[csa]

if you have internet service at your house, you can port your home phone number over to google voice for $20, then use an obitalk box to interface between the internet and your home phones.

turn off the landline service, disconnect the phone line where it comes into the house, and all of your home phones will ring and dial out just like they did before.

you can login to google voice online, with a computer, and block incoming calls as spam whenever you want, the blocked number will never ring on your phone again.

google voice also has it's own database of spam numbers that it can block on it's own.

so you end up with free phone service, only pay for internet access like you always do.

google voice will also forward incoming calls that come into your home phone, and have them ring on both the house phone and up to six cell phones, all at the same time.

No; I'm not going to go thru all that, I'll just continue to use caller ID, and Mute. I believe if I disconnected the phone line coming into the house; I would not be able to get DirectTV.

[WPRESTO]

Had one a week or two back who actually left a message about the IRS initiating a lawsuit and if I did not immediately.......etc. Thought everyone knew the IRS does not need to sue to impose fines or take other action against you.

[ChrisPlatt]

nomorobo.com...no more spam calls.

Well, it rings once, and some of the local stuff still gets through.

After Sandy we moved to a different area code and got a new phone number.
Immediately we began receiving numerous nuisance calls.
The previous holder of our phone number must have been an easy mark or a financial trainwreck.

We've been using nomorobo for well over a year; possibly two years.
It works well, intercepting the calls after one ring.

Interestingly interception hasn't deterred some of the nuisance callers.
We still get the same calls from the same numbers at the same times every day...

Chris

[boriscleto]

Had one a week or two back who actually left a message about the IRS initiating a lawsuit and if I did not immediately.......etc. Thought everyone knew the IRS does not need to sue to impose fines or take other action against you.

The IRS will not ever call you. You get a letter...

[monochrome]

nomorobo.com...no more spam calls.

Well, it rings once, and some of the local stuff still gets through.

I thought you were going to make a comment about boriscletoing phone numbers...

I do that too. But FiOS only lets you block ten.

It would be cool if you could block a number and when you receive a call from it THEIR Caller ID would display

boriscletoed™

[jimr-pdx]

It's not spam but we are 1 digit off the local police. I finally added that to our message: we are Not the police! Also 1 digit from AAA car service somewhere in the state. If it weren't for those calls our phone would go silent.

[osv]

No; I'm not going to go thru all that, I'll just continue to use caller ID, and Mute. I believe if I disconnected the phone line coming into the house; I would not be able to get DirectTV.

no worries, i'm just pointing out an alternative, maybe it will help someone else.

you only need a phone connection for pay per view with directv, and you'll have a phone connection with google voice, via the internet, all of your landline phones work like they did before.

google voice is voip: Google Voice: A cheapskate's guide to cheap VoIP | ZDNet

getting rid of the landline saved me at least $20 a month, and it stopped the spam calls.

---------- Post added 11-18-15 at 08:58 PM ----------

We've been using nomorobo for well over a year; possibly two years.
It works well, intercepting the calls after one ring.
Interestingly interception hasn't deterred some of the nuisance callers.
We still get the same calls from the same numbers at the same times every day...

you can block those calls with google voice, just login, see your incoming call history, and mark the number as blocked, it never rings even once... the only thing that gets by are callers from unknown numbers.

"The list of carriers that work with Nomorobo has some significant players on it, including Verizon FiOS, Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse. (You can find the full list on the Nomorobo signup page.) Missing, however, are all wireless carriers and all analog carriers. So although it works with Verizon FiOS, it won't work with Verizon Wireless or standard Verizon—a plain old telephone service (POTS) line to those who follow such things."
Nomorobo Review & Rating | PCMag.com

google voice is voip, and it's been free for years now... the only way that you can currently use nomorobo is on a voip line... people usually have to pay for voip, as part of a package with cable tv or dsl service.

[Digitalis]

I answered a call from "The Technical Republic of Windows"

yeah that totally sounds legit.

[tim60]

Once in a while I like to tease them. I act interested and then flub the commands they tell me to type. Eventually they figure I'm too stupid to live or too clever for them...

I have also answered the calls and said, wow that's weird I use Linux... or Apple... or I don't have a computer. That flusters them also.

---------- Post added 11-18-15 at 05:10 PM ----------

The one's I get ALL THE TIME... are the Credit card company fake calls. We would like to lower your interest rate. "OK, what bank is my card from? Tell me the last digit of my account? Tell me any digit of my account. What is your call back number..."

They hang up.

Watch out for the tests based on them knowing your card number etc. There is a recent big news story in UK of a data leak from a telco where the spam callers knew all the account details including the company account number, what the customer was buying and parts of the banking detail. BBC4 has a radio show 'money talk'. Two or three weeks ago they had a recording of a real one of the phone calls. It might be available on podcast. Company was called TalkTalk.

Underlying message, an unsolicited phone call telling you you have a problem of which you were unaware from someone you do not know is probably spurious.

[dawning]

Got a call from 336-738-0337 yesterday claimed to be from tech company, and they found that my computer have been infected by some dangerous viruses. I'm in front of my computer at that time, so I just Googled the number, and found some reports have been filed at 336-738-0337 / 3367380337 - unknown, NC. I tried to waste their time as much as possible. I got them almost 20 minutes. Not bad, at least 2 people saved from their calls because of me. Lol.

[Digitalis]

claimed to be from tech company, and they found that my computer have been infected by some dangerous viruses.

you should have told him the classic line: Good luck, I'm behind 7 proxies

[Tom S.]

Had one a week or two back who actually left a message about the IRS initiating a lawsuit and if I did not immediately.......etc. Thought everyone knew the IRS does not need to sue to impose fines or take other action against you.

Furthermore, they do not call you - they deal only in mail. I told one that just a few days ago. I won't repeat what he called me because we're a family oriented forum.

I used to get "pre-approved credit card" calls all the time, which are somewhat legit. They were fun. I'd ask how soon I could get one, and the answer was usually within a week. I'd reply that's great because it's before my bankruptcy filing. I got hung up on a lot.

[Rupert]

I love those junk calls! When I'm not posting my own nonsense here, it's good to get a call from some other idiot so I can play the game with them and see how long I can waste their time. Often I have nothing better to do, and it is more fun than pointing the Bigma out the windows and shooting squirrels!

My record is on the "Windows Tech Service". I kept the guy (sounded like he was from India?) on the phone for over two hours. When I finally let him get me to the process where he could infect my machine .......I "had a power outage" and told him to call me the next day. If you are bored, it is great fun!

Regards!

[photolady95]

My landline is digital and I can block as many tele calls as I want. But my cell phone doesn't get any of those calls except for one I got a week ago from some guy insisting I'd talked to him the day before and gave him my number to call me back.His spiel was about my computer. He said I'd told him my mother was sick. I told him it couldn't have been me because my mother had died in 2003. he promptly hung up and even apologized. Surprise there.

[BigMackCam]

It's not spam but we are 1 digit off the local police. I finally added that to our message: we are Not the police! Also 1 digit from AAA car service somewhere in the state. If it weren't for those calls our phone would go silent.

This isn't very politically correct, but true, however...

My father worked for a company some years ago in Newcastle, and they kept getting phone calls from the same person for the "Northern Counties School for the Deaf". After the third day of this, my Dad's colleague answered the phone:

"Hello, can I help you?"
"Oh hello, is that the Northern Counties School for the Deaf?"
"Hello? You'll have to speak up! This is the Northern Counties School for the Deaf!"