Call Blocking Devices

Many PCs still come with a modem, and if it's missing you can easily and cheaply add one, even though just about nobody uses one anymore.  If your PC has one, you can get free-or-cheapware programs that will use the caller ID from the modem to determine whether to flag an incoming call as suspicious.  I have a lengthy list of specific numbers set up on mine, along with wildcard-match patterns to catch numbers that are invalid by definition, such as anything where the exchange starts with a 1 or 0.  I also have all of the Caribbean and Mexican area codes blocked. (Though, honestly, we've never had a call from a Mexican area code.)  I also have the area code and exchanges for the Kissimmee, FL area blocked because every call from that area that we have ever received has been a "free trip to Disney" scam.  If I didn't have a few friends in the Washington, DC area, I'd have blocked that area code long ago as well - and I'm considering whitelisting my friends and then blocking the rest of it.  Calls from the DC area code are nearly all scams.

I use Phone Tray.  There are others that reportedly work just as well.

We had Advanced Security Screening on for about 2 weeks. Our friends and legitimate business associates were having issues getting through. Found out about "No Soliciting" screen from Century Link and removed Advanced Security and added that. It plays a recording to the effect that 'this number does not accept solicitation calls and if you are a solicitor please hang up. Otherwise press 1 or wait to be connected." It offers the options of adding 25 of your favorite numbers and they get right through without hearing the recording.  It will be 1 month tomorrow that we added advanced security and then switched to no soliciting. We haven't had any calls from telemarketers. other than the blocked call that came thru as mentioned above. Here's a link if you want to read about it. http://www.centurylink.com/small-business/cus ... ion-BE-8-11.pdf

We did get a scammer call today - medical alert system. They hung up after 1 ring. I didn't get to phone in time and they didn't leave a message.

Get a windows phone. The call blocker is build-in feature.

Not just windows phones have a built in call blocker

Or you could just download a free call blocking app to any phone.

With Cell phones you can sue them if they continue to call after telling them to stop calling (you can sue for up to $1500 per unwanted call (let them call for over 20 calls then call Morgan and Morgan to file suit)--I have one calling my safelink phone that has called over 15 times (I don't answer just log the times called)

1.  You can sue ... but only if you know exactly who called!
2.  Advertising a specific lawyer here is against the Terms of Service

(reported)

Well, it seems now, you can't even answer calls that come from your own area code.  This past month or so, the majority of mine look to have local numbers.   Same people calling...   I guess they got wise to many of us who quit answering calls that come from another area code.

And that has to do with the topic "call blocking devices" in what way?

We had Century Link and it's caller blocking service. We found it worked most of the time and we did see a decrease in calls.  Now on Cox Cable's phone service and they have absolutely nothing to block calls with.  We finally abandoned our land line for all incoming calls.  It was a slow process but finally got our cell numbers for all our doctors, dentists, etc.  We do use the line for outgoing calls.  My wife doesn't like paying by cell phone and think land lines are more secure when banking and paying bills.  Finally I hooked up our fax machine to our spam line and it answers after two rings.  We started this in January and I have received 7 calls this week on that spam number despite never answering that line in 8 1/2 months.  BTW, I keep the fax paper tray empty.  I don't want their faxes either but never have received one from a spammer before I took the paper out.  So I think this shows that it doesn't matter what you do, they will keep calling us until the phone is disconnected.

They will keep calling regardless.  The number is in the cue and it just dials, doesn't really care if there is a disconnect or not.  Don't worry, they will eventually get around to calling all numbers including cell phone numbers.  Which is why this topic is about call blockers.

How much abuse are we willing to suffer? After a cross country move forced me to get a new number it only took a couple of days before I turned off the ringer and depended on the call log and answering machine to determine who to call back.

Then came "The Day" when I received 34 calls between 7:30 am - 11:30 am!!! Only one of the calls was legit! I had a call blocking phone set up by that very afternoon.

Big A is right: these people will NEVER stop. Why wait for others to protect us when we have to tools to protect ourselves? Those with newer phones, read your manuals; You may already have the blocking features you need. Those with older phones, like I had, get a blocker or phone system with blocking built in. The peace and quiet my blocker has provided makes the $80 purchase price seem like couch money.

Nomorobo is working pretty good for a lot of folk. It's not fool proof but since we started using it the amount of BS calls have dropped quite a bit. It can't hurt to try it -  and no...we are not selling anything or work for them.