The scumbags who sit around just thinking of new scams should just get a real job in marketing and contest-running. They clearly have a talent. Ugh.

I'm so glad I happened to be there when my dad got a phone call from "his grandson". fortunately Dad always used the speakerphone so I could hear the scam immediately. But I wasn't there the times he got a phone call or computer alert scam that held his computer hostage. Fortunately, DH works in tech and was able to free the computer a few times.

I have had this message on my answering machine before. I thought it kicked in too late to hear what kind of company.

*shaking my head* . What's next ....

It's deliberately vague. Doesn't name any company.

There's nothing new about cons and con artists. They've been around for centuries. Some even appear legitimate (like those touting and selling "health" supplements).

What changes over time is the proposition or excuse to separate you from your money and the means of communicating. Everyone's great-great-great (etc) grandparents and those since have had some form of cons to deal with.

I got this call today also. I get an average of 5 calls a day that must be scams, or telemarketers; I don't answer and usually they don't leave a message (this refund one did, obviously the program didn't recognize an answering machine.)

I've been getting a whole lot of "free" back and knee brace offers lately (they leave messages also). They sound like Medicare fraud.

Many phone services allow you to block calls. Some even do it for you. Panasonic cordless phones can block calls no matter what phone service used. Yes, I know caller IDs of these folks get changed but many of these calls can be limited easily.

With my ATT landline I can just block 9 numbers at a time. And these calls come with so many different numbers. I bought one of the call block devices, but after connecting this the internet didn’t work.

I never answer unknown numbers.

Sorry, but I always think THEY WON when people answer numbers they don't recognize or are unsolicited.

You are right, THEY do win when I answer. But unfortunately I don't have a choice about not answering calls from numbers I don't recognize. The urgency of the anticipated calls makes it impossible to allow calls to go to leave a message.

I have an AT&T landline also and I can block up to 100 numbers. I'm up to 60 so far ......

I keep getting recordings "to increase my credit" . They all come from my own area code and extension - with just the last 4 digits different from mine. With every call ,the last 4 numbers change. They're hoping you think it's a neighbor so you'll answer. Telemarketers are scumbags.

Somebody from Cheboygan keeps calling me. I've never answered, but I'm really beginning to wonder what they're trying to sell me. They are persistent suckers.

Toomuch, I'd be up to 100 in just a week or two without a block on my phone. Even then, several a day get through.

Don't bother blocking spoofed numbers (those using your local area code and prefix), they are all fake calls, and the scumbags' computers just move on to other numbers. Just don't answer. Or leave an outgoing message on your VM: "Due to large number of crank calls, please leave a message and we'll get back to you."

I think it's a shame that people are intimidated by their telephone ringing. All you need to do is disconnect if it's a call you don't want.

Many caller IDs have numbers but not names. I always answer a ringing phone (although I don't drop what I'm doing to scurry to it if not nearby) and find that at least half or more of the "I don't recognize this number" calls are real calls I want to receive. Maybe it's different for others.

I have friends. family, frequent callers entered into the "phonebook" (both home phone and cell phone) so what appears on the screen is the ID of my choosing.

It's really not something that's hard to manage. And certainly not something to be angry or intimidated about.

Nomorobo http://nomorobo.com, is free if you have a VOIP landline (i.e. through your cable company) and works quite well. Your phone only rings once if it's a spam call, then stops.

Nomorobo is great !!! Long before there was caller ID ( Geeze - I sound like a cavewoman !) we would Have to answer the phone because DH was on call to work. We'd have to drop what we were doing -- run in from the yard ,basement ,come down from ladders and drop whatever we were doing to answer the phone. Many ,Many times , it was junk calls. If all the telemarketers I told to go to hell actually went there --- hell would be over-run with them.

It is the inconvenience of having to answer the phone that annoys me. Yesterday I was out shopping with a friend and received three spam calls, all of which required me to interrupt what I was doing and grab my cell phone and answer, which for some reason takes two hands for me to carry out. I am not dexterous enough to unlock the phone and swipe with one hand.

When I am walking the dog, I have a leash in one hand, a poop bag in the other, and gloves on. When the phone rings, I have to remove the gloves (I've not had luck with the touch sensitive ones), stand on the dog leash, and drop the poop bag on the ground. If it is someone I want to talk to, that's fine. But all that for spammer? It is vexing.

I know there are some changes I can make in the phone. But I have a not common brand of cell phone, and I'm having difficulty figuring out how to make those changes.

Do you have voice mail with your phone? If it's someone you want to talk to, return the call when you get home and just explain that you were out picking up poop and couldn't answer.

As I mentioned earlier, I HAVE TO answer the phone. I can't let it go to voice mail. It's a long story that I don't want to sidetrack the conversation with.

I found this article in a newsletter I get from a company called the Data Doctors:

Why am I getting so many robocalls these days and what can I do to stop them?

Answer

This question was answered on March 7, 2019.

If it seems like you’re getting a lot more calls that are either a robocall, a scammer or someone trying to sell you something, you’re not imagining it.

According to call statistics from companies that monitor unwanted calls, the percentage of calls has risen steeply over the past year from 3.7% of calls in 2017 to nearly 30% in 2018.

What’s worse is they predict by the end of the year, you can expect about 50% of the calls to your cell phone to be a nuisance call.

Why It’s Accelerating
One of the biggest reasons that we’re experiencing a huge increase in robocalls is that the technology to call millions of phones every day has gotten extremely cheap and easy for just about anyone with a minimal amount of tech skills.

Why the Do Not Call Registry is Useless
It doesn't hurt to register you phone number(s) with the https://donotcall.gov registry, but don’t expect it to do much for you. Only legitimate marketing companies that are willing to follow the rules will comply with this registry.

If you do get a call you’d like to report, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/2Ut3E6K

A growing number of the junk calls and text messages are coming from scammers that are operating outside of the U.S. through VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) so they’re not going to bother paying attention to the registry.

Also, the registry does not apply to political calls, non-profits and charities or polling organizations and any company that you’ve either done business with or sought information from in the attempt to do business. Those businesses can call you for up to 18 months after your last interaction.

Neighbor Spoofing
You may have also noticed that a lot of the calls are coming from your same area code and some times with the same prefix as your phone number. This spoofing of the caller ID is done automatically by the robocall systems to make it look like someone in your area is calling you in hopes that you’ll answer the call.

Never Say ‘Yes’
One of the many scams used by these robocalls is focused on recording your voice saying ‘yes’, which they can use as your voice signature for future scams.

They’ll usually try at the very beginning of the call by asking something like “are you the homeowner” or “can you hear me?”.

What Can You Do?
The first thing is stop answering any call when you don’t recognize the number; let it go to voice mail.

If you have one of the newer Google Pixel phones (2, 2XL, 3 or 3XL), there is a cool little utility in your Phone app that will allow you to screen calls using the Google Assistant – Google is working on making it available for other Android devices.

The telecom industry is working on a caller verification protocol, but until then, there are apps available that will at least try to determine if a call is potential spam, including HiYa (https://hiya.com), YouMail (https://youmail.com), NomoRobo (https://nomorobo.com) or RoboKiller (https://robokiller.com).

I didn't answer this scam call. They left voicemail. We get far fewer such calls since we dropped a land line.

granwings -- Well, that's discouraging. MORE robocalls? It's hard to believe that the phone industry really wants to stop these. Do they make money on every call placed/answered? (I suppose voicemail would be counted as a completed call.)

The great majority of these calls will only ring a few times and stop before voice mail picks up.

For $2.50 a month my phone service provider will put an intercept on your line that when your # is dialed, before it connects or rings, a recorded message comes on telling the caller to please press 8 to prove you are not a telemarketer. When 8 is pressed, the call goes through. Those robo calls are now a thing of the past since we activated this last August. Not even 1 junk call. We were getting as many as 8 of them a day.