9 ms·

Robocalls have triumphed over the Do Not Call list

132 points by nkurz 10y ago

brianmcconnell 10y ago
If you are plagued by robo calls, especially from Julie your local google specialist, I highly recommend the Jolly Roger Telephone Company as a countermeasure.
- ekoontz 10y ago
  I agree - I pay $2/month to Jolly Roger and since then my robocalls have dropped to nothing. I actually miss getting them because it's so fun to hear Jolly Roger frustrate them.
matt_wulfeck 10y ago
I get calls regularly from a number that shares the same area code and first 3 digits of my number. For example, if my number was (579) 832-6671 the calls would constantly come from different numbers in the (579) 832-xxxx range. What options do I have? Numbers are not like IP blocks with cidrs registered somewhere. Who do I even complain to?
- martian 10y ago
  You can complain to the FTC. I haven't had much luck with it actually stopping the calls but it's better than nothing and gives the government something to work with. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
  - duskwuff 10y ago
    What do you even tell them, though? The Caller ID number is fake, and it's difficult to get any information from the caller. (I've tried; they hang up if you ask them to identify themselves.)
- zippergz 10y ago
  This seems to be happening to me more often lately too. Until recently, the robocalls I'd get came from seemingly random numbers, but now the majority come from at least the same area code as my number, and sometimes as you say, the first 6 digits. I guess they figure you're more likely to pick up if you think it's someone local? That actually worked the first time for me, but after that, it's done the opposite - I don't live in the same state as my cell number's area code, and I don't know anyone with the same first 3 digits, so it's obvious these are spam calls.
- yusyusyus 10y ago
  Who says that these DIDs are even assigned to the caller? Virtually all wholesale termination (the fancy word for handling outbound calls) allows for the caller to set the calling party ID to whatever the caller desires. The reason for this (among a few) basically boils down to multihoming (so, example, I use a different provider for termination than for origination (receiving calls)). This is a perfectly legitimate and very common to effect least cost routing. In any event, if you are able to determine that the number is actually in use by the caller, you would determine the responsible LEC via LRN lookup (this handles portability issues). DID blocks are tied to a particular LEC, but the DID is then handled for portability via LRN (so, this is how you determine which LEC the number got ported to).
martian 10y ago
Why aren't these kinds of calls straight up illegal in the first place? Telecom companies who hand out numbers to spammers should get fined like crazy, and the burden of proof goes on them for dealing with the people they give US phone numbers to. But for now, I use the iPhone's Do Not Disturb option and allow calls only from contacts. I used to get harassed daily by shit companies selling me stuff, and I'd report them to the FTC, and it was a huge annoyance. Now I have to see the missed call from an unknown number, but at least my phone doesn't ring.
- paulddraper 10y ago
  > Why aren't these kinds of calls straight up illegal in the first place? Free speech. You may not agree, but that is at least the reason.
  - martian 10y ago
    Do automated systems / robots have first amendment rights? (Honestly curious if this has been brought up in the courts)
    - ramidarigaz 10y ago
      The companies that run them do.
      - Spivak 10y ago
        Commercial speech is not protected under the 1st amendment. However, political and religious speech, which makes up most of the robocalls during the election season isn't covered.
        sukilot 10y ago
        It amazes me that this completely nonsensical distinction passed muster in the courts. There is no meaningfuk distinction between political, commerce, and religion, and the First Amendment specifically prohibits granting special legal status to religious activity.
Calvin02 10y ago
This is an area where Apple could really improve iOS and add API support to enable apps to screen calls, like what Android already has. Telecom companies don't have any incentive to fix this.
- martian 10y ago
  Do Not Disturb mode is surprisingly great at this.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - dj-wonk 10y ago
    I'd like to see Apple and other mobile phone companies to actively build functionality to screen calls that works all the time -- whether or not I have enabled "Do Not Disturb". I never want (nor need) a telemarketer call.
duncanawoods 10y ago
They have pretty much killed voice calls for me. I won't answer unknown numbers and I will not break a conversation or walk across a room to answer a telephone. Such a shame. Spam, DDOS, robocalls, phishing and malware are crimes I really want pursued with vigour.
- Swizec 10y ago
  Isn't the new etiquette to send a text first, then if both people have time, you dial the phone? Most things can be resolved asynchronously anyway.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    It's getting there. I try and teach everyone that too, in a direct way - I just don't pick up phone calls when I don't feel like it. Want something from me really fast? Text me. I want to know whether or not the thing is important enough to warrant dropping whatever I'm doing right now. And frankly, most of the time it isn't. Some people simply think their random bullshit is the most important thing in the world, and everyone should treat it as priority.
  - eximius 10y ago
    Among friends, I do this. I do not text those I am not close with.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  That's why I love my Pebble. I know whether or not I should break a conversation I'm having / walk across the room to pick up. Most of the time, I really don't - even when the person who's calling is on my contacts list.
naner 10y ago
For the past 3 years I've adapted to the point where I just don't answer numbers I don't have in my address book (unless I'm expecting a call). If I don't know you and you don't leave a message than I likely won't hear from you. Every once and awhile I get nervous that I'm missing something important but the few times I have given in and answered an unknown call it is always unimportant (car warranty companies, comcast, etc).
- ghayes 10y ago
  Best rule to follow, only answer if it's in your area code. Most spammers don't bother to match area codes, but your co-workers do.
  - 542458 10y ago
    Actually, I get a lot of robocalls from my area code - sometimes even from my own phone number! I assume these are spoofed though. Edit: Oh neat! Apparently it's illegal in the US, but legal in Canada (where I am currently located). So it's not the robocall not bothering, it's it being flat-out illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing
    - jnbiche 10y ago
      I'm in the US and get an increasing number of robocalls from my area code, as well as robocalls from my own number. I still answer most calls from my area code, but if I suspect it's a robocall I just pick up without saying hello. If it's a robocall, there's generally a lengthy pause and then you can here someone connect (at which point I hang up).
  - post_break 10y ago
    That's fine advice unless you live in a major city with over 2 million people.
  - jwagenet 10y ago
    These days, with everyone using a cell number they got where they lived 5-15 years ago an area code is only about as useful as IDing friend from far away places.
Dylan16807 10y ago
Spammers may be able to call from outside the US, but they're not getting US numbers by using magic. The government is perfectly capable of making and using rules against whoever is attaching robocalls to these numbers.
- sukilot 10y ago
  The caller ID numbers are fake. There is no security against inputting a fake caller ID.
  - Dylan16807 10y ago
    If that's the only thing they're doing, then it's downright trivial to fix.
stephengoodwin 10y ago
This is why I started giving businesses and retailers my Google Voice number, instead of my personal number.
tptacek 10y ago
Someone pointed me to NoMoRobo, which is a free service that intercepts landline calls and screens them. You configure your phone to forward calls to it, and it hangs up the phone on robocalls. It works pretty great. You get a single first ring, which I thought would be annoying, but every time I get a single ring and then nothing I actually feel a sense of elation.
robotcookies 10y ago
Doesn't work because it was left to the telecoms to enforce and they lose money by enforcing it.
whyenot 10y ago
My "super senior" mother gets at least five robocalls a day on her land line. It's getting totally out of control, and I worry that someone will take advantage of her. I really wish someone would come up with something like a spam email black list for phone numbers ...or any technical solution to this problem that is simple and accessible to seniors.
- roflchoppa 10y ago
  yeah my grandma gets the same calls, the same individual would call her everyday, 4 times within a span of like 30-60min. It was super stressful for her because shes expecting calls from her family. Ended up complaining to the FCC, then having to go into the Vonage account and blocking the numbers from in there. I wonder how many people that fell for the IRS scam were seniors?
- rblatz 10y ago
  You should look into getting her set up with NoMoRobo https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11792983 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11792983
- sukilot 10y ago
  Replace her home phone with a VOIP system?
- Pxtl 10y ago
  I want to get my 8-year-old son a phone and I see the same problem. My dream would be that I could put a password on calls to him - that is, if somebody phones him not on a whitelist, they get a request for a PIN. If they can't do it, it gives them my number.
gruez 10y ago
On the internet, ISPs who host spammers have their IP ranges blocked or have their peering relationships terminated. I presume that the telephone system works on peering relationships as well. The solution to this should be simple. Block VOIP providers who harbor robocallers and do not provide timely abuse handling.
- zyxley 10y ago
  > ISPs who host spammers That would be all of them. No ISP wants to support spammers, but without Jetsons robots to individually vet every single customer, having to deal with some is inevitable.
- DrScump 10y ago
  There should be a simple requirement that VOIP calls must have a legitimate origin/callback number, or none. Usage of phony caller-ID should have that VOIP node blocked from the phone network altogether.
stewartbutler 10y ago
nomorobo + nonstandard sip port + voip.ms has weporked pretty well here.
- phjesusthatguy3 10y ago
  How does the nonstandard sip port help? I'm in the middle of a large-to-me Asterisk install, and I'd like to know if there's something I'm missing.
  - stewartbutler 10y ago
    If you use a standard sip port without filtering you will get a load of autocalls from people just portscanning and calling open IP addresses, probably looking to gain access to unsecured pbx boxes. I just have a single sip phone, no pbx, so they come across as calls. Nonstandard port fixes that. Probably not the most secure solution though, intended to be temporary.
Kluny 10y ago
My phone (LG G3) finally has a built in block list that works. Any time I get a call from a number I don't recognize, I first Google the number to see if it's legit - like my mechanic, or a company that I recently bought something from, or someone offering me a job interview. If it's not, it goes straight on the block list. I would be very happy to open-source my block list and get access to everyone elses's blocked numbers as well.
makecheck 10y ago
A couple things that would be really useful: 1. A “Google This Number” button when an unknown call comes in, or something that pulls the equivalent “is this a scam?” information that I always seek out. 2. Rather than only having the option to Accept or Decline, I want a “silently wait until they hang up” option. I don’t want them to know I am declining their call (as that sends information that I exist and am a valid person); I want them to sit there and wait for me to pick up. Really what I want is for the phone to return my display to me; I don’t want my entire screen covered with the incoming-call message.
- CalRobert 10y ago
  Truecaller is an Android app that helps with the first.
- sukilot 10y ago
  Don't over think it. You aren't leaking information by declining the call. They know the number is valid when it starts ringing
- Jommi 10y ago
  In Finland we have this androdi app callled Fonecta Caller. It basically searches a public registry for that number and returns the owner. I just don't answer calls from names I don't recognize, or sometimes they even have the name of the firm on it!
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  > 2. Rather than only having the option to Accept or Decline, I want a “silently wait until they hang up” option. I think every Android phone I ever had featured this option (and probably every phone before that too). On Android phones I used, you have to press one of the volume buttons - it silences the incoming call without declining it. I use that feature very often, not just on telemarketers.
umut 10y ago
You can try Truecaller (www.truecaller.com). This is one of the essential problems we are addressing and it works quite well for +200 million users worldwide..
- plushpuffin 10y ago
  I tried Truecaller. I'm not sure if it automatically updated itself occasionally, but I found myself having to manually click the button to download the new list of blocked numbers. I got tired of that and replaced it with Mr. Number, which seems to keep itself updated and allows me to ratchet up the blocking all the way to "everyone not on my contact list." That's not ideal, because I might miss calls from my credit card company, bank, etc, but the 2-3 scam calls I was getting every day were driving me crazy.
bshep 10y ago
For my home phone I use asterisk + blacklist module + Its Lenny! which wastes the telemarketers time and really frustrates them. Wheneve a telemarketer comes through i punch ##66# abd that adds them to the blacklist ( in case they call back ) and sends them to the lenny script.
- lozf 10y ago
  Any chance you could share (or point us towards) the Lenny audio and scripts. The only resources I can find seem to be outdated and unavailable.
  - nkurz 10y ago
    These seem to still be available here: http://nerdvittles.com/?p=6762 http://nerdvittles.com/?p=6762
  - bshep 10y ago
    I have a github page with the lenny code I use ( its for FreePBX ) but can be easily adapted. https://github.com/bshep/freepbx-Its_Lenny https://github.com/bshep/freepbx-Its_Lenny Edited to add: - The nerdvittles links did not work for me last time I tried, I got the sounds from the repo I forked - The original repo was missing one sound which I found somewhere else ( dont have the source anymore ) - The module is unsigned due to ridiculous terms for module signing for FreePBX so if you use it you will get a scary warning, if you decide to sign it please let me know ;-)
    - lozf 10y ago
      Awesome, thanks.
hackbinary 10y ago
In the UK/the rest of the world where everyone has to pay calls by the minute, things maybe a a little different here than in the US of A, and Canadia. My approach is a little different than to hang-up as quickly as possible, as this is a behaviour that the telephone solictors use to their advantange. In short, I try to soak a call for as long as possible. The best tactic is to be a little bit dumb, but fean interest in whatever the person is calling about. I generally find that getting them to explain each sentance they say about 3 times is about right, before moring on to the next sentance. Anyway, I answer all calls, and press the button to talk to a human, then try to keep the human on the line for as long as possible. The cost centre for these automated calls is for a human to talk to me. On at least 4 occasions after being an affible fool for about 20 minutes, without the sales person on the other end, they have said "okay, I get it, you don't want us to call you, and we will put you on our 'do not call list'". At which time they promptly hang up in a huff. I my numbers, work, cottage/holiday home, mobile, work mobile, and work line now only get about 1 call a month, of which I am more than happy to take, and generally ends with the above result. Previously I used to get 4 or so random unknown calls a day. I also notice that after calling for a taxi, the number of unwanted calls goes up.
- sukilot 10y ago
  Thank you for your service, but that is a massive waste of your time. Use Lenny.
  - hackbinary 10y ago
    Lenny? I just do some mundane task while I am soaking their time. These calls are using an anti-pattern of most people who are disinterested will hang up, but those who are interested will continue to talk to the person. Their economic model depends on uninterested parties hanging up as quickly as possible. To disrupt their economics, take their call. I know things are a bit different in the US and Canadia where the mobile/cell call receiver also pays for minutes. Here in the UK, and the rest of Europe, only the call initiator pays for the call. If you are calling from a land you will pay a higher rate to call a mobile (an 07 number).
ryanmarsh 10y ago
This is why the telephone is "broken". My 9 year old daughter gets random calls all the time. My parents get scam calls all the time. Why does it make sense for permissionless access into my personal life? Think about it. Someone can disrupt any moment of your life for any reason just by making a phone call. If your phone blinks, vibrates, or rings you are distracted. That's like an app you didn't install sending you push notifications. Taking this further... since you don't know anything about the app you have to judge on a case by case basis whether or not to engage further. Except in this case all you get as context is 10 digits. If you choose to engage further you hear someone's voice. Then you have to decide whether to remain civil and give the other person the benefit of the doubt or just hang up. It's all very gross.
- wtbob 10y ago
  It'd be pretty cool if numbers were unguessable: then they'd become cryptographic capabilities in which anyone who knows your number could contact you and pass your number on to others, but no-one who doesn't know it could figure it out. Granted, it'd take awhile to get used to numbers like YheXuVtGf/sxxXFYxZD7bY5nI2Tf/ylNrgBf9b5IA5Q, but if it's combined with a petname system (where I just see names like 'Bill' and 'Bill's wife's sister Susan') then I think it could work.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    Nah, this is the direction I'd hate for it to go. I don't think isolating people in bubbles of their direct social networks is good for society. Being able to get called by someone you don't have in your phonebook is a feature, not a bug. Now I would very much appreciate if calling meant sending a lot more metadata. Like full name/surname and organization to which the number is registered. And then make phones capable of creating filters based on that data. Oh, and companies faking the metadata should be open to lawsuits.
    - ryanmarsh 10y ago
      I'm sure we could figure out a way to intelligently establish identity and reputation before my phone interrupts me.
peternicky 10y ago
Like others here, I receive many many spam calls despite being registered on the Do not call registry. My approach lately has been to let calls go to voicemail and now I notice that I can predict with good success if number is a scam, based on the area code.
coreyoconnor 10y ago
There are a few apps mentioned for helping with this problem. In my experience Should I Answer? is the best by far. * https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mistergroup.muzutozvednout https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mistergrou... None of the apps solve the random VoIP callers. I would be perfectly happy with an app that outright blocked many VoIP providers.
- 7952 10y ago
  Yes should I Answer is great. It seems obvious as a solution once you start using it.
tshtf 10y ago
Am I the only one who enjoys these calls? I have these frequently and I enjoy nothing more than attempting to keep them on as long as possible. One new trend not mentioned in this article is the "soundboard" telemarketer, where the telemarketer is hired from a low-wage country, but can respond to you by pre-recorded responses. Here's a good way to deal with these people: https://soundcloud.com/user-630893114-106605627/speaking-to-a-stupid-autodialer https://soundcloud.com/user-630893114-106605627/speaking-to-...
- sukilot 10y ago
  That's great! Lenny vs Sales Soundboard. Our computerized agents battling it out autonomously.
- DrScump 10y ago
  Isn't your time worth more to you than theirs?
jkot 10y ago
Captcha test? You reached John, please press 4 to continue phone call.
mancerayder 10y ago
Robocalls used to happen to me weekly and now monthly or less after signing up to the Do Not Call list. What currently tortures me several times a day is certainly some sort of legal grey area, but mostly legal. I have Indian IT recruiters calling me several times a day for positions irrelevant to my job role and also in remote locations (I am US-based and it's a very large country, the US, for leisurely moving from the coasts to the Midwest). Here's why I think there's something fishy going on: * They are 100% Indian, sometimes with limited English skills, suggesting that the US number they are calling from is just a reroute. Conversations are strained and you can tell they read from a script. * The emails they send before they call contain a specific template that, even though they represent numerous different companies/agencies, the 'This is not spam' type disclaimer (starts with Please allow us to reiterate we chose to contact you because you had your profile online..) is IDENTICAL. The other thing that is identical is the Unsubscribe link, which takes you to the same templated page, with yet another agency name filled in. * The positions always say, US citizens and green card holders only. My conclusion: H1B employers are utilizing phone and email spam via Indian call centers to justify having advertised the positions in order to be able to fulfill the legal requirement. What better way than to contact someone in Boston or New York for a low paying role in Lansing, MI or Dayton, OH or whatnot. Am I the only one?
- toast0 10y ago
  > My conclusion: H1B employers are utilizing phone and email spam via Indian call centers to justify having advertised the positions in order to be able to fulfill the legal requirement. The legal requirement is usually fulfilled by ploacing an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper (preferably print only), asking candidates to submit their resume via the mail with a reference number.
  - mancerayder 10y ago
    So what's your theory as to why this Indian Call Center Recruitment Situation (tm) is so prevalent? One big agency, Mitchell Martin, just got on board. Surely they would know that contacting a NYC or SF resident for a job NOT in NYC or SF but in a small town in Rhode Island, Ohio, Texas, etc. is truly a needle in a haystack? Someone is paying someone else money to get people to talk on the phone with people who live in the former places, to chat about positions in the latter places. Either the world has gone mad, or there's a business reason for the above discrepancy given how extremely widespread (I say, daily and via numerous agencies) it is.
Finnucane 10y ago
Like others, I will often let a call go if I don't recognize the number. Robots tend not to leave messages. Also, if yo do answer, robots wait for you to say hello before starting the recording. If you wait a couple of seconds, a human on the other end will say 'hello?' but a robot won't.
jim_lawless 10y ago
Many years ago, I had a land-line service that allowed my phone to ring only if the number was available via Caller ID and was on a white-list of numbers. Any other caller would hear a message prompting for a touch-tone code to ring our phone. ( Critical people knew this code in case they called from a phone outside of the white-list ). If the caller couldn't enter the touch-tone, they went right to voice mail. The phone wouldn't ring, but the voice-mail indicator would show if they had taken the time to leave a message.
Pxtl 10y ago
I wish there was a way to whitelist known contacts only on my phone, and shunt all unsolicited phone from strangers to a passcode-controlled answer bot.
djKianoosh 10y ago
Is it possible to go sans cell phone? I ditched the land line about 17 years ago. I'm now wondering, in an age where land lines and email is obsolete, a cell phone number is also obsolete because of so many other available forms of communication. With just a google voice (or similar) number it might be possible. I just need a connected device that I can use to receive those 2-factor access codes, but other than that I am down to ditch my cell phone at this point.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  I've pretty much gone this route, though with a few caveats. I've got a tablet, WiFi only. It's possible for that to be used for various messaging and email, where necessary (though email is also badly polluted, and a sufficient surveillance / profiling / security risk I've all but abandoned it as well). A 4GL hotspot extends the tablet onto wireless services when needed. There's voice chat systems. I've used Google's, which is good, though I usually remain logged out of that, simply because I hugely dislike any distractions. I'm leaning to the idea that Google, Skype, and Apple iChat simply bite the bullet and interconnect. At this point they could take down the existing POTS and Mobile service in another few years. I've a fallback phone message service through an organisation I've been associated with for some time. Absolutely crucial messages can come through that, though I don't make it easy. The result is an exceptionally high level of nondistraction.
  - trothamel 10y ago
    Offhand, do you know what you'd do in the case where someone would call 911? (Or whatever the local equivalent is?) That's one of the benefits of the POTS and Cell networks that the various IP-only services have yet to provide. I'm just curious as to if you do without, or have a deactivated cell phone or something like that that you use instead.
    - dredmorbius 10y ago
      A no-service phone can still make 9-1-1 calls in the US, it's a legal requirement. Many other nations have similar requirements. Free-riding off the target-rich environment of available phones is another option. I've made precisely one true emergency request call in my life, and that was when employed in a safety-supporting role. I've used emergency phone services on other occasions, but in those cases, the situation was either not life-threatening, others had reported the event, or the involved party was already clearly dead. And if I need a burner (trip/travel), I can pick one up / refill an otherwise unused phone for a few euros.
Artlav 10y ago
Is it really that bad in the USA? Over here in Russia it's the SMS of all sorts, can't remember ever getting called like that. But there the difference ends - the "no advertisements" lists tend not to work too, and asking a friend at the cellphone company to put your number into the hardware works too well - the messages with the bank codes stop getting through. There is no middle ground, and the only salvation is to turn off the SMS sound.
z3t4 10y ago
Just answer and say you will call the police because you are on the "Do Not Call list". Or just say you are not interested, not interested, not interested, good buy. They will not put you off the list until they have got an answer.
fulldecent 10y ago
My company makes phone calls to past customers when their subscription expires. Switching to text message + phone call increased response rates 10-fold.
dredmorbius 10y ago
There are some crucial lessons here, many underappreciated. Communications providers are the problem. Just as the USPS supports junk mail (it pays the bills), phone carriers support telemarketing (likewise). It's a case of perverse incentives and impunity, and the way to fix the problem is to hurt the carriers themselves. Lowering prices often makes a thing worse. "Cost" means "what you've got to give up for something", and it can be inverted to "how badly do you want to accomplish some X?" In a large number of cases, mostly involving network technologies -- transport, communications, data, commercial and trade networks -- reducing costs means that those who provide little overall social benefit seek to use a service. Highway congestion, Usenet and email spam, social network trolling, telemarketers and robocalls, hazardous or unsafe products or materials transported or transacted. Unless you can impose very effective regulation or restriction mechanisms, those uses will dominate the system. Phones are ripe for disruption. Both POTS and cellular networks. I've not carried a phone for months now, in part made possible due to specific circumstances, but it's wonderful. There's one use-case I miss: on-the-go access to transit information. The lack of access, filtering, blocking, voice-to-speech, and similar features on traditional services is inexcusable. The complicity of major carriers in global warrantless surveillance and data collection is another huge trust-buster. We've had VOIP technologies for over two decades, and several large providers: Skype, Apple's iChat, Google's Hangouts (still a lousy name), and others. The biggest problem is that these don't interconnect. If they did, and bridged to legacy voice comms, they could take out the voice comms market in a few years. I suspect customers would flock to them with the offer of control over interruptions alone. Coordinated campaigns against providers are powerful. A coordinated set of efforts to drop vendor service on account of phone spam might elicit a faster response from providers. The combined effect of the last two elements also makes phone providers subject to the evaporative cooling effect. This is the inverse of network effects, and is why social networks often collapse so rapidly: defection by valued members and customers leaves lower-quality prospects and more noise on the channel, leading to ever more defections. Eventually it's just spammers and those who must retain service for regulatory or statuatory reasons who remain, and the system dies.
yalogin 10y ago
Why are the cellphone companies not responsible for these calls? I am paying to receive these calls, in coming calls are not free. Isn't there a class action lawsuit here?
Spoom 10y ago
I use VoIP.ms for my landline, and I've just set up a their free IVR to block telemarketers very easily: It plays a recording telling the caller to dial 1 to ring our phones. Very effective, since bots won't parse it. (I've considered going mobile only, but the costs for VoIP.ms are miniscule enough that it doesn't really register anymore.)
Fjolsvith 10y ago
My wife gets numerous calls and I deflect them in a devious way. After she answers and discovers it's an unwanted caller, she gives me the phone. I demand to know who is calling and why, and then tell them they have called my 8 year old daughter's phone, and if they won't stop harassing her I will call the FBI. Gets her number removed from their call list every time.
awqrre 10y ago
Give an unused phone number to companies (like a Google voice #) and always block caller ID when you call them.
bogomipz 10y ago
No surprise though is it? I've definitely noticed an uptick in these recently. They seem to come from local numbers that are a permutation of my actual number. I think far worse than this though is that my regular mailbox regularly gets filled up with junk mail that the US post offices delivers on behalf of it largest demographic - direct marketing(junk mailers) - almost none of it is actually addressed to me it always "our neighbor" or "resident", there is nothing you can do about this either, I have opted out from every possible consumer list. There is no way to tell the post office you would like opt out. This is the business they are in these days. It seems odd that there is federal agency generating this kind of waste and nuisance.

132 points by nkurz 10y ago

If you are plagued by robo calls, especially from Julie your local google specialist, I highly recommend the Jolly Roger Telephone Company as a countermeasure.

ekoontz 10y ago
I agree - I pay $2/month to Jolly Roger and since then my robocalls have dropped to nothing. I actually miss getting them because it's so fun to hear Jolly Roger frustrate them.

matt_wulfeck 10y ago

I get calls regularly from a number that shares the same area code and first 3 digits of my number. For example, if my number was (579) 832-6671 the calls would constantly come from different numbers in the (579) 832-xxxx range. What options do I have? Numbers are not like IP blocks with cidrs registered somewhere. Who do I even complain to?

martian 10y ago
You can complain to the FTC. I haven't had much luck with it actually stopping the calls but it's better than nothing and gives the government something to work with. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
- duskwuff 10y ago
  What do you even tell them, though? The Caller ID number is fake, and it's difficult to get any information from the caller. (I've tried; they hang up if you ask them to identify themselves.)
zippergz 10y ago
This seems to be happening to me more often lately too. Until recently, the robocalls I'd get came from seemingly random numbers, but now the majority come from at least the same area code as my number, and sometimes as you say, the first 6 digits. I guess they figure you're more likely to pick up if you think it's someone local? That actually worked the first time for me, but after that, it's done the opposite - I don't live in the same state as my cell number's area code, and I don't know anyone with the same first 3 digits, so it's obvious these are spam calls.
yusyusyus 10y ago
Who says that these DIDs are even assigned to the caller? Virtually all wholesale termination (the fancy word for handling outbound calls) allows for the caller to set the calling party ID to whatever the caller desires. The reason for this (among a few) basically boils down to multihoming (so, example, I use a different provider for termination than for origination (receiving calls)). This is a perfectly legitimate and very common to effect least cost routing. In any event, if you are able to determine that the number is actually in use by the caller, you would determine the responsible LEC via LRN lookup (this handles portability issues). DID blocks are tied to a particular LEC, but the DID is then handled for portability via LRN (so, this is how you determine which LEC the number got ported to).

martian 10y ago

Why aren't these kinds of calls straight up illegal in the first place? Telecom companies who hand out numbers to spammers should get fined like crazy, and the burden of proof goes on them for dealing with the people they give US phone numbers to. But for now, I use the iPhone's Do Not Disturb option and allow calls only from contacts. I used to get harassed daily by shit companies selling me stuff, and I'd report them to the FTC, and it was a huge annoyance. Now I have to see the missed call from an unknown number, but at least my phone doesn't ring.

paulddraper 10y ago
> Why aren't these kinds of calls straight up illegal in the first place? Free speech. You may not agree, but that is at least the reason.
- martian 10y ago
  Do automated systems / robots have first amendment rights? (Honestly curious if this has been brought up in the courts)
  - ramidarigaz 10y ago
    The companies that run them do.
    - Spivak 10y ago
      Commercial speech is not protected under the 1st amendment. However, political and religious speech, which makes up most of the robocalls during the election season isn't covered.
      - sukilot 10y ago
        It amazes me that this completely nonsensical distinction passed muster in the courts. There is no meaningfuk distinction between political, commerce, and religion, and the First Amendment specifically prohibits granting special legal status to religious activity.

Calvin02 10y ago

This is an area where Apple could really improve iOS and add API support to enable apps to screen calls, like what Android already has. Telecom companies don't have any incentive to fix this.

martian 10y ago
Do Not Disturb mode is surprisingly great at this.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- dj-wonk 10y ago
  I'd like to see Apple and other mobile phone companies to actively build functionality to screen calls that works all the time -- whether or not I have enabled "Do Not Disturb". I never want (nor need) a telemarketer call.

duncanawoods 10y ago

They have pretty much killed voice calls for me. I won't answer unknown numbers and I will not break a conversation or walk across a room to answer a telephone. Such a shame. Spam, DDOS, robocalls, phishing and malware are crimes I really want pursued with vigour.

Swizec 10y ago
Isn't the new etiquette to send a text first, then if both people have time, you dial the phone? Most things can be resolved asynchronously anyway.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  It's getting there. I try and teach everyone that too, in a direct way - I just don't pick up phone calls when I don't feel like it. Want something from me really fast? Text me. I want to know whether or not the thing is important enough to warrant dropping whatever I'm doing right now. And frankly, most of the time it isn't. Some people simply think their random bullshit is the most important thing in the world, and everyone should treat it as priority.
- eximius 10y ago
  Among friends, I do this. I do not text those I am not close with.
TeMPOraL 10y ago
That's why I love my Pebble. I know whether or not I should break a conversation I'm having / walk across the room to pick up. Most of the time, I really don't - even when the person who's calling is on my contacts list.

naner 10y ago

For the past 3 years I've adapted to the point where I just don't answer numbers I don't have in my address book (unless I'm expecting a call). If I don't know you and you don't leave a message than I likely won't hear from you. Every once and awhile I get nervous that I'm missing something important but the few times I have given in and answered an unknown call it is always unimportant (car warranty companies, comcast, etc).

ghayes 10y ago
Best rule to follow, only answer if it's in your area code. Most spammers don't bother to match area codes, but your co-workers do.
- 542458 10y ago
  Actually, I get a lot of robocalls from my area code - sometimes even from my own phone number! I assume these are spoofed though. Edit: Oh neat! Apparently it's illegal in the US, but legal in Canada (where I am currently located). So it's not the robocall not bothering, it's it being flat-out illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing
  - jnbiche 10y ago
    I'm in the US and get an increasing number of robocalls from my area code, as well as robocalls from my own number. I still answer most calls from my area code, but if I suspect it's a robocall I just pick up without saying hello. If it's a robocall, there's generally a lengthy pause and then you can here someone connect (at which point I hang up).
- post_break 10y ago
  That's fine advice unless you live in a major city with over 2 million people.
- jwagenet 10y ago
  These days, with everyone using a cell number they got where they lived 5-15 years ago an area code is only about as useful as IDing friend from far away places.

Dylan16807 10y ago

Spammers may be able to call from outside the US, but they're not getting US numbers by using magic. The government is perfectly capable of making and using rules against whoever is attaching robocalls to these numbers.

sukilot 10y ago
The caller ID numbers are fake. There is no security against inputting a fake caller ID.
- Dylan16807 10y ago
  If that's the only thing they're doing, then it's downright trivial to fix.

stephengoodwin 10y ago

This is why I started giving businesses and retailers my Google Voice number, instead of my personal number.

tptacek 10y ago

Someone pointed me to NoMoRobo, which is a free service that intercepts landline calls and screens them. You configure your phone to forward calls to it, and it hangs up the phone on robocalls. It works pretty great. You get a single first ring, which I thought would be annoying, but every time I get a single ring and then nothing I actually feel a sense of elation.

robotcookies 10y ago

Doesn't work because it was left to the telecoms to enforce and they lose money by enforcing it.

whyenot 10y ago

My "super senior" mother gets at least five robocalls a day on her land line. It's getting totally out of control, and I worry that someone will take advantage of her. I really wish someone would come up with something like a spam email black list for phone numbers ...or any technical solution to this problem that is simple and accessible to seniors.

roflchoppa 10y ago
yeah my grandma gets the same calls, the same individual would call her everyday, 4 times within a span of like 30-60min. It was super stressful for her because shes expecting calls from her family. Ended up complaining to the FCC, then having to go into the Vonage account and blocking the numbers from in there. I wonder how many people that fell for the IRS scam were seniors?
rblatz 10y ago
You should look into getting her set up with NoMoRobo https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11792983 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11792983
sukilot 10y ago
Replace her home phone with a VOIP system?
Pxtl 10y ago
I want to get my 8-year-old son a phone and I see the same problem. My dream would be that I could put a password on calls to him - that is, if somebody phones him not on a whitelist, they get a request for a PIN. If they can't do it, it gives them my number.

gruez 10y ago

On the internet, ISPs who host spammers have their IP ranges blocked or have their peering relationships terminated. I presume that the telephone system works on peering relationships as well. The solution to this should be simple. Block VOIP providers who harbor robocallers and do not provide timely abuse handling.

zyxley 10y ago
> ISPs who host spammers That would be all of them. No ISP wants to support spammers, but without Jetsons robots to individually vet every single customer, having to deal with some is inevitable.
DrScump 10y ago
There should be a simple requirement that VOIP calls must have a legitimate origin/callback number, or none. Usage of phony caller-ID should have that VOIP node blocked from the phone network altogether.

stewartbutler 10y ago

nomorobo + nonstandard sip port + voip.ms has weporked pretty well here.

phjesusthatguy3 10y ago
How does the nonstandard sip port help? I'm in the middle of a large-to-me Asterisk install, and I'd like to know if there's something I'm missing.
- stewartbutler 10y ago
  If you use a standard sip port without filtering you will get a load of autocalls from people just portscanning and calling open IP addresses, probably looking to gain access to unsecured pbx boxes. I just have a single sip phone, no pbx, so they come across as calls. Nonstandard port fixes that. Probably not the most secure solution though, intended to be temporary.

Kluny 10y ago

My phone (LG G3) finally has a built in block list that works. Any time I get a call from a number I don't recognize, I first Google the number to see if it's legit - like my mechanic, or a company that I recently bought something from, or someone offering me a job interview. If it's not, it goes straight on the block list. I would be very happy to open-source my block list and get access to everyone elses's blocked numbers as well.

makecheck 10y ago

A couple things that would be really useful: 1. A “Google This Number” button when an unknown call comes in, or something that pulls the equivalent “is this a scam?” information that I always seek out. 2. Rather than only having the option to Accept or Decline, I want a “silently wait until they hang up” option. I don’t want them to know I am declining their call (as that sends information that I exist and am a valid person); I want them to sit there and wait for me to pick up. Really what I want is for the phone to return my display to me; I don’t want my entire screen covered with the incoming-call message.

CalRobert 10y ago
Truecaller is an Android app that helps with the first.
sukilot 10y ago
Don't over think it. You aren't leaking information by declining the call. They know the number is valid when it starts ringing
Jommi 10y ago
In Finland we have this androdi app callled Fonecta Caller. It basically searches a public registry for that number and returns the owner. I just don't answer calls from names I don't recognize, or sometimes they even have the name of the firm on it!
TeMPOraL 10y ago
> 2. Rather than only having the option to Accept or Decline, I want a “silently wait until they hang up” option. I think every Android phone I ever had featured this option (and probably every phone before that too). On Android phones I used, you have to press one of the volume buttons - it silences the incoming call without declining it. I use that feature very often, not just on telemarketers.

umut 10y ago

You can try Truecaller (www.truecaller.com). This is one of the essential problems we are addressing and it works quite well for +200 million users worldwide..

plushpuffin 10y ago
I tried Truecaller. I'm not sure if it automatically updated itself occasionally, but I found myself having to manually click the button to download the new list of blocked numbers. I got tired of that and replaced it with Mr. Number, which seems to keep itself updated and allows me to ratchet up the blocking all the way to "everyone not on my contact list." That's not ideal, because I might miss calls from my credit card company, bank, etc, but the 2-3 scam calls I was getting every day were driving me crazy.

bshep 10y ago

For my home phone I use asterisk + blacklist module + Its Lenny! which wastes the telemarketers time and really frustrates them. Wheneve a telemarketer comes through i punch ##66# abd that adds them to the blacklist ( in case they call back ) and sends them to the lenny script.

lozf 10y ago
Any chance you could share (or point us towards) the Lenny audio and scripts. The only resources I can find seem to be outdated and unavailable.
- nkurz 10y ago
  These seem to still be available here: http://nerdvittles.com/?p=6762 http://nerdvittles.com/?p=6762
- bshep 10y ago
  I have a github page with the lenny code I use ( its for FreePBX ) but can be easily adapted. https://github.com/bshep/freepbx-Its_Lenny https://github.com/bshep/freepbx-Its_Lenny Edited to add: - The nerdvittles links did not work for me last time I tried, I got the sounds from the repo I forked - The original repo was missing one sound which I found somewhere else ( dont have the source anymore ) - The module is unsigned due to ridiculous terms for module signing for FreePBX so if you use it you will get a scary warning, if you decide to sign it please let me know ;-)
  - lozf 10y ago
    Awesome, thanks.

hackbinary 10y ago

In the UK/the rest of the world where everyone has to pay calls by the minute, things maybe a a little different here than in the US of A, and Canadia. My approach is a little different than to hang-up as quickly as possible, as this is a behaviour that the telephone solictors use to their advantange. In short, I try to soak a call for as long as possible. The best tactic is to be a little bit dumb, but fean interest in whatever the person is calling about. I generally find that getting them to explain each sentance they say about 3 times is about right, before moring on to the next sentance. Anyway, I answer all calls, and press the button to talk to a human, then try to keep the human on the line for as long as possible. The cost centre for these automated calls is for a human to talk to me. On at least 4 occasions after being an affible fool for about 20 minutes, without the sales person on the other end, they have said "okay, I get it, you don't want us to call you, and we will put you on our 'do not call list'". At which time they promptly hang up in a huff. I my numbers, work, cottage/holiday home, mobile, work mobile, and work line now only get about 1 call a month, of which I am more than happy to take, and generally ends with the above result. Previously I used to get 4 or so random unknown calls a day. I also notice that after calling for a taxi, the number of unwanted calls goes up.

sukilot 10y ago
Thank you for your service, but that is a massive waste of your time. Use Lenny.
- hackbinary 10y ago
  Lenny? I just do some mundane task while I am soaking their time. These calls are using an anti-pattern of most people who are disinterested will hang up, but those who are interested will continue to talk to the person. Their economic model depends on uninterested parties hanging up as quickly as possible. To disrupt their economics, take their call. I know things are a bit different in the US and Canadia where the mobile/cell call receiver also pays for minutes. Here in the UK, and the rest of Europe, only the call initiator pays for the call. If you are calling from a land you will pay a higher rate to call a mobile (an 07 number).

ryanmarsh 10y ago

This is why the telephone is "broken". My 9 year old daughter gets random calls all the time. My parents get scam calls all the time. Why does it make sense for permissionless access into my personal life? Think about it. Someone can disrupt any moment of your life for any reason just by making a phone call. If your phone blinks, vibrates, or rings you are distracted. That's like an app you didn't install sending you push notifications. Taking this further... since you don't know anything about the app you have to judge on a case by case basis whether or not to engage further. Except in this case all you get as context is 10 digits. If you choose to engage further you hear someone's voice. Then you have to decide whether to remain civil and give the other person the benefit of the doubt or just hang up. It's all very gross.

wtbob 10y ago
It'd be pretty cool if numbers were unguessable: then they'd become cryptographic capabilities in which anyone who knows your number could contact you and pass your number on to others, but no-one who doesn't know it could figure it out. Granted, it'd take awhile to get used to numbers like YheXuVtGf/sxxXFYxZD7bY5nI2Tf/ylNrgBf9b5IA5Q, but if it's combined with a petname system (where I just see names like 'Bill' and 'Bill's wife's sister Susan') then I think it could work.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  Nah, this is the direction I'd hate for it to go. I don't think isolating people in bubbles of their direct social networks is good for society. Being able to get called by someone you don't have in your phonebook is a feature, not a bug. Now I would very much appreciate if calling meant sending a lot more metadata. Like full name/surname and organization to which the number is registered. And then make phones capable of creating filters based on that data. Oh, and companies faking the metadata should be open to lawsuits.
  - ryanmarsh 10y ago
    I'm sure we could figure out a way to intelligently establish identity and reputation before my phone interrupts me.

peternicky 10y ago

Like others here, I receive many many spam calls despite being registered on the Do not call registry. My approach lately has been to let calls go to voicemail and now I notice that I can predict with good success if number is a scam, based on the area code.

coreyoconnor 10y ago

There are a few apps mentioned for helping with this problem. In my experience Should I Answer? is the best by far. * https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mistergroup.muzutozvednout https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mistergrou... None of the apps solve the random VoIP callers. I would be perfectly happy with an app that outright blocked many VoIP providers.

7952 10y ago
Yes should I Answer is great. It seems obvious as a solution once you start using it.

tshtf 10y ago

Am I the only one who enjoys these calls? I have these frequently and I enjoy nothing more than attempting to keep them on as long as possible. One new trend not mentioned in this article is the "soundboard" telemarketer, where the telemarketer is hired from a low-wage country, but can respond to you by pre-recorded responses. Here's a good way to deal with these people: https://soundcloud.com/user-630893114-106605627/speaking-to-a-stupid-autodialer https://soundcloud.com/user-630893114-106605627/speaking-to-...

sukilot 10y ago
That's great! Lenny vs Sales Soundboard. Our computerized agents battling it out autonomously.
DrScump 10y ago
Isn't your time worth more to you than theirs?

jkot 10y ago

Captcha test? You reached John, please press 4 to continue phone call.

mancerayder 10y ago

Robocalls used to happen to me weekly and now monthly or less after signing up to the Do Not Call list. What currently tortures me several times a day is certainly some sort of legal grey area, but mostly legal. I have Indian IT recruiters calling me several times a day for positions irrelevant to my job role and also in remote locations (I am US-based and it's a very large country, the US, for leisurely moving from the coasts to the Midwest). Here's why I think there's something fishy going on: * They are 100% Indian, sometimes with limited English skills, suggesting that the US number they are calling from is just a reroute. Conversations are strained and you can tell they read from a script. * The emails they send before they call contain a specific template that, even though they represent numerous different companies/agencies, the 'This is not spam' type disclaimer (starts with Please allow us to reiterate we chose to contact you because you had your profile online..) is IDENTICAL. The other thing that is identical is the Unsubscribe link, which takes you to the same templated page, with yet another agency name filled in. * The positions always say, US citizens and green card holders only. My conclusion: H1B employers are utilizing phone and email spam via Indian call centers to justify having advertised the positions in order to be able to fulfill the legal requirement. What better way than to contact someone in Boston or New York for a low paying role in Lansing, MI or Dayton, OH or whatnot. Am I the only one?

toast0 10y ago
> My conclusion: H1B employers are utilizing phone and email spam via Indian call centers to justify having advertised the positions in order to be able to fulfill the legal requirement. The legal requirement is usually fulfilled by ploacing an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper (preferably print only), asking candidates to submit their resume via the mail with a reference number.
- mancerayder 10y ago
  So what's your theory as to why this Indian Call Center Recruitment Situation (tm) is so prevalent? One big agency, Mitchell Martin, just got on board. Surely they would know that contacting a NYC or SF resident for a job NOT in NYC or SF but in a small town in Rhode Island, Ohio, Texas, etc. is truly a needle in a haystack? Someone is paying someone else money to get people to talk on the phone with people who live in the former places, to chat about positions in the latter places. Either the world has gone mad, or there's a business reason for the above discrepancy given how extremely widespread (I say, daily and via numerous agencies) it is.

Finnucane 10y ago

Like others, I will often let a call go if I don't recognize the number. Robots tend not to leave messages. Also, if yo do answer, robots wait for you to say hello before starting the recording. If you wait a couple of seconds, a human on the other end will say 'hello?' but a robot won't.

jim_lawless 10y ago

Many years ago, I had a land-line service that allowed my phone to ring only if the number was available via Caller ID and was on a white-list of numbers. Any other caller would hear a message prompting for a touch-tone code to ring our phone. ( Critical people knew this code in case they called from a phone outside of the white-list ). If the caller couldn't enter the touch-tone, they went right to voice mail. The phone wouldn't ring, but the voice-mail indicator would show if they had taken the time to leave a message.

Pxtl 10y ago

I wish there was a way to whitelist known contacts only on my phone, and shunt all unsolicited phone from strangers to a passcode-controlled answer bot.

djKianoosh 10y ago

Is it possible to go sans cell phone? I ditched the land line about 17 years ago. I'm now wondering, in an age where land lines and email is obsolete, a cell phone number is also obsolete because of so many other available forms of communication. With just a google voice (or similar) number it might be possible. I just need a connected device that I can use to receive those 2-factor access codes, but other than that I am down to ditch my cell phone at this point.

dredmorbius 10y ago
I've pretty much gone this route, though with a few caveats. I've got a tablet, WiFi only. It's possible for that to be used for various messaging and email, where necessary (though email is also badly polluted, and a sufficient surveillance / profiling / security risk I've all but abandoned it as well). A 4GL hotspot extends the tablet onto wireless services when needed. There's voice chat systems. I've used Google's, which is good, though I usually remain logged out of that, simply because I hugely dislike any distractions. I'm leaning to the idea that Google, Skype, and Apple iChat simply bite the bullet and interconnect. At this point they could take down the existing POTS and Mobile service in another few years. I've a fallback phone message service through an organisation I've been associated with for some time. Absolutely crucial messages can come through that, though I don't make it easy. The result is an exceptionally high level of nondistraction.
- trothamel 10y ago
  Offhand, do you know what you'd do in the case where someone would call 911? (Or whatever the local equivalent is?) That's one of the benefits of the POTS and Cell networks that the various IP-only services have yet to provide. I'm just curious as to if you do without, or have a deactivated cell phone or something like that that you use instead.
  - dredmorbius 10y ago
    A no-service phone can still make 9-1-1 calls in the US, it's a legal requirement. Many other nations have similar requirements. Free-riding off the target-rich environment of available phones is another option. I've made precisely one true emergency request call in my life, and that was when employed in a safety-supporting role. I've used emergency phone services on other occasions, but in those cases, the situation was either not life-threatening, others had reported the event, or the involved party was already clearly dead. And if I need a burner (trip/travel), I can pick one up / refill an otherwise unused phone for a few euros.

Artlav 10y ago

Is it really that bad in the USA? Over here in Russia it's the SMS of all sorts, can't remember ever getting called like that. But there the difference ends - the "no advertisements" lists tend not to work too, and asking a friend at the cellphone company to put your number into the hardware works too well - the messages with the bank codes stop getting through. There is no middle ground, and the only salvation is to turn off the SMS sound.

z3t4 10y ago

Just answer and say you will call the police because you are on the "Do Not Call list". Or just say you are not interested, not interested, not interested, good buy. They will not put you off the list until they have got an answer.

fulldecent 10y ago

My company makes phone calls to past customers when their subscription expires. Switching to text message + phone call increased response rates 10-fold.

dredmorbius 10y ago

There are some crucial lessons here, many underappreciated. Communications providers are the problem. Just as the USPS supports junk mail (it pays the bills), phone carriers support telemarketing (likewise). It's a case of perverse incentives and impunity, and the way to fix the problem is to hurt the carriers themselves. Lowering prices often makes a thing worse. "Cost" means "what you've got to give up for something", and it can be inverted to "how badly do you want to accomplish some X?" In a large number of cases, mostly involving network technologies -- transport, communications, data, commercial and trade networks -- reducing costs means that those who provide little overall social benefit seek to use a service. Highway congestion, Usenet and email spam, social network trolling, telemarketers and robocalls, hazardous or unsafe products or materials transported or transacted. Unless you can impose very effective regulation or restriction mechanisms, those uses will dominate the system. Phones are ripe for disruption. Both POTS and cellular networks. I've not carried a phone for months now, in part made possible due to specific circumstances, but it's wonderful. There's one use-case I miss: on-the-go access to transit information. The lack of access, filtering, blocking, voice-to-speech, and similar features on traditional services is inexcusable. The complicity of major carriers in global warrantless surveillance and data collection is another huge trust-buster. We've had VOIP technologies for over two decades, and several large providers: Skype, Apple's iChat, Google's Hangouts (still a lousy name), and others. The biggest problem is that these don't interconnect. If they did, and bridged to legacy voice comms, they could take out the voice comms market in a few years. I suspect customers would flock to them with the offer of control over interruptions alone. Coordinated campaigns against providers are powerful. A coordinated set of efforts to drop vendor service on account of phone spam might elicit a faster response from providers. The combined effect of the last two elements also makes phone providers subject to the evaporative cooling effect. This is the inverse of network effects, and is why social networks often collapse so rapidly: defection by valued members and customers leaves lower-quality prospects and more noise on the channel, leading to ever more defections. Eventually it's just spammers and those who must retain service for regulatory or statuatory reasons who remain, and the system dies.

yalogin 10y ago

Why are the cellphone companies not responsible for these calls? I am paying to receive these calls, in coming calls are not free. Isn't there a class action lawsuit here?

Spoom 10y ago

I use VoIP.ms for my landline, and I've just set up a their free IVR to block telemarketers very easily: It plays a recording telling the caller to dial 1 to ring our phones. Very effective, since bots won't parse it. (I've considered going mobile only, but the costs for VoIP.ms are miniscule enough that it doesn't really register anymore.)

Fjolsvith 10y ago

My wife gets numerous calls and I deflect them in a devious way. After she answers and discovers it's an unwanted caller, she gives me the phone. I demand to know who is calling and why, and then tell them they have called my 8 year old daughter's phone, and if they won't stop harassing her I will call the FBI. Gets her number removed from their call list every time.

awqrre 10y ago

Give an unused phone number to companies (like a Google voice #) and always block caller ID when you call them.

bogomipz 10y ago

No surprise though is it? I've definitely noticed an uptick in these recently. They seem to come from local numbers that are a permutation of my actual number. I think far worse than this though is that my regular mailbox regularly gets filled up with junk mail that the US post offices delivers on behalf of it largest demographic - direct marketing(junk mailers) - almost none of it is actually addressed to me it always "our neighbor" or "resident", there is nothing you can do about this either, I have opted out from every possible consumer list. There is no way to tell the post office you would like opt out. This is the business they are in these days. It seems odd that there is federal agency generating this kind of waste and nuisance.