5 ms·

I don't know why, but in the last couple of weeks the number of spam calls I get has ramped way up. Perhaps they were trying to get it all in before the cutoff?

I don't know why, but in the last couple of weeks the number of spam calls I get has ramped way up. Perhaps they were trying to get it all in before the cutoff? It used to be 3-4 per day to both landline and cell phone, and in the last few weeks it's gone up to about 10-15 on each per day. And it's almost always the same 2 calls - either "... wants to give you $10,000 in clean energy upgrades ..." or "... This is the social security disability administration on a recorded line..." Yeah, whatever. Fuck off.

pbhjpbhj 4y ago
You need an automated answer service: "Type 121 to be connected or hold the line for endless cat facts at $5/min ... Did you know cats on average have just under 4 legs ..." With the code being randomised and an actual pay service. Someone in the UK did something like this, apparently, and made money.
- tonypags 4y ago
  I would like to know more about this exciting income opportunity.
- thedougd 4y ago
  The robocalls I get these days ask you to press a button to continue, hearing more about your expiring warranty, etc. If you don't respond in a few seconds it disconnects.
  - ComputerGuru 4y ago
    So have it press a button. It’s just a DTMF tone. (Is that a redundant acronym phrase?)
    - a1369209993 4y ago
      > a DTMF tone. (Is that a redundant acronym phrase?) Technically not, since "DTMF" is a proper noun referring to the overall encoding system, and is used as a adjective indicating that this particular tone is associated with that system. Compare "That farm raises KFC chickens. (That is, chickens intended for use by the resturant (chain) that calls itself "Kentucky Fried Chicken".)". Or "The left is what a MacOS window looks like, and the right is what a Windows window looks like.".
      - ComputerGuru 4y ago
        I love your answer + examples and concur wholeheartedly.
    - thedougd 4y ago
      My point was that they're already deploying counter measures. They also tend to use a two tier system where the first person you talk to is an idiot who reads lines. If you bite, they second you to a second tier to close. If you're not a real person, they hang quickly at the first tier. I've gotten to the second tier and really pissed someone off (mission accomplished) insisting that I was the old lady they were calling, when I clearly had a man's voice. I use to use Google's call screening, and was foiled by this when I wanted to screw around with them by pressing buttons to speak canned messages. Google really needs to update that with a DTMF keypad.
- Gordonjcp 4y ago
  Search for "Hello this is Lenny".
mmcgaha 4y ago
Over the last couple of months I went from maybe one per day to dozens. I am lucky that my phone's area code is 1200 miles away from where I live so for the most part I can ignore everything from that area code. In addition, I changed my default ring tone and then went into each of my contacts and set my normal ring tone. This lets me know if I should be motivated to answer the call or let it go to voicemail. For me the increase correlates to buying a car so I thought that the dealer was at fault but maybe it is just a coincidence.
- MerelyMortal 4y ago
  Oh, it's very likely it could be the car dealership. I bought a vehicle from a major dealership, their paperwork had my name mispelled, but I didn't say anything or correct it. I registered the vehicle with the state with the correct spelling of my name. I started getting snailmail car warrenty spam with my mispelled name shortly after I bought the car. The dealership said those spammers must have got it from the state's vehicle registry. I told them my name is mispelled on their paperwork and is mispelled exactly the same way on the spam, but is spelled correctly on the vehicle registration. *crickets*

pbhjpbhj 4y ago

You need an automated answer service: "Type 121 to be connected or hold the line for endless cat facts at $5/min ... Did you know cats on average have just under 4 legs ..." With the code being randomised and an actual pay service. Someone in the UK did something like this, apparently, and made money.

tonypags 4y ago
I would like to know more about this exciting income opportunity.
thedougd 4y ago
The robocalls I get these days ask you to press a button to continue, hearing more about your expiring warranty, etc. If you don't respond in a few seconds it disconnects.
- ComputerGuru 4y ago
  So have it press a button. It’s just a DTMF tone. (Is that a redundant acronym phrase?)
  - a1369209993 4y ago
    > a DTMF tone. (Is that a redundant acronym phrase?) Technically not, since "DTMF" is a proper noun referring to the overall encoding system, and is used as a adjective indicating that this particular tone is associated with that system. Compare "That farm raises KFC chickens. (That is, chickens intended for use by the resturant (chain) that calls itself "Kentucky Fried Chicken".)". Or "The left is what a MacOS window looks like, and the right is what a Windows window looks like.".
    - ComputerGuru 4y ago
      I love your answer + examples and concur wholeheartedly.
  - thedougd 4y ago
    My point was that they're already deploying counter measures. They also tend to use a two tier system where the first person you talk to is an idiot who reads lines. If you bite, they second you to a second tier to close. If you're not a real person, they hang quickly at the first tier. I've gotten to the second tier and really pissed someone off (mission accomplished) insisting that I was the old lady they were calling, when I clearly had a man's voice. I use to use Google's call screening, and was foiled by this when I wanted to screw around with them by pressing buttons to speak canned messages. Google really needs to update that with a DTMF keypad.
Gordonjcp 4y ago
Search for "Hello this is Lenny".

mmcgaha 4y ago

Over the last couple of months I went from maybe one per day to dozens. I am lucky that my phone's area code is 1200 miles away from where I live so for the most part I can ignore everything from that area code. In addition, I changed my default ring tone and then went into each of my contacts and set my normal ring tone. This lets me know if I should be motivated to answer the call or let it go to voicemail. For me the increase correlates to buying a car so I thought that the dealer was at fault but maybe it is just a coincidence.

MerelyMortal 4y ago
Oh, it's very likely it could be the car dealership. I bought a vehicle from a major dealership, their paperwork had my name mispelled, but I didn't say anything or correct it. I registered the vehicle with the state with the correct spelling of my name. I started getting snailmail car warrenty spam with my mispelled name shortly after I bought the car. The dealership said those spammers must have got it from the state's vehicle registry. I told them my name is mispelled on their paperwork and is mispelled exactly the same way on the spam, but is spelled correctly on the vehicle registration. *crickets*