Scam and Phishbusters → Re: Cell Phones getting scams (mine is)

Yeah, how ironic it is that the DNC hardly prevents anything.

The legal loopholes are very very big (charities, previous business relationships, political things), not to mention any non-legal scam or call center will simply ignore the list anyways (or even use it to further the scheme).

Frequently for the non-legal callers, the very list you think protects you is exactly their source of numbers to call, or at the very least they get it from 'other sources' which we as normal people wouldn't have the first clue about.

Don't answer the damn thing. It just lets them know the number is really live. You can search the number and if it is legit, call back.

If I hear "Cocaine" I know enough to ignore the phone until I can search for the number.

I've found that at least the charities and businesses do honor requests to remove your number from their list. Politicians, however, are as bad as the scammers.

mady

Provided you can get through their phone web, of course (for businesses only).

And sometimes (so I heard), they'd even hang up on you if you have to do the number removal through a live person.

But, the ones with automated number removal are the best, because theorectically it can't hang up on you since it's a robot.

I've never had to remove my numbers before, so I don't know how accurate I am when it comes to what I just described but I do have friends who had to deal with the supposed annoyance multiple times.

Though one time I did receive such a call on my cell phone, but only once and that was many years ago.

I know nothing about how easy or hard it is regarding charities but I imagine it'd be about the same, but my friends only relayed their experience regard business calls of that nature.

When it comes to politicians, I don't answer but I do respond to mail requests (but not from other things, only politics).

Even if they are legal, you don't have to answer. I also don't have voice mail since I prefer the call log. I like being cell only for that reason. All the others on the plan can do what they please about calls.
I don't have to listen to the answering machine.

Actually, it does.

Before DNC, I was getting three or four telemarketing calls per day.

Now I am down to less than one per day. And I can immediately know that if whoever is calling starts a telemarketing pitch, they have self-identified as a law breaker.

Sure, the stream of scam telephone calls is annoying, but DNC did make it a lot better.

As soon as they start their spiel I just say "please take us off your list" and hang up. It does work for both businesses and charities. Now the only calls we get are the scammers, politicians and some local idiots who think they can get away with it. I report them.

mady

That's funny, I get about a call every two months from some sheriff's widows and orphans scammer, and I tell them each and every time to remove me from their list.