Automated call screening feature to block automated dialers

[mikestock]

Some of you, like I, have seen a message from Magicjack that introduces their "Automated call screening" service.

What this amounts to is that any caller will be asked to dial a random digit to complete the call. If your incoming caller can't listen to the instruction and comply by dialing the digit your phone will not ring and the automated caller is blocked. This would stop most of my nuisance calls, which have become a big issue.

To me, this can be one of the best new features offered and don't see why other phone providers don't follow. Hard to imagine that a minor league provider like Magicjack can be a leading innovator. Hope others will follow or come up with something better.

[Kayteg1]

It is not simple subject.
Because of our former life style - we were getting 20+ soliciting calls daily.
Add 7-20 junk letters every day.
So going on retirement we switch to magic jack and use call blocking feature few times.
Knowing how our friends call, having them listening to the messages and dialing additional number WILL Be a problem.
So is answering only numbers you know. We just visit friends in California and leaving wanted to call one of them to say final arrangements.
She knew our home number, my cellphone number, but ignored my wife calling from her cellphone.
That lead to some troubles, so no recipe works on everything.
To add to the troubles - about 2 out of 10 of our friends bother to list their name with phone company, so unless you program them on your phone, the caller ID will show blank, or display the number for the name.
Few years ago my mom's car broke down and she tried to reach my father calling collect from public phone.
Father promptly ignored the calls as it show "unknown" coming from ATT operator.

[mr__ed]

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
I have a great system that works. With call display, if I do not recognize the caller or number I do not answer. If it is important they will leave a message and I can call them. Most robo-calls do not leave messages.

I do exactly like you. Ignore calls I don't recognize. If it's important, they can leave a message, which they rarely do. I also adjust my phone not to ring when I determine a certain number is a scammer or robocall. It's not a perfect solution, but does help.

[RayJayco]

I heard on the news the other day that they often use the first 3-6 numbers of your phone number (spoofed, of course) due to when you see it, it looks like a familiar number and you are more likely to answer. I know when I get robo calls, typically for resorts or cruises, they often start with the same numbers as mine.

I would advise just hanging up and definitely not clicking to remove your number as that lets them know the number is good and they can sell it for more money. You end up allowing them to make more money and getting yourself more calls...

Unless I am expecting a call from someone that I don't know the number, I don't answer. If they are legit, they will leave a message and I will return call.

[Larry-D]

My new year's resolution was to not answer my cell phone unless I already knew who it was. Others can leave a message. If it's a robocall message I delete and block the number. It is amazing how much this has cut down on robocalls.

[wa8yxm]

For the 2nd time this year some scammer has chosen to use MY phone number.. Not my phone, not my account, just my number.. he spoofs it.

So over the last 24 horus I've gotten hunderds of genuine human callers .. I activated teh white lister so they are not bothering me and my OGM when the call goes to voice mail say "I did not call you..A Scammer has decided to use my number for his scams" but .. It is annoying, epically since I had an important call I needed to take. (It got though) .

[gkainz]

AT&T cellular provides an app on iPhones (maybe others?) called Call Protect.. Does a pretty good job of blocking known spammers, and flagging suspected spammers that you can block with 1 click.

NoMoRobo works well for us on Comcast Voice.

[1995brave]

mikestock wrote:
Being retired and sometimes with nothing to do I will answer one of these and if i get a live person i play the game and try to keep them on the line for as long as possible without giving up anything personal. If I'm taking up their time they can't be messing with someone else.

I'm not fully retired yet, but I do the same thing. I love the robo calls that say to press a number to be removed. I press the number and hold it for several seconds and never get the calls again. Recently did that with one and when I went to hang up some guy from Dish came on the line trying to sell me a system. Told him I pressed the number to be deleted and I was now turning him into the FTC.

[trb46]

I’ve had a MagicJack number as our home phone for over four years, and I don’t recall ever getting a telemarketing or robo call. Get them all the time on my AT&T cell phone.

[Bobbo]

I have this phone on my land line. AT&T Cordless Phone with Smart Call Blocker. Unless I have programmed in your phone number, or your name as shown by caller id (we can get a call from any Walgreens regardless of phone number), you must press the "#" key or my phone won't ring. Works like a champ. I have not gotten a robocall on the landline in over a year. I only know they come in because they show up as missed calls in the caller id list.

(I got mine cheaper at Sams Club.)

[mikestock]

Being retired and sometimes with nothing to do I will answer one of these and if i get a live person i play the game and try to keep them on the line for as long as possible without giving up anything personal. If I'm taking up their time they can't be messing with someone else.

[joshuajim]

2oldman wrote:

mikestock wrote:
Not answering any call you don't recognize is effective most of the time, but this system has caused me to miss calls I didn't want to miss...

Caller ID of little help, since they use software that sends any caller ID they want

I haven't found either of these scenarios to be true on my phone.

The school district I worked for had the full block of (xxx) 578-xxxx when I retired 6 years ago. I kept my number. I regularly get calls from the 578 block that I know do not come from anyone at the district. At least one a day. All spoofed numbers.

I block everyone of them but their computer just switches to one of the 10000 numbers available.

[BB_TX]

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
I have a great system that works. With call display, if I do not recognize the caller or number I do not answer. If it is important they will leave a message and I can call them. Most robo-calls do not leave messages.

And if they call more than once I add that number to my Block Caller list.

[MDKMDK]

2oldman wrote:
As above, I ignore any call I don't recognize .. and even many I do. I hate talking on the phone.

X2.

[mikestock]

2oldman wrote:

mikestock wrote:
Not answering any call you don't recognize is effective most of the time, but this system has caused me to miss calls I didn't want to miss...

Caller ID of little help, since they use software that sends any caller ID they want

I haven't found either of these scenarios to be true on my phone.

The first scenario is my scenario so, not being on the line with me, you would have no way of confirming or denying if this is true. The second, about faking caller ID's is common. You can find an app on your smart phone and try it if so inclined.

I can assure you that they use the first 6 digits of my number quite often and some foreigner comes on the line or I get an ad something like, "There is currently no problem with your credit card but......" I get this one several times a week if I answer.

I have even seen the apps that allows you to create your own caller ID.

If you call the number back you invariably get, "The number you have reached has been disconnected or no longer in service".