this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2024
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(Picture alt text: a screenshot of my phone's call log, with numbers redacted (just in case). The phone numbers (except for one) are all spam calls)

I'm not sure if this is the correct place for this, but I am at my limit with these.

Constantly throughout the day I get spam call after spam call. I constantly report them to Google (I've got a Pixel 5, if it matters), yet nothing changes. This has been happening for months.

These calls will also leave the exact same, completely silent, 4-second voicemails. I will block and report spam, but you know how it is. There's no way to turn voice mail notifications off, and I wouldn't necessarily want to, because I know I'd miss something genuine or important.

What do I do? Is there anything I can do, beyond changing numbers? Even then, I'm sure a new number would exist in some database somewhere and be victim to more spam calls. This is heinous.

Thanks for reading. I'm just so frustrated.

Edit: this got a lot more attention than I anticipated. I appreciate the suggestions for different spam blockers and settings! It's also nice knowing I'm not alone. Hopefully, at least in the US, we'll get some real legislation eventually that will kill these spam calls once and for all.

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This is a tactic that worked for me, but your mileage may vary. I used to get dozens of spam calls a day on both my work and personal numbers. I did all the things that you're supposed to do and they just kept coming. I also needed to answer unknown numbers on my work phone so I couldn't just block them.

So after a while, I started answering the calls and calling them back when I got silence. I made sure I could talk to a person/scammer as often as possible. In the beginning I would just ask them if they felt good about themselves trying to scam people out of their money. They would generally just hang up but one guy gave this long speech about how if you were that dumb you didn't deserve that much money and how he was living the American dream (although I did ask him if he was in American at which point he hung up on me). After that, I would just start trying to keep them on the phone as long as possible. My job is such that I can work and talk on the phone at the same time, so I made a word document that had a fake name, birth day, social security number, address, a fake person basically. Then I would put on my "old man" voice and just act stupid to keep them on the phone. I kept one guy on the phone for four hours as I pretended to be too inept to turn on my laptop to give him my IP address. He was quite upset when I told him I knew he was scamming me.

Anyway, I haven't gotten a scam call in like 6 months. I think scammers put me on their do not call list. Maybe worth a shot?

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

Of course nothing changes when reporting them to Google, your number is somewhere on the internet, change it.

[–] odama626@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you have a pixel you can turn on call screening for unknown numbers. Ive been using it for a couple years now on my pixel and my phone hardly ever rings now, its fantastic

Phone > settings > call screen > automatically screen calls + maximum protection.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like an overcomplex and invasive solution for an easy problem. Just switch the number, obviously some strange people (and a lot) had access to it.

Then follow with best practices and never give out your phone number when possible. There are tons of free sms services you can use

[–] GekkoState@lemmings.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You think switching your number is less complex than using call screen?

That would literally involve changing your number with most major web services you use including your bank BEFORE you get rid of your old number. Better hopr you don't forget one because your not gonna get that sms verification code to log back in.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

Thats a fair point. But the real and simple problem is "your phone number was breached somewhere, change it". I never get spam calls or mails, people that are not careful do.

[–] ililiililiililiilili@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Totally unrelated, but I just want to let you know: the last security update for Pixel 5 was a few months ago. You should stop using that phone as soon as possible.

[–] tzudad@mastodon.social 0 points 1 year ago

@ililiililiililiilili @Marighost Lineage or CalyxOS are better options than replacing a perfectly good phone.

[–] Okokimup@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Same here. It's always the same Medicare scam. And I just watched that special John Oliver did about human traffickers forcing people to work in their scam factories, so I wonder if it's part of that.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yet Another Call Blocker

I've used it for years now. Very few calls make it through any more.

[–] Hate@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

YACB the GOAT

Blacklist: *

Whitelist Contacts: On

Advanced Call Blocking Mode: On

Absolutely nothing gets through