OP
OP
There needs to be a severe penalty. Not just a simple fine that they can easily pay off or weasel out of. How about kill on sight? That will shut it down real quick.
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26.3 billion robocalls were made to U.S. phone numbers in 2018
- Thread starter Dalek
- Start date
There needs to be a severe penalty. Not just a simple fine that they can easily pay off or weasel out of. How about kill on sight? That will shut it down real quick.
I got one last week that came up as Social Security on my display. Thankfully, my Pixel has a button that will answer with an automated message to screen unknown callers. They immediately hang up, and my phone automatically blocks the number.
There's no jail deep enough for these people.
There's no jail deep enough for these people.
I work in this field. The reason why robocalls are a horrible thing are two-fold:
1. Before SIP (phone calls over internet), only "reputable" companies had the capacity to originate phone calls, and everybody trusted everybody, so if Bahamas Telecom said the call was coming from Bob Dole's cellphone, then you knew it really was coming from Bob Dole. Now, with SIP, people can lie to, say, my provider, T-mobile because the SS7 protocol that phone companies use to talk to themselves was designed 40 years ago and is completely insecure. They've been talking about how to secure it for the better part of a decade. The phone companies (especially the likes of AT&T and Verizon) move incredibly slow. Google stir/shaken for more.
2. The phone companies get paid to let those robocalls come through to you. That's right. The spammers are effectively a (small) revenue stream for phone companies, so they're not feeling a huge sense of urgency about ending them. Their solution is to sell customers $3 and $4 add-ons for enhanced called ID and robocall filtering services, and profit from your misery, instead of having pride in what their network carries. If this were Japan, they would have shot themselves in the foot ;) . If Verizon lost money every time they routed a spam call, . It would light a righteous fire under their ass. As it is the FCC is prodding them to do more, but they're super late.
1. Before SIP (phone calls over internet), only "reputable" companies had the capacity to originate phone calls, and everybody trusted everybody, so if Bahamas Telecom said the call was coming from Bob Dole's cellphone, then you knew it really was coming from Bob Dole. Now, with SIP, people can lie to, say, my provider, T-mobile because the SS7 protocol that phone companies use to talk to themselves was designed 40 years ago and is completely insecure. They've been talking about how to secure it for the better part of a decade. The phone companies (especially the likes of AT&T and Verizon) move incredibly slow. Google stir/shaken for more.
2. The phone companies get paid to let those robocalls come through to you. That's right. The spammers are effectively a (small) revenue stream for phone companies, so they're not feeling a huge sense of urgency about ending them. Their solution is to sell customers $3 and $4 add-ons for enhanced called ID and robocall filtering services, and profit from your misery, instead of having pride in what their network carries. If this were Japan, they would have shot themselves in the foot ;) . If Verizon lost money every time they routed a spam call, . It would light a righteous fire under their ass. As it is the FCC is prodding them to do more, but they're super late.
Now feel sorry for people like me who, due to their jobs, have to answer the phone every time in case it is work-related.
I barely talk on the phone anymore because of this. I swear 90% of calls I get are robocalls or my mom.
"I'm calling about the car accident you were in, is that right?"
BUT YOU DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR MY NAME
Robocall companies, whenever they do get fined, it is a pitiful amount. Like it barely even dents the profit they made off their activities. Say a company earns $20,000 I think they should be charged $60,000 in order to really kick these bastards in the balls.
BUT YOU DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR MY NAME
Robocall companies, whenever they do get fined, it is a pitiful amount. Like it barely even dents the profit they made off their activities. Say a company earns $20,000 I think they should be charged $60,000 in order to really kick these bastards in the balls.
Thanks for the info. Would it be possible to screen for calls originating outside of the target phone's country? I feel like that would get rid of a lot of robocalls, seeing as a lot of them operate in other countries to get by US law.
OP
OP
Been getting a lot of robocalls, and from random places too from Kalamath Falls, Oregon to Oklahoma to West Virginia. I can't even tell what they're selling half the time because the robocall voicemail starts when my voicemail greeting does, so I only get half of it.
The ones that piss me off the most (I get them on the answering machine - that is how i know) are the ones that a robotic voice says the cops are looking for you and a warrant for your arrest is out. Now, I always thinking about vulnerable folks, older and younger just freaking out about this stuff.
Makes me so nervous for my parents as they age, because my dad can be a little gullible from time to time.
Makes me so nervous for my parents as they age, because my dad can be a little gullible from time to time.
I get several daily and it's extremely frustrating. I never answer numbers I don't know anymore. If it's important they'll leave a message.
Unfortunately, the moment you touch the internet (with SIP), then you can use proxies and stuff to bypass geo-locks. Genie is out of the bottle, so to speak. Here is a very readable article on the topic:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/05/how-to-stop-spam-robocalls-with-stir-shaken.html
I have to block 3-4 numbers a day. It's absurd. Mobile companies need to figure out how to stop it.
The worst for me is that beceause last year I was CONSISTENTLY flooded with the same robocall number that left a voicemail I just auto ignored it. When I went to clear out my voicemail a month and a half later I saw there was one number on there that was 2 numbers off from the bot calls. Turns out it was a fucking interview voicemail for a library a county over. I've never felt so angry and heartbroken in my life.
If someone calls me and isn't in my contacts list, I don't answer. If they leave a voicemail and aren't a bot, I'll call them back.
Absolutely ridiculous that I get spam calls as frequently as I do. I know people who answer these as too. What are you doing?
Absolutely ridiculous that I get spam calls as frequently as I do. I know people who answer these as too. What are you doing?
Yep the last year or so has been especially bad. Mostly car insurance or health insurance related robo calls, and they're able to piggy back on your area code so you think its someone local.....but they're not. So now I pretty much don't answer a call unless I know them. Important callers will leave a message.
I get calls daily about important changes to my student loan repayment options. I started using Robokiller on my iPhone.
Do people really fall for these?
Even if you're really old or you're a kid, the voice sounds 100% like a fucking robot.
Do they eventually pass you to an actual human caller?
I'm curious how a successful robocall actually sounds like.
Even if you're really old or you're a kid, the voice sounds 100% like a fucking robot.
Do they eventually pass you to an actual human caller?
I'm curious how a successful robocall actually sounds like.
I just got 2 this morning from Florida. I couldn't even make out what it said on the voicemail it left. Its one of the reasons why I don't answer my phone anymore. Just too many of them lately. The homephone gets a ton of robocalls.
Its obnoxious when you're waiting for a call only to answer a robocall. lol.
Its obnoxious when you're waiting for a call only to answer a robocall. lol.
I used to get quite a few of these, but if you are with t-mobile you can eliminate 99% of these calls. Shot out to SlipperyMoose and his thread that gave me the heads up.
Oh I also still get student loan forgiveness spam calls even though I've paid off all my student loans. Someone tell that to the auto call algorithm!
I got a ton of these in a very short period, all claiming that there were warrants for my arrest in different states.
And you're completely right on old folks. Last year my grandfather committed suicide and, while not a phone call, my grandmother received a "bill" for his transport to the coroner's office. It was riddled with typos from her name to her address, but it still freaked her out. I had to explain to her a dozen times that it was a scam.
Yeaahhh my phone's been on do not disturb for almost a year now cuz of these. It's extra fun when they spoof my number and then I get angry people calling back yelling at me to stop calling them. Took me a while to realize that was happening.
I hope they find a way to crack down on these more in the future. I'm really not a fan of talking on the phone to begin with and random calls stress me the fuck out.
And the most annoying thing about it is, I text semi-frequently and there's no real good way to allow text message notifications but not phone calls. :/
I wish they'd add that as an option dang it. I know there's the emergency bypass, but I like keeping my phone on vibrate and that, well, bypasses that lol.
I hope they find a way to crack down on these more in the future. I'm really not a fan of talking on the phone to begin with and random calls stress me the fuck out.
And the most annoying thing about it is, I text semi-frequently and there's no real good way to allow text message notifications but not phone calls. :/
I wish they'd add that as an option dang it. I know there's the emergency bypass, but I like keeping my phone on vibrate and that, well, bypasses that lol.
Write your Congresspeople. Complain. Tell them to force the carriers to squelch all of these IP robocalls using spoofed numbers at the network level. They're literally allowing fraudsters to ruin the concept and practice of using cell phones for voice calls.
hahah yea i get about 5-6 myself.
so much for that do not call list