Caller ID shows "V"+ a whole bunch of digits

I get the same kind of thing. It used to be once in awhile and now it's at least once a day or more. No one says anything. Kinda creepy.

Most common reasons for "no one there" calls, in order of frequency:

(1) Predictive Dialing:

Acme Tele-Pest has 10 phone thralls manning the phone. They have 50 outbound dialing channels. There is a predictive dialing system making the calls. Many calls go unanswered. When the predictive dialing system detects that someone has answered one of its calls, then it connects that line (call) to one of the thralls to let them handle it.

However, the dialing system is generating a lot of calls. So, if it happens to get more than the predicted number of answered calls, and it runs out of thralls to hand them off to, it ditches the call.

A responsible user of such a system tunes the dial rate to the number of thralls, and abandoned calls are few. Low life scumbags, on the other hand, simply let things run, and don't care about the abandonment rate, even though there are regulations restricting the maximum abandonment rate to 3% in the US, 5% in Canada.

(2) Line probing/Skip tracing:

Collection agencies and their minions who are frustrated by callers who don't answer when they show up on Caller ID, call blockers, etc.,. In order to figure out what is going on with a line, they will often (illegally) mask their identity by using a line where they are playing games with the caller ID info. They want to see if you will answer such a call, or if all calls are blocked/unanswered whatever.

But because they are breaking the law, and don't want to create a problem for themselves, they simply make note that you answered (or didn't) and then hang up. Of course, some of the scofflaw CAs will try to collect if you answer such a call, but many don't.

(3) Rude jerks:

Many folks today simply don't have the manners to say "sorry" when they dial a wrong number. If your number happens to be similar to the local pizza delivery joint, you'll get a lot of these.

(4) Creepy callers:

It happens. Best reason I know to install a call blocker. They'll usually give up after a while if they can't get through at all. If they're really creepy and persistent, go get firearms training, a concealed carry permit, and something to carry.

(5) Calls from the CIA, Bilderburgers, Black Helicopter Brigade, etc., trying to find out when you are at home. Yeah, I see a lot of kook theories offered up here. Doesn't happen. If it did, those who post such nonsense probably would be the ones to watch though.

Ya, me too. Back in December 2012, I believed his Microsoft Associate story and ended up getting scammed for several hundred dollars and then got a computer cripeling virus. Luckeley, PayPal provided a form for me to get my money back. I was so stupid, but the whole story was very convencing.

The most frustrating thing for me & these 'v' code numbers is that they ask for someone that apparently had my current phone number at least 5 years ago (not the first time someone has called here for this particular person). They call 5-8 times per day. When I am at home I answer for the sole purpose of telling the caller that he has the wrong #, no one by that name lives here, that this person must've had this # in the past, please remove my phone number from their list, etc. 2 days ago I got to the boiling point on the phone with the SAME rep I had talked to 3 times already and I made him repeat everything I said. Guess who called again today? Same guy. I don't know what to do anymore. Can't block their numbers. I've been polite, I've been stern, I've been downright nasty, I've even threatened a harassment lawsuit. They won't tell me where they're calling from. I considered getting rid of my land line but I live in an area where my cell service is spotty.  I'm really at the end of my rope....

I think of these "V Codes" as a convenient abbreviation for "Scammer - do not answer - add to Digitone blocklist."

Some VOIP providers, such as voip.ms, allow you to filter on any number which is not in a North America Numbering Plan compliant format.  Works great for this kind of caller.

You would need a device like this: http://www.obihai.com/what-is.php  (Amazon is a good place to get them.)

And an account with these folks: http://voip.ms/

There are also ways to do other useful things with such a setup.

HTH,
-LS-

VoIP.ms ROCKS!  I found this forum while searching to validate the Caller ID filters I put in place.

FYI - here is how I set my filters:

Anonymous CallerID
000*
800000000
Invalid or non US/Can CallerID (NPANXXXXXX)
X
XX
XXX
XXXX
XXXXX
XXXXXX

Any and all of these rules trigger a phone number disconnected message to the caller and my phone does not ring. Hopefully you can use this information.

Best of luck to all of you in your fight for privacy. Unfortunately you are on your own in this world.

Correction to the Caller ID filters:

Anonymous CallerID
000*
8XX0000000
Invalid or non US/Can CallerID (NPANXXXXXX)
X
XX
XXX
XXXX
XXXXX
XXXXXX

You might want to add separate filters for countries within the North American Numbering Plan other than the U.S. and Canada.  For example, many scammers have Jamaican telephone numbers.  These *might* actually get through your filters because they ARE in the North American Numbering Plan.  If you do not want to receive calls from the 849 Jamaican area code and have no other reason to expect a call from Jamaica, you may want to add at least the following caller ID filters to your list:

876XXXXXXX
1876XXXXXXX

The second one may, however, be unnecessary.  But you may have to add other area codes to block all of the international calls from countries in the North American Numbering Plan that you do not want to receive.  And not all of them begin with "8."

Also, your filter for 8XX0000000 probably does not do what you want it to do.  I think it would block 888-000-0000, but not 888-555-1234, for example.  To block all toll-free numbers from calling you, you would have to include separate blocks (I think) that might look like:

800XXXXXXX
888XXXXXXX
877XXXXXXX
866XXXXXXX
855XXXXXXX

And you might not want to block all toll-free numbers.  For example, it is well-known that WalMart Pharmacy calls you back from a toll-free number when you have a prescription ready to pick up or if there is a problem with your prescription.  You'll miss these calls if you block all incoming toll-free numbers.

Your filter also blocks 805-000-0000, for example.  Although this is not a valid telephone number, it *IS* a perfectly valid area code for California that has been around for decades.  There are many states with valid area codes in the 800-899 range, so any filter that blocks ALL numbers beginning with "8" will probably block a number of calls that you really WANT to receive while letting through some international callers that you may prefer NOT to receive.

The list at this website may help you if you really want to block calls in the North American Numbering Plan by area code, service code, or country:

http://areacode.org/

Do these idiots really think we would answer with an ID like V719131122100227 number unknown?  They've called 3 times today so far.

Obviously enough people are falling for this or they would not be calling.

Okay it starts with a V and anytime 3:00pm, 6:00am, or 12:00 at midnight it's gotten worst because my brother answered it once now what do i do?

My 16 year old daughter received one of these codes yesterday while my wife was out and I was with my son at football practice.  The man that called asked for my wife by last name, identifying himself as a Maryland State Trooper...no name.  After my daughter said that she was not there (not a very good idea, I realize) he just hung up.  She came to find me at the football field, but couldn't, so when she DID finally find me, she was in tears, because she thought something bad had happened to either me or my wife.  I called the local State Ppolice barracks, and the Sergeant on duty told me that he had no idea what number it was that called my house, but he would note the incident down and pass it on to his other reliefs.  He advised me that if it happens again, to call them back immediately so that they could start tracing the call.  IF YOU ARE A SCAMMER AND YOU ARE READING THIS, PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE CAUGHT AND PROSECUTED FOR IMITATING A POLICE OFFICER, WHICH IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE!

just started getting them as well.

[01]XXNXXXXXX          The first digit of an area code or exchange can not be 1 or 0
NXX[01]XXXXXX
N9XNXXXXXX          Middle digit of an area code cannot be 9
N11NXXXXXX          The last two digits of an area code cannot be 11 as it is reserved for x11 numbers. Note exchanges typically are not either, but x11 mumbers do exist in toll free.
N22NXXXXXX          The last two digits of the area code being the same is reserved for special purposes, such as toll free.
N33NXXXXXX
N44NXXXXXX
N55NXXXXXX
N66NXXXXXX
N77NXXXXXX
N88NXXXXXX