Is this problem confined to tracfone? Called by my own #.

JcMack

JcMack

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About six weeks ago I started receiving calls on my cell from my own cell number. I've probably received 6-8 calls and I just press the "ignore" button. Today I get a call on the cell from an irate lady that says I just called her and hung up. I tried to explain the fact that some moron is using my number, and I never called. I think she only half believed me. After we hung up I noticed that the area code and first three numbers of her cell were the same as mine. So I'm assuming that she has the same provider (Tracfone) and her's and my phone numbers are in a block assigned to Tracfone. Any body with Tracfone have a similar issue?
 
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Inquiring minds want to know!
I have been thinking about switching to Tracfone.
I have noticed that they get a bunch of negative feedback.
 
Does this always happen when you have the phone in your pocket? If yes, you may be "butt dialing" - see
Urban Dictionary: BUTT DIALING

Otherwise, go on the Tracfone website and get a new number for your phone. As far as I know, they don't charge for that.
 
I've used TracFone since 2007 and have been very happy with them. They do not have their own network, they lease excess bandwidth from other carriers. Here in Houston you might have a TracFone that is on the AT&T network or one that is on Verizon. My current phone is on the Verizon network, but years ago I had one that was on the Verizon network. It's my understanding that TracFone has phones on all major cell carriers in the US and most other countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Your phone number may have been hacked or is being spoofed. When you get a call does the Recent Calls, Dialed Calls on your menu show that you called yourself or the lady that said you called her?

There is something called butt dialing, where people make calls they did not intend to by wearing the phone in tight fitting clothing. Check the Recent Calls on your phones menu to see the calls your phone dialed.
 
I'm familiar with butt dialing and that ain't it. I've been sitting here before with the phone next to me and the phone rings and displays my number. Calling my # from my phone connects me with voicemail and requires a pin #. The recent call from the lady displayed her #. I've had this phone # for at least 10 yrs. and hate to change it. It's listed as a contact # for all my accounts and stuff. Verizon sucks around here or I'd switch to an Android Tracfone that uses it. Non Android Tracfone uses T Mobile here. Phone has probably been spoofed. I'm not gonna change #'s unless this becomes an issue. I've had Tracfone for about 3 yrs. and it works well and costs about $7 a month. Tracfone support however is useless.
 
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Dunno if what you're having is strictly tracfone matter but my daughter has called my cell from her cell and had the ID appear as from my home number. There's a free smart phone app that allows this along with voice disguise that sounds either male or female. So not only was I surprised when I got a call showing from my house, I also had an interesting conversation with some female about what she was doing in my house. :)
 
I just started using a MagicJack Go for a home phone. It's my understanding that when I call someone the caller ID reads Juanita Bullock. Caller ID aint what it used to be.
 
Pranksters have your number, get a new one.

If you live in an area that Sprint covers, and you are always around wi-fi, check out Scratch Wireless. Their phones work great and you could save a lot of money.
 
I get calls about once a month on my landline where my name and number are displayed on the caller ID. Scammers think you're more likely to pick up, I guess out of curiosity, than their usual spoof of "out of area", "private number", "card services", "bank name", etc.
 
The "spoofing" is quite easy and often used, both for good and bad purposes. My business cell phone presents the company name and a number that rings back to a call center. That way if I call a customer in a problem resolution, they don't get my real private number, and the ability to bypass the reporting system at 3am on a Sunday. But that option can be misused by spammers and criminals.
 
You are not alone. I have Verizon both at home and for cell service. I have received calls to both my phones showing that phones own number as the incoming call.

As others have stated, there are apps that allow you to place any number in your phone when making outgoing calls to spoof the phone you are calling.

I have a friend who received a call and it showed up as a local police station. Fearing something bad had happened, he answered and the caller, (his friend) even had an app that disguised his voice. My friend really thought it was the police and his friend had him going for sometime before he revealed who he really was.

In this day and age of computers, many things are possible and it will only get worse. If you think that what was portrayed in the Terminator movies was far fetched, wait 50 years. :eek:
 
All of these crank calls and spoofing are just a small sample as to what is going on now that telephone service has been deregulated. It is a mess, with poor quality, distortion and a "Do Not Call List" that does not work like the rest of government.
Everyone was so happy to get rid of Ma Bell, but look what you have now. No operator to register a complaint to and Rachael of Credit Card Services who the FCC will not even shut down.
All this deregulation of air travel, telephone and electricity has resulted in poorer service and in many cases higher costs.
Gone is the day of dialing "0" and telling alive operator what your problem is and she getting Ma Bell people to fix it. As for me I would like to get Ma Bell back, she was a good one.
 
I have a question that is slightly off topic but still Tracfone related. I am reading The Bone Tree by Greg Iles. The characters on both sides of the law (the law being dirty LA state police so they are the bad guys) use Tracfones bought from Wal-Mart as "burn phones". Supposedly the phones are not registered to a person but just sold OTC so no one can proved who owns the phone or made/received the calls.

Is this factual? It seems like government lawyers would have closed that loophole.
 
zzzippper said:
I have a question that is slightly off topic but still Tracfone related. I am reading The Bone Tree by Greg Iles. The characters on both sides of the law (the law being dirty LA state police so they are the bad guys) use Tracfones bought from Wal-Mart as "burn phones". Supposedly the phones are not registered to a person but just sold OTC so no one can proved who owns the phone or made/received the calls.

Is this factual? It seems like government lawyers would have closed that loophole.
Click to expand...

You can walk into any Wally World or several other places and buy a Trac phone. I had one I used in my investigative services so my target would not know my real cell number. I paid cash at the store, and continued to when I bought minutes. I suppose somebody with access to the stores video surveillance system could have found out it was me, but I wasn't too concerned about that. There is no account. You just use up the minutes and buy more. It is totally anonymous.
By the way, they are pretty good phones.
Jim
 
zzzippper said:
The characters on both sides of the law (the law being dirty LA state police so they are the bad guys) use Tracfones bought from Wal-Mart as "burn phones". Supposedly the phones are not registered to a person but just sold OTC so no one can proved who owns the phone or made/received the calls.

Is this factual? It seems like government lawyers would have closed that loophole.
Click to expand...

Yes, Tracfones are sold at Walmart, on fleabay, and at many other places. Our local grocery stores carry them - see
https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/topic/tracfone

You can, if you wish, set up an account on the Tracfone website for your phone(s) for no additional charge. There are several advantages to doing that.
 
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P&R Fan said:
You can walk into any Wally World or several other places and buy a Trac phone. I had one I used in my investigative services so my target would not know my real cell number. I paid cash at the store, and continued to when I bought minutes. I suppose somebody with access to the stores video surveillance system could have found out it was me, but I wasn't too concerned about that. There is no account. You just use up the minutes and buy more. It is totally anonymous.
By the way, they are pretty good phones.
Jim
Click to expand...

Thanks. I knew they were sold but I assumed you would have to show ID, just like buying a cell phone. This could really put parents behind the eight-ball in knowing what their kids are up to. Or spouses.
 
I dumped my Verizon phone about 6 months ago and bought a Tracfone at Walmart for $14.00, and a 120 minute card for $20.00 that lasts me about 3 months. Then I just buy a new card and renew my service. There are many OTC phones sold at WM and other outlets that require no ID and are pay as you go. I have equal or better service with my Tracfone than I did with my Verizon phone and have no regrets and I am saving a ton of money.

I haven't had any of the problems mentioned by the OP. The guy who sold me the phone said that if I did encounter a problem to remove the battery while the phone was On and then wait a minute before reinstalling, and that would fix 90% of any problems with the phone. Might be worth a try.
 
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tracfone has the absolute WORST customer service of anybody! It is next to impossible to get a live person to explain that the problem that was "supposedly" fixed three times prior be fixed AGAIN. I renewed almost 90 days ago and haven't had phone service since. It tells me "Your number is either in-active or in-valid". After spending 1 1/2 hours (three times) trying to get an actual supervisor to fix the problem they say they found the problem and it has been repaired. Phone worked for less than an hour afterwards each time and then NOTHING again. I had accumulated 1330.06 minutes and always renewed on time. Phone now resides in a dump somewhere.
 
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