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Cell Phone Nuisance Calls

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
    So, I was getting a BUNCH of scam calls (I've had this same number since Moses was a boy scout) and even though they get identified as spam, they still show up on my phone.

    Just for grins, I decided to try a free month of the $3.99 service (upsell on the free app Call Protect) and it gives you greater control - it can automatically route unknown calls, or suspected spam calls, to voicemail.

    Just a little bit ago, I got....

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]35764[/ATTACH]

    and I never heard a thing. Those ones were auto-blocked - a few others were sent directly to voice mail hail.
    Hiya does that for free.

    Comment


    • #32
      When I recently replaced my phone (with a $25 model, no less), I started noticing that my new phone would warn me that unfamiliar numbers had been previously reported as spammers.

      I'm a bit creeped out by number recognition technology, though. One time at work, a random customer came up to me and asked me for help finding a random passage. I called him so I could get back to him after I looked for it. When I did, it displayed on his phone as "KingsGambit Post Office". Obviously one of my co-workers must have saved my number as that, and it somehow got saved worldwide as that. Creepy.

      I know the standard advice is not to pick up unfamiliar numbers, but when you're actively job searching, the risk of hanging up on an interview trumps that.
      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

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      • #33
        Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
        When I recently replaced my phone (with a $25 model, no less), I started noticing that my new phone would warn me that unfamiliar numbers had been previously reported as spammers.

        I'm a bit creeped out by number recognition technology, though. One time at work, a random customer came up to me and asked me for help finding a random passage. I called him so I could get back to him after I looked for it. When I did, it displayed on his phone as "KingsGambit Post Office". Obviously one of my co-workers must have saved my number as that, and it somehow got saved worldwide as that. Creepy.
        Hnmmm... that's weird.

        I know the standard advice is not to pick up unfamiliar numbers, but when you're actively job searching, the risk of hanging up on an interview trumps that.
        Yeah, that's why I like the ability to automatically send them to voice mail hail, instead of simply blocking all but the well known "bad guys".
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
          Hiya does that for free.
          Yes, this is Hiya, or licensed from them. Does the FREE version do that?
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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          • #35
            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
            Yes, this is Hiya, or licensed from them. Does the FREE version do that?
            just checked. It will block calls on its list. I guess it doesnt do the voice mail thing. I was wrong about that.

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            • #36
              Originally posted by Sparko View Post
              just checked. It will block calls on its list. I guess it doesnt do the voice mail thing. I was wrong about that.
              OK, so maybe it also has a paid version that adds those features.
              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

              Comment


              • #37
                I've gotten calls that claim to be from a job agency but hang up when I press for details...
                If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                  I've gotten calls that claim to be from a job agency but hang up when I press for details...
                  They may be "harvesting" your phone number - making sure it's really somebody --- everything I see says NEVER push any of the buttons when you answer a robo-call.
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                    They may be "harvesting" your phone number - making sure it's really somebody --- everything I see says NEVER push any of the buttons when you answer a robo-call.
                    It's a real person though. Robocalls will hang up because I don't say anything
                    If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                      It's a real person though. Robocalls will hang up because I don't say anything
                      OH... I thought you meant a robocall, where they say "press 2 for more info, or press 7 to be placed on our no-call list".

                      sorry
                      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Then again, it can be hard to tell these days...
                        If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          have you guys heard of the new scam going around called "virtual kidnapping?" Its freaking scary.

                          https://www.wthr.com/article/im-not-...m-hits-indiana
                          'I'm not playing around': Virtual kidnapping scam hits Indiana

                          NOBLESVILLE (WTHR) — Mark Walker is a private investigator, so he is very familiar with scams and how to avoid them.

                          But the Noblesville father said the phone call he received last Monday is unlike any hoax he’s ever heard of.

                          “I looked down and it was my daughter, so I answered the phone," he said. "The person on the other end identified themselves as having my daughter tied up and demanded I listen to him very carefully. He said ‘I’m not playing around,' demanded that I go to Walmart and purchase a MoneyGram and send it to him or that he was going to kill my daughter.”

                          Walker was stunned by what he heard as the caller continued to shout instructions.

                          “He said 'If you call the police I’m going to kill her,’ and he told me to go to my car,” Walker recalled. "You panic. He's calling me from her phone, so you're thinking this person's taken her and taken her phone, and he's calling me from her contact list and demanding ransom.”

                          Minutes later, unaware of what was taking place with his father, Walker's son got a similar phone call.

                          "On my phone it comes up as my dad and a picture of my dad, and so I answered. Immediately the guy is yelling," Eli Walker told WTHR.

                          The caller claimed he had kidnapped Walker and was now calling his son for ransom.

                          “He said he had a gun to his head, not to text anyone, not to call anyone; if I don't do exactly what he says, he's going to shoot him,” Eli said.

                          The Walkers were both victims of a scam called virtual kidnapping, a terrifying hoax that relies on deception and technology to trick unsuspecting victims into paying a ransom.

                          “It sounded real,” said Eli. “It’s definitely scary.”

                          “The caller made it seem really real because he was just carrying on, irate, threatening, using profanities,” his father agreed. “I don't think people are ready for that type of violent call.”
                          How the scam works

                          According to the FBI, virtual kidnapping is a coercion scheme to extort ransom payments from victims who are tricked into believing that a loved one has been kidnapped or is in imminent danger.

                          Scam artists pressure their victims to pay ransom demands quickly before the hoax can be discovered. They rely on shocking threats and prefer to spend as little time as possible negotiating with victims.

                          The FBI is familiar with the crime, which has grown in popularity in the south and southwestern parts of the United States. But FBI supervisory special agent Doug Kasper told 13 Investigates this is the first time the crime has been reported to federal agents in central Indiana.

                          “It was just a matter of time before it comes here,” Kasper said. "It’s alarming. When you see that caller ID and a picture of your son or daughter pops up, that’s tough. That’s next level sophistication.”

                          The ability of scammers to “spoof” someone else’s phone number makes the scheme more realistic and dangerous. Spoofing occurs when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID, disguising their true identity and making it appear the call is coming from someone else. Virtual kidnappers use stolen contact lists and troll the internet to find personal contact information about you and your family through social media and online search tools.

                          “The perpetrators of this crime, they keep getting better and better and using more and more sophisticated techniques to make themselves more believable,” Kasper said.

                          In the Walker case, the angry caller had names and phone numbers but did not appear to know relationships.

                          “He kept saying 'I’ve got Rachel. You know her! Don’t you? You know her!’ Walker said. “I think he was wanting me to identify her as my daughter, but I didn’t do that. I asked to speak to her and he said 'No, only after you send the money.'"

                          Foiling the scheme

                          To bust the scam, the FBI recommends quickly reaching out to your loved one who’s allegedly been kidnapped to see if you can verify they are safe. If possible, stay on the line with the caller while quietly asking someone else to call the alleged kidnap victim. If no one else is available to make that call, discreetly text the victim to see if you can get a reply. Once verifying their safety, hang up with the caller.

                          If you are not able to contact the alleged kidnapping victim, the FBI says you should request “proof of life” and “proof of possession” that could verify the caller is telling the truth. Ask to speak with the kidnap victim. Ask for a photo showing the victim in captivity. Ask the caller a question that he would not know without getting the answer from the victim, such as the name of a relative’s pet. If the call is a hoax, the caller will resist all attempts to provide this type of proof.

                          If you are contacted by someone claiming to have kidnapped a loved one, Kasper said the most important tip is to remain calm.

                          “As hard as it must seem, the first thing you need to do is control your emotions. Just buy yourself time and don't give in to demands,” he explained.

                          That's exactly what the Walkers did.

                          Eli remained nearly silent during his scam call while he texted his mother to confirm if his father was safe.

                          Walker asked his wife to contact their daughter, who said she was picking her children up from school – not tied up and kidnapped by a stranger.

                          “At that point and time, I knew it was a scam so I hung up on him,” Walk said. “But now I know how parents whose kids disappear feel. You panic. You’re at their mercy, in a way. You’re kind of kidnapped, as well.”

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                          • #43
                            And another reason to have one's facebook profile on private mode!
                            If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              So the FCC just passed some regulations allowing carriers to automatically block robocalls.

                              And apparently AT&T is running with it.



                              AT&T will automatically block fraud calls for new customers
                              Existing subscribers will have to wait.



                              AT&T is making quick use of FCC rules explicitly allowing carriers to block robocalls by default. The network will start automatically blocking fraud calls (and issuing suspected spam call alerts) for new phone customers as a matter course, at no extra charge. You'll have to opt out if you don't want the company to screen calls this way. Existing customers, meanwhile, will see the feature automatically reach their accounts in the "coming months."

                              If you like the capabilities, you can turn it on right now either by downloading the AT&T Call Protect app or enabling it through your myAT&T account settings.

                              https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/09/...s-fraud-calls/

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Verizon has something similar:

                                https://www.verizon.com/about/news/v...ttle-robocalls

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