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For the last couple of months telemarketing calls to my cell phone (Spartanburg #) have increased to the point of a MAJOR annoyance! The calls are coming from 864-205-xxxx numbers (which I think are T-Mobile numbers.) I thought it was illegal to call cell phones. I also thought robocalls were illegal. I know there are a few telemarketing companies in this area but they are obviously ignoring the DNC list. Blocking apps are only catching about half of these calls. I never answer my phone anymore. Anyone else sick of being held hostage by telemarketers?
I just rec'd a new cell phone and have been besieged with robo/telemarketing calls from all over the world (yes, world) - I have registered with the Do Not Call Registry (but I believe there is a waiting period) - what is the best app for blocking these unwanted calls? (I have a Samsung/Note 8/Android)
I was just going to say get on the Do Not Call list. I keep getting a call about making my home more energy efficient. I keep telling them we sold our house and they still call back.
Ya, its non-stop, but the international ones went away for me after about a month of calling 4 times in a row like clockwork daily. One advantage for me is I never changed my cell number when I moved down years ago so when that area code is not in my contacts it's likely robo call and I'm able to ignore it easier.
Latest trend for telemarketers this year because you're more likely to pick up for a "local" number...FCC refers to it as "neighbor spoofing" (lot more info on the matter if you Google that), since in reality the numbers you see are likely being spoofed and not the actual number calling you in some cases.
I was just going to say get on the Do Not Call list. I keep getting a call about making my home more energy efficient. I keep telling them we sold our house and they still call back.
That has to be the solar panel people. Even worse they come through my neighborhood and visit in person every few weeks.
I screen all my calls on my cell phone, and look up unknown numbers on sites like 800notes and whocalledme to see if there are complaints about them. I never pick up a call if it's from an unknown caller - if it's important they'll leave a message. Callers who don't appear to be legit or are spammers/scammers are blocked. I have an iPhone, and iOS has an option to block certain numbers - I'd guess Android has a similar capability. After a few months of this, I seem to see far fewer calls of this sort - but they're constantly spoofing local calls as psychoma says. They don't care about the legality of their calls or the DNC list - I've been on it for years and it doesn't make a difference - they're not scared of the DNC list because a lot of them are calling from overseas, and if they're scammers or criminals and get shut down, they just start up a new bogus company and continue preying on people (I had one call claiming to be from the IRS, that they were after me for owing on taxes; if I had called back, they would have asked for my information including social security number and bingo, my identity would be stolen - it was from overseas, someone with an accent so it was obviously not the IRS).
It's not just on cell phones. I constantly get "neighborhood spoofing" calls to my home number. I've been on Do Not Call list for years for both home and cell numbers. I think it's high time that the FCC required phone companies to develop systems that do not permit spoofing at all or to at least give us unlimited number of numbers we can block. AT&T did increase the number to 100 from previous 20 and that is helpful, but I'm filling that up too.
Mine seem to go in spurts. I'll get a bunch of calls for a few weeks and then it is quiet for a few weeks.
I do use a call-blocker app on my Samsung and I follow this procedure. I never answer a call that I do not recognize. I wait about 5 minutes and then check to see if I was left a voicemail. If not, I do nothing the first time but if I get a call from that same number again and no voicemail, they get blocked.
I am one of these old geezers who actually dislike cellphones but I carry one because I need it sometimes. However, I don't have it with me constantly while I am at home. It is usually in the bedroom on a charger and only check it about once a day...sometimes not even that often.
I am constantly amazed when I go to restaurants and see 3 or 4 people having dinner at the same table and all of them are using the cell phones for texting, etc. instead of actually talking to the people sitting at the same table.
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I keep telling them we sold our house and they still call back.
