According to the FCC, the two businesses made more than one billion to falsely sell short-term health insurance plans.
*****
I'd say that half the calls on the house phone and 99.9% of my cell phone calls are robocalls.
"What?" you say? 99.9% of my cell phone calls? Yup, my throwaway cell phone is just a truck phone in case I break down. I've given exactly 3 people my number and only two of them have ever called it, and one of those was by accident, yet it probably rings 3-4 times a day.
Obiden was in public office 40+ years and couldn't get get a simple thing like that fixed ,watch him pay the fine for these a-holes.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I wrote a letter to my CONgress critter and Senators complaining about all of the robo calls I was getting at the time. Guess what? The calls stopped, for about a week. I think the FCC may have finally gotten the bastards this time, as I haven't had a call in about a week. (Fingers crossed). I'm pretty sure that the robo callers get their lists of phone numbers from public records, like VOTER REGISTRATION LISTS and the DO NOT CALL list. EVERY politician either elected or running for office is given the voter registration list, which, under penalty of PERJURY, demands your correct phone number. I know, pretty cynical thinking, but PROBABLY TRUE as to the source.
ReplyDeleteYou have to ask yourself, why would these robo call companies WASTE time calling numbers that are NOT VALID. The story, from our erstwhile politicians, is that robo callers use computers to randomly dial phone numbers which is pure boooollllsshheett.
The phone companies are just as guilty allowing these robo callers to continue to operate. Rudimentary traffic analysis, which the phone companies carry out on a continuous basis to help them set rates and plans, should easily identify particular phone numbers as robo callers, just through the shear volume of outgoing calls that they make.
'Course the phone companies have the politicians in their back pockets, so that avenue of getting anything done about the problem is not worth spit.
Nemo
Nemo wins the 'net today.
DeleteMy experiences are the same...someone OTHER than the robos are making bank.
It is always criminals.
POLITICIANS ARE CRIMINALS.
Wake the F up...
QHM
I try to answer every call that comes into my home phone. My voicemail picks up after 3 rings so, I have to catch them on the second or 3rd. ring. I always navigate until I get a human operator (usually with an Indian accent) and try to keep them on the line as long as possible and to let the assholes know my intent is to waste their time. I'm retired so I have lots of free time during the day. Believe it or not, the number of unsolicited robocalls has dropped since I started answering them and fucking with the assholes.
ReplyDeletebiggest fine ever? big whoop. I'll be surprised if they collect a penny of it.
ReplyDeletemy last 11 years I worked on the telecom side of a major U.S. company. I know phone systems and even have had several classes in the software (Cisco UCCX) these scammer call centers use.
the big telcos could fix this. they have no incentive to do so since it would involve spending time and money, and set up agreements with other telcos on traffic handling.
if the big telcoms won't fix it, congress could mandate a fix - but that may affect their precious robocalls for campaigning. so no incentive there.
right now my home landline phone gets 5, 8, 10 or more calls a day so CallerID is a gift from God.
Not that I'm bitter but our public voice network is useless because of this.
Just got off the phone with some old guy who was “returning my call”. He saw my number on his cell phone and wondered what I wanted.I tried to explain how some robocalls spoof local numbers but I dont think he got it and he didnt remember that I had the same conversation with him last week.
ReplyDeleteI get a least a dozen calls a day for folks trying to sell me an extended warranty for my truck. They keep telling me its about to run out, but I still have 5 years left on the powertrain. They keep spoofing the caller ID (my own phone number showed up during one of their many robocalls).
ReplyDeleteNeither her number (a landline) or my number (cell) are listed anywhere. Like Kenny, my private cell number is one very few have. My business cell I use all the time...but I only get those calls on my private cell.
My mother gets some of those as well, but nowhere near what I receive. Instead, she gets the 'Amazon' calls warning her about 'suspicious' activity on her account (which she doesn't have) and wanting account information to address the problem. She gets 5 or 6 of those calls in about an hour's time and then they stop...until the next day.
Same old same old here on the other side of the lake. Have you noticed as we have that most of them, despite clling themselves Doug or Mark or Linda have Indian accents you could cut with a poppadum?
ReplyDeleteOn a few occasions I have answered them and gotten to the human being on the other end, but rather than using English I will use my limited French or Finnish. Sometimes I'll use really bad Russian. It usually takes less than 30 seconds before they give up in frustration and hang up.
DeleteThe "extended warranty" scam is pervasive not just on cell phones but landlines too. I'll bet we get that one at least 2-4 times a week, in between what's known in the trade as "badge deals", you know, calls to collect funds for police and fire fighters. Another one we hear quite a bit is the $399 Amazon order, and "Windows" calling because there's a virus on my PC.
ReplyDeleteMost of the calls we get, no matter whether it's a cell or landline call, are this bogus shit.
One thing I've started doing is immediately hanging up if they say it's a "recorded line".
My mother fell victim to the "Windows" scam a few years back. Called the PD to report it even though I knew it would do no good. Have since replaced any of the Windows installs with Linux. (The only exception is my work laptop which uses Win10. My employer's IT department wouldn't even consider letting me replace W10 with Linux, so it is the only machine in my home using it.
DeleteNow when the Windows scammers call, I can tell them that it's an effin' miracle because none of our machines use Windows.
Wanna have some fun?
ReplyDeleteNext time one of these robocalls comes in and you wife is in earshot say in a firm voice:
"I told you I'm married! Don't call again!" pause and yell "I DON'T WANT A SELFIE OF YOUR TITS". hang up.
For sure it will put some excitement back in your marriage. Worked for me.
If I'm having a bad day I take one of those calls, and I mess with the guy from India. (They're always from India.) I try to keep them on as long as I can, and they usually tell me to go fuck myself after they catch on, and then they hang up.
ReplyDeleteOne Sunday they called all day. Probably 20 times. I got pretty pissed and looked up ways to piss off E. Indian scammers. It must have worked because on the last call I got, I called the guy a son of a Pakistani Dog! There was dead silence on the other end, and I hung up. No more calls! Any insult you can throw at them that involves Pakistan or Pakistani's, will jerk their chain really hard.
Deleteed in wa
Tsgt Joe, I have had that exact same thing happen to me also. It took me a little while to convince the old codger on the other end.
ReplyDeleteAll, it's true. The telecoms could put a stop to this immediately with just a little bit of technology, but they won't. Why? Because they make money on it. I am usually not one to say "There ought to be a law.", but in this case, I will. Because this telemarketing bullshit has been allowed to get so out of hand, it has ruined the best telephone system in the world.
What I do, is I look at the caller ID. If I don't recognize the number, I pick up the handset and immediately put it back down, (or on my cell, I hit the cancel button) cutting off the call. If it's a legit call, they will call right back and I'll then answer it.
The do not call list was good for a little while, but the telemarketers ignore it because there are no consequences.
Then you have "those people" - what WestCoastDeplorable calls "badge deals". I had one come in from a supposed state police charity. I told him: "I am on the do not call list." He replied: "Sir, we are exempt from the DNCL." I then replied to him: "Are you people really that stupid? I went to all the trouble to put this number on that list. Then you go against my specific wishes and call me anyway - AND THEN YOU EXPECT ME TO GIVE YOU MONEY?? Fuck You!" and then hung up. (It didn't help, but it made me feel better.)
Obnoxious marketing has become the norm nowadays. Because of it, I now have a set rule in place. No matter who it is or what it is about, I will NOT listen to or, heaven forbid, BUY something from a telemarketer - or any online ad that is a pop-up or pop-over. And any web site that insists that I disable my ad-blocker gets the "Back" button immediately.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tone
ReplyDeleteI record the audio of the Intercept code at the beginning of my answering machine's message-before my voice is heard. The caller's computer-if the caller is a high volume scammer-instantly recognizes the Special Information Tone and may immediately disconnect and-if you are lucky-remove your telephone number from memory. This technique seems to help, though it is impossible to know for sure. We still get our fair share of junk calls, but fewer than before using the recording of the Intercept tone. If the caller is not on Caller ID we don't answer; if they are legit they can leave a message. Give it a try.