Recent uptick in Robocalls and Junk calls

[Spock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIYes EastWest Gal, you bring up an issue with blocking robocalls that I hadn’t considered...occasional needed alerts. I guess that explains why I haven’t received calls from my garbage company about holiday schedule changes in a long time. However, I have had 4 blocked robocalls this morning before 10 a.m. I am sticking with the call blocker.

I have never gotten one of these in 57 years.
If a boil-water notice ever happened it would be on the news, web, radio....
and local gov would be incapable of doing a targeted notice anyway. Despite a distributed well system they would not be able to only notify users of a specific distribution point.

[kgtest]

Keep getting called for medical grade braces. I am 37 with a 6pack, completely healthy. Not a bad joint or bone on me. Talk about poor marketing.

[GrayHare]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest Keep getting called for medical grade braces. I am 37 with a 6pack, completely healthy. Not a bad joint or bone on me. Talk about poor marketing.

At least you now know the health status of your identity thief.

[scrabbler1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by statsman I'm nastier about it. For such calls, I answer the call, don't listen or say anything, and then hang up 2-3 seconds later. If it is important, they'll call back. Have had a callback once in the last year since I started doing it. If I don't do this, I end up with enough voicemails that I waste time dialing into, listening, and then deleting.

I do something like this, too. When I get an unblocked call on my land line from an unfamiliar number, whether it is local (probably but not always spoofed) or not, I answer it but remain silent. A "legit" robocaller, such as one from one of my local governments or from the electric company, for example, will make its announcement if I stay silent or not. A junk robocaller often does that, too. But many junk robocallers do not begin their speeches until the receiver says something, such as "hello." Staying silent seems to confuse those robocallers into hanging up themselves (and, heaven forbid, not calling again?)!

I don't do this with my cell phone because only about 20 people have the number. Any caller not in my tiny contacts list is met with my lifting the receiver a half inch then releasing it, ending the call. I'm not burning up my pay-per-minutes to listen to junk.

[MBAustin]

John Oliver's HBO show had a great piece on robocalls this week available on Facebook: LastWeekTonight

Language NSFW. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, the last few minutes are hilarious.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAustin John Oliver's HBO show had a great piece on robocalls this week available on Facebook: LastWeekTonight Language NSFW. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, the last few minutes are hilarious.

That was quite entertaining. I wonder what the FCC thought about his calls?