Your number has likely been spoofed. Scammers are using your number to show up on the caller ID of the people they call so it looks like a legitimate call so the people will answer. It happened to me and it was not pleasant, and no, your carrier cannot do anything about it. For me, it lasted a few days and I got dozens of furious calls and then it stopped. I set my phone on do not disturb and disregarded the calls and messages. I got tired of trying to explain to angry idiots what was going on.

I've been getting a lot of calls from Colorado and other states ( I google the area code). And Private Caller. I never answer any number I don't recognize.

On my cell, which I seldom use, I get a ton of text mssges to 'text them back'. Again unknown numbers and unfamiliar area codes. PIA deleting these txt mssges as they have to be done individually. Isn't there a way to delete All or something? I don't see that option.

This really sucks that they're calling and harassing you. It sounds like your number has been spoofed to Canada. Maybe your number is one of the ones that call me?? :-)

That's horrible and so disturbing. I'm sorry that it is happening to you. It happens to me now and again, but only for a call or two, nothing like what you are experiencing. I guess you could change your outgoing message to explain that your phone number has been spoofed and that you are not making any of the calls. Explain that if you are a family member or friend, please call your cell phone because you will not be answering your landline for a few days and will erase all messages unheard.

"Your number has likely been spoofed."

That would be my guess too.

If it were me and it continued, I'd probably change my number.

Mine is easy to change.

Of course the hassle is informing everyone of my new number. Especially remembering everyone I need to change it with. :)

If this is the home phone just leave it off the hook for a while or unplug it. I would think your number was spoofed also. Leaving it off the hook will give them a constant busy signal and they might get tired of it. They are obviously not aware of spoofing.

I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize, and not “private” or ”restricted”. But I did answer one once, because I was expecting a call, and it was the person I was expecting. With so many people working from home, they are using private numbers, cell phones their employees gave them, or over the computer calling. I answer them a little more often now And I don’t like it.

I tired of the phone companies claiming they 'can't to anything' to stop robocalls. Seems to me they like making money on the greater volume more than they want to provide *service* to customers.

Definitely spoofed. I constantly get calls that say the name of a local college on Caller ID. So annoying. Im sorry that happened to you and i have no idea how to stop it.

These are annoying but common problems these days. For me, a simple and permanent solution was to transfer my "landline" 10 years ago to the Ooma service. Free essentially unlimited calling. The basic service is cheap (~$5 per month) and with the add on Premium service (another $10, still cheap), calls from numbers that aren't in my contact file will not ring the phone. You can choose different settings for what the caller hears - either route directly to the system's voicemail, or the message "Number Disconnected", or message "Your number is blocked", or a continuous ring in the ether (phone doesn't ring).

The contact file can be uploaded from the Android or Iphone contact lists used by smartphones of household members. Or additions can be made on the website. It couldn't be easier.

With Ooma, my phone NEVER rings EXCEPT for calls from people I want to receive. It's rare that a superior service is also cheaper than its competitors but such is the case.

Well then I reckon our phone was spoofed. I guess to a whole bunch of people that live in Ontario Canada and a whole bunch of different people are calling to give me an earful! Yes, I've certainly been aware that telemarketers do have a way of showing a real person's name on your caller ID, I guess I didn't think it would happen to my number...HAHA! I get those sorts of calls all the time and it would never occur to me to call that number and yell at them and cuss them out...HA! SHEESH!

Any number can be spoofed. I got a call on my cell phone once that Caller ID showed as coming from my cell phone. Uh... no.

I agree with those who have suggested that you temporarily change your outgoing greeting on your message machine. All you need to say is something to the effect of "If you are calling from Canada, no, I did not call you. Someone has spoofed - faked - my number."

I'm glad that I asked because I just assumed it was some new scam they'd come up with. I have the phone off the hook right now. That's a good idea about the message on the answering machine. We have cell phones but they don't get a good signal inside of our house...GAH! Weird, I know...

Arkansas girl, one of the reasons I have kept my ever-more-expensive-for-basic-service landline is the same reason - poor cell reception for most carriers in my neighborhood. 90% of the calls on that line are scammers.

I'm looking into Ooma right now.

Even with the weird calls I've been getting, I'd never ever call them back!!! That's just letting them know that it's a live person's number and I'd get even more calls.

I know jasdip, who in their right mind calls those numbers back and then gives them a piece of their mind!? HA! Crazy!

Poor cell signal at home? There are different solutions for that. Two approaches:

1) Change the setting on your phone to enable "Telephone over Wifi". After you've done that, when you get home, first switch to Airplane mode and then turn on Wifi. Assuming a good Wifi signal and broad coverage in your home and yard, you will now have consistent and reliable service with your cell phone for both data and phone calls.

2) Get a network range extender. I griped to my carrier that the signal in my house has been degrading in recent years - they sent me one for free.

They sell them for $250. How it works - it's a mini personal cell tower, not a signal amplifier. It connects to the router with an ethernet cable (I jimmied mine to connect via wifi) and it sends out a normal cell phone signal. I have 5 bars of service throughout my house and yard now, up from 1-2 when the connection was from the cell tower.

If you can't get a range extender, the call over Wifi approach is an excellent substitute and is normally pretty reliable for a very good quality signal.

It might be some kind of spam rather than people calling you being angry at being spoofed, since the calls are coming from Canada. Calls back to you would likely be long distance for Canadians and since they are coming in a cluster, it sounds like a scam of some kind.

See this: https://www.techtimes.com/articles/246403/20191206/scam-alert-stop-answering-international-calls-wangiri-strikes-again.htm

I get calls from my own number. Elmer, I just recently heard about Ooma and am thinking of changing my landline number from Bell to that service. I was waiting for a local telecommunications service to get to my neighbourhood so I can switch both internet and home phone together but it may be another year before they get to my area.

It has happened to me, and usually from a phone with the same prefix as mine. I don't know anyone with the same prefix so I never answer those calls. I never listen to my voicemail either. I hated talking on the phone. I save every number from any business I deal with and everyone that I know that I may need to have their phone number. Those are calls I answer. Or send me a text. I read those.

There were only two more Ontario calls today after we turned the phone back on. I think being off the hook helped get rid of it, whatever it was. It was almost as if my phone had a virus...HA! If they start again, I'll take it back off the hook.

I have been getting calls from #s with the same prefix as my cell phone: 403-XXX. I like to answer them. They start with a recording telling me to stay on the line as I may go to jail for not paying my taxes. Push 1 to talk to an operator. So I push 1. They'll start by saying, "thank you for calling, how can I help you?" to which I answer, "oh, but you called me! How can you help me?" They hang up without answering. One guy asked me for my name so he could pull up my information. I said, "well, you phoned me so you should already have that up, shouldn't you?" He hung up.......

Now I'm getting calls from 1-800 numbers. I haven't answered them. Yet. Probably telling me I've been in contact with someone with Covid and they need my CC# so they can give me the information I need......... I wasn't born on a turnip truck.