Phone Scammers Getting Smarter...
- Thread starter Ted
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Half Fast
Touchdown! Greaser!
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
That's exactly what they're doing now.
azure
Final Approach
BTDT. Evidence was slightly different in my case, but equally convincing.
denverpilot
Tied Down
What do they need the FCC for? They’re allowing the spoofed numbers in at their edges from their own customers, let alone the ones allowed by their competitors.
All the domestic carriers have to do is block any CID sent that doesn’t match a registered DID for the circuit and demand customers who need spoofing (to display an 800 number for a legitimate call center for example) prove they own the number prior to allowing the customer premises gear to send it.
Otherwise send, “Unavailable” or no CID at all. That’ll motivate any businesses who miss the deadline to fix it.
I think they fed you a line of BS if they think FCC has to be involved.
Prove the business that has the trunk owns the number or no CID ingress at the edge. Done. The carriers can implement it any time they like. Accepting CID on a trunk is not a regulated service required item. They can put whatever limitations on it that they like.
Drop inbound calls from other carriers who refuse to do it, straight into voice mail. That’ll get the others to fix it real quick.
I’ve got a phone system bug right now that under a very specific condition it’ll spoof out a trunk ID number that’s meaningless. Called party gets a five digit caller ID number.
My carrier lets the call go out, which I’m thankful for while I get Avaya to fix their crap, but they could just drop it.
That’d actually get me the opportunity to yell at Avaya for an actual Sev-1 outage and make them drop me a patch NOW instead of waiting months for their stupid idiot software group who keeps closing the ticket after reading the logs showing it happening, to actually fix it.
35 AoA
Pattern Altitude
I don't answer any call from any number that doesn't register as someone I know. Maybe I'm weird, but I avoid phone calls at all costs.......any excuse to not answer my phone I will take. Unless it is my wife, or my boss (maybe that is a redundant statement), or I really want to talk to you, I'm not answering, much less some unidentified number. Try my method for a month, I promise you will have much less hate and discontent.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Doesn’t work for those of us perennially on-call. The proper fix is a root-cause fix. Block the garbage at the source as a policy of the network.
35 AoA
Pattern Altitude
Fair enough
sourdough44
En-Route
My newer technique is to just set the phone by the speaker with some talk radio playing. Most of the time they go away fairly quickly, sometimes they hang on. I check back after a few minutes.
Some calls seem like the same old gig, medical sales or other nonsense. Of course I don’t answer at times. Once in a while I am waiting on a call that isn’t in my contact list. That’s when I play ball.
Some calls seem like the same old gig, medical sales or other nonsense. Of course I don’t answer at times. Once in a while I am waiting on a call that isn’t in my contact list. That’s when I play ball.
timwinters
Ejection Handle Pulled
That's pretty much my technique. If it's a real call, they'll leave a message and I will return the call. That method doesn't work when I'm working though.
Rushie
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Do we need the FCC to force them to do it? I'm glad to hear the technology is there to block spoofing but why aren't the carriers already doing that for us? I have gotten three callbacks from the same person who got calls from "my" (spoofed) number. I finally had to block him after telling him three times that I didn't call him.
LoneAspen
Line Up and Wait
I don't either. Doesn't seem like there's any financial incentive for them to fix it.
Maybe what needs to happen is regulation (can't believe I used that word) with pretty stiff penalties and fines on the CARRIERS (not the callers) every time one of these spoofed spammy calls gets through. Fine every carrier $100 for each spoofed call they let through and I bet you'd see it fixed in a matter of weeks.
I'm usually a proponent of carrots instead of sticks, but the problem has gotten so bad I think a huge stick is needed instead.
Bill
Touchdown! Greaser!
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I've been called by my own number, always good for a laugh. Every now and then I get a text from some schmuck "Why did you call me?". That number goes into my blocked caller file pronto.
azure
Final Approach
For some of us, the problem isn't answering the call - it's that it comes through at all. I don't answer the spams either, but I still have to pull the phone out to check if it's a call I want to take. And if it happens while I'm teaching... well, that's just unacceptable. If I could be sure that DND would keep the phone from ringing I'd rely on it, but I already know it doesn't. Not even airplane mode blocks all calls, at least as of last year.*
*That may no longer be true. As of one recent software update to iOS, airplane mode now turns off wi-fi too, I've noticed. But for a long time it definitely did not, so texts and calls could get through that way unless you ALSO turned off wi-fi, by hand. Hopefully this welcome change will be permanent.
denverpilot
Tied Down
@azure WiFi and Bluetooth have had “persistence” since iOS 11 was released.
They’ll stay on if you turned them on this time you activate airplane mode, if either one was turned back on individually while airplane mode was active the last time.
Or put another way, whichever one you activated during airplane mode the last time you were in airplane mode will stay active.
https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/airplane-mode-ios-11/
Also Control Panel Bluetooth and WiFi “off” buttons don’t really turn either one off anymore. They just force a disconnect from whatever devices you’re connected to. You have to go into Settings now to truly turn them off while not in airplane mode.
They’ll stay on if you turned them on this time you activate airplane mode, if either one was turned back on individually while airplane mode was active the last time.
Or put another way, whichever one you activated during airplane mode the last time you were in airplane mode will stay active.
https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/airplane-mode-ios-11/
Also Control Panel Bluetooth and WiFi “off” buttons don’t really turn either one off anymore. They just force a disconnect from whatever devices you’re connected to. You have to go into Settings now to truly turn them off while not in airplane mode.
azure
Final Approach
I'm talking about the controls in Settings, I've never used the Control Panel controls for that. The only time I manually turned off wifi while in airplane mode was a couple of times when I was getting spam texts coming through while lecturing, back when I carried my phone with me. At that time I needed to manually turn it back on after turning off airplane mode to re-enable it. It's been a while though, so I'm not sure whether that was under iOS 10 or 11.
I don't think I've ever turned it on while in airplane mode - except just now, to verify that what you're saying is the way it behaves now. I'm quite sure, though, that until fairly recently (i.e. sometime in the past year) wifi stayed on regardless of whether airplane mode was active.
It's possible the change happened when I took the phone to Verizon a few months ago to get help with enabling wifi calling during a local cell service outage. They did, among other things, a factory reset before they were able to turn wifi calling on. It's possible that something was messed up before that.
Rushie
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Rushie
Good Lord. Yet another reason I won't let my i-thingies update themselves. Why does every update have to bring some new hell to deal with? I swear they just think up stuff to change just to keep their employees on the payroll.
denverpilot
Tied Down
I read something somewhere about them leaving it on for partner airlines as a test where it would refuse to connect to anything but the SSID name of the airline, but I haven’t found documentation to prove it.
The factory reset is usually done to get the device to re-download and apply “the rules” for all this stuff, including carrier-specific ones. That’s where it gets really weird. Example, Verizon and AT&T will disable WiFi calling at the handset level on any device model they don’t sell in their retail stores. T-Mobile doesn’t.
When the carrier ruleset gets out of whack, all bets are off. I’ve had problems where I had to find a different $15/hr person who only had access to those rules via a hundred different “product names” on their screen and a call center script to follow that doesn’t explain to them what those products do to the ruleset.
Everskyward
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You could try setting the phone to "Do Not Disturb" and only allow calls from selected numbers. The iPhone allows you to select Everyone, No One, Favorites, or Groups you have set up.
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
Some of us use our phone for business unfortunately.
azure
Final Approach
Absolutely no way will I allow any device to update itself automatically. For one thing, I won't update my iPhone until ForeFlight finishes their compatibility testing and sounds the all-clear. For another, I always wait a few days and then google for gotchas with the most recent update. Even so, I always approach updates with trepidation. Automatic updates, no freaking way.
azure
Final Approach
Maybe that works better now, but as of the last time I tried that sometime last fall, it did not work reliably. That was the first thing I tried, carrying the phone to class with DND enabled (allowing "Favorites", which on my phone is an empty list). The first time a spam call came through, that was that, and I tried airplane mode instead. Once I had a spam come through in airplane mode too (no I'm not sure how), fortunately while I was in my office but had forgotten to turn off airplane mode. And of course text spams came through unless wifi was turned off, which as far as I could tell at the time required another manual step. So from then on I used both DND and airplane mode at the same time, but eventually decided there was no way to be 100% certain that nothing would come through short of a hard shutdown, so I began leaving it in my office while in class. The main reason I was carrying it with me was for the time, but since I was also carrying my computer to all classes as of last year, the phone was redundant anyway.
It appears that the way things are working now, all the radios are turned off in airplane mode, so no other steps should be needed. I've decided to go back to working on the "blackboard" more in physics lectures - though they've removed the chalkboard in the room I'll be teaching in this fall, and replaced it with a document camera, a computer interface, and large flat screen displays - but my computer doesn't have a stylus anyway, so I won't generally have a reason to bring it. I might go with an iPad though, in which case I can still leave the phone in my office.
orange
Line Up and Wait
Same here.
orange
Line Up and Wait
I am still on IOS 10.3.3. I just decline all updates. They pack in more crap into each update that drains your phone resources and slows it down so you look to buy a new one. I'm going to be using this Iphone 6s until it literally drops dead (or I do).Absolutely no way will I allow any device to update itself automatically. For one thing, I won't update my iPhone until ForeFlight finishes their compatibility testing and sounds the all-clear. For another, I always wait a few days and then google for gotchas with the most recent update. Even so, I always approach updates with trepidation. Automatic updates, no freaking way.
denverpilot
Tied Down
That’ll bring new “fun”. If you have a Mac you can get those texts on iMessage on the screen while
presenting. Hahaha.
Technology, ain’t it grand?
azure
Final Approach
My work Mac has no knowledge of my AppleID or cell number, and I don't have iMessage set up on it. Heck, I don't even use iMessage on my personal Mac. So no, unless Apple finds some devious way to auto-configure iMessage on it with my personal identity/cell number and turn it on, I don't see that ever happening... hopefully.That’ll bring new “fun”. If you have a Mac you can get those texts on iMessage on the screen while
presenting. Hahaha.
Technology, ain’t it grand?
denverpilot
Tied Down
My work Mac has no knowledge of my AppleID or cell number, and I don't have iMessage set up on it. Heck, I don't even use iMessage on my personal Mac. So no, unless Apple finds some devious way to auto-configure iMessage on it with my personal identity/cell number and turn it on, I don't see that ever happening... hopefully.
LOL that helps. It’s all associated via AppleID so if the Mac has never had your personal AppleID, you’re golden.
Managing corporate / work AppleIDs for distributing software from the Apple Store as a company owned thing, is a humongous PITA.
Everskyward
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Then why don't you turn the ringtone off using the side switch, and vibration off in "settings" during class? Is there any call or text important enough to answer that you might receive during that period?
azure
Final Approach
Because it is too easy to accidentally toggle the switch when it's in my pocket. Happens all the time, I'd say about 50% of the time when I have it toggled on, the next time it rings I only feel the vibration and sure enough, the switch has moved itself to the off position.
Believe me, I tried everything I could think of. Until airplane mode got "fixed", it was just a PITA to carry it to class and always wonder if I was going to get a spam call. I get several a day, every weekday (very rarely on weekends). Since I didn't actually need it, the better solution was to leave it behind.
Another feature I've been experimenting with that doesn't seem to always work as advertised: Do Not Disturb while driving. Would be very useful if it worked because my car's Bluetooth doesn't reliably display the caller ID but sometimes just says "Incoming Call" even when it's from someone in my contacts list. But I had a spam call get through recently. (In case someone is wondering, no I didn't answer or touch the phone, but the Missed Call list showed it was either from my cellphone's area code or another area code in the same state.)
denverpilot
Tied Down
Usually a case, even a simple one, will stop that. Makes it such that something has to be physically pushed down inside the cutout in the case to hit the switch.
azure
Final Approach
I'm not sure how it happens. My iPhone 7 is ALWAYS in its case - I think it's a 3rd party case, bought from Verizon with the phone so I'm not sure of the make. But it definitely has a small cutout and you would think it would be hard to hit it. But it happens all the time - just yesterday in fact.
MooneyDriver78
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Tom
They also are getting ruder. I had one get through (I was expecting another call) and immediately ask to be put on their do not call list. His response “ f#$& you”
azure
Final Approach
That's pretty low. Personally, I get so many spams that even if I'm expecting a call, I always check the caller ID first before answering. No caller ID, I don't answer. A rare exception is if I'm expecting a call from someone who I know has caller ID suppressed, but that is only certain doctors, as a rule.
MooneyDriver78
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Tom
This had a caller id, but they are using VoIP now, so the number is a basic random number, I did notice afterwards it’s location was “United States “ as oppose to a specific city.
Skip Miller
Final Approach
I let all callers go to voicemail, unless I recognize the numbers. All my friends know to leave a VM and I will call back promptly. It is fun to see the spoofed locations: I have "received" calls from as far away as Papua New Guinea. These remote locations rapidly died off, to be replaced by calls "from" my own area code, or area code and first three digits of my phone number. I haven't seen my number calling me yet, but soon, I expect...
steingar
Taxi to Parking
What's the point of having a phone then? Things are expensive.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Apps. They’re not really that useful as phones anymore.
Which is why phone minutes and texts are unlimited and data costs money.
Or you sign up for “unlimited” on all of it including the data (which really isn’t unlimited at all) at prices higher than my first car payment.