Robot cell phone solicitation calls...

[sync pulse]

I have been getting phone solicitations on my cell phone.  The numbers displayed are the same area code and prefix as my phone, but the last four digits are different.

I think the crack that opened the door was sometime in the past I gave my number out to be called when something was ready to be picked up. 


There is a provision with "do not call" I understand;

 If you have a established relationship with an organization (if you have given out your number to someone like a store or car garage to be called when the car is ready)...the do not call is null and void.
Be wary of giving out your number "to be texted" when to pick something up.

[HTexan]

I have been getting phone solicitations on my cell phone.  The numbers displayed are the same area code and prefix as my phone, but the last four digits are different.

I think the crack that opened the door was sometime in the past I gave my number out to be called when something was ready to be picked up. 


There is a provision with "do not call" I understand;

 If you have a established relationship with an organization (if you have given out your number to someone like a store or car garage to be called when the car is ready)...the do not call is null and void.
Be wary of giving out your number "to be texted" when to pick something up.

Classic spoof spam call. You are more likely to answer a call with the same first 6 numbers. You can report to do not call and block number. If you tell organization not to call you, they can't legally. But most of these calls are just collecting working numbers to sell to spammers. Answering is what they want. They are collecting data and info.

[SF1900]

Classic spoof spam call. You are more likely to answer a call with the same first 6 numbers. You can report to do not call and block number. If you tell organization not to call you, they can't legally. But most of these calls are just collecting working numbers to sell to spammers. Answering is what they want. They are collecting data and info.

Do they collect data and info just from the person answering the phone? How is that possible?

[sync pulse]

I understand sometimes they record the people answering their phone and they use their voice to con other people into staying on the wire longer.

[HTexan]

Do they collect data and info just from the person answering the phone? How is that possible?

Data mining. Basically social media, email, forms, companies you gave number to etc. They are collecting little bits of info and making a profile on you. A good book to read, is The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick. There is a chapter just on these phone calls, if I remember correctly.  

[sync pulse]

Do they collect data and info just from the person answering the phone? How is that possible?

If they can figure out your name and where you live they can look you up using commercially available databases.

I knew a guy who sold bootleg rock concert LPs through the mail and he would get customer addresses from mailing list companies.  These companies knew everything about you.

How much you made, what you did for a living, whether or not you owned firearms and how many, what you drove, how you probably voted, children, how many...and a fuck-ton more.

And this was before the internet.  

[sync pulse]

You can report to do not call and block number.

The number is different each time.

[Princess L]

The number is different each time.

Same here; first 6 digits same as mine, but then it's always "Lisa" offering to lower my interest rates 
Time Warner/Spectrum has a thing where you can check a box for "no more robo" for landlines.  Not sure if something like that is available with cell carriers.

[sync pulse]

Same here; first 6 digits same as mine, but then it's always "Lisa" offering to lower my interest rates  
Time Warner/Spectrum has a thing where you can check a box for "no more robo" for landlines.  

VOIP  or POTS?

[Princess L]

VOIP  or POTS?

VOIP

[Princess L]

When someone calls a number using Nomorobo, the service takes advantage of the VoIP technology to allow your home phone to ring at the same time as the call connects to the Nomorobo servers. If the service IDs the incoming number as a robocaller, it ends the call after one ring.

The service was one of several robocall-blockers recently tested in the real world by Consumer Reports readers, and it received high marks, with 85% of testers giving it at least 4 out of 5 points.

However, to use Nomorobo, you not only need VoIP service, you have to set it up yourself. You also have to be aware of the fact that it even exists.

To that end, Time Warner Cable announced today that it is integrating Nomorobo as a free option for its phone customers, and that they can switch the feature on and off via their online settings menu.

TWC customers who sign into their VoiceZone accounts, just have to click on “settings” tab, then “call privacy,” where they will see the tab for Nomorobo.

“We’re pleased that Time Warner Cable is improving their customers’ access to these types of tools,” says Maureen Mahoney, Policy Analyst at Consumers Union. “It’s time for the top phone companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink, to take more responsibility for the robocall problem and immediately offer all of their customers effective call-blocking technology for free.”

[Redux]

When someone calls a number using Nomorobo, the service takes advantage of the VoIP technology to allow your home phone to ring at the same time as the call connects to the Nomorobo servers. If the service IDs the incoming number as a robocaller, it ends the call after one ring.

The service was one of several robocall-blockers recently tested in the real world by Consumer Reports readers, and it received high marks, with 85% of testers giving it at least 4 out of 5 points.

However, to use Nomorobo, you not only need VoIP service, you have to set it up yourself. You also have to be aware of the fact that it even exists.

To that end, Time Warner Cable announced today that it is integrating Nomorobo as a free option for its phone customers, and that they can switch the feature on and off via their online settings menu.

TWC customers who sign into their VoiceZone accounts, just have to click on “settings” tab, then “call privacy,” where they will see the tab for Nomorobo.

“We’re pleased that Time Warner Cable is improving their customers’ access to these types of tools,” says Maureen Mahoney, Policy Analyst at Consumers Union. “It’s time for the top phone companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink, to take more responsibility for the robocall problem and immediately offer all of their customers effective call-blocking technology for free.”

Excellent information and thank you very much!
As a Time Warner customer I will be setting this up today to block these calls. I get 3-5 a day.

[Grape Ape]

I understand sometimes they record the people answering their phone and they use their voice to con other people into staying on the wire longer.

I work from home so I get these calls routinely.

One is calling them to get a lower CC rate.  But what they are really trying to do is get to a point where you give them your CC number.

The other one is someone saying they're from Microsoft and you have a virus...with the goal for you to give them access to your PC remotely by typing in some address under your "run" window.

I sometimes keep them on the line for over 15 minutes, using the dumbest, most over the top fake accents....generally get them to go apeshit and curse me out.

[peroni]

I get a dozen or so calls daily as I own a couple of businesses and have my phone number (I use my cell for them) on various websites, etc. I found a great app called Extreme Call Blocker to be great. It answers and then immediately hangs up on these calls and they have a huge database of FCC numbers programmed. It costs a onetime fee of $5.

[sync pulse]

I get a dozen or so calls daily as I own a couple of businesses and have my phone number (I use my cell for them) on various websites, etc. I found a great app called Extreme Call Blocker to be great. It answers and then immediately hangs up on these calls and they have a huge database of FCC numbers programmed.

It's just that the scammers are generating false phone numbers...They generate numbers with the same area code and prefix as the receiving phone.  When I call the numbers given they are just some poor sap whose number is co-incidentally the same as the algorithm generated.  I have no idea how they are doing it, but they are.

I would surmise they have hacked into the software that their local service provider uses to generate the call id.

[Princess L]

I work from home so I get these calls routinely.

One is calling them to get a lower CC rate.  But what they are really trying to do is get to a point where you give them your CC number.

The other one is someone saying they're from Microsoft and you have a virus...with the goal for you to give them access to your PC remotely by typing in some address under your "run" window.

I sometimes keep them on the line for over 15 minutes, using the dumbest, most over the top fake accents....generally get them to go apeshit and curse me out.

The 3 I routinely get are:  Lower my cc interest rate, home improvements, and the computer thing.  A guy called the other day asking for some obscure name.  I said wrong number and then he proceeded to say " can you help me ..."     

[Coach is Back!]

I still get about 5 a day down from about 12...


https://www.google.com/amp/thehill.com/policy/technology/338999-fcc-proposes-122m-fine-on-robocall-scammer%3Famp

[Skeletor]

I still get about 5 a day down from about 12...


https://www.google.com/amp/thehill.com/policy/technology/338999-fcc-proposes-122m-fine-on-robocall-scammer%3Famp

After they collect the fine they should also execute the scammer(s). Slowly.

[ESFitness]

I have been getting phone solicitations on my cell phone.  The numbers displayed are the same area code and prefix as my phone, but the last four digits are different.

I think the crack that opened the door was sometime in the past I gave my number out to be called when something was ready to be picked up. 


There is a provision with "do not call" I understand;

 If you have a established relationship with an organization (if you have given out your number to someone like a store or car garage to be called when the car is ready)...the do not call is null and void.
Be wary of giving out your number "to be texted" when to pick something up.

I used to be in that business. There's a lot of ways we they can get your number. LA Times it's as simple as the cell phone company you got your phone prom selling your number to a marketing company. Or online job search sites will take all your info and sell it period or if you ever sign up for some raffle thing to win a vehicle at the mall or something and put it on all your info in case you win the car which nobody ever actually wins a marketing company we'll just rent or lease a car for a month or two months will lease a spot in the mall and place the car with the sticker on it that they get from on dealership for a hundred buc with a couple tables where people fill out little slips of paper with all their info on it and stick it in the window, or some corporations are companies will sell their employees contact info to marketing companies..
Etc... those Market East compile all the info into files based on there job or career or ZIP code or whatever and try to determine which people are likely to purchase something and which people can afford to purchase something over the phone or whatever. Usually a file with ten or twenty thousand names will cost $20,000- $100,000 depending on the likelihood of turning those names into sales. Many times one company let's say "ABC Incorporated" bones 5 separate subsidiaries or five separate companies that call you Twitter sell you something or get you to donate something or whatever and they all operate out of one office so the first company will call and you'll tell them to take you off their list and they'll say ok but that doesn't take you off the list of the other four companies so they'll all call you and then when they're done with that list that file they're going to sell it to another company just like them and you're going to have to go go through the whole thing over again with that next company and the next one and the next. They're all run on auto-dialer that begin dialing at I believe 8am and stop at 9pm .... the worst thing you can do is get angry at the person or whatever whoever is calling you because those people do that shit for a living all day everyday and know exactly how to fuck with you those people have all your info on a computer screen right in front of them and I'll take a picture of it or write it down take it home with them and then you're on their list and you can expect 3 a.m. phone calls trying to sell you horse trailers or cucumber peelers or whatever the hell else they can think of.

I got think of tons of stories or somebody was a dick to me and I called them back just a fuck with them and amuse myself for weeks afterwards. One guy made the mistake of giving me his store phone number before turning around and being a dick so I call him with a spoof number showing up as his stores phone number on the caller ID saying I broke into his store and asking where did you keep the key to the register or how to operate the engraving machine because I wanted to make a trophy for my brother, article just to apologize for knocking over the mop bucket and not cleaning it up etc.. & he gets furious and calls the cops.

One time while working as a collection agent for a Publishing Company in Colonie people who did chargebacks on purchases they made I got a hold of some 80 something year old black lady and Alabama and I called and told her I was with AdultFriendFinder online.com and I was calling about a an order that was placed for gay pornographic movies I does rattle off three or four names that I had just made up on the spot and one of them was "back door boy toys vol3" or something, and said there is also purchases of three or 4 large rubber black dildos and 1 medium size butt plug. And I repeated the name on the credit card that was used and all the information and stuff everything I had was legitimate and the lady says all at no I didn't I didn't purchase that so I said Well ma'am do you know anybody who may have used your credit card without your permission . Family members neighbors friends  who made of  been to your home or whatever and she's sitting there thinking and says well there's my grandson. Everybody kind of was worried about that but he says he's not what is Ben's a lot of time with the neighbor boy. So this conversation goes on for a while and I tell her I'm going to cancel that order don't worry about it and somehow the conversation moved over to me asking her if she knew anybody or if she would be interested in shooting some videos for us adultfriendfinder.com " I told her we were a company that sold adult videos and adult intimate toys and stuff.. I don't know if Adult Friend Finder actually sells videos are toys but I couldn't think of another porn website off the top of my head when she answered lol).. and somehow I convinced her two shots of videos with us and she told me she was five foot one and eighty seven pounds and wind over 80 years old or something that she was with short hair and wrinkles. I told her that is absolutely okay there is a market for everything and f course we would use a fake/stage name for her so nobody would ever find out and what we're going to do is send out a photographer who's going to be in that area and we're going to do a photo shoot and shoot some videos and stuff. I think I'd mentioned before to her we would pay her $1,200 cash and that she would have to fill out a 1099 independent contractor form and if you up to her if she wanted to pay taxes on it. And we set up a date and time and everything about in about two weeks and I asked her if she knew anybody else who might be interested in doing it because we would pay her a $300 finders fee for referring anybody else to do the video us as well. Soon as she heard that she said her friend might do it might be interested and gave me her phone number and then she said her daughter would absolutely do it you gave me her name and phone number and stuff after I asked for descriptions of her and the friend and whatnot. I couldn't fucking believe it. LoL... Shouldve recorded it but I didn't have a smartphone yet at the time. Lol.

Fighter video purchase calls pretty often. Lot of times I would have some lady's name and info and I'd call and say I was from adultfriendfinder.com and again with the somebody had purchased some adult videos and intimate bedroom toys and I've listed off the names of the videos that is made up off the top of my head (like the back door boy toys thing) and big black dildos and medium size butt plugs and anal beads and shit.. & they would ask what credit card was used and what address and I don't have all that info on the computer screen in front of me and I'd repeat it to them and  the wife or mother would be furious and say she never purchased that shit.. So if continue asking the same thing, if anybody in her home would have access to her credit cards? family? friends? neighborsetc.. A few times the lady is would be convinced their husband or son (one was a church pastor lol) had used the credit card to make the purchase hah. I'd always be sure to let them know is be goin ahead and canceling the purchase and whatnot.. Being professional the whole time. Lol... I remember one of the wives being pissed off and saying "again?! that son of a bitch told me he stopped!" Referring to her husband.

So, moral of the story, don't be a dick to the people who call you. Lol

[Simple Simon]

I used to be in that business. There's a lot of ways we they can get your number. LA Times it's as simple as the cell phone company you got your phone prom selling your number to a marketing company. Or online job search sites will take all your info and sell it period or if you ever sign up for some raffle thing to win a vehicle at the mall or something and put it on all your info in case you win the car which nobody ever actually wins a marketing company we'll just rent or lease a car for a month or two months will lease a spot in the mall and place the car with the sticker on it that they get from on dealership for a hundred buc with a couple tables where people fill out little slips of paper with all their info on it and stick it in the window, or some corporations are companies will sell their employees contact info to marketing companies..
Etc... those Market East compile all the info into files based on there job or career or ZIP code or whatever and try to determine which people are likely to purchase something and which people can afford to purchase something over the phone or whatever. Usually a file with ten or twenty thousand names will cost $20,000- $100,000 depending on the likelihood of turning those names into sales. Many times one company let's say "ABC Incorporated" bones 5 separate subsidiaries or five separate companies that call you Twitter sell you something or get you to donate something or whatever and they all operate out of one office so the first company will call and you'll tell them to take you off their list and they'll say ok but that doesn't take you off the list of the other four companies so they'll all call you and then when they're done with that list that file they're going to sell it to another company just like them and you're going to have to go go through the whole thing over again with that next company and the next one and the next. They're all run on auto-dialer that begin dialing at I believe 8am and stop at 9pm .... the worst thing you can do is get angry at the person or whatever whoever is calling you because those people do that shit for a living all day everyday and know exactly how to fuck with you those people have all your info on a computer screen right in front of them and I'll take a picture of it or write it down take it home with them and then you're on their list and you can expect 3 a.m. phone calls trying to sell you horse trailers or cucumber peelers or whatever the hell else they can think of.

I got think of tons of stories or somebody was a dick to me and I called them back just a fuck with them and amuse myself for weeks afterwards. One guy made the mistake of giving me his store phone number before turning around and being a dick so I call him with a spoof number showing up as his stores phone number on the caller ID saying I broke into his store and asking where did you keep the key to the register or how to operate the engraving machine because I wanted to make a trophy for my brother, article just to apologize for knocking over the mop bucket and not cleaning it up etc.. & he gets furious and calls the cops.

One time while working as a collection agent for a Publishing Company in Colonie people who did chargebacks on purchases they made I got a hold of some 80 something year old black lady and Alabama and I called and told her I was with AdultFriendFinder online.com and I was calling about a an order that was placed for gay pornographic movies I does rattle off three or four names that I had just made up on the spot and one of them was "back door boy toys vol3" or something, and said there is also purchases of three or 4 large rubber black dildos and 1 medium size butt plug. And I repeated the name on the credit card that was used and all the information and stuff everything I had was legitimate and the lady says all at no I didn't I didn't purchase that so I said Well ma'am do you know anybody who may have used your credit card without your permission . Family members neighbors friends  who made of  been to your home or whatever and she's sitting there thinking and says well there's my grandson. Everybody kind of was worried about that but he says he's not what is Ben's a lot of time with the neighbor boy. So this conversation goes on for a while and I tell her I'm going to cancel that order don't worry about it and somehow the conversation moved over to me asking her if she knew anybody or if she would be interested in shooting some videos for us adultfriendfinder.com " I told her we were a company that sold adult videos and adult intimate toys and stuff.. I don't know if Adult Friend Finder actually sells videos are toys but I couldn't think of another porn website off the top of my head when she answered lol).. and somehow I convinced her two shots of videos with us and she told me she was five foot one and eighty seven pounds and wind over 80 years old or something that she was with short hair and wrinkles. I told her that is absolutely okay there is a market for everything and f course we would use a fake/stage name for her so nobody would ever find out and what we're going to do is send out a photographer who's going to be in that area and we're going to do a photo shoot and shoot some videos and stuff. I think I'd mentioned before to her we would pay her $1,200 cash and that she would have to fill out a 1099 independent contractor form and if you up to her if she wanted to pay taxes on it. And we set up a date and time and everything about in about two weeks and I asked her if she knew anybody else who might be interested in doing it because we would pay her a $300 finders fee for referring anybody else to do the video us as well. Soon as she heard that she said her friend might do it might be interested and gave me her phone number and then she said her daughter would absolutely do it you gave me her name and phone number and stuff after I asked for descriptions of her and the friend and whatnot. I couldn't fucking believe it. LoL... Shouldve recorded it but I didn't have a smartphone yet at the time. Lol.

Fighter video purchase calls pretty often. Lot of times I would have some lady's name and info and I'd call and say I was from adultfriendfinder.com and again with the somebody had purchased some adult videos and intimate bedroom toys and I've listed off the names of the videos that is made up off the top of my head (like the back door boy toys thing) and big black dildos and medium size butt plugs and anal beads and shit.. & they would ask what credit card was used and what address and I don't have all that info on the computer screen in front of me and I'd repeat it to them and  the wife or mother would be furious and say she never purchased that shit.. So if continue asking the same thing, if anybody in her home would have access to her credit cards? family? friends? neighborsetc.. A few times the lady is would be convinced their husband or son (one was a church pastor lol) had used the credit card to make the purchase hah. I'd always be sure to let them know is be goin ahead and canceling the purchase and whatnot.. Being professional the whole time. Lol... I remember one of the wives being pissed off and saying "again?! that son of a bitch told me he stopped!" Referring to her husband.

So, moral of the story, don't be a dick to the people who call you. Lol

Fuck me, the legendary esfitness admits to working in a call centre so he can one up any other persons story....

a call centre...hahahahaha

[ESFitness]

Fuck me, the legendary esfitness admits to working in a call centre so he can one up any other persons story....

a call centre...hahahahaha

I managed a fundraising office background 2003 2004. Same office I got Scott Markey a job at. Did fundraising for non-profits.

[Royalty]

Fuck me, the legendary esfitness admits to working in a call centre so he can one up any other persons story....

a call centre...hahahahaha

His "one upping" tendency is actually a common action of an emotionally needy female. All of his overly wordy posts make him look more feminine each day.

This is not the same esfitness that used to fight in laundromats.

[Tapeworm]

I work from home so I get these calls routinely.

One is calling them to get a lower CC rate.  But what they are really trying to do is get to a point where you give them your CC number.

The other one is someone saying they're from Microsoft and you have a virus...with the goal for you to give them access to your PC remotely by typing in some address under your "run" window.

I sometimes keep them on the line for over 15 minutes, using the dumbest, most over the top fake accents....generally get them to go apeshit and curse me out.

I once asked a chinaman, who claimed to be with the tax department, if he had any friends.  He said he did.  I asked him if they had real jobs and girlfriends.  I asked if he was sure that this tax department dodge was really going to get him where he wanted to go.  I like to think I changed his life that day.

[Simple Simon]

I managed a fundraising office background 2003 2004. Same office I got Scott Markey a job at. Did fundraising for non-profits.
I also ran a small PC company in the 90s, its where I gave Bill Gates his advice, I also was eating an apple when I used to have a coffee break with Steve Jobs, did you know that's how he came up with the name for....etc...etc....

fixed

[oldtimer1]

If you don't know the number then don't answer it. They are collecting active numbers that answer. Also Apple phones have a do not disturb feature that only lets phone numbers in your directory to get through. It works 95% of the time.