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In Canada, also get a few of those every day, even though I barely ever give my number out. I noticed that some of those numbers are within the same area code a

In Canada, also get a few of those every day, even though I barely ever give my number out. I noticed that some of those numbers are within the same area code as mine, but not the area I live in. I attempted to call some of these back on occasion, and was surprised to have an actual person on the other end of the line, absolutely clueless as to why I was calling them. I'm not sure whether hijacking a caller ID could allow that, or if some those phones have been compromised and become part of one of the great botnet... Meanwhile, I'm still dealing with large organizations (BestBuy, Fido/Rogers, TD, etc.) still sending promotional offers through all possible media, despite Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation being in full effect since 2017 and me having never explicitly consented to that garbage in the first place. Maybe we ought to bring the hammer down on all spammers, "legitimate" or not...

Scoundreller 8y ago
Spoofing Caller-ID is easy. So they use familiar looking numbers to appear local to get you to answer. They seemingly call numbers at random (at least, there's zero reason to call me in Chinese). The Chinese language scammers once hit my employer and made it hard to call them for a few hours because the scammers were dialing sequential numbers, and un-assigned numbers were sent to switchboard... Though sometimes the calls seem to be targetted. Some immigrants have gotten calls from "Immigration Canada", while non-immigrants I've spoken to have not. So maybe there was a leak/theft that hasn't been detected.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  This happened to my work number the other day. I received hundreds of callbacks, and a full voicemail box, before I had my employee disconnect the number.
- mullingitover 8y ago
  The ease of spoofing caller ID will be the downfall of POTS. Imagine what the web would be like if it didn't have HTTPS, that's where we're at with the telephone system. It's not just broken, it's actively hazardous.
  - throwaway2048 8y ago
    Except its worse because random websites anywhere in the world can't connect to you claiming to be another site.
- lainga 8y ago
  I (Vancouver-born) get the calls from Immigration Canada too - I only know this because I have to ask my Chinese coworkers what the recording on the other end of the line is saying. You'd think they'd at least throw in a little English or French to make it sound convincing...
  - Scoundreller 8y ago
    There’s an English language Immigration Department scam that seems to be targeted. The Chinese one is not targeted at all. I find the CRA generic English names funny. Typical scammers go by “James Morrison” or “Derek Johnson”. The real feds have names more like Jean-François Pelletier.
flyinghamster 8y ago
Long before I ported out my AT&T landline, I started using a prepaid VoIP provider in Canada for outgoing long distance. One bonus was that they provided a free number in Winnipeg. So far, I've never received an actual spam call on the Winnipeg number, only a very rare legitimate wrong number. Hmmm... next time a store wants my phone number, I should give them that 204-xxx-xxxx number. I don't actually live in Canada. :)

Scoundreller 8y ago

Spoofing Caller-ID is easy. So they use familiar looking numbers to appear local to get you to answer. They seemingly call numbers at random (at least, there's zero reason to call me in Chinese). The Chinese language scammers once hit my employer and made it hard to call them for a few hours because the scammers were dialing sequential numbers, and un-assigned numbers were sent to switchboard... Though sometimes the calls seem to be targetted. Some immigrants have gotten calls from "Immigration Canada", while non-immigrants I've spoken to have not. So maybe there was a leak/theft that hasn't been detected.

craftyguy 8y ago
This happened to my work number the other day. I received hundreds of callbacks, and a full voicemail box, before I had my employee disconnect the number.
mullingitover 8y ago
The ease of spoofing caller ID will be the downfall of POTS. Imagine what the web would be like if it didn't have HTTPS, that's where we're at with the telephone system. It's not just broken, it's actively hazardous.
- throwaway2048 8y ago
  Except its worse because random websites anywhere in the world can't connect to you claiming to be another site.
lainga 8y ago
I (Vancouver-born) get the calls from Immigration Canada too - I only know this because I have to ask my Chinese coworkers what the recording on the other end of the line is saying. You'd think they'd at least throw in a little English or French to make it sound convincing...
- Scoundreller 8y ago
  There’s an English language Immigration Department scam that seems to be targeted. The Chinese one is not targeted at all. I find the CRA generic English names funny. Typical scammers go by “James Morrison” or “Derek Johnson”. The real feds have names more like Jean-François Pelletier.

flyinghamster 8y ago

Long before I ported out my AT&T landline, I started using a prepaid VoIP provider in Canada for outgoing long distance. One bonus was that they provided a free number in Winnipeg. So far, I've never received an actual spam call on the Winnipeg number, only a very rare legitimate wrong number. Hmmm... next time a store wants my phone number, I should give them that 204-xxx-xxxx number. I don't actually live in Canada. :)