Potential Scammer

[Moveon]

In the past few days the caller ID on my phone has shown the following: Potential Scammer. This happens when the caller ID is fake and the Caller ID name does not match the phone number that the call is coming from. This is a new way to stop the fake calls that try to scam us using our phones.

How many times did you have to stop what you are doing and go answer the phone only to find out is was some scammer trying to sell you something that you don't need?

[R19]

I never answer my phone even if its a number I recognize. I have it set to ring 3 times and go to voice mail. My phone can ring and I don't even bother looking at it. If it beeps about 30 seconds or so later then I know someone left a message. On a rare occasion a scammer will leave a message but they always say something that gives them away.

I don't know how accurate what I am about to type next is so take what I am about to say as third party information...I met someone who use to work for a telemarketing service. They were not a scammer they were legit but trying to sell you something. Anyways I was told if you answer your phone its flagged as a working answerable number in their data base. You can hang up, curse them, tell them to put you on a do not call list or do whatever you want but its already too late regarding the privacy of your number. If you don't buy or show interest after multiple attempts they simply sell your number to another call service. Granted its pennies on the dollar but this gives call centers a list of known answerable numbers to work with. Scammers hack the system and steal the numbers so that's how they have a never ending list of answerable phone numbers. Now if you do as I and let a machine answer they also note this and will try multiple times and eventually give up. Then you number is sold as an answerable number but only voice mail. When they sell that number its far less than an answerable number.

I'm an O.G. so I still have a home number. For the above reason I done away with caller ID. Why pay X amount if I'm not going to look at it and let the machine answer it. Plus caller ID is useless when scammers can spoof the number calling making it look like a known trusted number. I don't even flinch when my home or cell rings..I let everything go to a message.

[Moveon]

I never answer my phone even if its a number I recognize. I have it set to ring 3 times and go to voice mail. My phone can ring and I don't even bother looking at it. If it beeps about 30 seconds or so later then I know someone left a message. On a rare occasion a scammer will leave a message but they always say something that gives them away.

I don't know how accurate what I am about to type next is so take what I am about to say as third party information...I met someone who use to work for a telemarketing service. They were not a scammer they were legit but trying to sell you something. Anyways I was told if you answer your phone its flagged as a working answerable number in their data base. You can hang up, curse them, tell them to put you on a do not call list or do whatever you want but its already too late regarding the privacy of your number. If you don't buy or show interest after multiple attempts they simply sell your number to another call service. Granted its pennies on the dollar but this gives call centers a list of known answerable numbers to work with. Scammers hack the system and steal the numbers so that's how they have a never ending list of answerable phone numbers. Now if you do as I and let a machine answer they also note this and will try multiple times and eventually give up. Then you number is sold as an answerable number but only voice mail. When they sell that number its far less than an answerable number.

I'm an O.G. so I still have a home number. For the above reason I done away with caller ID. Why pay X amount if I'm not going to look at it and let the machine answer it. Plus caller ID is useless when scammers can spoof the number calling making it look like a known trusted number. I don't even flinch when my home or cell rings..I let everything go to a message.

Both calls were robo calls. My Verizon service provider was suppose to stop these type of calls that spoof the caller ID number but these two calls came though anyway. I saved the web site for reporting these type of calls to the FCC and used that web site to report one of them. I reported the phone number they used which I got from my cell phones records. And then I reported the day, hour and seconds from my cell phone's records. I then added the phone number to my cell phone's block list. So if they use that number again it will reject the call and I won't hear it ring. But they will spoof a new phone number next time. This call is the one where they say This is Cindy from AT&T etc. I get these call at least once a week or twice a week at times. I just hang up when I hear the sales pitch as it's a recording.

You are right that if you answer the phone they will continue to call you as they know that it's a valid phone number where someone answers the phone. But I didn't know that the computer could tell if the answering machine or voice mail answers the phone or you do. I wonder how they figure that out? I know that I can block the phone number but I can't stop them from using my voice mail. But like you said they usually don't leave a message on the voice mail. That could be used to fine them or arrest them as there are ways to analyze the voice and match it to a person. I know that voice are more recognizable than a photo of the person. I have seen people that I use to know but have not seen in 30 years and didn't recognize them until they started talking. I knew who they were the second I heard their voice. But their face looks 30 years older and I didn't recognize them at all.

One time I took my 90-year-old mother to the grocery store so she could buy some things. I went my way and she went hers as she is so unorganized and doesn't go in the same order that I do. I caught up with her after about 30 minutes and found her talking to an older man. I didn't recognize the man until he started to talk to me. I thought he was hitting on my mom at first. LOL. It turns out that he was an old friend of mine that I used to work with for over ten years when we were both much younger. I got a laugh out of the event. Both of us have gray hair now were the last time I saw him he was a youthful guy. Now he is an old man with gray hair and a beard. lol.