wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:26:13 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:



wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 4/14/21 7:06 AM, Vic Smith wrote:

[snip]

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers
are
endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

That national no-call list was nice - when it still worked.

Yes it was. I remember when that service was started. Almost no junk
calls.

I never stopped getting calls from local businesses in spite of being
on the national and Florida no call list. Reporting them did not seem
to do much. I am not sure what loophole they exploited but I never
heard about any of them getting it trouble.

I was pretty aggressive about trying to fill out that form but the
real scammers must have key words they look for because no matter how
long you talk or how you work around the questions they figure out you
are harvesting the information you need and they hang up.

You must have ****ed that up. All you have to do is agree
that you need what they are trying to flog. They have to
tell you who they are for you to be able to show up in
their store or pay for what they are flogging on the phone.

It depends on the scam. Sometimes they just want you to give up some
personal information and they are not really selling you anything.

But you were talking about local hardware businesses.

No point in reporting the other ones, they are calling from outside
the country and there is nothing the FTC can do about them.

On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:27:24 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 4/13/21 7:39 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:

[snip]

Use a number from a non-local Area Code, then ignore all calls from that
Area Code. That has been extremely effective for me.

I get a few junk calls from my area code and a lot of calls from other
areas. This wouldn't be a very good solution.

Looking at the CID name is still a much better solution.

Sorry, but that's no solution at all. They can, and do, put whatever they
want into the CID field.

On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers are endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

You live in TX, so yes of course many of your calls appear to come from TX.
I don't live in TX but I use a TX number, so many/most of my junk calls
also appear to come from TX. Scammers know you're much more likely to
answer a call when you recognize the Area Code, and even more so when you
recognize the exchange.

Bottom line, a CID name based blocker would be ineffective. It's way too
easy to spoof the CID info.

On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:03:03 -0400, Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us to
digest...


On 4/14/2021 5:40 PM, Tekkie? wrote:

On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 11:01:11 -0400, Retirednoguilt posted for all of us to
digest...


I assume you don't have caller I.D. If your line is purely residential,
consider letting all calls go to voice mail/answering machine possibly
screening them as the messages are left. Never pick up or return the
spam calls. We've never had a live person spam caller leave a message.

The above strategy may or may not be a practical solution if the line is
used for business purposes.

If you do have caller I.D. our panasonic wireless system allows you to
sort incoming calls from numbers in the phone's directory into as many
as 5 categories and you can assign a different ring tone to each
category. We have all numbers from callers we consider "important"
assigned to one ringtone and all other numbers to another. Important
calls get answered. All the others are left to go to voice mail. About
90% of all those calls are either robo calls that sneak through NOMOROBO
and Comcast and leave their recorded junk, or are live person spam calls
and no message is left.


I do have caller ID and follow what you do. It is my wife that has the
compulsion to know what every call is.


Easy solution. She answers the phone.

Nah, she's too busy cookin or wash'n

--
Tekkie

On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 07:34:23 +1000, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

--
Richard addressing senile Rodent Speed:
"**** you're thick/pathetic excuse for a troll."
MID:

On Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 4:46:56 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:03:03 -0400, Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us to
digest...

On 4/14/2021 5:40 PM, Tekkie? wrote:

On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 11:01:11 -0400, Retirednoguilt posted for all of us to
digest...


I assume you don't have caller I.D. If your line is purely residential,
consider letting all calls go to voice mail/answering machine possibly
screening them as the messages are left. Never pick up or return the
spam calls. We've never had a live person spam caller leave a message.

The above strategy may or may not be a practical solution if the line is
used for business purposes.

If you do have caller I.D. our panasonic wireless system allows you to
sort incoming calls from numbers in the phone's directory into as many
as 5 categories and you can assign a different ring tone to each
category. We have all numbers from callers we consider "important"
assigned to one ringtone and all other numbers to another. Important
calls get answered. All the others are left to go to voice mail. About
90% of all those calls are either robo calls that sneak through NOMOROBO
and Comcast and leave their recorded junk, or are live person spam calls
and no message is left.


I do have caller ID and follow what you do. It is my wife that has the
compulsion to know what every call is.


Easy solution. She answers the phone.
Nah, she's too busy cookin or wash'n

That's why my dad would yell "telephone" so Mom wouldn't
miss it. He didn't get out of his chair. It was always for her anyhow.

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 06:31:47 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:



"Vic Smith" wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 13:59:04 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 4/14/21 7:06 AM, Vic Smith wrote:

[snip]

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers
are
endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could
really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

That national no-call list was nice - when it still worked.

Yes it was. I remember when that service was started. Almost no junk
calls.

I never stopped getting calls from local businesses in spite of being
on the national and Florida no call list. Reporting them did not seem
to do much. I am not sure what loophole they exploited but I never
heard about any of them getting it trouble.
I was pretty aggressive about trying to fill out that form but the
real scammers must have key words they look for because no matter how
long you talk or how you work around the questions they figure out you
are harvesting the information you need and they hang up.

Would have saved your time if you just told them **** you and hung up.

But that wouldn't let you dob them in to the FTC.

It is a waste of time anyway.

I doubt that with US operations that are trying to sell you something.

On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:12:15 +1000, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile cretin's latest troll**** unread

--
John addressing the senile Australian pest:
"You are a complete idiot. But you make me larf. LOL"
MID:

On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 07:34:23 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:



wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:26:13 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:



wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 4/14/21 7:06 AM, Vic Smith wrote:

[snip]

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers
are
endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

That national no-call list was nice - when it still worked.

Yes it was. I remember when that service was started. Almost no junk
calls.

I never stopped getting calls from local businesses in spite of being
on the national and Florida no call list. Reporting them did not seem
to do much. I am not sure what loophole they exploited but I never
heard about any of them getting it trouble.

I was pretty aggressive about trying to fill out that form but the
real scammers must have key words they look for because no matter how
long you talk or how you work around the questions they figure out you
are harvesting the information you need and they hang up.

You must have ****ed that up. All you have to do is agree
that you need what they are trying to flog. They have to
tell you who they are for you to be able to show up in
their store or pay for what they are flogging on the phone.

It depends on the scam. Sometimes they just want you to give up some
personal information and they are not really selling you anything.

But you were talking about local hardware businesses.

No point in reporting the other ones, they are calling from outside
the country and there is nothing the FTC can do about them.

I said local business. I never said hardware.
They usually want to inspect my roof, ice pick my air conditioner,
sell me a ticket to the policeman's ball or something.
Nobody ever says where they are calling from.

On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:46:48 -0500, Jim Joyce
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers are endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

You live in TX, so yes of course many of your calls appear to come from TX.
I don't live in TX but I use a TX number, so many/most of my junk calls
also appear to come from TX. Scammers know you're much more likely to
answer a call when you recognize the Area Code, and even more so when you
recognize the exchange.

Bottom line, a CID name based blocker would be ineffective. It's way too
easy to spoof the CID info.

I used to get calls from my own number back when I looked at Caller
IDs.

On 4/15/21 4:41 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:27:24 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 4/13/21 7:39 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:

[snip]

Use a number from a non-local Area Code, then ignore all calls from that
Area Code. That has been extremely effective for me.

I get a few junk calls from my area code and a lot of calls from other
areas. This wouldn't be a very good solution.

Looking at the CID name is still a much better solution.

Sorry, but that's no solution at all. They can, and do, put whatever they
want into the CID field.

Usually, they don't seem to care. I don't remember ever getting a junk
call that had the name of a person or business I wanted to hear from.

So, looking at the CID name is STILL mostly effective. Not 100%, but
more like 97%. Using a non-local area code would be much less effective
(considering junk calls I actually get).

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"I have been looking for god for fifty years and I think if he had
existed I should have discovered him." -- Thomas Hardy

On 4/15/21 4:46 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:24:10 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

I gave up marking calls spam on my Ooma after realizing the numbers are endless.
Now I just pick up and hang up if it's not a known caller.

If a home phone with caller ID, you don't need to pick up to know. Most
of these junk calls are obvious when you look at the name on the
display. Often a city and state like "CENTER TX". Those are almost all
junk calls. There's also TOLL FREE CALL.

I don't know why there are no CID-name based blockers. That could really
help, especially with pattern matching. "* TX" could block a lot of
those calls.

You live in TX, so yes of course many of your calls appear to come from TX.
I don't live in TX but I use a TX number, so many/most of my junk calls
also appear to come from TX. Scammers know you're much more likely to
answer a call when you recognize the Area Code, and even more so when you
recognize the exchange.

I get many junk calls that say they/re from other states as well.

Bottom line, a CID name based blocker would be ineffective. It's way too
easy to spoof the CID info.

IT is NOT ineffective. Just looking at the CID on my phone, I see junk
calls from:

DYNATA
CURLEW WA
ECTOR TX
ATOKA OK
HOUSTON TX
BULLHEAD CTY AZ
Out of area (often with a number)
HAWKINS TX
DAINGERFIELD TX
WHITEWRIGHT TX
HENDERSON TX
MASON OH
ATHENS TX
BLOSSOM TX
FRANKSTON TX
TYLER TX

ONCE I got a legitimate call with such an ID (local burn ban notice),
but every other time it has been junk. Working pretty well for a
"useless" system.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"I have been looking for god for fifty years and I think if he had
existed I should have discovered him." -- Thomas Hardy

On 4/15/21 6:33 PM, wrote:

[snip]

Bottom line, a CID name based blocker would be ineffective. It's way too
easy to spoof the CID info.

I used to get calls from my own number back when I looked at Caller
IDs.
I get those calls on my cell phone, that appear to be from my home
phone. It seems to be an attempt to trick me into thinking I'm calling
my voicemail. The first couple of seconds are cut off (a common thing
for robocallers too stupid to WAIT FOR THE BEEP). Then the robotic voice
sounds drunk.

Looking at the caller ID on a home phone has been VERY effective at
identifying junk calls.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"I have been looking for god for fifty years and I think if he had
existed I should have discovered him." -- Thomas Hardy

On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:34:06 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 4/15/21 4:41 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:27:24 -0500, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 4/13/21 7:39 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:

[snip]

Use a number from a non-local Area Code, then ignore all calls from that
Area Code. That has been extremely effective for me.

I get a few junk calls from my area code and a lot of calls from other
areas. This wouldn't be a very good solution.

Looking at the CID name is still a much better solution.

Sorry, but that's no solution at all. They can, and do, put whatever they
want into the CID field.

Usually, they don't seem to care. I don't remember ever getting a junk
call that had the name of a person or business I wanted to hear from.

So, looking at the CID name is STILL mostly effective. Not 100%, but
more like 97%. Using a non-local area code would be much less effective
(considering junk calls I actually get).

Your experience is very different from mine. What works for you wouldn't
work for me.