7 ms·

Boy do i have a lifehack for you. Buy a phone number with a random area code, like ohio or something, all the spam calls come from surrounding area codes.

mwint 4y ago
But then my calls will come from the random area code too. It’d be neat if you could do a dual phone number, where your CID on outbound calls shows as your local area code, but you give out the foreign area code for inbound calls. But then you mess up callbacks.
- axxl 4y ago
  You misunderstand slightly. All the calls from the area code matching your phone number are more likely to be spam (spammers matching you to appear legit). So unless you call people in that particular area, you won't be matching their area code, so you won't look like a spammer. And unless you happen to know a lot of people in that area, you won't get calls from that area that appear to be spam.
  - sangnoir 4y ago
    > So unless you call people in that particular area, you won't be matching their area code, so you won't look like a spammer You're misunderstanding them too, I suspect. One could equally assume that a call coming from an area code they've never been to, 5 states away is spam - so this trick works if you do not make a lot of calls.
    - xsmasher 4y ago
      > One could equally assume that a call coming from an area code they've never been to, 5 states away is spam Not equally. I have an area code from the opposite coast. If I get a call from that area code, it is 100% spam. Spammers just love outing themselves by spoofing the same area code of the person they are calling. A call from any other area code is only 30% chance of being spam.
- briffle 4y ago
  Your missing the point. Spammers call you from a spoofed number so that you think its someone near you based on the area code. I lived just a town over an invisible line in 2009, and ordered a new phone, and got an area code that the only other person I know that has a number in that area code is my wife. (920) the ONLY calls that call me from that area code are spammers. if I get calls from any other area code, only 20% or so are spammers. Others are sales/marketing for IT companies, etc, and calls from one of the 2 area codes that cover my area where I actually live are usually all local businesses, etc. If I had to guess, I would say 85-90% of the 'spam callers' call and spoof the 920 area code when they dial me. that drastically cuts down on my automated messages about a car warranty that is about to expire.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- 98codes 4y ago
  > But then my calls will come from the random area code too Nobody will care. Everybody's cell number is just a record of where they lived when they got their first phone; people you call will have you in their contact list most likely.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
limeblack 4y ago
This works until you get calls from DC.
NonNefarious 4y ago
Actually, the more-telling part of the number is the exchange. They'll often match yours, which is dumb as hell. In the age where most phones are mobile, this whole "scheme" is pitifully ignorant.
- kshacker 4y ago
  Spamming, like many other things in life, is a field of bleeding edge technology. :) They were not using your area code a decade back, then they realized your area code works better - it probably did for a while. When it loses effectiveness, they will move on to other patterns they have discovered. Also, A/B testing is not just for good guys.
  - NonNefarious 4y ago
    I got a Google Voice number with an area code that's way out in the boonies somewhere. It's super easy for me to identify spam, and to prevent it by not giving my real number to almost anyone.
wwweston 4y ago
One of the things I've noticed recently is that spam call numbers have gotten smarter -- somehow they're figuring out numbers corresponding to regions that I spend time in that aren't related to my area code or central exchange...
- ffhhj 4y ago
  Meta smarter
kemayo 4y ago
There's a useful iOS app called Number Shield that lets you block all calls coming from numbers that match the first six digits of your phone number. That's the most common spoofing technique, so it really does help. E.g. if your number is (555)555-1234 it'll block anything from (555)555-0000 to (555)555-9999. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/number-shield/id1319082167 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/number-shield/id1319082167
- dmd 4y ago
  It's funny how 30 years ago, probably 90% of my actual phone calls were with numbers that matched the first six digits of my own. Now that number is 0%.
  - username223 4y ago
    So true! Area codes (and first three digits) used to indicate where you were. Now, more often than not, they indicate where you bought your first cell phone, i.e. where you lived around the year 2000 for us oldsters.
  - arbirk 4y ago
    I wish I could block all calls from UK. Since brexit all spam calls that comes through are from there sadly
  - aidenn0 4y ago
    It was closer to 50% for me since there were two (overlaid) exchanges in my neighborhood. I still remember about a dozen phone numbers of friends from when I was growing up.
- Starmina 4y ago
  Can confirm, bought it years ago, the only app that allows me to easily block full range of numbers. I'm in France and work just fine.
  - kemayo 4y ago
    I didn't want to over-promise, having only used it inside the USA's phone system. :D
renewiltord 4y ago
Yeah, I did this. But it's not enough. Most phone number blocking apps get really slow blocking a couple of area codes. Number Shield loads _very_ slowly on my iPhone 13 with just 919 and 984 blocked. But they do fire prober calls from other locations too. The interesting thing is that they never actually say anything on the phone or in text. It's solely some sort of DoS against me. Weird.
encryptluks2 4y ago
Just have the US start sending missiles to spam call centers and people will stop real quick.
LTL_FTC 4y ago
I must be extra lucky because I receive calls from all over the US and beyond. Just yesterday I received one from Brazil.
- bloomark 4y ago
  I have a 972 number. Caller ID recently made it look like I'd received calls from Israel and Peru, but it was had dropped the US country code (+1) and making it look like the calls were from +971 (Israel) and +51x (Peru).
CTDOCodebases 4y ago
In my location the spammer spoofs the numbers of calls that get picked up or go to voicemail. I assume they do this to muddy the block lists that get used to filter their calls. I know this because every now and then I will get up to 5 or so calls or texts of people claiming I called them.
chrisan 4y ago
I love this. Used to live in SF and kept the 415 number after moving. Any of the bay area area codes get instant silenced (manually). And any number from my current area code I know to answer as it is legit
- dmix 4y ago
  I noticed spam callers are even copying the first 3 numbers of my cell phone. 555-555-1234 All the 5s match my number, which hasn’t happened since I used to live in a small town. That always makes me do a double check but it’s also easier to ignore.
- insane_dreamer 4y ago
  this wouldn't work for me. most of the spam calls that I get are from other random cities/states that are far from my area code.
JustSomeNobody 4y ago
Yep. I have had my number for, forever and I'm now in a different area code. Pretty much everything that comes in from that original area code is spam.
TuringNYC 4y ago
OK, so basically if you have a 650-64 Palo Alto number, you'd block half the VCs in the world. If you have a lower Manhattan 212 number, you'd block a quarter of all finance recruiters? (granted, the latter has moved to Linked In)
travisgriggs 4y ago
People answer phone numbers that their phone doesn’t tell them who it is? Huh.

mwint 4y ago

But then my calls will come from the random area code too. It’d be neat if you could do a dual phone number, where your CID on outbound calls shows as your local area code, but you give out the foreign area code for inbound calls. But then you mess up callbacks.

axxl 4y ago
You misunderstand slightly. All the calls from the area code matching your phone number are more likely to be spam (spammers matching you to appear legit). So unless you call people in that particular area, you won't be matching their area code, so you won't look like a spammer. And unless you happen to know a lot of people in that area, you won't get calls from that area that appear to be spam.
- sangnoir 4y ago
  > So unless you call people in that particular area, you won't be matching their area code, so you won't look like a spammer You're misunderstanding them too, I suspect. One could equally assume that a call coming from an area code they've never been to, 5 states away is spam - so this trick works if you do not make a lot of calls.
  - xsmasher 4y ago
    > One could equally assume that a call coming from an area code they've never been to, 5 states away is spam Not equally. I have an area code from the opposite coast. If I get a call from that area code, it is 100% spam. Spammers just love outing themselves by spoofing the same area code of the person they are calling. A call from any other area code is only 30% chance of being spam.
briffle 4y ago
Your missing the point. Spammers call you from a spoofed number so that you think its someone near you based on the area code. I lived just a town over an invisible line in 2009, and ordered a new phone, and got an area code that the only other person I know that has a number in that area code is my wife. (920) the ONLY calls that call me from that area code are spammers. if I get calls from any other area code, only 20% or so are spammers. Others are sales/marketing for IT companies, etc, and calls from one of the 2 area codes that cover my area where I actually live are usually all local businesses, etc. If I had to guess, I would say 85-90% of the 'spam callers' call and spoof the 920 area code when they dial me. that drastically cuts down on my automated messages about a car warranty that is about to expire.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
98codes 4y ago
> But then my calls will come from the random area code too Nobody will care. Everybody's cell number is just a record of where they lived when they got their first phone; people you call will have you in their contact list most likely.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

limeblack 4y ago

This works until you get calls from DC.

NonNefarious 4y ago

Actually, the more-telling part of the number is the exchange. They'll often match yours, which is dumb as hell. In the age where most phones are mobile, this whole "scheme" is pitifully ignorant.

kshacker 4y ago
Spamming, like many other things in life, is a field of bleeding edge technology. :) They were not using your area code a decade back, then they realized your area code works better - it probably did for a while. When it loses effectiveness, they will move on to other patterns they have discovered. Also, A/B testing is not just for good guys.
- NonNefarious 4y ago
  I got a Google Voice number with an area code that's way out in the boonies somewhere. It's super easy for me to identify spam, and to prevent it by not giving my real number to almost anyone.

wwweston 4y ago

One of the things I've noticed recently is that spam call numbers have gotten smarter -- somehow they're figuring out numbers corresponding to regions that I spend time in that aren't related to my area code or central exchange...

ffhhj 4y ago
Meta smarter

kemayo 4y ago

There's a useful iOS app called Number Shield that lets you block all calls coming from numbers that match the first six digits of your phone number. That's the most common spoofing technique, so it really does help. E.g. if your number is (555)555-1234 it'll block anything from (555)555-0000 to (555)555-9999. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/number-shield/id1319082167 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/number-shield/id1319082167

dmd 4y ago
It's funny how 30 years ago, probably 90% of my actual phone calls were with numbers that matched the first six digits of my own. Now that number is 0%.
- username223 4y ago
  So true! Area codes (and first three digits) used to indicate where you were. Now, more often than not, they indicate where you bought your first cell phone, i.e. where you lived around the year 2000 for us oldsters.
- arbirk 4y ago
  I wish I could block all calls from UK. Since brexit all spam calls that comes through are from there sadly
- aidenn0 4y ago
  It was closer to 50% for me since there were two (overlaid) exchanges in my neighborhood. I still remember about a dozen phone numbers of friends from when I was growing up.
Starmina 4y ago
Can confirm, bought it years ago, the only app that allows me to easily block full range of numbers. I'm in France and work just fine.
- kemayo 4y ago
  I didn't want to over-promise, having only used it inside the USA's phone system. :D

renewiltord 4y ago

Yeah, I did this. But it's not enough. Most phone number blocking apps get really slow blocking a couple of area codes. Number Shield loads _very_ slowly on my iPhone 13 with just 919 and 984 blocked. But they do fire prober calls from other locations too. The interesting thing is that they never actually say anything on the phone or in text. It's solely some sort of DoS against me. Weird.

encryptluks2 4y ago

Just have the US start sending missiles to spam call centers and people will stop real quick.

LTL_FTC 4y ago

I must be extra lucky because I receive calls from all over the US and beyond. Just yesterday I received one from Brazil.

bloomark 4y ago
I have a 972 number. Caller ID recently made it look like I'd received calls from Israel and Peru, but it was had dropped the US country code (+1) and making it look like the calls were from +971 (Israel) and +51x (Peru).

CTDOCodebases 4y ago

In my location the spammer spoofs the numbers of calls that get picked up or go to voicemail. I assume they do this to muddy the block lists that get used to filter their calls. I know this because every now and then I will get up to 5 or so calls or texts of people claiming I called them.

chrisan 4y ago

I love this. Used to live in SF and kept the 415 number after moving. Any of the bay area area codes get instant silenced (manually). And any number from my current area code I know to answer as it is legit

dmix 4y ago
I noticed spam callers are even copying the first 3 numbers of my cell phone. 555-555-1234 All the 5s match my number, which hasn’t happened since I used to live in a small town. That always makes me do a double check but it’s also easier to ignore.
insane_dreamer 4y ago
this wouldn't work for me. most of the spam calls that I get are from other random cities/states that are far from my area code.

JustSomeNobody 4y ago

Yep. I have had my number for, forever and I'm now in a different area code. Pretty much everything that comes in from that original area code is spam.

TuringNYC 4y ago

OK, so basically if you have a 650-64 Palo Alto number, you'd block half the VCs in the world. If you have a lower Manhattan 212 number, you'd block a quarter of all finance recruiters? (granted, the latter has moved to Linked In)

travisgriggs 4y ago

People answer phone numbers that their phone doesn’t tell them who it is? Huh.