I live in Jersey, and my home number the telemarketing calls have increased 200% (a very scientific test came to that number) in the past few months. Apparently, in Jersey, this is a big problem.

Both my cell phones have increased a lot too.. and they're not Jersey numbers (PA and NYC) so I think it's going on everywhere.

---

I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin

Yes and same thing, insurance. About "an interest I expressed in new insurance" or something similar. The number is from the same exchange area but slightly different each day / week.

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

What's the number ? I get 215-802- XXXX often

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

Occasionally I'll answer one by mistake. If there is a real person on the end, then sometimes I like to place an order for pizza.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Number of times I or my wife have inquired anywhere, at any time in the last decade or so, about health insurance: 0

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Oh.. I meant my cell phones are PA and NYC numbers... but I do get a bunch of 215-689-xxxx calls to my PA cell phone

---

I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin

North Carolina. I get a shitload. If it’s a person I make all sorts of bizarre noises.

---

******************************
If I don't, who will? -Me
It's like being bipolar in opinion is a requirement around here. -TripleThreat

It's one of the newer scams. A free app called Hiya is effective at cutting those down drastically, at least in my experience and the reviews I read for it. Download it and set your device settings to allow Hiya to filter or block calls based on what it has identified as spam. In iPhone that's Settings>Phone>Call Blocking & Identification>Enable Hiya, not sure what the path is in Android, but I'm fairly certain it's also available for Android. The call can still go to voicemail so you get notification if it's legit, otherwise Hiya will greatly reduce the number of these calls that ring through to you. I was getting the same ~5-10/daily for a while, so I loaded Hiya and it reduced it to a couple a week.

You can report these all day long to the FCC, but they don't really care to do anything about it. The networks of scum that run these things are elusive and just pop up somewhere else the moment they're found. If people would stop being stupid and falling for it, they'd have no incentive to keep trying to scam people, but there are too many stupid people.

I've been having the same issue here in VA, to my cell phone. The calls all appear as the same area code and prefix as my cell. I'll block the number, but they will call again as the last 4 numbers always are different. They are always for student loan refinancing (I don't have any student loans)

I answered it a few times to see if I could talk with someone (press 0). It is always answered by someone with an Indian accent, and as soon as I say I want to be taken off their list they just hang up.

The good news is that if you block one of these numbers every day for the next year, then they'll only have 9634 numbers left to call you from.

---

"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

In Colorado and we get 5-6 per day, almost always from the same locations: Arlington, TX, Dillon, CO, Breckenridge, CO, Some shit hole, VA. And a handful of toll free numbers. I won't even answer the phone unless it's a number I recognize or caller ID from someone I know. If it's a legit call, they'll leave a voicemail.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Same thing here in Florida. I've learned that if I get a call from an 850-832-xxxx number, I just ignore it. I do get legitimate business calls from all over the US, so I have to answer the phone when it rings.

There was a while when it seemed that I would often get a phone call from an area code that I had called within the last week or so. But that may have been a coincidence based on the number of phone calls that I was making at the time.

While I can't say for their (FCC's) motivation to do something about it, it is really a tough thing to solve as these spammers are just spoofing random numbers so on the receiving end we don't know exactly where it originates. They like to try and use local and close numbers to your own cell to get you to answer. I've had 3 in a row (within minutes of each other) with the same area code and first 3 digits as my cell (last 4 were different) call.

I've mistakenly answered a few times (worst is my work cell where I should be answering because I do get calls from numbers I don't know that is work related). Credit card interest offers, "won" a free stay at a resort due my qualifying stay (a lady who once I repeatedly asked where I stayed to qualify...she kept trying to go through her script then hung up on me, no accent there and sounded like a local, or rather a well spoken native english speaker, US accent).

A few times a guy with a Indian accent or so stated there was a problem with my computer with "Windows" on it. Decided to play along and asked which one, he stated "the one with Windows" running on it. I still egged him on and said which one (repeated the same thing as before). Went to explain I've got 1 work laptop, 2 personal laptops and 1 desktop all with Windows in the house...you've got to be more specific as to which one? He told me to shut the F-up and then we got into a swearing match (he eventually hung up on me before I could get to personal insults...I was about to work that way).

Now if I accidentally answer a spam call I'll immediately hang up.

Those guys are a total scam. They spoof the numbers so they look like they are coming from all over, Iowa, MN, IL, NY, but they all originate in CA. I think I actually got that particular group to stop calling me. I called them back 4 or 5 times in a row when they keep hanging up on me. Told them that every time they call me I call them and every time I will be meaner and nastier, that I would save my calls for when I was taking a dump so I didn't waste any of my valuable time. Kept asking for the address and name for service when I sued them. Gave them a description of the poop I was taking. ... That pretty much stopped.

I never answer my home phone, no idea why I still have it. Every day there will be 5 or 6, some time 10+ calls that are obviously auto dial that have no message on the machine. I've tried picking up to get to a person on the one that will lower your credit card interest rates. No matter how often I have tried, can never get to a person. No idea how it can be effective for them since they never pick it up.

---

I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Yes! Also some prerecorded message feom veronica keeps wanting to lower my credit interest amounts. Its annoying as fuck.

---

who's smarter than you're? i'm!

The decrease in private land lines has driven telemarketers to buy lists of private cell numbers. Software used buy telemarketers is set up wil a local prefix (to your number), it will ring the number to see if 1) it's valid and 2) if someone answers vs vMail. These results are then stored for further marketing campaigns and or sold to other telemarketers.

Here's one brand of software they use:

Best steps are to register at DoNotCallregistry.org and block the numbers on your phone.
Good luck

Can't remember whether I read this here for just in my news feed. But this was a great story of a guy getting even with debt collectors that were calling him nonstop.

https://www.bloomberg.com/...ack-with-a-vengeance

For Android install Mr. Number and use nomorobo.com for your home phone.

Both work perfectly (for me at least) if it rings more than once I know its not a scum-bag telemarketer.

Yep, very aggravating. I heard a good idea - answer and say, "you're live on the air, what's your story?!"

"Earlier this year, I met Therrien, 33, at a Panera Bread restaurant in central Providence...."

LR Gold!

---

---

"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

Had one the other day on my cell - it rings a half ring then hangs up and says "unknown." Goes immediately to voicemail and leaves a message with a local number. Of course this causes me to listen and I get a message like "see what I just did there, use this new app to leave a voice mail with your real estate listing to your top clients. After all nobody answers their phone but everyone listens to their messages."

---

_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

For some background:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/...b2e37492a_story.html

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Damn, how did I miss that?

That was a good read.

While I was reading this I received a call on the call id as "Scam Likely" and a local area code in my metro area (nice to see the phone companies starting to label known unassigned numbers or something as such). 20 minutes earlier to that above call I had a scam call with a similar to mine phone number too.

I wouldn't hold it against you.

The few political calls I did receive was when I had a "home land line" for a year (Comcast Triple Play...cost the same as a double play I wanted but more channels at the time). I did not like those political poll calls and they loaded questions to skew popular opinion. Which I refused to answer straight up as a yes or no.

It's too bad this cannot be done with political junk mail and solicitations. I made the mistake of donating to a couple of political candidates way back when I was in college, have changed addresses multiple times, left the party I was in (GOP) in a ball of flames, and still get solicitation and donation requests from the state and national GOP organizations. I've now started using their postage-paid envelopes and mailing them a $.02 donation check. The postage-paid envelope and bank processing fee to deposit the check costs them a good bit more than the $.02 they get from me and I believe they're obligated to process and report all donations. If I can't get them to stop, I might as well make it cost them something.

Now if I only had a scheme as entertaining for the local and state politicians that flood my mailbox biennially August through November.

Knowing they do that crap is the exact reason why we never activated the free month of Sirius with the last car we purchased. We still receive mailers from them, which I'm guessing is because Nissan gave them that info, but at least they don't call.

I'm considering opening a second Google Voice number and using that one exclusively for those times when I have to give a company a phone number. I already use Google Voice to contact clients for my volunteer work, as I don't want the families to have my personal number & can more easily screen/shut off Google and just check it once a week or something.

During the last election cycle I was getting calls almost daily from both Dems and Repubs.

A typical conversation went like:
Me: Please don't call me at home. I'm on the Do Not Call list and I value my privacy.
Caller (smugly): The Do Not Call list does not apply to political parties.
Me: I don't care. I've asked you to not call me. Do you think you'll win my vote by continuing to call? <hang up>

Next day: same conversation, again. This went on for weeks. Over time my language became more colorful.

Have you asked them to be added to no solicitation list ? A legitimate company like Sirius should stop once you make the request.

https://www.siriusxm.com/donotcall

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

You're doing it wrong. You're supposed to troll them to the point they tell you to go fuck yourself or unleash some comical torrent of expletives that make no sense when strung together.

When she gets the calls, my wife hands her phone to me and insists I put it on speaker.

Political junk mail is the worst.

I always find it amusing when it gets to local elections. Our city and county doesn't have political parties so their platforms are basically the same thing. Affordable housing, clean parks, listen to neighbors, etc.

In the fall of 2016 I actually took one of those poll surveys on national elections. When they kept asking me who I would vote for I kept saying Gary Johnson or libertarian party. You can tell the guy wasn't happy because that wasn't an option and I kept saying it should be.

Just got my daily call

---

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

Just today, for the first time ever, my phone said, "scam likely."

What I do when I answer an unknown call is to pick up the phone and be silent. Sometimes if I am silent, the robo does not engage and it just hangs up. If the robo starts, I just put the phone down and let them talk till they hang up -- I figure that ties up a bit of their time and resources.

However, I am so accustomed to not saying anything to an unknown number that it is sometimes awkward for a real caller.

But in response to the OP: yeah, me too.

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

I have a neighbor that will ask the telemarketer if they like to spit or swallow. That usually stuns them into silence.

When they ask for me I like to tell them to hold on, I'll go get her. Then I put the phone down and leave it. About five minutes later I pick up the phone and they will have hung up.

I love to waste their time.

---

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." Jimi Hendrix

I got one today and she told me it was from "Credit Card Services". She would never clarify what that meant. Eventually she hung up on me.

Actually, one of the funniest things I've witnessed was a (former) co-worker's handling of a telemarketer. We were going to lunch, he was driving and he accidentily answered his phone in the car (bluetooth so we could all hear). He answered and stated he was driving but telemarketer went through some intro anyways. He then in a load voice "oh my god, OHHHHH SH*" and then hung up (pretending that we got into an accident). That was pretty entertaining actually and we all (who were in the car with him) had a great chuckle over that.

Are you actually calling back the people who called you?

Recently I got a phone call from a confused old lady saying she was calling me black. I'm pretty sure my number was the one they were using to spoof this lady.

I also got a voice mail from a number I don't know with the simple message "F*** you".

No idea how you can keep your own phone number as being the spoofing number

The health insurance people have been calling non stop. The deadline to sign up in CO was Jan 12th so hopefully it returns to normal.

Yeah, I was getting the same company. Not sure exactly the goal of their scam and how they worked it. Not sure if it was working off ID theft type stuff or exorbitant fees. They didn't want to tell me the actual name of the company. Where they were located. Or what they would actually claim to do for you. Every time I called the name was given just a little differently. I got one guy on the line who told me more than others. He claimed to not know the numbers showed up differently. He told me everyone was in the same building in CA and even gave me their address.

I have no sympathy for people working at places that are scams. You know what is going on. As far as I am concerned it is open season on people like that.

---

I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

I would guess 95% of the calls I get are robocalls with no live person. I'm not about to press any button to continue. The few live calls I get are from places like the Police Protective Association. Their ploy is to ask for some other person, then launch into their spiel after I tell them there is no one by that name here. I just hang up on them. I only get a couple calls a week right now so it hasn't become overly annoying.

---

Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!

We seem to get a ton of those for a week or so, then nothing for months. I just tell them we already pay taxes toward our town's PD/FD and donate to our volunteer FD too.

On marketing survey calls, it's fun to hear them react to you asking how much you're going to get paid for participating in a survey that they're getting paid to conduct.

Whoa Nelly! Who do you think you are? The President?

---

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

NPR's Planet Money did a podcast on it.


https://www.npr.org/...t-twist-in-robocalls

Our landline rings probably 10 times during the weekdays, which is up from zero about a year ago. My cell frequently receives calls from random numbers too.

---

War is god

Good find. Was interesting. Based on that article I just installed NomoRobo. I had been using an app called "CallerControl" which was pretty good, but maybe NomoRobo is even better. Spam calls on my cell phone irritate the shit out of me. I'm almost to the point where I will only accept calls from #'s in my addressbook.

Eligible beauties of LR, pls PM me your phone #'s so I can put them into my phonebook so your calls will continue to get thru.

---

Books @ Amazon
"If only he had used his genius for niceness, instead of Evil." M. Smart

Replying to you since you're the last one.

Here's a new one that's pissing me off -- legitimate companies you've contacted who just call multiple times but won't leave a voicemail when they follow up. I'm looking to do my normal re-up of my term life insurance policy, requested a quote online, and one company just keeps calling, but won't leave a message. If you don't leave a voicemail, I don't reply. It reeks of desperation if a company has to keep firing off calls and doesn't leave their info on a voicemail for me to call back, and it's always a bad idea to do business with desperation.

It's only gotten worse since I posted this. Upwards of twenty per day lately. My caller ID program identifies them as "spammer" but it can't prevent the calls since they're always from a new number. I just took the dog for an hour walk, and the podcast I was listening to was interrupted four times by four different spammers.

This shit can not continue like this.

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Got two on my cell phone today.

Good news is I had a nice chat with one person about their life choices and how their mother is disappointed in them. Plus I found someone to discuss getting an extended warrany for my 1933 Ferrari Testarosa. I'm not sure they can help me though.

---

I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Had one last week, where the "unknown caller" said he was So-and-So from some Energy company or something: He asked how I was doing, and I said simply, "Annoyed." His response was "You bitch" and hung up.
I don't usually answer, but had some other things going on so I needed to pick up.

My husband and I get spoofed calls that we don't answer from cell numbers that share our prefix all the time.

I have noticed an increase as well lately. Here are my rules:

If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer.
If they don't leave a vm - I block the caller and delete the call.

If I don't know you, I probably don't want to talk to you. And if it's important, leave a message.

If I answer the phone one more time to hear "your Google listing is out of date! Stay on the line to update your information" I'm going to lose it.

My wife was called by a scam artist posing as a CRA auditor yesterday. She passed the phone to me, her 'lawyer'. The dude hung up pretty quickly.

The sad part is a lot of old people get taken by that scam.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

Yeah, your wife and I are both going to jail. Oh well, shit happens. I here the food is okay.

over the past year or so this has become way more common. really annoying. i've gotten voicemails from callers with a similar number to mine (area code and first 3 digits usually) who also ask why my number was calling them (i did not actually call them). shit's annoying as hell.

Yes, in Texas and has been a noticeable increase in the last couple months (I assume we're talking cell phones here). Much of what appears to be coming from a local area code. No voice mails are ever left. I dont' answer numbers I don't know out of habit, so no idea what they are shilling.

However, I agree, it is a marked increase.


.

My cell phone had been getting deluged with telemarketing calls. I registered it with the FCC as a no call device, and as soon as I hung up on a telemarketer, I immediately blocked that number from calling again. Both of those seem to help quite a bit, as the number of calls a day has dropped dramatically, to the point that I rarely get them anymore.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

can you quickly share how you do this?

---

________________________________________________________
Ben Waite | Zipp Senior Design Engineer | The Power of Bicycles: Please contribute to World Bicycle Relief | Zipp | SRAM | Quarq |

Ditto this, please. Absolutely need this in my life!

Some positive action by the govt on this thankfully: 100 million robo calls gets fine of $1.2 per call. Need a task force to go after more of these guys

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Lot of this shit is coming from overseas, they don't care about US law