Well the DNC was fine when it started out. But over the years the scammers have become more sleazy, crafty, worldwide and the DNC is too tame (not effective enuff to keep up with them) The DNC needs to reinvents itself to counter the shenanigans of the scammers. IMO the telcos are the bigger culprits. They could filter out these calls if they wanted to , right from their source or originating point. But they won't do it. After cell phones became popular, they diversified into cable, internet, home security and various other businesses so land line (customers) became less important to them.
That's the best thing about DNC. I know legitimate telemarketers abide by it, so any who call me are law breakers and scammers. It doesn't stop them, but it shows their true colors, and I feel no remorse at treating them mercilessly when they illegal dial my number and I'm in the mood to answer.
So, the phone company cannot universally block a number merely because YOU complain ... however, they might give you the ability to block those calls to YOUR phone. Even better, you can protect yourself, by using a call blocking phone, app or other device.
Do not depend on others to enforce rules or policies YOU invent! Protect yourself!
+6
MidNYteStorm
Getting back to the subject at hand. It would help a great deal if people tried to learn more about these calls. It doesn't matter if it is through this site or somewhere else. I know I have learned a lot since I first discovered 800notes. All we can do is to try and guide others. In the end it is up to the individual to decide what to do with our guidance. I have said before that we could leave here for a period of time and return to find the same comments. Such is life here and if those comments stopped, then 800notes would not be the same.
+1
DNC list protection from scammers
It will never be the same. That feeling is gone. It makes me so sad.
Now all we have are internet based VOIP phone scammers calling en masse like some assembly line factory. UGH!
Let these guys know we expect them to do something. This disclaimer is shameful. Contact the FCC and demand action.
The FCC cannot resolve all individual complaints, but we can provide information about your possible next steps. Complaints about issues such as loud commercials, the Do Not Call List, robocalls, unwanted telephone calls, unsolicited faxes and similar issues covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act are shared among FCC bureaus and offices.
We do not resolve individual complaints on these issues. However, the collective data we receive helps us keep a pulse on what consumers are experiencing, may lead to investigations and serves as a deterrent to the companies we regulate.
This is a great site. I also appreciate being able to get the real source of the call. As to the person earlier in this thread that suggested it's dumb to say, "I never pick up the phone" because it sounds superior, perhaps. I find nothing wrong in educating others. I don't think it can be stressed enough, "Don't pick up the phone!" This can counter a lot of angry energy directed at this site. People need to take responsibility for their own behavior. This site does provide support, however, it's not designed to 'fix' people's own issues. "Don't pick up the phone!" Okay? Got that one?
+3
Bo
i too have been visiting this site for a long time and really appreciate the efforts of those who originally created this forum. ive learned lots and posted plenty of comments regarding various phone#s. i am not troubled by repetitive notes of complaint about specific phone#s... i find it helpful in gauging how prolific/persistent different spammers are, how long they have been around, how many different areas they have been calling, and sometimes even who they are. one "legitimately sanctioned" spam caller with many numbers that has been mentioned on this forum MANY times over the years, who has gone by assorted names (ie "Social Security Coordinators") and as i learned, in part through information i found on this site, they are paid by the federal government to specifically target folks on Medicare to frequently and repeatedly offer them services they may neither want nor need. they pestered us for years, no matter how many times we requested they stop calling, they continued and it was their harassment which specifically led me to discover this site. from reading other people's posts- lots of them and many saying very similar things- i came to understand that certainly we could ignore these calls and that my partner and i no longer needed to feel threatened. the very fact that so many others were weighing in similar unpleasant experiences offered us the comfort of community, if you will. at that time, the up/down vote buttons were used sparingly and other than the occasional troll, folks were generally pretty civil to one another. many went out of their way to offer kind advice in a helpful fashion. the community felt safe.
unfortunately, the atmosphere here has changed to one in which certain of the regulars now behave in snarky, superior fashion, readily down-thumbing newbies with genuine questions and up-thumbing each other's clever insults & rude replies. i fully expect to be called a troll and perhaps assorted other names, and down-thumbed into oblivion for my honest observation, and half expect my comment to simply vanish from the board as certain people might decide its too controversial. all that sort of unpleasant behavior has become shamefully typical around here of late. it is ruining the usefulness of this board for all, and that is really too bad.
Thats odd you say that, the do not call list has been about 99percent effective for me. Between that and this site and occasionally calling them back to find out how fake their number is.
I use YouMail.com and can tag numbers as spammers, then YouMail blocks their calls forever so that it doesn't ring my phone and instead plays the official "Phone number no longer in service" message to them if they do call again.
Do Not Call always has been and always will be free and it works great - maybe you signed up with a scammer and gave them all your info. I haven't received a single legitimate telemarketing call in the 10+ years I've been on the list. The idiots that still call are scammers calling illegally trying to either steal from you or use you by selling your phone # to other scammers. The only way to get the calls to stop or at least slow down dramatically is by NEVER answering their call (if you don't recognize at least the area code, don't answer it) and NEVER call back and "press 1 to be removed from their call list" - that just confirms that it's a live # and will be resold. Then block their #.
+2
^
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There are very few "legitimate" telemarketers left. Maybe 5? LOL My do not call listing expired in 2011 (after 10 years) . I have not had one "legitimate" telemarketer call me since 2011. Obviously I don't volunteer my phone number in forms and applications either. But outbound telemarketing by merchants and service providers are a thing of the past. Most hound you through spam emails or an ocassional val pak via mail. i actually like the val pak coupons. I use them often, local businesses offering discounts to try them out. Outbound telemarketing is way too labor intensive and not cost efficient for most businesses.
This is why I advocate pressing '1' and getting to a live agent. This imposes a greater cost on them while they go through their initial script. Asking questions, getting them off script, waffling on the offer to get them to take more time to try to close the sale - all these things increase their cost and cut into their profits. While their are talking to me, they aren't talking to someone else who might buy something (from reading these forums, it will be to their regret).
If the profit is removed, they will have no choice but completely stop telemarketing. No laws will do this. No technology will do this. Only good old-fashioned 'crowd sourcing' of our time to make them bear the maximum burden for as many of the illegal calls they make will tip the balance.
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