Silent Spam Calls to toll free numbers

  • 0
    Ratt replies to Resident47
    | 5 replies
    Res47,

    Are you talking about maybe making/allowing ATT (etc) provide simultaneous ringing, follow me, etc?
  • +3
    Resident47 replies to Ratt
    | 2 replies
    The nuts-and-bolts talk was in summary at that Senate hearing, mostly from Columbia comp-sci professor Schulzrinne. He'd mentioned simultaneous ring as a feature required by certain third party call managers. He also suggested that telcos provide an API to third parties.

    The operative phrase from FCC Chairman Wheeler has been "market-based solutions". I doubt the FCC has authority or desire to force carriers into adopting one feature or another just to facilitate call blocking. But I also doubt the carriers need the FCC to bless any such changes they make to essentially improve the security of their customers. Like the prof said, it's "just like banks didn't need to ask permission of the FDIC to add protection to their bank websites".

    Wheeler and the FTC and others concerned have said, between the lines, that carriers have no legal excuse to drag their feet. They can roll out their own call management systems or they can make ready to farm out the job, and "common carrier" rules are not *and were never* going to stop them. How the carriers get it done is their problem; I guess it's left to "the market", you and me, to apply pressure as needed.
  • +1
    William
    Most small businesses in the US no longer need toll-free numbers because so many people in the US now have cell phones, and / or they have various VOIP telephone services, most of which include long-distance with no extra charges.

    The toll-free numbers are advantageous to businesses that have operations in many states (such as banks) and that have to maintain 24-hours-a-day customer relations (such as alarm company monitoring stations) over a large contiguous geographic area.

    These numbers are also good for giving a business a number that does not appear to tie it to one area code and exchange, but that is a side-effect. It is possible for the telcos to create an area code that spans the US and not charge a premium for phone numbers within that area code.
  • -2
    Jordan replies to Kev
    | 1 reply
    i have this uknown number call me all the time asking for jimmy! I can't block the number because it's a privet number! And HELP! I've reported it to the police and they said there is nothing they can do if it a privet number! HELP
  • -2
    msh replies to Kev
    Do not call !!!!!
    "windows support system". message received  on my laptop. seemed genuine,  but I guess it is same scan as continuous phone calls. came down to offering a protection program over $100 for a one time fix which I dismissed.
  • -1
    Perplexed replies to Jordan
    They call me about Jimmy also. I am female how can I be Jimmy I don't get it. If they dont want to invite me over how about a public place close to them. Is a place in existence where we can meet? They will know as soon as I go that I'm Not Jimmy. Then they will stop calling from private number.
  • 0
    info
    | 2 replies
    It won't work for all, but there's services in which people pay money to telemarket spam robot calls to people and pay money for each minute.  You can see these companies on the internet.  Instead of hanging up on the robo calls you should just let it play out so these people will be spending money for no reason.
  • +1
    StevenH replies to info
    | 1 reply
    Are you kidding me?  You just contradicted yourself.  WE pay for our toll free numbers, so just letting it play costs us, while THEY MAKE MORE $$$!   I had to set my toll free Vm down to 3 minutes because they were filling up 10-12 hours a day!!!  Now, 3 mins is all they get, and the calls have slowed down.
  • 0
    William replies to StevenH
    Your outgoing message is 3 minutes long ? Yikes !! (just kidding)

    I would shrink the voice mail storage to 2 minutes, because (to me) any legitimate incoming call can easily state their information in less than 2 minutes. But I don't know what your in-call voice mail statistics are.

    "info" is still partly correct, but he doesn't yet realize that every call a scammer makes ties up the phone line they are using for 6 to 20 seconds, the time it takes for the connection and up to 4 rings before a potential mark answers the phone, or the autodialer hangs up.  Other calls cannot be made on that line during that time. The companies that spam robot calls are probably charging for each call, independently of whether the call is answered or not.

    What call-blocking services does your toll-free provider give you?
    They can block numbers based on the ANI and reduce the impact of these silent calls.
    As long as a shill isn't trying to boost revenues, that is.
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  • 0
    JRM replies to Kev
    This exact problem you have been having has been happening to me for many years. Calls coming into my toll-fre number which sounds like a Fax Machine. I hooked up a fax to see if I receive something, but nothing. Today I received 6 calls, all with that fax noise from different phone numbers. Please contact me with a solution to this should it be found. Type Toll-Free Scam in the subject line:  itvLeader@yahoo.com

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