Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Not A Way to Start the Morning
Old 02-13-2013, 09:24 AM   #1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
easysurfer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,130
Not A Way to Start the Morning

I was in the middle of a good dream when the phone rang at 7:45 am (I thought those sales callers can't call so early). So all blurry eyed I look at the caller ID and the caller name showed "US Govt"....but I thought it showed "US Gout". Then I turned over and went back to bed. One of those days
__________________
Have you ever seen a headstone with these words
"If only I had spent more time at work" ... from "Busy Man" sung by Billy Ray Cyrus
easysurfer is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-13-2013, 09:46 AM   #2
Recycles dryer sheets
arky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by easysurfer View Post
I was in the middle of a good dream when the phone rang at 7:45 am (I thought those sales callers can't call so early). So all blurry eyed I look at the caller ID and the caller name showed "US Govt"....but I thought it showed "US Gout". Then I turned over and went back to bed. One of those days
Don't leave us hanging .... What do you think the call was about ? I can't recall ever receiving a call from Uncle Sam !
__________________
Don't you know that dynamite always blows down ? --- Moe to Curly
arky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 09:53 AM   #3
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Rachel called me again yesterday. She must have the hot's for me.
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:14 AM   #4
Full time employment: Posting here.
BTravlin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 996
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg52 View Post
Rachel called me again yesterday. She must have the hot's for me.
Wrong. She call's me at least three times a week. She's probably just calling you with the bad news that you are now out of the picture.
__________________
Wherever you go, there you are.
(In other words, no whining!)
BTravlin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:38 AM   #5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
easysurfer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,130
Quote:
Originally Posted by arky View Post
Don't leave us hanging .... What do you think the call was about ? I can't recall ever receiving a call from Uncle Sam !
Actually as I put 2+2 together the call was from the Social Security office. I had left a voice mail about a week ago and they were just returning my call.

Originally, I thought someone was spoofing the caller id, but I guess not.

Looks like I jumped on the telemarketers this time without reason
__________________
Have you ever seen a headstone with these words
"If only I had spent more time at work" ... from "Busy Man" sung by Billy Ray Cyrus
easysurfer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:44 AM   #6
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
I'm curious if anyone is seeing a change in the number of spam calls this year? Mine have dropped off to almost nothing - none so far in Feb, 3-4 the last 3 weeks of Jan.

I started using the 'selective forwarding' feature of my new VOIP phone system to forward calls I've identified as spam to the FCC's complaint line (just a menu driven robot-answering line).

I got serious about getting each and every spam caller on my list back around Aug/Sept last year. If I get a call that hangs up on the ans machine (the typical scenario), I check the number in google to see if others are complaining. Usually, I get a hit for 800notes.com. I assign the number to a contact group I named "TM", and I have a rule set to forward those the FCC (888)225-5322. I have also wild-carded a group of numbers, 312-340-55?? , these were calling with various spam, mostly electric rate 'deals'.

My thought process was that if they actually heard the FCC answer, they'd figure out what I did, or that they had a bad number, and just click their computer and take me off their list, as to not waste their time. And assuming that a lot of these places are run by the same crooks, I might get taken off multiple lists. At any rate, it seems to be working.

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:47 AM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
Quote:
Originally Posted by easysurfer View Post
... the phone rang at 7:45 am (I thought those sales callers can't call so early). ...
Well, they can't do it legally. But most of these spammers are breaking the law already by violating the DNC list, so they don't care one whiff about the rest of the rules, which are rarely enforced.

OK, I see this particular call was not spam, but the same applies.

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:56 AM   #8
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,642
Our SPAM calls dropped to zero as we dumped the landline permanently.
__________________
*********Go Astros!*********
aja8888 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:02 AM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888 View Post
Our SPAM calls dropped to zero as we dumped the landline permanently.
+1
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:04 AM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Brett_Cameron's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: South Eastern USA
Posts: 1,068
Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888 View Post
Our SPAM calls dropped to zero as we dumped the landline permanently.
+2
Brett_Cameron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:08 AM   #11
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
misanman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,246
Quote:
I started using the 'selective forwarding' feature of my new VOIP phone system to forward calls I've identified as spam to the FCC's complaint line (just a menu driven robot-answering line).
What FCC number do you use?
__________________
"Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy, she'll beat you if she's able.
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet" -- The Eagles, Desperado
misanman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:09 AM   #12
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,472
Within the last year or so, spam phone calls have even begun to appear on my cell phone.

This morning I was awakened by robo-spam too. It wasn't Rachel (who has been replaced by one of her female co-workers at Cardmember Services, for me). It was some other stupid call. I went right back to sleep but gosh, that was annoying.

I need to put a phone by my bed. One vestige of my formerly somewhat severe LBYM lifestyle that I have not dealt with, is having just one landline phone and it is in the den. So, when I am awakened by robo-calls, this involves bounding out of bed and racing out to the den.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:18 AM   #13
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
Quote:
Originally Posted by misanman View Post
What FCC number do you use?
Quote:
and I have a rule set to forward those the FCC (888)225-5322.
That's the FCC 'enforcement' number.

I was tempted to use the number of a live person in one of the offices, but that might be pushing it. This way, I'm just making it easy for the crooks to turn themselves in and repent for their crimes! Just press #5 to report yourself, pay your debt to society, reform and become a productive member!

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 07:12 PM   #14
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
heeyy_joe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Madeira Beach Fl
Posts: 1,403
I usually listen to the telemarketer. Then I say "hold on, let me get my hearing aid", Then I set the phone down for about 10 minutes before i come back and hang up.

You're welcome.
__________________
_______________________________________________
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do" --Bob Dylan.
heeyy_joe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 08:46 PM   #15
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
photoguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,301
I think the appropriate punishment for telemarketers is to be the recipient of shocks in a real Milgram experiment.
photoguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 09:41 PM   #16
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
Quote:
Originally Posted by heeyy_joe View Post
I usually listen to the telemarketer. Then I say "hold on, let me get my hearing aid", Then I set the phone down for about 10 minutes before i come back and hang up.

You're welcome.
Since I let them go to the machine, I find they very rarely ever even pick up. The times I have picked up - no one there. Apparently, one person with an auto-dialer is running many phones and if one party answers, they ignore the other phones to deal with the 'live wire'. So they miss some of the people who do answer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by photoguy View Post
I think the appropriate punishment for telemarketers is to be the recipient of shocks in a real Milgram experiment.
You are too kind.

Isn't it nice to see how effective our govt is with the DNC list? How much money did they spend to implement all that, and it has no teeth, so crooks just go around it. And of course, politicians are exempt from the law.

Even when they track some down, the fines are small potatoes, and waived in some cases. Just the cost of doing business for the crooks.

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 10:21 PM   #17
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
MooreBonds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 2,179
Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888 View Post
Our SPAM calls dropped to zero as we dumped the landline permanently.
As W2R has noted, they don't ignore cell phones out of the goodness of their hearts!

I've received various spam text messages and phone calls. Every so often (once every 2 months or so), I'll get an out of town call from a number I don't recognize.

Googling the number brings up various websites where people comment "I received a call from this number. It's some collection agency, or some survey company, or some _____ company trying to sell me something".

It's known which prefixes are set aside for cell phones in each area code, so the spammers simply start at xxx-0000, send a spam text, increment the number, and then text again! same for phone calls.
__________________
Dryer sheets Schmyer sheets
MooreBonds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2013, 09:00 AM   #18
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 333
Quote:
Originally Posted by ERD50 View Post
Isn't it nice to see how effective our govt is with the DNC list? -ERD50
I'm usually towards the front of the line complaining about "most" government run programs. (usually to slow, ineffective, costly, etc, etc) Except in this case. My "SPAM" calls dropped well over 95% after registering my phone numbers on the DNC list... Matter of fact it worked so well for me I suspect the DNC registry is managed outside the government.
HighRoller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2013, 09:52 AM   #19
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: DFW
Posts: 7,586
Quote:
Originally Posted by ERD50 View Post
I'm curious if anyone is seeing a change in the number of spam calls this year? Mine have dropped off to almost nothing - none so far in Feb, 3-4 the last 3 weeks of Jan.

I started using the 'selective forwarding' feature of my new VOIP phone system to forward calls I've identified as spam to the FCC's complaint line (just a menu driven robot-answering line).

I got serious about getting each and every spam caller on my list back around Aug/Sept last year. If I get a call that hangs up on the ans machine (the typical scenario), I check the number in google to see if others are complaining. Usually, I get a hit for 800notes.com. I assign the number to a contact group I named "TM", and I have a rule set to forward those the FCC (888)225-5322. I have also wild-carded a group of numbers, 312-340-55?? , these were calling with various spam, mostly electric rate 'deals'.

My thought process was that if they actually heard the FCC answer, they'd figure out what I did, or that they had a bad number, and just click their computer and take me off their list, as to not waste their time. And assuming that a lot of these places are run by the same crooks, I might get taken off multiple lists. At any rate, it seems to be working.

-ERD50
This is a good approach, but unfortunately no VOIP here, otherwise I'd do it.
eytonxav is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2013, 10:00 AM   #20
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighRoller View Post
I'm usually towards the front of the line complaining about "most" government run programs. (usually to slow, ineffective, costly, etc, etc) Except in this case. My "SPAM" calls dropped well over 95% after registering my phone numbers on the DNC list... Matter of fact it worked so well for me I suspect the DNC registry is managed outside the government.
Your experience seems to be somewhat unique. Jut peruse the 800notes.com site, there are about 100 entries made in just the last 20 minutes. And these are just the people who bother to report them at this one site for others benefit.

The DNC has reined in (dare I risk the use/misuse 'rein/reign/rain?) some of the legitimate callers who were previously working outside these rules, but only voluntarily. The lawbreakers don't care - there has been close to zero action against anyone.

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:45 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.