NoMoRobo

Hi notMichael,

Here's how TLC works. When someone new calls in, they get qualified the first time they call in, and they get right through. They have to say their name and then press a key that TLC asks them to press. The only reason a new person doesn't get through is if they are a robocallers, which is automated and cannot press the requested key, or if they are a person who doesn't want to give their name.

If your mother needs to call you from a phone other than her own, she will have to say her name and press the key TLC asks for, and she will get through.

Even if you put TLC into Do-Not-Disturb mode, she can still get through in an emergency by entering the last four digits of her phone number (which is in your TLC phone book). If it's someone other than your mother is calling in an emergency when you have Do-Not-Disturb set, and the person calling doesn't know her last four, they can leave a message.

That answer was given in the context of an emergency, when the person you know who is in your phone book is calling from an unknown phone.

Here's how TLC works when it's not an emergency. When someone new calls in, they get qualified the first time they call in, and they get right through. They have to say their name and then press a key that TLC asks them to press. The only reason a new person doesn't get through is if they are a robocaller, which is automated and cannot press the requested key, or if they are a person who doesn't want to give their name.

I've expressed similar concerns in other threads.  In one of those threads a hospital worker, one of the people who makes THOSE calls, confirmed what I already knew.  The hospital will not leave a message.  They want to talk to you in person.  They need to hear how you react.  They need to know if you freak-out or take the news calmly.  The need to know if you really understood the information or if you are too shocked for it to sink in.  They need to know if they should call your local emergency services number to get someone out to help you.  

One more time - when Mom has her heart attack how will the hospital contact me?  Your system will block them.

The playing field regarding acceptable calls has been changed.  The FCC has released new laws that further restrict unwanted calls.  Enforcement will likely not happen over night, in part due to the recent government shutdown,  but many of us will demand compliance and report violators now, especially since the new laws add enforcement against illegal foreign callers.

The new TCPA rules generally prohibit the delivery of an auto-dialed prerecorded message (including SMS) to a cell or landline unless there is Prior Express Written Consent.  The old “prior business relationship” rule has (finally) been superseded!  

In summary, Prior Express Written Consent is now required for nearly all but emergency calls: prior consent requires a written agreement, signed by the party being called, that authorizes the caller to deliver advertisements or messages using an automatic telephone dialing system or prerecorded message to the specific number authorized in the agreement.  

Purely informational calls and calls for non-commercial purposes are exempt from the FCC’s new regulations ... but that exemption is subject to individual interpretation by those of us being called.  In a dispute, the caller bears the burden of proof that their call was made in compliance with the new rules.  

Calls dialed phone-to-phone are not blocked by Nomorobo unless the caller is already on the FTC blacklist.  Other auto-dialer generated calls may not be acceptable without Prior Express Written Consent.  Some of us would still file DNC complaints against those unwelcome callers that could be allowed under the new rules, just like we will for unwanted political calls, unwanted charitable calls, and annoying surveys.  

Nomorobo uses an audio Captcha test to allow challenged calls to go through.  It sounds like the “planned” TLC device uses a similar approach.  Captchas have been used successfully for years on the web; I think its use to validate incoming phone calls is way overdue.  

I hope TLC’s latest call blocking device is in compliance with the new rules that went into effect last week ... but wait, your device does not go into production until next spring, and that is assuming you get the funding you have requested at KickStarter.  Alert, alert .. today TLC has met less than 10% of its funding goal with only a few weeks to go!  

Once it is actually in production and available for sale, I think it could be listed under the following forum topic as a new option for our visitors to consider: https://800notes.com/forum/ta-5d4e343675a5629-13/call-blocking-devices  (but not as an advertisement please, just the facts from a user perspective).

Jim,

Thanks for your post. TLC is FCC-certified for use in the US. We will go into production even if we don't meet our Kickstarter goal. TLC has many additional features beyond robocall blocking. It makes our lives better in many ways, and we want others to enjoy the benefits as well.

I admire you for starting this forum. Phone technology has become very complex, and I know that people appreciate it when someone takes the time to help explain what's going on, what's changing, and what their options are. And thanks for suggesting the other forum.

Best regards to you,
Susan

A question, Jim: Do you have any personal affiliation with or interest in NoMoRobo?

Please describe what, if any, relationship you have with NoMoRobo.

I think it only fair to the people who use this forum that you make these things clear.

When do you think we'll start getting robocalls from anti-robocall companies trying to hawk their technology? After all, the returns on fanboy forum participation are pretty limited.

From the consumer stand point we want to straight cut through all the un-enforced Federal laws. Its not that two wrongs make a right, since the opposition breaks the law daily.  I would propose an alternative Declaration of Emergency Action that makes all telemarketing, survey robo-calls illegal, and practically anything goes to bring Justice. If the law of the land cannot obey the Rule of Law, The United States Constitution, take it back to the Declaration of Independence and The Federalist Papers. I know this has probably been posted before, but I love that part from [Nicholas Cage] National Treasure 1;

    “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security.”

I have no affiliation with Nomorobo, no financial interest in them, and don’t know anyone who works there. I am a typical consumer plagued by robocalls.

I found 800notes in 2012 trying to research the various phone numbers that were calling me. I made several posts under specific phone number threads. I happened upon the forums in 2013 and posted as a non-registered user.

My initial interest was in call blocking devices and I found that forum of special interest. During my review of call blocking devices I heard about Nomorobo. I spent time researching and following Nomorobo as I thought it would be good to have in addition to my call blocker. I even posted that strategy in the call blocking device forum under my unregistered user name (Jim-T).

I became a registered user on this site around July to see what additional benefits that might offer.

I have learned a great deal about the whole robocall/scammer business reading through the various threads on this site. I wish to return the favor and be helpful to victims as best that I can.

Why are you here?

Laws keep the honest people honest.  Many robocallers get around the laws by changing their company names regularly, spoofing caller ID’s, or calling from foreign countries.  Those that get caught by the law pay their fines and keep robocalling.  Changing laws to make them more stringent could inadvertently infringe upon honest peoples rights.  I, for one, would not want to see the U.S. head towards a police state mentality.

I think a more realistic approach would be to aggressively use newer technologies to fight back against the robocallers and scammers.  

Nomorobo is one of the newer technologies, as is the emerging TLC device discussed recently on this forum.  I see these kinds of “tools” as our best line of defense against the bad guys and I think we should support these developing technologies towards that end.

I must respectfully disagree with some of that.  I have no problem with developing technologies, but there’s a difference between inadvertently and directly infringing upon honest peoples rights. What happens concerning my *paid for phone service* is my right to control, however I deem necessary.  How many honest lawyers recommend their telemarketing clients just Stop It All, when questioned as to what (more) they can do against the consumer?  
Threats from telemarketers of rape, home invasion, and blowing up our house may not require a police state mentality, but the consumers must be aggressive, if anythings going to change.

I forgot to mention education.  Too many consumers still fall victim to the threat laden rants of the scammers.  The media is only just beginning to get the word out to consumers to be on the lookout for telephone scams.  

I believe the robocallers themselves are creating such unprecedented outrage amongst consumers, that a thirst for telephone knowledge is being hastened.  A more knowledgeable consumer will lead to fewer and fewer scams getting by consumers.  In different words, scammer greed has risen to the level where the scammers are cutting their own throats.

I see the primary keys to solving the robocall nightmare to be:

1.    Technology
2.    Law enforcement
3.    Education
And as a special bonus:
4.    Regular DNS/spam attacks on all known scammer call centers across the world!

Interesting thread.

I would suggest, though, that all these anti-spam strategies should be unnecessary.  

The telcos all know from whence the robocalls and live scammers originate.  The telcos could turn 'em off.  They simply don't want to - they want the business.  And so legislation is written to be as unwieldy as possible, and contests are run to develop solutions for a problem that can easily be resolved by these criminals' enablers.

I have Verizon FIOS, and found it fairly easy to activate Nomorobo on my home phone last night. The process took about 10 minutes. If I ever decide I don't want Nomorobo any more, I can easily deactivate it by going to my FIOS phone account and turning off Simultaneous Ring.

It will be interesting to see how Nomorobo works in practice. What scares me is the possibility that many of the scammers will start spoofing different Caller ID numbers for each call. That would render almost all call blocking systems useless.

Some Nomorobo statistics are starting to come out covering its first month of operation:

• Website now getting 300+ visits per day
• Has 14,000 users and is protecting over 18,000 lines (on 5 VoIP carriers)
• An additional 219,000+ people have signed up saying they want to use the system if their carriers enable the “simultaneous ring” feature
• Blocked 100,000+ robocalls

Nomorobo reports there is a deluge of emails from thrilled consumers because their phone lines have finally gone silent!

Landline Telco’s like AT&T and Verizon have yet to support their customers by providing the Nomorobo service. This is due, in large part, to corporate greed ... they want their customers to switch to their VoIP products (that support Nomorobo) where they make more money.

I think these Telco’s are becoming the bad guys in the war against the robocaller epidemic. I just filed a complaint against AT&T here: http://www.fcc.gov/complaints. Be sure to select “wired telephone” then “billing, service, ...”. I don’t know if this will do any good, but the more of us who file similar complaints against these Telco’s, the better our chances of getting their attention. Maybe we can get the Telco’s to do something to stop the robocalls without charging us more and more money just to fix the robocall problem they helped create.

The huge Telco’s presently have no market-based impetus to change. If the complaint route doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps you may want to contact your elected representatives and ask that they work through the FCC--or legislation if necessary--to mandate the Simultaneous Ringing service. Since many of us don’t have viable call blocking capability today, and robocalls are increasing exponentially ... making Simultaneous Ringing mandatory gives us all the option of using a Nomorobo-like service with our existing Telco’s.

I, for one, want the option to have a decent call blocking service I can choose to enable for each of my landlines.