If asked even though I answer the phone with my last name I respond "Who are you calling? and go from there.
Life's too short to go round and round, back and forth.
A New Twist On Those Annoying Calls
- Thread starter cherrypointmarine
- Start date
Life's too short to go round and round, back and forth.
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
We have an answering machine so we do not answer the phone.
If it's a legit call, they leave a message, if not they hang up.
Also I have been getting a lot of spam emails on my cell phone lately, and most of them have gmail for the sending mail.
Unless a calling number is in my "address book", the phone won't ring but shows a silent notification and sends the number to my "recent calls". I constantly get (at least one per day) calls wanting me to renew my car warranty. I just add the number to my blocked numbers, but the next day the number is different. It may be from the same location (the call location is displayed with the number), or a different one. I get calls from in-state, out of state and out of country. About half of the time, if I don't answer, they leave a voice mail.
What I'd like to know is, how can they display a number that is obviously not the one they are calling from? It's impossible to track them (I guess), and if you do answer the call, the first voice is automated and hangs up if you don't specifically answer the programmed message, which is asking for the VIN of the car. I've managed to get a live person several times who asks the same thing, but they will hang up the instant you start to ask them to take my number off their call list. It's irritating as heck.
I just wanted to say that James Worthy is an underappreciated basketball player. 
Don't do that, here's why:
The call number showing was "spoofed"--it's not the caller's
actual number, it's someone else's valid number. Blocking
that number only blocks the (innocent & unknowing) third
party. Some anti-spam phone apps, and cell provider
services, track numbers that get tagged as spam and
add them to their databases, which get distributed to
users--and automatically block that number on their
phones.
Imagine if your business number was spoofed, blocked
by a number of people, and added to the "Block List" of
thousands of phones in your area...not good.
The spoofer's rotate through 'cover numbers' frequently,
so blocking doesn't really block them, anyway.
More info from FCC, here:
Caller ID Spoofing | Federal Communications Commission
Ogandydancer
Member
What I'd like to know is, how can they display a number that is obviously not the one they are calling from They use an app to spoof the number
I worked a rotating shift for 25 years. After a particularly hot and difficult night I got home and ran through the shower and fell into bed. Wife was already gone to work. About 30 minutes into my sleep the phone rings.
Is Bubba there?
I just hang up and go back to sleep.
the phone rings again.
Hey dude you hung up on me!
I asked him if it made him mad.
he said it did.
I said well you're really gonna love this. And I hung up again.
Phone rang again and kept ringing. It was still ringing when I went back to sleep and I had a smile on my face and a laugh in my heart.
Is Bubba there?
I just hang up and go back to sleep.
the phone rings again.
Hey dude you hung up on me!
I asked him if it made him mad.
he said it did.
I said well you're really gonna love this. And I hung up again.
Phone rang again and kept ringing. It was still ringing when I went back to sleep and I had a smile on my face and a laugh in my heart.
At my last office, we had phones that could go secure. The sync process is very similar to a fax machine trying to sync. We'd also get robo calls or telemarketers calling that obviously didn't know that prefix was a military installation. Anyway, they'd start talking and I'd hit the "secure call" button and blast their ears with those sync tones. If it was a robo call, the machine on the other end would flag the number as a fax machine and cease calls. If it was a human, well, they got their eardrums tested for high pitch tones.
At home, when the call started, I'd start hitting the "1" button (normally means you want to talk to them). And I just keep hitting that button. Then you'd hear a live person pickup on the other end through the 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I kept hitting. They'd eventually give up.
At home, when the call started, I'd start hitting the "1" button (normally means you want to talk to them). And I just keep hitting that button. Then you'd hear a live person pickup on the other end through the 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I kept hitting. They'd eventually give up.
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fiasconva
US Veteran
Lately I've been picking up the phone, saying nothing, putting it on speaker, and back on the base and continuing with whatever I'm doing. You'd be surprised at how long some of those idiots will stay on the line until they give up and hang up.
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"Are you wearing your panties?" always brings a quick 'click' for me.
OLDSTER
Member
Absolutely. If it's important, a message will be there.
SASABERANGER
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
My three Spam calls have been from Gunga Din telling me to buy some gift cards at Dollar General, he even provided me an 800 number should we get disconnected before he was through. I terminated the call after telling him what he could do with his scam. This one was in person.
#2 was on my On Star in my wife's Suburban. It notified that I am the subject of an arrest warrant from the FBI due to suspicious Social Security Activity...I terminated the Robo call.
#3 was last week on my cell phone. I have a warrant from the "Federal Reserve Police" due to suspious activity on my account. This was also a Robo call and got terminated.
I hope that the FBI and Federal Reserve Police have fun sifting through my garbage while building their cases.
The scammer probably doubles as a customer service rep for a real company somewhere.
As yet I have not been visited by any Federal or Local LEO groups for any wrong doing.
Thom Braxton
SWCA #1474
#2 was on my On Star in my wife's Suburban. It notified that I am the subject of an arrest warrant from the FBI due to suspicious Social Security Activity...I terminated the Robo call.
#3 was last week on my cell phone. I have a warrant from the "Federal Reserve Police" due to suspious activity on my account. This was also a Robo call and got terminated.
I hope that the FBI and Federal Reserve Police have fun sifting through my garbage while building their cases.
The scammer probably doubles as a customer service rep for a real company somewhere.
As yet I have not been visited by any Federal or Local LEO groups for any wrong doing.
Thom Braxton
SWCA #1474
I usually respond very forcefully by saying that they can go perform an impossible anatomical feat and hang up.
My wife says that's rude, and I tell her that robocalls are rude and disturb my tranquility. Tough.
John
My wife says that's rude, and I tell her that robocalls are rude and disturb my tranquility. Tough.
John
Yup. My phone, my rules.
What surprises me is that my truck warranty still hasn't expired. They keep calling me to let me know it's about to expire but it continues to be on the verge of expiration. Initially I thought the warranty was for only three years but it appears it still hasn't expired yet going on 16 years. Hopefully it will remain just on the verge of expiration for some years to come.
One I like for wrong numbers is :
Hello.
Is Billy there
hold on a sec.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
add infinitum.
I love it when they try again
I really love it when the keep on trying.
Gotta be careful though. One time I got a call for some guy name Allen from Medicare. I told the caller that they had the wrong number. about a half hour later...you guessed it, they tried again. I explained that some one had already tried to reach Allen here but he isn't here, he hasn't been here and he isn't coming here. NO ALLEN HERE!
Twice more that day and off and on for a week. I finally lost it and blasted the caller: "do you idiots over there ever talk to each other. Do your supervisors know how you are wasting time and resources calling the same number for some poor ****** ****** named Allen. I know you are government employee but I'd have thought you were smarter than this. Don't make me come over there and jump up and down on your desk.
I felt good after that but I spent the next month getting hang up calls and yet more calls for Allen. Who ever was doing it was tenacious I'll give 'em that.
Hello.
Is Billy there
hold on a sec.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
add infinitum.
I love it when they try again
I really love it when the keep on trying.
Gotta be careful though. One time I got a call for some guy name Allen from Medicare. I told the caller that they had the wrong number. about a half hour later...you guessed it, they tried again. I explained that some one had already tried to reach Allen here but he isn't here, he hasn't been here and he isn't coming here. NO ALLEN HERE!
Twice more that day and off and on for a week. I finally lost it and blasted the caller: "do you idiots over there ever talk to each other. Do your supervisors know how you are wasting time and resources calling the same number for some poor ****** ****** named Allen. I know you are government employee but I'd have thought you were smarter than this. Don't make me come over there and jump up and down on your desk.
I felt good after that but I spent the next month getting hang up calls and yet more calls for Allen. Who ever was doing it was tenacious I'll give 'em that.
All of my employees have company cell phones.
One day an employee and I were traveling to the other end of the state when his phone rang. He looked and did not recognize the number. He answered " Ada County Sheriff's fraud division." Immediate hang up.
Not too sure it is a good idea to state you are law enforcement when you aren't, but it was entertaining.
One day an employee and I were traveling to the other end of the state when his phone rang. He looked and did not recognize the number. He answered " Ada County Sheriff's fraud division." Immediate hang up.
Not too sure it is a good idea to state you are law enforcement when you aren't, but it was entertaining.
LennyLames
Member
In a low and calm voice, I answer "Eternity Funeral Homes. How may we help you at this time of need?"
Spoofing should be made illegal, although it may be more challenging to enforce when call originates overseas.
These callers often spoof phone numbers from the same area code to make them appear more authentic, increasing the chances of people answering the call.
A couple of years ago, I got a call from a lady who said she was returning my call. I had never called her and I explained the spoofing technique to her, and that someone had spoofed my phone number.
I also installed an app that supposedly tracked and labelled callers, and allowed users to mark certain numbers as "Spam." However, when some ethical callers started showing up as "Spam," I realized the data was not clean so I deleted the app. It was also intrusive, requiring full access to all the contact information in a phone so I only tried it on one phone.
Spoofing should be made illegal, although it may be more challenging to enforce when call originates overseas.
These callers often spoof phone numbers from the same area code to make them appear more authentic, increasing the chances of people answering the call.
A couple of years ago, I got a call from a lady who said she was returning my call. I had never called her and I explained the spoofing technique to her, and that someone had spoofed my phone number.
I also installed an app that supposedly tracked and labelled callers, and allowed users to mark certain numbers as "Spam." However, when some ethical callers started showing up as "Spam," I realized the data was not clean so I deleted the app. It was also intrusive, requiring full access to all the contact information in a phone so I only tried it on one phone.
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LMBO, my cousin gave me one of their 8-tracks that had that classic bit on it.
I've got a wealth of new material to use on them thanks to your responses.
I'd just been using, "HI, are you calling about my car's warranty, or to save me money on my mortgage?"
