Do you get spam calls?

[danzibr]

It occurred to me... I switched phones like 2 years ago, and was starting to get spam calls. When I got a new phone, I got a new number, but *it* gets spam calls too. I thought it came with the new number, but I mentioned it to my wife and she said she recently started getting spam calls on her phone which she's had for like 10 years.

I dunno if someone got our phone numbers or if this is simply rampant now. So... you get spam calls?

[Red Fel]

It occurred to me... I switched phones like 2 years ago, and was starting to get spam calls. When I got a new phone, I got a new number, but *it* gets spam calls too. I thought it came with the new number, but I mentioned it to my wife and she said she recently started getting spam calls on her phone which she's had for like 10 years.

I dunno if someone got our phone numbers or if this is simply rampant now. So... you get spam calls?

Oh my Me, yes. So many. Nearly on a daily basis. Mostly robots, too.

My country has a "Do Not Call" registry, but apparently that only applies to calls involving a live person, so robocalls pass unhindered. Which is fine, in the long run, because I feel no compunctions about hanging up on a robot.

I'll probably be made to account for that when our Robot Overlords take power.

[halfeye]

I had a landline once, £12 per month line rental, and spam. Now I have a PAYG mobile, no spam (maybe one in a dozen years?) and I top it up with £5 every three or four months which pays for the calls I make.

[Khedrac]

I mainly get spam calls to my mobile because I used to be an IT contractor (my brother has the company now and is an electrical engineering contractor) and there is a steady (and annoying trickle) of calls to do with Accountancy Services, IT/Utility contracts and Goverment Surveys on employment - and this is 4 or 5 years since I stopped being the owner of the company (I am still a director) so I think some lists out there have seriously outdated numbers.

As for othe rspam calls, I am lucky and don't get many. Some are from a robot but most seem to be a real person (once the dialler finds one free once I answer the call).

In the UK we do have don't call lists (I cannot remember if I am on it) and I think that completely automated calling is illegal - but I believe a lot of the spam callers are not in the UK so even when reported they cannot really be stopped (I do get the odd half message on the answerphone because their robot was talking at the same time my robot was).
Things have got better though - these days if you point out that you are on the don't call list (Telephone Preference Service) they tend to just hang up - 20 years ago a friend of mine used to get abuse when he pointed out that he was on the TPL...

[factotum]

It varies. I'm signed up for the service which is supposed to stop spam calls, but what that means in practice is that, instead of calling up to sell you things, people will call up asking you to take part in a "survey"--during which they'll try to sell you things, naturally. It also goes in cycles--I was getting a lot of spam calls a couple of months ago, but it's quietened down a lot over Christmas and the New Year.

[2D8HP]

Yes, and I haven't had a land line in over a decade.

I seldom answer calls from phone numbers that are close to mine because of it, often I don't answer calls at all, and if someone leaves a message with a number I independently verify that number before calling back.

If it looks like your own number calling yourself you know it's a scam.

[Algeh]

Yeah, mostly robots trying to sell me duct cleaning (I like to imagine these as some kind of sentient roomba-offshoots just to entertain myself) and people, often with not-from-around-here accents (presumably sitting in a call center in some hard-to-prosecute-from-here jurisdiction), trying to convince me that the government is going to get me in trouble if I don't send them money by various dubious payment methods. (Bonus points if they don't have a clear sense of how the government around here is organized in terms of federal vs. state vs. local or a clear idea of what the agency they're purportedly calling from actually does.)

At this point, I don't answer the phone unless I recognize the number, and neither does pretty much anyone I know. This is annoying when I need to call people I don't talk to regularly, such as the parents of my students, since pretty much no one picks up the phone for strangers anymore.

[FinnLassie]

Wait... could someone elaborate me on these robot calls?

[2D8HP]

Wait... could someone elaborate me on these robot calls?

You don't have robo-calls in Finland?

They're advertisements delivered by phone:

Robo-calls

[DataNinja]

The ones I get on the most frequent basis are someone trying to collect the debt or whatever of the previous occupants, and ones telling me there's something wrong with my computer.

More often, the 'spam' calls are ones intended for the local town hall, since our number is one off from theirs... I recall one particular time someone managed to get transferred from their lines to our number... that poor guy, he must've thought I was the most unhelpful IT secretary ever before I managed to get across that, no, this is a private residence.

[Aedilred]

I have started getting quite a number in the last couple of months. The most common variety are trying to get me to make a claim for a fictitious road accident, or trying to get me to claim for mis-sold PPI. At least, those are the ones that actually get through. Often I pick up and get hung up on immediately, thanks to autodiallers.

Usually it's a real person on the other end, but some are fully automated. I have had a couple which are slightly more sophisticated than the normal robo-call and seem to make use of voice recognition software to carry out the semblance of a conversation. Having said that, it might have just been an exceptionally bored cold-caller doing their best impression of a robot.

[Peelee]

Nope. At least, not on my cell; last one I recall was at least three years ago. Some guy with a thick accent claiming to be with Microsoft, calling to tell me I had a virus on my computer. Of course, I was very concerned, and he was all too happy to help. I went step by step through the entire fix with him, but after ten minutes or so he was so frustrated that he couldn't fix it, despite me telling him that I did absolutely everything he instructed me. I couldn't believe it; I was very patient with him, and it took so long I'd almost finished my drive home when he disconnected the call.

Of course, it's a different story at work. People always want to talk to the owner. He's usually on safari, but sometimes he's in the bathroom huffing paint, or hunting people up in Greenland. Once he died for a few weeks. Fun times.

[inexorabletruth]

There are still laws in America protecting against solicitation, and under the right circumstances, you can sure for about $1500 per solicitation call.

I've been working with a lawyer on it to try to get the nagging calls off my back.

[Velaryon]

Ever since I switched to a new phone last summer, I get at least one or two spam calls a week. Other than people who were already my friends, I've given out my number to just a small handful of people, so when I get a call from a number I don't recognize (especially if it happens to be another local-looking number), I can just about guarantee it's not anyone I want to talk to.

The other day I answered one by reflex before looking at the number, and it turned out to be one of those ones where they claim you recently stayed at one of their resorts (I haven't gone anywhere on vacation in at least 6 or 7 years, and I've had this number for barely half a year, so there's no way in hell this isn't a scam). I tried to interrupt them twice, decided they were either a rude jerk or a prerecorded message, and hung up on them.

[FinnLassie]

You don't have robo-calls in Finland?

They're advertisements delivered by phone:

Robo-calls

Nope, I've NEVER heard of these before. Not from my own experience or others. Telemarketing is rather strict anyways.

[Red Fel]

Nope, I've NEVER heard of these before. Not from my own experience or others. Telemarketing is rather strict anyways.

Yet more evidence that Finland is a magical, amazing place, and I hope to visit it someday. No fooling, totally serious.

Where I am, regulations are merely hoops to be leapt through. Anytime a new regulation "cracks down" on unwanted telephone solicitation, a new loophole is found. In this case, that loophole is automated calling, and it stinks on ice.

[JeenLeen]

There are still laws in America protecting against solicitation, and under the right circumstances, you can sure for about $1500 per solicitation call.

I've been working with a lawyer on it to try to get the nagging calls off my back.

I've heard that phone companies are also trying to prevent it, but it's hard.
I get a few each month it seems. Often a pleasant female voice wanting to talk me to about a cruise or hotel stay. I generally try to interrupt after the first line, or fake a coughing fit. If they're human, they'd stop and I could tell them I'm not interested and ask to be removed from the calling list. (I've been told they are legally obligated to do this if you are talking to a solicitor and ask to be removed.) If they keep talking over me, I hang up since it's a robot.

So far, though, all robots.

[Telonius]

The ones I've been getting recently are spoofers. Basically the scammer has a program that will make their call display as though it's a number from my area code. Even cell phones aren't safe now.

[Florian]

What the eff are "spam calls"?

[comicshorse]

Of course, it's a different story at work. People always want to talk to the owner. He's usually on safari, but sometimes he's in the bathroom huffing paint, or hunting people up in Greenland. Once he died for a few weeks. Fun times.

You obviously have so much more an interesting job than any I have had !

To answer the OP as I'm only volunteering at the moment I keep sending off CV's to employers and Employement agencies which pretty much guarantees me someone new selling my mobile number to Spammers every so often. So yes, loads !

[Peelee]

You obviously have so much more an interesting job than any I have had !

Eh, small family business. My brother's the owner, and he goes by a nickname. Anyone calling to speak to "full name" or "the owner" is an obvious spam caller or solicitor. Compounded with the fact that anyone who has legitimate business with us knows that they can speak to anyone, and that the owner is virtually never in, leads us to reject their requests with a certain amount of disdain. Sometimes one of my coworkers will just claim to be the owner, and get all excited about whatever offer is being pushed, before he asks if we can pay in cocaine.

[2D8HP]

What the eff are "spam calls"?

And another European doesn't know.

This American is feeling jealous.

[Douglas]

What the eff are "spam calls"?

Unsolicited telephone calls from strangers, about things you don't care about. Most commonly they either attempt to sell something to you or try to scam you in some way, though sometimes they just want to ask some questions for a survey. Many of them are done by automated computer systems these days.

[Lady_Springtime]

I just got one a few minutes ago.
Also, every few months I get a call from a bank at which I don't have an account but I usually hang up before I can find out if they're spamming me or if it's a mistake in their records.

[tomandtish]

My wife and I have sequential phone numbers (mine is literally one digit higher than hers). One of the ways we can tell true spam calls (esp. from robodialers) is that her phone will ring and mine will ring seconds later, showing either the same number or blocked as appropriate.

The truly annoying thing is the number spoofing. A lot of times if I'm expecting a call from a local business, I may answer a call and realize it's a spam call. I call the number back and it's some local number with no connection to the people who called.

[Aotrs Commander]

Frequently, both automated calls, people (often, sadly, from people with distinctly Indian-sounding accents) trying to get us to take surveys or flog something (insurance/claims for accidents we haven't had/boilers mostly) or scam us by pretending being from Microsoft¹.

We've been ex-directory for years.




¹In fairness, I should say that I had call to phone MS' ACTUAL helpline a week or few ago, and all three gentleman I spoke to sounded like they were of Indian descent and they were all very helpful and competant and I was somewhat despressed to hear how genuinely grateful they sounded when I said so. 'Cos you know they were getting tarred with the same brush as all these asshat spam companies "employees."

[factotum]

scam us by pretending being from Microsoft¹.

My mother almost fell for a scam from a nice Indian gentleman claiming to be from BT--she was in dispute with them at the time about a bill. If it weren't for her being a resolutely old-fashioned sort who refused to install Barclays Online Banking at his request I think she'd have ended up a lot poorer!

[Red Fel]

or scam us by pretending being from Microsoft¹.

The trick with that scam - there are several actually, but the biggest giveaway - is that they don't actually say they're from Microsoft, the company that makes many pieces of software including Windows. They say that they're from Windows. Not Windows Support, or Windows Tech Support, or the Windows Tech Department - just Windows.

"Hello, I am calling you from a piece of software."

I've gotten that scam call. And it's kind of fun, because they apparently couldn't say "I'm calling from Microsoft." I tried it.

"So, you're calling from Microsoft?" "No, sir, I am calling from Windows." "Windows Tech Support?" "No, sir, I am calling from Windows." "Like, a window in a building?"

Gotta admire the guy for sticking to the script. I mean, I still throw a wrench into things by saying things like "I use Apple," or "I don't have a computer," or my favorite, "I should hope you've found viruses - we're an antivirus research lab!"

But yeah. Depending on how merciless you feel in the moment, there are things you can do to a spam caller.

[truemane]

I get a few on my cell phone. I seem to have found my way onto one single call list for a discount airline. That's the only one I get.

When I was a site manager for a medical building, we got bazillions a day. Sometimes I would hear my staff getting frustrated by someone being pushy or rude and I'd tell them to put the call through. And then I'd berate the salesperson for being a jerk to my staff.

"How can you possibly expect that I would want to do business with you when you can't even be civil to my staff? How can you even look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day acting like this?"

Always fun. My receptionist would come to the door and listen. I was merciless.

I dislike rude salespeople with a deep and abiding passion.

The trick with that scam - there are several actually, but the biggest giveaway - is that they don't actually say they're from Microsoft, the company that makes many pieces of software including Windows. They say that they're from Windows. Not Windows Support, or Windows Tech Support, or the Windows Tech Department - just Windows.

I used to get calls from people wanting to "update our Google listing." That one was always fun too. 'You're calling from Google? You're not? What does this cost?'

Good times.

[halfeye]

PAYG (pay as you go) is critical. PAYG is designed for poor people. Scammers target the rich, because they have money that they might be conned out of. If you don't want spam, switch to PAYG.

Then the spammers will switch too, but they'll have to filter out the poor people, and that will be *interesting*.