ROBO CALLS HIT A NEW LOW LAST NIGHT !

[chief38]

We must get at least 15 Robocalls and scam calls a day on our home phone - and that is with blocking as many calls as our service will allow (30)! That said, at least they had all been after 8:30 am and before 9 pm - UNTIL NOW!

Last night at 2:30 am our phone rang and woke us up out of a dead sleep - of course it was a Robocall. This morning I called our service provider and they basically said they could do nothing. The understanding woman on the phone for Optimum did tell us about a new devise or service called Robo-Blocker but said it was not fool-proof either and Robo-callers are finding away around that too.

Apparently there is a new thing now, called "Spoof-calling" that originates from other Countries and uses local phone numbers. The only reason I keep our landline now is mainly because of our alarm system (Central Station calling) and for when our Cell Phones don't work - my area still has some bad cell sites and sometimes will just cut us off when talking. We also have dead zones in our home where the cell phone just doesn't work!

This Robocall thing is really getting out of hand and I do intend to contact our Congressman (more to make me feel better and not because I really expect anything from him). I highly doubt the Phone Company's will do anything as they make money from every call, legit or not! It's really frustrating to be woken up in the middle of the night as a joke!

Does anyone here have a Robocall Blocker and how does it work??

 

[woodsltc]

I do intend to contact our Congressman (more to make me feel better and not because I really expect anything from him).

I feel your pain. We get a bunch of them also.

In regards to contacting your Congressman......it seems they are only concerned if it jeopardizes them being re-elected.

Don

 

[arjay]

The last landline I had I just turned the ringer off.The people that know me know how to reach me

 

[500SNW]

Chief38 I use "Nomorobo" (Stop robocalls and telemarketers with Nomorobo). It is FREE and it works pretty well. My only complaint is that it doesn't completely block the call...it let's your phone ring one single time to indicate a call has been blocked. I wish they'd not even let that one ring through. Like you said, Nomorobo is not immune to spoofing...where they put in names and numbers of residents in your local area. That is done to bypass the blocking systems and about all you can do is ignore it if you don't recognize the name on the caller id. I agree that 200 am is an all new low. Technically, if the robocallers wanted to, they could bombard us with calls 24x7...rendering our phones useless. I'm surprised the terrorists haven't employed this as a from of psychological warfare.

 

[Dutchboy901]

That is a new low! I get them also, however what I did is set my ringer duration to ring only two times & then it goes to voice mail. After reading 500SNW post I may set it on 1 ring instead of two!

 

[vonn]

If everyone keeps on the elected officials it may work. I would like to sic the robo guys on them! That might get some action.

 

[chief38]

I am in the process (waiting for their email) to sign up for Nomorobo and will try that temporarily. I also see a devise can be purchased (Digitone Blocker) that is supposed to be the best of the devises and does NOT even allow it to ring once! Might buy that one since the Nomorobo does ring at least one time and I do not even want that.

 

[H Richard]

I haven't received a robocall for 5 days now, that's when I disconnected our home land line. I had the "and the cops will drag you out of your house", IRS call just after receiving a 5% increase on my phone bill. Sorry, it was a good 50+ years with that land line # but no more.

 

[walkin jack]

I don't get it. Does ANY ONE actually expect to sell a product or service to someone after waking them up in the middle of the night?!? The whole process seems counter productive.

We dumped the land line years ago and we turn off our cell phoned at night. Phone rings in the day time I don't answer it unless I know who is calling. Get calls every day from Colorado, New Jersey, California, and others but most are from Michigan.

If they want to waste their resources and time it's ok with me. They aren't wasting mine.

The thing I dislike about robocalls is that it deprives me of the pleasure of messin' with 'em. Sometimes it's the only fun I get to have all day.

 

[vt_shooter]

For the life of me I can not understand why no one sells a telephone that requires the caller to enter a few numbers to allow the phone to ring. It could be done in a way that would block 100% of robo calls - "Please enter the number that is equal to 100 minus 50", something like that, and would use a different question for each call, and give two chances at the right answer then hangs up on them. I'd pay $200 for one of those phones, and someone could sell millions of them.

 

[johngalt]

The last landline I had I just turned the ringer off.The people that know me know how to reach me

That was going to be my suggestion also. The alarm will still be able to call out if necessary, and you won't be bothered.

 

[soFlaNative]

Sometimes it's the only fun I get to have all day.

Go rent a copy of the "True Grit" remake

 

[doublesharp]

Nomorobo works great for me.

 

[D Brown]

I get the robo-calls constantly as well. This in spite of being on all the "Do Not Call" lists I can sign up for. What I've been doing for the last couple of years, provided I'm close to a phone and I don't have to go out of my way to do it, is pick up the phone and immediately hang it up.

If I'm not close enough, I'll just ignore it.

 

[snubbyfan]

After 6pm all phones are off and they stay that way until we turn them back on the next morning.
If somebody wants to contact us, either call during business hours or email us.

 

[500SNW]

Y'all might want to check with your landline providers. Mine is Spectrum TWC and they offer me the ability to program the numbers of family and friends with a distinctive ring...a double ring which goes "ring-ring." This feature has come in handy. If I am sitting at the computer, or watching TV or whatever and I hear a single ring, I just let the machine get it.

Speaking of robocalls...I'm about to get inundated with political calls due to the upcoming elections. Those are every bit as infuriating as the people trying to sell stuff. The night before election day my phone rings constantly.

 

[hittman77]

Keep record of the numbers they call from and notify your State Attorney General to file a complaint each and every time.

 

[doublesharp]

Spectrum is my provider and they offer nomorobo. Doesn't eliminate political calls but disconnects them after one ring.

 

[chief38]

Too many phones in my home to turn off & on every day. At last count I think we have 15 separate phones on the land line.

I did sign up with nomorobo just now so we'll give that a shot. I do understand even when it blocks a call it rings once. I think I might get the Digitone devise that does not ring at all. For under $100 bucks it will be well worth it!

BTW we found out what happened last night. Apparently hundreds of people were called between 2 - 4 am from the same local number that actually belonged to a local family. Whoever called hijacked their number and used it for the Spoof-call. The amount of calls was so large it actually made the News! The woman who had her number hi-jacked got so many calls from people being woken up she had to get her number changed. Hopefully the devises they are selling to combat these calls lasts for a while!

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Y'all might want to check with your landline providers. Mine is Spectrum TWC and they offer me the ability to program the numbers of family and friends with a distinctive ring...a double ring which goes "ring-ring." This feature has come in handy. If I am sitting at the computer, or watching TV or whatever and I hear a single ring, I just let the machine get it.

Speaking of robocalls...I'm about to get inundated with political calls due to the upcoming elections. Those are every bit as infuriating as the people trying to sell stuff. The night before election day my phone rings constantly.

And, as with so many other things, our legislators have exempted themselves from the laws passed to govern everyone else. Political calls do not violate 'do not call' laws at all.