That has happened to me! Very strange!

I've got a couple this week, but I missed them. The caller ID came up 011 before a local number, which is strange. I tried calling the numbers back, without dialing 011 first. One number came up as a fax machine, the other is out of service. I'll be dipped if I put 011 in front of it first, get some overseas call center.

Tried to call myself via redial. Got a busy signal.

Calling my carrier was useless. Their solution was to give me the number (888-382-1222) to register with the Do Not Call list. Been on that useless list forever. They could not explain how the cretins managed to reflect MY number as the number they called from.

So I'll block my own number.

I have gotten those calls too. I think they can program their phones to show whatever they want.

WE got one, too. Supposedly, people will answer because they're curious how they could be calling themselves.

A new twist from the sales call twits. We have a phone that announces the caller ID, and I just don't answer anything anymore. If it's important and/or someone I know they will leave a message. If not, it's a spam call.

Actually everyone I know calls me on my cell phone, except a couple relatives. I can hear the two relatives as soon as they start to leave a message and I pick up. Anyone else can leave a message.

One good reason to not answer; 1. now they know it's a "live" number and they can sell it. This is one reason they often hang up when you answer, they just want to know if it's a "good" number, they don't really want to talk to you. There is a big market for "good, live" numbers. IE, someone lives there.

Also you know it's a telemarketer if they do not leave a message because they apparently cannot call back with in 24 hours if they leave a message. That's also why they hang up.

I think the Do Not Call list expires after a while, I had to go and re-sign up for it. I don't have a landline anymore, not in any phone books, we haven't been for several years, like 6 or 7, but I still get sales call because we ported the home phone number to my cell phone

It won't help to block your own number because the call originated from another number, not yours, It's the caller ID that's been "spoofed'".

And never call back such a number , there is no live person to answer. Instead, you can google the number and find out a lot.

Here's info on caller id and spoofing

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/caller-id-and-spoofing

I always google the number if I am curious. They have started calling my cell phone which I rarely use so only immediate family and close friends have the number so when it rings I try to answer it thinking it has to be someone close to me. Usually by the time I get to the phone they have hung up so I google it and in every case it has been some robo call that has called a million other people too.

Recently however my home caller id is not working about half the time. I have direct tv so it shows up on screen too. But the past couple of weeks it is random if it will show anything at all on the phone or tv. I have distinctive rings for certain people including my husbands cell phone and when the caller id is not working of course that does not work either because it does not know who is calling. I guess I will have to call att about it if it continues. Lord I dread calling att for anything!

eclair said that her carrier "could not explain how the cretins managed to reflect MY number as the number they called from," and lindylowho added, "I think they can program their phones to show whatever they want."

No, you cannot program your own regular phone to show whatever number you want. But these "businesses" don't have regular phones. Most of them use a PBX (which stands for Private Branch Exchange). A PBX is actually a computer and the company's PBX administrator programs it to show whatever number they want it to show on folks' Caller ID displays. That's why you get calls from numbers like 000-000-0000 (which has actually shown up on our Caller ID). So when you seen your own number on Caller ID, it's because the PBX admin has programmed it to show whatever number is dialed as the calling number.

tsk tsk tsk (PBX administrators)! who thinks of this stuff?! And you know they get paid big bucks to do it.

There was up our way.

At the time of our latest national election, there were a number of robocalls sent to supporters of "other" parties to report that the location at which they were to vote had been changed and direct them to a spurious location.

There was quite a lot of fuss raised about the issue in one riding, it was all blamed on one guy, who got more or less thrown under the bus ... went to jail for a time, if I recall correctly.

There was a substantial claim that such had been done in a number of ridings ... but nothing serious was done about it.

There's been a change in the rules governing elections: Elections Canada has had its wings clipped some, can no longer take actions toward getting out the vote and the chief electoral officer has reduced jurisdictions: major issues are to be handled by a commissioner (or some such).

In any case ... some commentators have claimed that it'll be easier for the major (currently governing - with a majority, yet) party, earlier accused of such shenanigans, to pull that spurious robocall situation in future.

If I were part of an election campaign and was directed by the candidate or the manager(s) of the campaign to pull such a shenanigan - I'd refuse. I want to enhance the democratic process ... not torpedo it.

ole joyful

I