[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by Restrain

If they are out of the US or using spoofers, it is virtually impossible to trace or sue. Even in the US, if spoofing the number and engaging in fraud, by the time they figure out who and where, the people are gone and starting someplace else.

Laws cannot keep ahead of the bad guys, and the telecommunications companies either havent developed systems to determine if a number the call system is reporting is valid or not, or are not using them.

This is a good point - while it may be very effective in the US, the laws may not be able to keep up with international robo-calling. I have found that switching to cellphone-only keeps me with a small bill, and allows me to screen everybody. I put every single doctor, hospital, and pharmacy who may call me into my contacts so I see a name pop up [which includes adding names for central calling numbers for larger companies like hospitals that don't display the extension when they call you]. If no name is there, I do not pick up, and just check the voicemail if they bother to leave one. Then anything that is spam I put on my phone's blocked list.

Land lines may be important for hurricanes, but even when I had one, I kept the ringer on silent and had an answering machine hooked up. Everyone I knew had my cellphone number, I never gave out the landline number - so I knew automatically if I got a call on the landline, it was spam. I only kept it hooked up for emergencies, for me to be able to call out (storm, no cell reception, broken cell phone...) - it was not meant for people to call in. Since I kept the sound down on both the phone and the answering machine, idiots calling me never disturbed me.

[smarino]

I decided to stay home today and copy down every incoming telemarketing call that came in to the caller ID box, then type in a complaint to the National Do Not Call complaint site. I'm up to 8 calls so far, and it's only 2:25PM! If you get a good bottle of red wine (cheap Merlot works best, but as long as it's cheap I'll probably drink it), a few munchies, some jazz on the speakers, and several old classic movies on the boob tube, this is not so bad.

Maybe tonight Rachel will call? Hope springs eternal.

"Land lines may be important for hurricanes, but even when I had one, I kept the ringer on silent and had an answering machine hooked up. Everyone I knew had my cellphone number, I never gave out the landline number - so I knew automatically if I got a call on the landline, it was spam. I only kept it hooked up for emergencies, for me to be able to call out (storm, no cell reception, broken cell phone...) - it was not meant for people to call in. Since I kept the sound down on both the phone and the answering machine, idiots calling me never disturbed me."

StarfishKey, I think you have a really good idea there, although for sure, Mike has the right attitude on this.

[straight shooter]

What about all of the political robocalls are they exempt from the do not call registry. Probably, since it is the politicians the ones that enacted the national do not call registry.

[OpinionInOcala]

Originally Posted by straight shooter

What about all of the political robocalls are they exempt from the do not call registry. Probably, since it is the politicians the ones that enacted the national do not call registry.

Persons of privilege are less frequently obliged to play by the same set of rules as the rest of society.

[smarino]

There's nothing to be done w/ political calls, surveys, or businesses someone has recently done business with I'm afraid.

This could be just a lull in the action, but the last few days spent staying home and sipping vino (made even more fun w/ the scary Halloween movies coming on. Four stars for "Bug", one of the worst, good movies I've seen in some time) seems to have gotten some results. Yesterday there was only one telemarketing call (Nextel), and so far today, none.

I pick up the phone on 800 callers and tell them not to call, and that I am filing a complaint w/ the National Do Not Call Registry online. Then I hang up and do just that. On calls that have a recorded message, I just file a complaint. When the machines or people hang up when I answer our phone, I call the number that shows on my caller I.D. box, leave that message on their machine, and file a complaint.

Haven't gotten around to doing all of this w/ the Florida Do Not Call Registry, but I will.

[vanguardisle]

Originally Posted by smarino

We've been getting a lot of telemarketing calls to our home recently here in Florida, even though we've been registered on the National Do Not Call list for quite a while. They block their numbers so you cannot report them. Is anyone else having this problem? It's beyond aggravating, especially as we have a sick family member, and we're always on the alert for doctors, medical labs, pharmacists, etc calling.

Is anyone else having this problem? I wish there were a better solution, because the Do Not Call Registry is just not working at all for us. If anyone has any good ideas to keep these creeps away, I'm open to suggestions. I also registered us on the Florida Do Not Call list recently too (didn't even know there was such a thing until I researched it), but it's too early to get any effect from that, assuming there will even be any. Probably a good reason to go to Skype?

I just hang up . Who buys things from those kind of people anyway ?

[The Villages Guy]

I ask them for their home number, so I can call them back later. That ends the call fairly fast.

[OpinionInOcala]

Originally Posted by North_Pinellas_Guy

I ask them for their home number, so I can call them back later. That ends the call fairly fast.

Heh, I've done that already.

I like my grandfather's method:

• "Did I win sex or money?"
• "No?"
• "Well I tell ya what; give me your personal number and maybe we can work out our own deal later."
• "Hello?" (they've already hung up)

He's almost 90, by the way. My grandmother gets embarrassed and will swat him with the oven mitt if the great grand kids are around when he does it. We know she secretly finds it just as funny as the rest of us do. I need to get him doing it on speakerphone so I can youtube it.

[old_cold]

I don't know what the difference is but I got almost no calls ever on my NYS landline phone, even after having the same number for years.
I didn't get any for the 8 or 9 months in Fla when I had a seasonal phone.
I recently became a Fl resident and am now get calls every day so no longer answer the phone and let them go to message ( which are never left)
3 calls within 5 minutes and all different numbers, some do identify as VOIP so you know it's hopeless to report. Perhaps the majority of them are political and will cease after the election...hopefully!

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by old_cold

I don't know what the difference is but I got almost no calls ever on my NYS landline phone, even after having the same number for years.
I didn't get any for the 8 or 9 months in Fla when I had a seasonal phone.
I recently became a Fl resident and am now get calls every day so no longer answer the phone and let them go to message ( which are never left)
3 calls within 5 minutes and all different numbers, some do identify as VOIP so you know it's hopeless to report. Perhaps the majority of them are political and will cease after the election...hopefully!

We got two phone calls from Bill Clinton yesterday.