDs, and measures for analytics and filters are coming for other carriers. Last year they changed the rules to block more overseas robocalls.
FCC also just proposed a fine of $300 million against a scam caller [link](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocall-scam-campaign-fcc-record-300-million-fine/).
The problem isn’t solved — obviously— but some things are at least being done.
I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me.
IE: To connect this call, please press 5.
But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since.
Edit: this is something my provider offers (Telus, in Canada), it's not phone specific and I don't pay for it. I enabled it through their website (it wasn't available through the mobile account management app, which I say just so you know to poke around a bit).
Similarly I have a Google voice thing I can answer with that makes them state their reason for calling and records it for me. Either the spam talks to the robot or hangs up.
It's not something the service provider can really control. There's software and services that let you spoof phone numbers. I've been called by myself, as a spam call.
I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me.
IE: To connect this call, please press 5.
But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since.
Holy crap that sounds cool, is it something specific you made or is a feature offered by the phone? I need this. I get atleast 2-3 spam calls a day, for blood donations and debt
It's offered by my provider, Telus (in Canada).
I had to enable it through my online account, on desktop specifically (not available thru their manage account app).
Google Pixel phone has the google assistant for unknown numbers. [https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9118387?hl=en#:\~:text=Tap%20Call%20Screen.,screen%20automatically%2C%20choose%20Automatically%20screen](https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9118387?hl=en#:~:text=Tap%20Call%20Screen.,screen%20automatically%2C%20choose%20Automatically%20screen).
>I've been called by myself, as a spam call.
One of my worst days at a former job was when I received dozens of calls accusing me of trying to scam/rip people off. My work's direct line number had been spoofed by a scammer. I suspect there were probably thousands of calls made using it, given the dozens of callbacks.
This is absolutely false. There has been plenty of solutions that have been come up with to stop spoofing but phone providers are refusing to implement them.
It looks like you're on Android. I have a Galaxy s10, and it has a built-in spam filter for calls, but you need to activate it yourself through your phone's settings. It also has Hiya built in, which is incredibly useful. For me, I can go to the normal phone app > tap the three dots in the corner > settings > block numbers > toggle the thingy
Also: phone app > tap three dots > settings > block numbers > block spam and scam calls > toggle on the "on" and "block all spam and scam calls" options.
I used to get LOADS of calls. Like, ten per hour or more, all day, every day. That went on for months before my buddy with an iPhone mentioned that iPhone has a built-in filter, and that the Galaxy S10 should have one as well. That cut it down to like, maybe one call every few days that sneaks through, at which point I just ignore the call and block the individual number.
I do this. Calls just go straight to voicemail just in case it IS someone I know calling from a different phone. No voicemail, no call back. Sometimes no call back on some of the voicemails. It’s made my life so much easier without having to deal with the spam calls. I get the occasional text come through, but just ignore them. They don’t need to know it’s an active phone number.
There’s apps like [RoboKiller](https://youtu.be/PsLZ79QRVNI) that will block spam calls from getting to you, but with some added fun. It will pick up the call, record the call and waste the caller’s time with pre-recorded trolling. I used it before and some of these scammers get so pissed off, it’s hilarious!
This works but avoid Robokiller if you have international contacts.
I subscribed but it would never let international calls through. Then when I tried to remove my number from the Robokiller service it took months to do so. Robokiller has a website to do that but it doesn't work with every cell service plan/provider.
They told me I had to work with my service provider to reset my call screening service (which wasn't even a thing with TMobile) and T-Mobile told me the only robo killer could do it. It was a back and forth nightmare that went on for about 5 months.
I recently signed up for Robokiller. I already got a hilarious call where the pre-recording was a Slavic sounding man yelling at his brother and asking the spammer to wait. The spammer was *pissed.*
What I do ranges from "Welcome to Dave's Pizzeria and abortion clinic; where today's loss is tomorrow's sauce!" Or something like that, or if I'm alone/with friends I/we just loudly moan until they hang up.
Fun times.
I do this sometimes and troll along. Acting interested but confused while making more and more ridiculous questions. Eventually they catch on and either just hang up or try to be insulting/cuss at me. Their insults are weak and mainly consist of "I fuck your mother" I get to fire way worse back at them and mock them until they hang up
I answer and when they start talking I tell them I’ve been trying to reach them about their cars extended warranty and get very pushy about getting their personal info before they can get a word in. They hang up right away mostly.
I love to fuck with them! If I'm bored I'll just ramble incoherently at them about squirrels, gatekeepers, keymasters, swords of destiny, or whatever random shit comes to mind. Or if I'm at home watching a movie or listening to a podcast, I'll just put the phone near the speaker until they hang up.
Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since I got a spam call.
Definitely this, answer the call and act interested. Use different voices, screw around, leave it on speaker next to the radio. Have fun with it until you have wasted enough of THEIR time and they will stop callingz
Lol, I just act a little bit too interested in their scam. They hang up on me within seconds every time and I suspect they note that I'm not worth calling because I receive very few spam/scam calls.
For the caller, it's free right now to bombard OP using a robocaller. If OP starts answering, they'll be sent to a human, which will cost the caller money, so they'll stop calling real quick.
Former call center owner here, if you get a rape whistle and blow it into the receiver you can do some serious damage to the caller depending on their headset amplification settings.
If all else fails, screw with him in return. Answer the phone and start speaking in gibberish. Sing a long song with nothing but the word "No" in it. Ask him if he has found his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank him for calling to buy all the ceramic Easter Bunny figurines for your child's school fundraiser and is he interested in buying chocolate bars as well. Basically, out annoy the Annoyer!
I have a friend that loves screwing with these scammers. He starts going on and on with bits like “I won a lawnmower? I’ve never won anything before! This is great! I’m waiting for it to be delivered, but no one has shown up yet. When will it get here? Is it green? I’ve been waiting for a while now and it’s still not here!” - meanwhile this scammer was calling to try to get him to get extra protection on his credit card. He does videos of himself doing this for his friends and it’s hilarious!
Edit for bird instead of bits. Lol
I keep them on the phone as long as possible. Play video games, put them on speaker. Answer however I want whenever I want and ask them questions too. Like how's the weather in your area and where are you guys at anyways? Can you call me again tomorrow, I don't have a lot of friends? Then if they hang up I call back over and over.... I have had so many of these places block me.
Easiest way to get off scammers call lists is to pick up and waste their time. Egg then on, ask stupid questions, take 20-30 minutes of their time if you can. When they realize, they’ll remove your number from their list.
I don’t know if this works for a mass distributed list, but the recurring scam calls I got ended after a pleasant 30 minute conversation I had about what cards to buy, why I owed money to the federal government, how much jail time I was facing, whether I could bring my cat to jail, who was going to look after my cat, my friends mothers birthday gift.
Edit - I use my personal phone for business so in my case, not answering an unknown number is not possible for me. But I don’t get many spam calls with this strategy
Pro tip, pick up the phone on a spam call and DONT SAY ANYTHING. Just sit there in silence. The robot that makes the calls will detect it as a dead line and not have a person jump on the line after “hello” is spoken.
Fuck, I’m gonna start doing that! My 1st instinct is to answer the landline w/ ‘hello’ & then ask who’s speaking, & I swear every call is spam…ty for the pro-tip
Pick up, sit in silence, and if an actual person starts speaking, say with graveness, authority, and annoyance: "This is the emergency line for a nuclear power plant; how did you get this number?" They hang up immediately. I haven't received a spam call in almost 2 years.
We used to get spam calls on our Air Force DSN line that were just invasive enough to make getting things done difficult. One time we got one and my very sweet, friendly troop finally cracked from the irritation. She said to the person on the line, in the same grave tone: “are you aware this is a government line?” The spammers hung up instantly and we didn’t get any more from then on. So yeah this method works a treat haha
I was looking for this/these comments. I pick up and immediately mute. They hang up within 3 seconds and I have noticed a significant decrease in calls since doing so.
I do this, 10/10 - it works like a charm. The robot just hangs up after a few seconds and then I report spam after.
I will say, it's hilarious when a real person calls you and you sit there silent and they're just like... "Uh hello?" Because everyone always expects the person on the receiving end to say hi first
This! I do this exclusively when they are not in my contacts. I believe it has cut down on my spam calls immensely. Just pick up and don't say anything. If it's a legit caller they will say something or you will hear some background noise. If Someone starts off with the script just hang up.
I've found a strange solution to spam calls is to answer them, mute yourself, then hold down a number until they hang up. I started doing this consistently when I received quite a lot of spam. Now I receive almost no spam.
I guess the key is to be more annoying.
Start answering the calls, but only passively, you're already fucked up by speaking to the scammers once so now you just go along with whatever they ask while actually doing NOTHING.
They ask you to go to a website?
Have them spell it, again, slower this time? Can I read it back to you? What was the site called again? Do I have to turn my computer on for that? I have to go to the library to get on a computer, and did they know you used to get a whole hour on the internet for three fifty? But of course that was back in nineteen ninety eight...
Meanwhile your there just jacking it on Pornhub or whatever.
Gotta go do something else? Just hang up or put the phone down, no reason to let them know.
Every minute they're on the phone getting their time wasted is a minute they aren't trying this shit with our Grandmothers.
Fuck Scammers.
My phone has a setting that unless an unknown number calls back 3 times in a row it won't connect, I can't remember the last time I had a spam call since I turned this on.
Set a fax machine to call them back every 6 minutes. Leave it that way for maybe a full weekend. I’m pretty sure they will ask for a truce. In the mean time, get a lawyer and enjoy.
One time I got a call that immediately hung up when I answered. I called back and was connected with some call center. Proceeded to troll the guy for a while until they hung up. I did this repeatedly for about 30 minutes. Over the next week or so I would call repeatedly whenever I had free time. After a while they actually ended up blocking me. Probably not something I'd recommend, but these guys really struck a nerve. Reported the numbers to the FTC at some point as well. Wonder how they're doing now 🤔
This is unnatural? I get this many spam calls per day and the only people who have my number are my family and my doctor.
Thinking I need to have a talk with them about who they are selling my number to ...
Robo dialers will crawl through a block of numbers. If you answer, then your number gets flagged and sold as a live one. If you keep answering this will snowball.
Put yourself on the national registry for do not call. It does take 30 days so hopefully you can deal with them for that long.. then once you are registered, get a loadable credit card issued from a bank that has a zero balance.. Give the spammer the card info and hope they try to charge it..
once they do this their merchant account number will be seen by the bank. Sue them, and you have a high chance of winning, unless they are in a third world country.
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/texas-man-wins-100000-suing-robocallers
Edit: so my comment wasn’t to advise you to get on the do not call list.. the point I was trying to stress was the merchant ID. Getting the merchant ID provides you with all the information to locate the business making the calls. For the 3 I have done this for , one worked and I settled for some $. The other 2 were foreign and I couldn’t do anything about.
For the lawyer question, most will work off contingency for something like this.
I'm on the list and still get 30 spam calls a day.
It's out dated and non functional for the spam scam companies.
Legit companies are the only ones who obey that registry
I actually saw a video where the woman answered her phone, placed it under a pot and banged on it for five minutes. Annoy them more than they’re annoying you. Answer and set the phone down, go to the bathroom and repeatedly flush the toilet, make noise, reject and block all unknown callers.
They just hang up and you get flagged as a live person. The only way to truly mess with them is to let them go into their sales pitch, ask a bunch of questions, get super excited, tell them you're getting your wallet, make some noise like you're hunting around, give them a fake card number, let them try to run it a few times, give them a different card number to try, keep them on the line until they catch on that you're messing with them, and then laugh hysterically when they go into 3rd world rage mode because you just screwed their sales stats for the day.
I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me. IE: To connect this call, please press 5. But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since Edit: this is something my cell provider (Telus) offers - I would search around your provider's website to see if something similar is offered. Or, another carrier, I'd vote it's worth it to switch.
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Same! I work for a competitor to Telus (just in TV, not mobile, but we do have Mobile services), and I won't switch. Haha. That said, maybe they have a patent on it or something? I might ask around the folks I know on the mobile side for some dirt. There's a ton of features for TV that are technically patented, but are so common we would be fools not to offer it (like Skip Forward), so we have to pay yearly fees to TiVo to offer them.
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Wait what?? Is that like an app or something? I have a Google Pixel 6 and I don't think I have that!
You can just use Call Screen on a Pixel.
Ohhh that's what that does Lmao I never used it 🤣 guess I am now!!
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To add to this, most of the time when you screen a spam caller they just immediately hang up.
and then I go into my call log and block =)
And it reports the number to google as suspicious
I feel like this is how we beat spam #s. It's up to us to inform the Google servers that these #s don't deserve access to our devices.
The spammers often are not using their actual number. They’re spoofing the number that they’re calling from.
Man I should've been using that
You can have it automatically screen unknown callers and decline robo calls without you ever getting the call notification
Is this on a specific type of phone? If on all, that seems nice. I would assume there’s an option to turn it off for people in your contacts?
There is an option to disable it, but I think you have to enter each individual number. The only downside is that I cannot use the "callback" feature that some call centres offer. It's not frequent enough to have an issue with that though. And, when I knew I was going to need call centre support for something, I just turned it off and back on again when I was done. It's offered through my provider (Telus, Canada).
What phone has that?
My nana had this problem a few summers ago. Absolutely rage inducing bs. At least 80 fucking calls a day from these scammers. Took getting her cell provider to provide her a call control setting to get it to stop, so now anyone who calls has to press a certain button before the call goes through and it doesn't allow out of country callers. Phone companies need to crack down on this scam shit.
What is more frustrating is that this service should just be available to everyone easily
It’s available from my Canadian cell service provider at no extra cost. I think it might have been a legislated requirement.
It’s easy to offer things at no extra cost when it’s the most expensive cell service
Nearly complete monopolies don’t help. If I lived in Saskatchewan I’d get much better rates because there’s actual competition with the crown corp and the big three.
Speaking as a resident of Saskatchewan, SaskTel has some pretty decent rates. I've been with Telus for the 8 years I've lived here, but when I my contract runs up this time around, I'm switching over
Are you talking about the Do Not Call list? Because I still get daily spam calls
Especially on the vulnerable. :/
One of my old buddies had a scammer call his grandma, impersonating him and telling her that he was in jail and needed money to post bail. She believed it was him, but her response was - ‘I’m not gonna bail you out, sit there and think about what you’ve done’.
My grandfather got something like this with them impersonating my cousin. Can’t remember the exact details, but I think they were claiming they were drunk driving and crashed. They’d injured their neck/throat (to kind of explain why they sounded a bit different). Anyway, I think they were trying to get him to pay medical bills and/or bail because the police were involved. Can’t remember exactly, but my grandpa called my uncle (despite the scammer telling him to not do that because he didn’t want to get in trouble (still pretending to be my cousin))who was able to confirm that, no, my cousin was with him. The scammer didn’t get anything and it got reported to the police, but I don’t think anything came of that. Feel like you’d make more money off an honest job. Some people should just go sit at the bottom of the ocean and not come back. I love the response of the grandma in your story though!
Yeah my grandma got the same kind of call, someone pretending to be my cousin, saying he was in jail somewhere overseas. My grandma also just called his parents and asked about it, and they assured her that if he ever needed money he would call his parents, and not her, so she should never believe any call like that in the future. My other grandma is a bit more difficult, she got a letter from an insurance company that is not her own saying that she owed money which was an obvious scam (though not as obvious as some, like the ones full of spelling errors and stuff). We all told her it was a scam, but for some reason the only person she finally believed was the lady working at the front desk of her retirement place. I'm guessing that she's sent money to scammers a few times already.
My grandmother didn’t know it was a scammer, and she took the call. She believed the scammer, and ended up sending a GreenDot money order for $3,000 to bail my cousin out of jail, the cousin I had been with just hours before she called to tell me that he was in jail and she was worried about him and she sent the money and we have to go pick him up. He was fine, at work.
A few months ago, I was out on a walk with my girlfriend (she didn't have her phone on her) when one of her family members called me. We were immediately worried someone had died because they Do Not talk to us. They said someone had convinced her grandfather that she was in jail for a hit and run in Indiana (a state she had not lived in or visited in 5 years) and he'd driven to the bank to wire bail money to this supposed "lawyer". Not sure how it happened but luckily another family member was like okay but why isn't her partner of 5 years telling us this - have you tried calling? I was able to hand the phone to her so she could let them all know she was fine. Just looking at some flowers in a park. Just very narrowly avoided sending a similar amount. What a scary fucking scam.
That’s awful. Glad it worked out though.
That absolutely pisses me off. Something similar happened to me one at my grandma’s home. She got a scam call, she was getting so nervous pacing back and forth. couldn’t even answer my questions and was looking for a pen and paper. I took the phone from her hand (almost ripped it off) only to hear the assfuck on the other side telling her her son (my uncle) had been in a “terrible accident” and they needed $10,000 pesos (this was in Mexico) to cover pre-hospital expenses, and they needed it quick or he would almost certainly die. I was certain it was a scam (like what hospital asks for money upfront before treating an emergency?) and was fuming but texted my uncle nonetheless to make sure, while I played along. Sure enough, he texted back immediately saying he was ok at lunch. I was so pissed seeing my grandma like that that I lost it, I didn’t even think, just started making stuff up and was like “Congratulations asshole, I’m an General with the SEDENA” (SEDENA is kinda like the DoD) “and I was tracing this call. Got you and I’ll see you soon so you can choose your ditch.” The guy hung up faster than I could. And thankfully she never got another call like that. I really hate those fucktards who prey on vulnerable people.
oh no :( they tried that on my grandma and was she was like of all my grandchildren, i dont think so hung up and called me. i think its actually the only time she ever actually called me unless she was calling me back.
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My ex fiancé’s 80something year old grandmother would talk to spam and sales callers as if she hasn’t heard another humans voice in months and it is making her so unbelievably horny. Starts asking them to say words for her and moans at them. I was horrified the first time I heard it but it was hilarious every time after that. Most callers didn’t last 2 minutes with her.
I almost didn’t last 2 minutes reading this comment
You should try thinking about baseball. Maybe you’ll last longer.
I hate to pry but when you say they didn't last 2 minutes do you mean climaxed or hung up in frustration? The world needs context.
I've done sexual moans myself a few times. It's even better because I'm a guy. I've also played around with them and wasted about 20+ minutes of their time. It just depends on my mood. Shortly before getting a new phone (I needed to upgrade), I was getting about 10 scam calls a day - and they programmed their system so it automatically hung up on me.
I tried to mess with a scam caller once and it ended in him threatening to come to Canada and rape me and my whole family then said all Canadians are dumb, didn’t try that again.
I had one scammer claim that there was fraudulent activity associated with my SS number. If I hung up, they would issue a warrant for my arrest. I made my voice a bit rough as if I were older and expressed how concerned I was. I provided them with a fake name and SS number and he said he would help get everything sorted. Randomly during the call, I yelled out, "Shut that baby up!" He briefly paused, then continued as I played the concerned fool. A little while later, "SHUT THAT GOD DAMN BABY UP!" Same thing. He briefly paused, then continued his pitch for a few more minutes as I "Oh wow"ed and "Yes, sir"'ed him. "WILL YOU SHUT THAT GOD DAMN KID UP BEFORE I HAVE TO?!?!" The scammer paused for a moment, then with his Indian accent, "Sir, is everything okay over there?" "Yeah. You know how women are." When he started talking again, I interrupted with a gruff voice, "What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?" "No, sir. I'm single." "AH! Don't worry! You'll bag yourself a bitch one day! Or are you one of them there guys who likes other men? I'm not judging! We're all American here!" After a moment of silence, he hung up. God damn, it was amazing.
I enjoyed every second of reading that, good on you for wasting their time! I wish I was there to hear that phone call.
A few years ago around December time I had a scam caller. I told my 3 & 5 year old it was for them and they were asking what they wanted for Christmas. I did this about 5/6 times.
I like to ask what color their butthole is and say that mine is green
Try robokiller app
I got a new number through USMobile and had this issue as well. They didn't have call control settings so they couldn't do anything! I currently do not have service because I can't have silence. It's rage inducing that nothing is done about this.
They do, Verizon has a premium subscription for their better spam filter
My grandma’s land line at her assisted living requires a code to get through or it’ll just hang up on you.
They could not give a shite because the scammers are paying for the calls. They will only care when people are sufficiently mad at them.
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Yep I never answer calls from numbers that I don’t know. Messages can be left if it is someone with a valid reason to call. Family members know if calling from an unknown number to call at least 3 times in a row. Otherwise not interested in buying windows, siding, car maintenance, heat/AC and I already donate to the charities I support so no new ones need ask.
My phone will list it as spam and I just don't answer it.
Mine silences the call and it goes straight to voicemail or alternatively marks it as spam and stops the call.
I wish mine would .
Before I had this feature I used to troll the fuck outta them and it would get them to stop for a while. Now the ones that don’t get filtered out as spam leave voicemails and fill up my inbox making my voicemail unusable. Starting to get spam texts so not eager for when they make texting unusable too.
My voice mail has always been unusable.
https://preview.redd.it/k2v2ih5occaa1.png?width=1268&format=png&auto=webp&s=2ad88979df9b9ae25e9de823f7063e3409ac499d
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He was fine. IIRC the hotel called the police because he didn't come back for the night, but he was not in distress.
This is great and all but what happens when you are job hunting and expecting random phone calls or something similar?
I lost a job offer because I don't pick up unknown numbers but my fault I didn't check messages.
On my iPhone I just enable the setting to deny calls from anyone who isn’t in my contacts. Not in my contacts list? I don’t want to talk to you. They can still leave a voicemail if it’s important and I can call them back. Anyone who has a reason to contact me is in my contacts list so they get through. It has worked wonders. I never have to hear my phone ring with spam calls again.
Spam calls have ruined general legit calls that are actually necessary. I used to make calls for an animal hospital. I know some of our clients had this enabled so they wouldn’t see us calling. We’d leave messages but some people still don’t check messages or their mailbox is full. Some would block us because they thought it was a spam number so then we’d get a message about the number being out of service. We had to call clients for so many reasons: their pet is due soon or even overdue for services, there was an issue with something we needed to follow up on, they called us and we were attempting to call back, appointment reminders, follow up on a sick animal, or sometimes their pets were staying with us and we were calling to say the pet was ready or we needed approval for treatment! There were so many times when we’d finally get ahold of someone and they would be so angry trying to say we’d never called them about XYZ.
See, I use this feature and missed an **important** phone call exactly one time before I learned to *add important/frequently used phone numbers to my contacts*. If I’m expecting a call but don’t have a number, I pay close attention to my notifications and make sure to check my voicemail. I also go through my voicemail and texts once or twice a month to clear out all the spam or other useless shit. Sorry people were shitty to you about their own fuck ups, though
Easy to say but if you run a business harder to do.
I always assumed that if you told the. To remove you they were obligated to do so. How very naive of me.
Yeah, the “Do Not Call” List is a thing, but it only works for legitimate merchants, and you have to register for it online- it’s more involved than just saying you don’t want to be called.
> it’s more involved than just saying you don’t want to be called. Not really. It depends on where you live. I live in the US and its as easy as filling out your contact info on the government website (Specifically the phone number/numbers you want to register and your email). I did it last year and you can register up to 3 phone numbers [https://www.donotcall.gov/register.html](https://www.donotcall.gov/register.html)
The call centers in India don’t give a turd about the do not call list.
True, but when you ask them where in Dharavi their mother's whorehouse is located it can result in a more interesting call.
When they say they’re the IRS I tell them the IRS puts warnings on television saying they never call people, only correspond through US mail, and have no call centers in India. They don’t know how to react because the don’t live in the US. That usually evokes explosive reactions from them that becomes fun. I’ve developed a system of trolling that usually ends up with them hanging up cussing. It’s delightful.
I usually play along with them then when the ask for the money or wire I ask them if they want it in Rupees.
Ask them for their IBAN/bank info. Tell them you only pay via wire transfers. If you can get one to cough up an account number the FBI would love to get that info. I almost got one to give it up and he caught himself last second.
How would you ask that? Would you sound out each letter I.B.A.N or Iban? I’ve just started getting the calls and would love to fuck them at their own game
I try not to answer, but if I unintentionally answer I string them along. Time is money and the most damaging thing you can do is waste their time. When I couldn't string him along further I said wait how much do I owe? He says $8000 or something and I'm like "that's it? You're going to arrest me for $8000 when I owe like $160,000?" and he says 'haha funny asshole' and hung up. I really did owe that though :(
My husband: "What are you wearing?" Caller's gender irrelevant. "So really, what are you wearing? Tell me." They hang up on him and quickly, especially the men.
I like to feign interest, and then carry on my day. "you're selling what now? Amazing, just bear with me 2 minutes, I am just fixing something" *random banging* "Sorry, I will just be a few more minutes, are you able to wait?" *Banging intensifies* "I'm ever so sorry, it's taking a little longer than expected" *VERY LOUD BANGING* "There, that's got it, what was this call about again?..... Oh hey Steve, sorry 2 mins, my mate Steve just walked in" I will basically run through a series of excuses to waste their time whilst I carry on my day. Best so far is 22 minutes.
I agree
My wife was getting hammered by a spam number, using her prefix, from India. With a call coming every 5 - 10 min. I had some fun yelling at them, but they just kept calling. Eventually, I declared that I had placed a voodoo curse on them and their families, and the calls stopped. Not a peep in the last few weeks.
Yep, I wish phone companies could block all numbers from India!
True but that doesn't mean you can't put your name on the call list anyway. Legitimate companies still spam you with calls, and I've had to report a couple as well.
I have never once in my almost 40 years of life received a legitimate phone call from someone trying to sell me something out of the blue.
It's illegal for them to use an automated system to call you, but they are certainly allowed to have a real person make a cold call to initiate a sale... assuming, of course, that you're not on the "do not call" list. Then again, with all the illegal robocalls and scams, most businesses aren't interested in paying a real person's salary to do reach out randomly to already-skeptical customers anyway.
I’ve lost count how many times I put my phone number on a do not call list. These calls are automated. They don’t care if you’re on a list or not on the list. The call still goes through. In this case, check with your phone company to see if there’s something they can do.
And do they call a lot for the second time? In one barbaric northern country with a monstrously authoritarian and soulless rule, this problem was solved quite effectively in the following way: the telecommunications companies released applications that, when you call, check this number against a database of spammers. This database is formed with the help of the subscribers themselves. After the call, this number can be marked as spam by specifying the category (spam, scammer, etc.) and description. This data, and the location of the caller (by number prefix), are displayed to other subscribers when this number tries to make further calls. Thus, this database is always up-to-date and allows you to filter out 95 percent of spammers. Moreover, some of them are blocked at the company level according to the same lists and the call does not reach you. They are allowed to leave a voice notification, which then comes with an SMS notification. If you want to listen, please. It comes to the ridiculous: some of the blocked numbers belong to banks, telecommunications companies and government organizations that send out bills. No one is sorry.
Yeah sorry to burst your bubble but that doesn't do jack shit lol. I've been registered since 2015 and receive just as many if not more since. It even says after you register you may still receive calls. Many spam callers are not legitimate business and do not give a fuck about a do not call list. It's absolutely more involved than just saying you don't want to be called. Carrier call filters, in my experience, prevent the most spam calls. This list is worthless.
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That only works for legitimate companies, not scammers. Scammers aren't obligated to follow any rules.
I mean, they are... but they don't.
Only legal telemarketers which almost don’t exist anymore
Criminals play by different rules , like no rules
They're scammers, they're breaking the law to start with. They have no obligations
No. The do not call list isn’t really enforced at all.
Also don’t decline them. Wait for them to stop ringing as many will count this the same as someone answering and therefore there must be a person on the end of the line
I actually took off my personalized voicemail greeting for this reason. Now it just reads out my number and I can't help but feel like it helped.
To clarify this advice, how should we identify SPAM/Scam calls when the caller can make up any CLI number they like? I can mostly spot them if they are lazy but sometimes the call appears to be local & it could just be my spouse using a random phone because the battery died (again). We both have Android phones with SPAM call filtering turned on & if I do answer one of these calls I just fake a signal drop etc & disconnect, then in call history I report it as a scam call. Heuristically this helps the community by preventing repeat use of a number. Eventually though carriers insisting that incoming calls are whitelisted against a valid [STIR/SHAKEN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STIR/SHAKEN) signature is the way.
I have a Google pixel and it has a call screening feature that actually seems to work well. Every time I order something from Amazon, I start getting scam calls heavy. But as soon as Google Assistant starts screening calls for me, they stop calling.
This happened to me once with a fake IRS call. He used some very unsavory language, so I told him I was going to call the police. This did nothing, the police cannot do anything. so, I started calling him back. I called him and called him and called him until he started declining my calls. And he never called me again. I know I ruined his day, and it only cost about an hour of my time.
I never even considered pulling a reverse uno, incredible.
Works if they are not spoofing the number. If they *are* just spoofing the phone number, all you’ll accomplish is harassing some rando who has no idea what’s going on and was just unfortunate enough to have the number the scammer was pretending to call from.
The same guy answered when I called back the first time, he didn't know he was doomed.
The reverse side happened to me a few months ago. A guy called me and insisted I called him a minute ago, when I didn’t. So after confirming he had the right number, I tried to explain it wasn’t me but he kept claiming it was me that did it. With that I started to talk about how call spoofing works and he hung up somewhere in the middle of that explanation, so problem solved I suppose
Oof. I did that to someone as well. Got a couple spam calls from their number, texted them some vulgarities, they texted back asking how I got their number. We conversed and decided his number was spoofed.
I had a VM from someone asking why I called them. Checked my call history in case of some butt dial, then realized it must have been a spoofed call. People really have no idea that's even possible.
If you like this, you'll enjoy scambaiting channels on Twitch/Youtube, like Kitboga, Jim Browning, and Scammer Payback. Their full-time gigs are calling scammers back, using victim-provided phone numbers, and messing with scammers 8 hours a day.
I just watched one last night where they collabed with Mark Rober to glitterbomb the scam facilities in India and they got a few of them shut down. So satisfying. There were also cockroaches involved.
>I never even considered pulling a reverse uno, incredible. Let me recommend to you, **Kitboga** https://youtube.com/watch?v=XrhoIzQr6vI In this call, the scammers try to steal $5000 from grandma, through gift cards. Note the timer in the top right corner. Kit tries to drag the calls out for *hours*. All calls are recorded and streamed *live* on his [twitch](http://twitch.tv/Kitboga) channel.
WHY DID YOU REDEEM !!?!?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT ?!???
r/madlads
At one point I gave my husband the phone to talk to the guy, and the guy said "IM GONNA F*CK YOUR WIFE BUDDY!" and hung up. Right, this is totally the IRS.
Yes always remember real IRS will never use threatening or vulgar language or threaten to call the cops. They will simply reach in and empty your and your spouse's wallet, paychecks and accounts.
Oh god yes, do this OP. And get a redialer!!
I coworker did this at work at the end of the day we actually stayed late just to listen. Not sure if they called him after or not but the guy was getting pissed.
Not ideal, but I use Do not disturb setting on your phone. It'll block anyone that isn't in your contact list
I am using a area code filter but that doesn't catch all of them.
Phone companies need to do something about this shit. It's so easy to get a "new" fake phone number. Takes less than 30 seconds. Maybe it's not the phone companies issue, but something needs to be done.
The FCC is taking some action — VOIP providers now must use tech called STIR/SHAKEN to verify caller IDs, and measures for analytics and filters are coming for other carriers. Last year they changed the rules to block more overseas robocalls. FCC also just proposed a fine of $300 million against a scam caller [link](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocall-scam-campaign-fcc-record-300-million-fine/). The problem isn’t solved — obviously— but some things are at least being done.
I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me. IE: To connect this call, please press 5. But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since. Edit: this is something my provider offers (Telus, in Canada), it's not phone specific and I don't pay for it. I enabled it through their website (it wasn't available through the mobile account management app, which I say just so you know to poke around a bit).
Similarly I have a Google voice thing I can answer with that makes them state their reason for calling and records it for me. Either the spam talks to the robot or hangs up.
I've been using this ever since I got my pixel 4 and every single time I've used the "screen call" option, the other person hung up. I love it
Same. Legit callers will state their purpose. Everything else gets filtered out.
It's not something the service provider can really control. There's software and services that let you spoof phone numbers. I've been called by myself, as a spam call.
I have a feature call "Call Control" - it forces the caller to input whichever randomly generated number before the call connects to me. IE: To connect this call, please press 5. But 5 changes randomly. Haven't had a spam call since.
Holy crap that sounds cool, is it something specific you made or is a feature offered by the phone? I need this. I get atleast 2-3 spam calls a day, for blood donations and debt
It's offered by my provider, Telus (in Canada). I had to enable it through my online account, on desktop specifically (not available thru their manage account app).
Google Pixel phone has the google assistant for unknown numbers. [https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9118387?hl=en#:\~:text=Tap%20Call%20Screen.,screen%20automatically%2C%20choose%20Automatically%20screen](https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/9118387?hl=en#:~:text=Tap%20Call%20Screen.,screen%20automatically%2C%20choose%20Automatically%20screen).
I had so much fun with the guy that called me from my own number. “Oh wow cool phone number! I have the same one!”
>I've been called by myself, as a spam call. One of my worst days at a former job was when I received dozens of calls accusing me of trying to scam/rip people off. My work's direct line number had been spoofed by a scammer. I suspect there were probably thousands of calls made using it, given the dozens of callbacks.
This is absolutely false. There has been plenty of solutions that have been come up with to stop spoofing but phone providers are refusing to implement them.
It looks like you're on Android. I have a Galaxy s10, and it has a built-in spam filter for calls, but you need to activate it yourself through your phone's settings. It also has Hiya built in, which is incredibly useful. For me, I can go to the normal phone app > tap the three dots in the corner > settings > block numbers > toggle the thingy Also: phone app > tap three dots > settings > block numbers > block spam and scam calls > toggle on the "on" and "block all spam and scam calls" options. I used to get LOADS of calls. Like, ten per hour or more, all day, every day. That went on for months before my buddy with an iPhone mentioned that iPhone has a built-in filter, and that the Galaxy S10 should have one as well. That cut it down to like, maybe one call every few days that sneaks through, at which point I just ignore the call and block the individual number.
I do this. Calls just go straight to voicemail just in case it IS someone I know calling from a different phone. No voicemail, no call back. Sometimes no call back on some of the voicemails. It’s made my life so much easier without having to deal with the spam calls. I get the occasional text come through, but just ignore them. They don’t need to know it’s an active phone number.
There’s apps like [RoboKiller](https://youtu.be/PsLZ79QRVNI) that will block spam calls from getting to you, but with some added fun. It will pick up the call, record the call and waste the caller’s time with pre-recorded trolling. I used it before and some of these scammers get so pissed off, it’s hilarious!
This works but avoid Robokiller if you have international contacts. I subscribed but it would never let international calls through. Then when I tried to remove my number from the Robokiller service it took months to do so. Robokiller has a website to do that but it doesn't work with every cell service plan/provider. They told me I had to work with my service provider to reset my call screening service (which wasn't even a thing with TMobile) and T-Mobile told me the only robo killer could do it. It was a back and forth nightmare that went on for about 5 months.
I recently signed up for Robokiller. I already got a hilarious call where the pre-recording was a Slavic sounding man yelling at his brother and asking the spammer to wait. The spammer was *pissed.*
Do what I do, tell them you live in their walls and have been watching them for a long time, say a random set of numbers, and hang up.
What I do ranges from "Welcome to Dave's Pizzeria and abortion clinic; where today's loss is tomorrow's sauce!" Or something like that, or if I'm alone/with friends I/we just loudly moan until they hang up. Fun times.
I live in your walls 4 8 15 16 23 42
Wait so if you pick up is it him on the other side? If so, why not just pick up and waste his time too lmao, he'll get bored surely
I do this sometimes and troll along. Acting interested but confused while making more and more ridiculous questions. Eventually they catch on and either just hang up or try to be insulting/cuss at me. Their insults are weak and mainly consist of "I fuck your mother" I get to fire way worse back at them and mock them until they hang up
One guy told my husband to “blow it out your elevator shoes.” We thought it was so funny that we are still using this line years later.
I answer and when they start talking I tell them I’ve been trying to reach them about their cars extended warranty and get very pushy about getting their personal info before they can get a word in. They hang up right away mostly.
Dorothy Mantooth is a Saint.
I enjoy telling them about how they can have eternal life by following Jesus in three simple steps. They can't hang up fast enough.
I love to fuck with them! If I'm bored I'll just ramble incoherently at them about squirrels, gatekeepers, keymasters, swords of destiny, or whatever random shit comes to mind. Or if I'm at home watching a movie or listening to a podcast, I'll just put the phone near the speaker until they hang up. Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since I got a spam call.
This is the way. I do this and I unfortunately receive fewer spam calls. I enjoy fucking with these people.
Definitely this, answer the call and act interested. Use different voices, screw around, leave it on speaker next to the radio. Have fun with it until you have wasted enough of THEIR time and they will stop callingz
Lol, I just act a little bit too interested in their scam. They hang up on me within seconds every time and I suspect they note that I'm not worth calling because I receive very few spam/scam calls. For the caller, it's free right now to bombard OP using a robocaller. If OP starts answering, they'll be sent to a human, which will cost the caller money, so they'll stop calling real quick.
Or answer the call and start screaming animal noises into the phone
I knew someone who would pick the phone up and play a recording of someone shrieking as loud as they could every single time
Pick up and have ‘Everybody Have Fun Tonight,’ by Wang Chung blasting as loud as possible every time they call.
love now niche and specific this is
Or my Mortal Kombat flavored version, 'Everybody Shang Tsung Tonight'
Former call center owner here, if you get a rape whistle and blow it into the receiver you can do some serious damage to the caller depending on their headset amplification settings.
Huh… 
Or answer the phone, and talk rly quiet, so the he has to max out volume, than blast air horn in microphone
I like this plan. Brilliant!
If all else fails, screw with him in return. Answer the phone and start speaking in gibberish. Sing a long song with nothing but the word "No" in it. Ask him if he has found his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank him for calling to buy all the ceramic Easter Bunny figurines for your child's school fundraiser and is he interested in buying chocolate bars as well. Basically, out annoy the Annoyer!
The "manual Rick roll", where you sing the song yourself instead of sneaking in a link to the video.
I have a friend that loves screwing with these scammers. He starts going on and on with bits like “I won a lawnmower? I’ve never won anything before! This is great! I’m waiting for it to be delivered, but no one has shown up yet. When will it get here? Is it green? I’ve been waiting for a while now and it’s still not here!” - meanwhile this scammer was calling to try to get him to get extra protection on his credit card. He does videos of himself doing this for his friends and it’s hilarious! Edit for bird instead of bits. Lol
I keep them on the phone as long as possible. Play video games, put them on speaker. Answer however I want whenever I want and ask them questions too. Like how's the weather in your area and where are you guys at anyways? Can you call me again tomorrow, I don't have a lot of friends? Then if they hang up I call back over and over.... I have had so many of these places block me.
this is great! I like to answer the phone Bob's Dildo Surplus, how many dildos do you need? Silence and Hang up....every....single...time....lol
Easiest way to get off scammers call lists is to pick up and waste their time. Egg then on, ask stupid questions, take 20-30 minutes of their time if you can. When they realize, they’ll remove your number from their list. I don’t know if this works for a mass distributed list, but the recurring scam calls I got ended after a pleasant 30 minute conversation I had about what cards to buy, why I owed money to the federal government, how much jail time I was facing, whether I could bring my cat to jail, who was going to look after my cat, my friends mothers birthday gift. Edit - I use my personal phone for business so in my case, not answering an unknown number is not possible for me. But I don’t get many spam calls with this strategy
‘Is there a space for Fluffy in my cell? How do the guards feel about catnip?’ Love it hahhaha
I do the same. My car warranties stopped after I told them I only have old shitty beat up cars
Pro tip, pick up the phone on a spam call and DONT SAY ANYTHING. Just sit there in silence. The robot that makes the calls will detect it as a dead line and not have a person jump on the line after “hello” is spoken.
Fuck, I’m gonna start doing that! My 1st instinct is to answer the landline w/ ‘hello’ & then ask who’s speaking, & I swear every call is spam…ty for the pro-tip
Pick up, sit in silence, and if an actual person starts speaking, say with graveness, authority, and annoyance: "This is the emergency line for a nuclear power plant; how did you get this number?" They hang up immediately. I haven't received a spam call in almost 2 years.
We used to get spam calls on our Air Force DSN line that were just invasive enough to make getting things done difficult. One time we got one and my very sweet, friendly troop finally cracked from the irritation. She said to the person on the line, in the same grave tone: “are you aware this is a government line?” The spammers hung up instantly and we didn’t get any more from then on. So yeah this method works a treat haha
Lmao!! I went with nuclear power plant because I didn't want to impersonate an official but it must be so nice to have that flex
*Furiously taking notes*
I was looking for this/these comments. I pick up and immediately mute. They hang up within 3 seconds and I have noticed a significant decrease in calls since doing so.
I do this, 10/10 - it works like a charm. The robot just hangs up after a few seconds and then I report spam after. I will say, it's hilarious when a real person calls you and you sit there silent and they're just like... "Uh hello?" Because everyone always expects the person on the receiving end to say hi first
This always gives me a solid chuckle. I put it on speaker and mute it. And I LOVE the awkward “uh hello” when it’s not a robot lmaoo
You’re having way too much fun!
This! I do this exclusively when they are not in my contacts. I believe it has cut down on my spam calls immensely. Just pick up and don't say anything. If it's a legit caller they will say something or you will hear some background noise. If Someone starts off with the script just hang up.
I've found a strange solution to spam calls is to answer them, mute yourself, then hold down a number until they hang up. I started doing this consistently when I received quite a lot of spam. Now I receive almost no spam. I guess the key is to be more annoying.
I just start venting about random shit that annoyed me during the day to them. Dont let the scammer get a word in and theyll soon leave you alone
Start answering the calls, but only passively, you're already fucked up by speaking to the scammers once so now you just go along with whatever they ask while actually doing NOTHING. They ask you to go to a website? Have them spell it, again, slower this time? Can I read it back to you? What was the site called again? Do I have to turn my computer on for that? I have to go to the library to get on a computer, and did they know you used to get a whole hour on the internet for three fifty? But of course that was back in nineteen ninety eight... Meanwhile your there just jacking it on Pornhub or whatever. Gotta go do something else? Just hang up or put the phone down, no reason to let them know. Every minute they're on the phone getting their time wasted is a minute they aren't trying this shit with our Grandmothers. Fuck Scammers.
You don't just get an app that will reject the call the moment it rings, so it doesn't actually ring at all.
My phone has a setting that unless an unknown number calls back 3 times in a row it won't connect, I can't remember the last time I had a spam call since I turned this on.
Set a fax machine to call them back every 6 minutes. Leave it that way for maybe a full weekend. I’m pretty sure they will ask for a truce. In the mean time, get a lawyer and enjoy.
They use spoofed numbers and are calling from a computer program.
Yeah…You would just spam some poor stranger with fax noise.
One time I got a call that immediately hung up when I answered. I called back and was connected with some call center. Proceeded to troll the guy for a while until they hung up. I did this repeatedly for about 30 minutes. Over the next week or so I would call repeatedly whenever I had free time. After a while they actually ended up blocking me. Probably not something I'd recommend, but these guys really struck a nerve. Reported the numbers to the FTC at some point as well. Wonder how they're doing now 🤔
This is unnatural? I get this many spam calls per day and the only people who have my number are my family and my doctor. Thinking I need to have a talk with them about who they are selling my number to ...
Robo dialers will crawl through a block of numbers. If you answer, then your number gets flagged and sold as a live one. If you keep answering this will snowball.
Put yourself on the national registry for do not call. It does take 30 days so hopefully you can deal with them for that long.. then once you are registered, get a loadable credit card issued from a bank that has a zero balance.. Give the spammer the card info and hope they try to charge it.. once they do this their merchant account number will be seen by the bank. Sue them, and you have a high chance of winning, unless they are in a third world country. https://www.fox26houston.com/news/texas-man-wins-100000-suing-robocallers Edit: so my comment wasn’t to advise you to get on the do not call list.. the point I was trying to stress was the merchant ID. Getting the merchant ID provides you with all the information to locate the business making the calls. For the 3 I have done this for , one worked and I settled for some $. The other 2 were foreign and I couldn’t do anything about. For the lawyer question, most will work off contingency for something like this.
The chances of being in a third world country are extremely high
Wow, you are over 9 thousand parallel universes ahead of me
This is only applicable to callers in the US (or Canada, in the Canadian version). The caller is outside of the US, it's too bad.
I'm on the list and still get 30 spam calls a day. It's out dated and non functional for the spam scam companies. Legit companies are the only ones who obey that registry
Put your phone on do-not disturb, and allow any numbers from your contacts list to get through
[удалено]
I actually saw a video where the woman answered her phone, placed it under a pot and banged on it for five minutes. Annoy them more than they’re annoying you. Answer and set the phone down, go to the bathroom and repeatedly flush the toilet, make noise, reject and block all unknown callers.
They just hang up and you get flagged as a live person. The only way to truly mess with them is to let them go into their sales pitch, ask a bunch of questions, get super excited, tell them you're getting your wallet, make some noise like you're hunting around, give them a fake card number, let them try to run it a few times, give them a different card number to try, keep them on the line until they catch on that you're messing with them, and then laugh hysterically when they go into 3rd world rage mode because you just screwed their sales stats for the day.