General > General Technical Chat

UPDATED: Well... looks like I've l̶o̶s̶t̶ won the battle against scam callers

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gnuarm:

--- Quote from: Gyro on August 03, 2023, 09:56:52 pm ---I've had a persistent recorded message spam caller for a while, although the frequency seems to be finally decreasing. I just let it go to voicemail and then block each new number. The irritating thing is that the recorded message is in Chinese. If you must spam me, ffs have the brains to check the country code and do it in a language that I can understand!  :palm:

--- End quote ---

Blocking numbers is totally pointless.  The spammers make up numbers, often to look like it is a local call.  I had one very gullible guy call me, where I jerked him around by putting the phone down to "get my credit card".  Eventually I hung up.  He called back, lather, rinse, repeat.  Every call was on a different local number.  I should say "local", because my cell phone has a number from a different state!

It's a rare spammer that uses a real phone number he got from the "phone company". 

TimFox:

--- Quote from: gnuarm on August 03, 2023, 10:45:18 pm ---
--- Quote from: Gyro on August 03, 2023, 09:56:52 pm ---I've had a persistent recorded message spam caller for a while, although the frequency seems to be finally decreasing. I just let it go to voicemail and then block each new number. The irritating thing is that the recorded message is in Chinese. If you must spam me, ffs have the brains to check the country code and do it in a language that I can understand!  :palm:

--- End quote ---

Blocking numbers is totally pointless.  The spammers make up numbers, often to look like it is a local call.  I had one very gullible guy call me, where I jerked him around by putting the phone down to "get my credit card".  Eventually I hung up.  He called back, lather, rinse, repeat.  Every call was on a different local number.  I should say "local", because my cell phone has a number from a different state!

It's a rare spammer that uses a real phone number he got from the "phone company".

--- End quote ---

I don't understand why "spoofing" a phone number is legal in the US.
I found vendors online who will facilitate this spoofing openly, allegedly for the benefit of partners in abusive relationships who don't want to use their real numbers when reporting the abuse to the authorities, but that seems to be a weak argument (although pay phones have vanished from modern society).
E.g., https://www.spoofcard.com/  who claim it is good for the spoofer's privacy.
Typically, sub-continental callers with conventional American given names spoof numbers in my area code and exchange, and when I ask them if they are located next door they hang up.
When I have nothing else to do, I call that number back only to get the non-existent number error message from the phone company;  rarely, it turns out to be an innocent bystander whose number was borrowed, but almost never an active number.

ataradov:
There are cases where "spoofing" is necessary. For example big call center may want to present a single callback number. Obviously this could be allowed after proper documentation and no report of abuse.
 
But otherwise, this is legal because telcos are making a ton of money on this, and they don't want this to change. If you just start fining them for abuse, the situation would instantly change. But guess who is buying the people that can fine them?

gnuarm:

--- Quote from: TimFox on August 03, 2023, 10:51:47 pm ---
--- Quote from: gnuarm on August 03, 2023, 10:45:18 pm ---
--- Quote from: Gyro on August 03, 2023, 09:56:52 pm ---I've had a persistent recorded message spam caller for a while, although the frequency seems to be finally decreasing. I just let it go to voicemail and then block each new number. The irritating thing is that the recorded message is in Chinese. If you must spam me, ffs have the brains to check the country code and do it in a language that I can understand!  :palm:

--- End quote ---

Blocking numbers is totally pointless.  The spammers make up numbers, often to look like it is a local call.  I had one very gullible guy call me, where I jerked him around by putting the phone down to "get my credit card".  Eventually I hung up.  He called back, lather, rinse, repeat.  Every call was on a different local number.  I should say "local", because my cell phone has a number from a different state!

It's a rare spammer that uses a real phone number he got from the "phone company".

--- End quote ---

I don't understand why "spoofing" a phone number is legal in the US.
--- End quote ---

What does the US have to do with it?  Do you think any of these people are in the US???  Nearly everyone I hear from has an Indian accent so thick, I can barely tell what scam they are trying to run.



--- Quote ---I found vendors online who will facilitate this spoofing openly, allegedly for the benefit of partners in abusive relationships who don't want to use their real numbers when reporting the abuse to the authorities, but that seems to be a weak argument (although pay phones have vanished from modern society).
E.g., https://www.spoofcard.com/  who claim it is good for the spoofer's privacy.
Typically, sub-continental callers with conventional American given names spoof numbers in my area code and exchange, and when I ask them if they are located next door they hang up.
When I have nothing else to do, I call that number back only to get the non-existent number error message from the phone company;  rarely, it turns out to be an innocent bystander whose number was borrowed, but almost never an active number.

--- End quote ---

How many phone numbers do you think are actually in service in a given area code?  I expect the numbers are picked with YOUR area code, an exchange that is LOCAL to YOU and a random last four digits. 

I do get some calls from numbers that are only generally in the same area (100 mile radius), but not often. 

Here's a funny anecdote.  At one time the scams were all either looking to sell you ED drugs, or something else I can't recall.  One of the latter called me when I was at a friend's house.  He was running his scam and I was tired of playing along only to get him pissed off and hang up.  So instead, I asked him if he wanted to buy drugs.  I got him to give me 12 of his 16 digit credit card number before I burst out laughing!  He was so pissed! 

TimFox:
An exchange should have 10,000 numbers with four digits.
I don't know the fraction in use at any time, but the phone companies have added additional area codes over the years to cover the explosive growth of cell phones.
Chicago and suburbs used to be in area code 312.
Then they restricted 312 to the center of the city, and added 773 for the rest of the city and 708 for the suburbs.
Later, they split 708 into non-overlapping 708, 847, and 630.
After that, they added "overlay" codes and I have lost track.

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