I've just heard from my mom that NoMoRobo doesn't seem to be working as well as before in terms of telemarketers calling her landline. I set it up for her a few years back, and it reduced the number of her calls to nearly zero. Apparently it's now only working about 50/50 for her. The calls are a serious annoyance.

Anyone have any suggestions for an alternative, or is this something that not a whole lot can be done about? (I suspect that the telemarketers are getting around NoMoRobo the same way they're doing it for those of us with cell phones -- they're spoofing numbers.)

TiA

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

yeah - been noticing the same thing the past week or so...

The FCC is on top of this, though:

"Released: April 20, 2021

WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES OPENING OF ROBOCALL MITIGATION DATABASE AND PROVIDES FILING INSTRUCTIONS AND DEADLINES
WC Docket No. 17-97

In this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces the immediate opening of the Robocall Mitigation Database, provides detailed filing instructions, and establishes a June 30, 2021 deadline for voice service providers to submit required information in the Database. Based on this deadline, intermediate providers and terminating voice service providers will be prohibited from accepting traffic from voice service providers not listed in the Robocall Mitigation Database beginning September 28, 2021."

What I've noticed (we have NoMoRobo also) is that every telemarketing call is a new number.

They call a bunch of different people with the same number, it gets blocked, they go on to a new number. And, like you mentioned, they spoof existing real numbers that can't be blocked. I've gotten bogus calls from local business numbers, government office numbers, and even the Emergency ECN Community number. It really is out of control.

unless your mom has a business that requires her to answer every call she receives, the best option is to tell her not to answer the phone unless it's from someone she knows. Our old landline, which is now on Ooma, gets a handful of calls every day. About 95% are from numbers we don't recognize. If it's a legitimate call and it's important, they WILL leave a message. I know the temptation is there to answer it "just in case it's important!" Tell her to get over it. It helps to have a talking Caller ID so she can hear who it is without having to get up.

When our phone rings and we don't pickup, we can hear the answering machine play its outgoing message. Most of the time, they hang up before the beep. Legit callers WILL leave a message! Even some non-legit callers will leave one, but you just erase those. If it is legit and they begin to leave a message, I can always pick up and answer the call.

It took about a month or so to get over the urge to answer when the phone rang. I've been doing this for probably 10 years now and have never had anyone say they tried calling to tell us something important but didn't bother to leave a message.

I like being able to check the messages left on my Ooma via the web interface. It also shows missed calls. I leave the web page open in a tab permanently. Might be right up your mother’s alley.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
rz
unless your mom has a business that requires her to answer every call she receives, the best option is to tell her not to answer the phone unless it's from someone she knows. Our old landline, which is now on Ooma, gets a handful of calls every day. About 95% are from numbers we don't recognize. If it's a legitimate call and it's important, they WILL leave a message. I know the temptation is there to answer it "just in case it's important!" Tell her to get over it. It helps to have a talking Caller ID so she can hear who it is without having to get up.

When our phone rings and we don't pickup, we can hear the answering machine play its outgoing message. Most of the time, they hang up before the beep. Legit callers WILL leave a message! Even some non-legit callers will leave one, but you just erase those. If it is legit and they begin to leave a message, I can always pick up and answer the call.

It took about a month or so to get over the urge to answer when the phone rang. I've been doing this for probably 10 years now and have never had anyone say they tried calling to tell us something important but didn't bother to leave a message.

She does exactly that (not picking up the phone unless it's someone she knows), but the problem is that she's the type who -- despite being retired -- feels it necessary to always answer the phone or at least look at it when it rings. And it rings A LOT. The times that I've been home to visit, I've actually been a little shocked at how frequently she gets even legitimate calls (not counting the telemarketers), and how she feels compelled to always answer (of course she doesn't answer the telemarketers). Honestly, I couldn't live like that -- feeling obligated to always look at the phone.

Talking Caller ID would probably be more annoying than what it does now -- which is to ring and show the caller ID on the TV.

I'm almost tempted to get her one of those devices on Amazon -- I think it's the Digitone? But I don't know if that'd work in this situation, especially if the telemarketers keep changing their spoofed numbers.

I agree with MikeF that it's really out of control ... please don't tell me that the phone companies can't do something about this, I'm sure they can -- they just don't want to.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Quote
PeterB
...please don't tell me that the phone companies can't do something about this, I'm sure they can -- they just don't want to.

Read the links I posted above, and this CNN article covering the same topic

Quick Summary:
Expect spoofed numbers to significantly drop starting September 28th, but then the expectation is that telemarketers/robocallers will purchase legitimate phone #s to use (which nomorobo should help with somewhat)

Quote
SDGuy

Quote
PeterB
...please don't tell me that the phone companies can't do something about this, I'm sure they can -- they just don't want to.

Read the links I posted above, and this CNN article covering the same topic

Quick Summary:
Expect spoofed numbers to significantly drop starting September 28th, but then the expectation is that telemarketers/robocallers will purchase legitimate phone #s to use (which nomorobo should help with somewhat)

Most of your links were to download documents, which I don't generally click without knowing first what they are, and the link titles weren't revealing as to what they are.

And I notice this line from the CNN article: "Under the Stir/Shaken protocol, carriers are required to certify, with varying confidence levels, that calls really are coming from the numbers displayed on caller ID."

... sounds like they're giving the major telco's a potential "out" if they don't actually do what they're supposed to.

The CNN article also points out that this isn't likely to stop the telemarketers, only force them to use another avenue to accomplish their goals...

Also, I wonder how this is going to work with international calls, since a large number of the telemarketers/scammers are located in other countries.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Have you ever called yourself?
A couple of times I see my number in the called ID of who is calling.

---

Staunton, Virginia

I just answer, "F.B.I. telemarketing fraud division; are you calling to report, or are you calling to continue to try to commit your telemarketing fraud? This call is being recorded, and electronically traced as we speak, so please state your real, given name and Social Security Number for the record...."

Our number is our old business number from years ago, so it looks official. Don't get many takers before they start swearing and hang up.
==

" If it's a legitimate call and it's important, they WILL leave a message."


THIS


For several YEARS now, I simply do NOT answer my phone unless I know the caller. I also "Google" every number that comes in and report the bogus numbers.

Caller ID spoofing has broken the blocking model. Most blocking software now warns about “same exchange spoofing”, so the caller ID spoofing stopped that and just uses random numbers.

Unless caller ID logic I can be built that verifies something like IP address, there is no hope.

Set the phone to send all unknown contacts to voicemail.

Two years ago I received a few calls from a number in the cell phone's original Area Code, but they never left a message. It turned out to be an outsourced out-of-state call center for my health plan.

Just today I had a phone call from a caller ID that was about 20 digits long. I cursed Verizon loudly and said REALLY!?!? That's a call you couldn't be bothered to block?

---

In tha 360. MRF User Map

One of the irritants of Frontier is that they occasionally mark a phone call as "Potential Spam" but there is no option to block them.

Thanks to all for suggestions/information...

This reminds me to mention a story of my own. Just a couple of days ago, I got a call from "No Caller ID" ... despite the fact that I've set my iPhone to reject numbers without caller ID.

Who was the caller? As it turns out, the USPS (a central office, not my local PO). Yes, you have that right, no caller ID from the USPS. Who do they think they are, the CIA? (I guess they REALLY don't want anyone having their number!)

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

If it's a legitimate call and it's important, they WILL leave a message.

This, and...

For several YEARS now, I simply do NOT answer my phone unless I know the caller. I also "Google" every number that comes in and report the bogus numbers.

...this.

Well, except I don't search all numbers, and I've only reported one to 800.notes or something like that.

I'm still puzzled over the calls, from unknown numbers of course, that ring twice and hang up.

They may be trying to socially engineer me to think 'WTF?' and call back.

I get at least one of those a week and generally a different number each time.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

I installed Verizon’s “call filter” a couple weeks ago. It has only intercepted two calls so far. One yesterday was from the CA Franchise Tax Board which I wanted. Luckily, I was standing by…

---

=wr=

If we had summary executions of fraudulent telemarketers, it would cut out at least 10% of the calls.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Bernie
Have you ever called yourself?
A couple of times I see my number in the called ID of who is calling.

Yes, one time. It was so novel I decided to answer myself. However, myself didn't respond to myself so I hung up on myself.