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Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

nytimes.com

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Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#131

Post by spc476 »

zzzeek wrote: post #33

My phone already alerts me to "spam" phone numbers for incoming calls, this will become just another spam control issue based on audio analysis / transcription of the message content. Regulations would be awesome but considering how poorly enforced even simple things like "do not call" are, well established spam control techniques probably where this will end up.

You might very well be using the software my company produced. I'm not sure how the database is constructed, but there is a query we make that returns the type of call, it's reputation (on a -4 to +4 scale---low score is bad), the category, the carrier network and line type, which we pass on to the phone. I suspect it might be partially created from complaints about calling numbers, or even carrier (one recent spammer call I received came from the "Onvoy" carrier, whoever they are).

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#132

Post by maxerickson »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #46

Anyone else in a situation where you're receiving robocalls ten times a day? Hard to believe, but I can show screenshots as proof. I just counted. It's four times per day, like clockwork. Then there are various other robocalls that come in every couple days. So sometimes it's 4 per day, sometimes it's up to 7. It's mildly annoying, but is there any other option than to just ignore it or keep blocking the endless new…

I pick up and say "Please put this number on your do not call list", talking over them if necessary.

People doubt it, but this works. They don't actually want to waste resources on you if you are not a good lead. Even the scammers want to be efficient.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#133

Post by DaiPlusPlus »

analog31 wrote: post #84
extrapickles wrote: post #4

The article doesn't describe how the technology works. Due to the slow speed (100 voicemail/min) its likely what they are doing is initiating a call far enough for the phone system to busy out your phone, then very quickly placing a second call that the phone system sends straight to voicemail as your phone is busy. Once this call starts to hit voicemail, the original call is dropped. I doubt phone companies let peop…

That could reasonably be regarded as wire fraud, a la prank calling.

Prank calling isn't illegal unless it's harassment.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#134

Post by plorkyeran »

chrsstrm wrote: post #116
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #46

Anyone else in a situation where you're receiving robocalls ten times a day? Hard to believe, but I can show screenshots as proof. I just counted. It's four times per day, like clockwork. Then there are various other robocalls that come in every couple days. So sometimes it's 4 per day, sometimes it's up to 7. It's mildly annoying, but is there any other option than to just ignore it or keep blocking the endless new…

The spam call filter is arguably one of the best benefits of using a Google Voice number. My spam call and voicemail folder is full of SEO, payday loan, and other outright scam messages. Just activate the filter and you never see these calls unless you go into the spam interface on the Voice site. You can manually add a number to your spam block but most calls are auto-blocked against a list of known offenders.

Google Voice filters out most of the spam calls I get, but there's still one or so per day that make it through.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#135

Post by reustle »

chrsstrm wrote: post #116
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #46

Anyone else in a situation where you're receiving robocalls ten times a day? Hard to believe, but I can show screenshots as proof. I just counted. It's four times per day, like clockwork. Then there are various other robocalls that come in every couple days. So sometimes it's 4 per day, sometimes it's up to 7. It's mildly annoying, but is there any other option than to just ignore it or keep blocking the endless new…

The spam call filter is arguably one of the best benefits of using a Google Voice number. My spam call and voicemail folder is full of SEO, payday loan, and other outright scam messages. Just activate the filter and you never see these calls unless you go into the spam interface on the Voice site. You can manually add a number to your spam block but most calls are auto-blocked against a list of known offenders.

I use google voice (hangouts?) and get 3 to 6 robo voicemails a day. They are 2-5 seconds in length, and empty.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#136

Post by reustle »

coding123 wrote: post #119
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #46

Anyone else in a situation where you're receiving robocalls ten times a day? Hard to believe, but I can show screenshots as proof. I just counted. It's four times per day, like clockwork. Then there are various other robocalls that come in every couple days. So sometimes it's 4 per day, sometimes it's up to 7. It's mildly annoying, but is there any other option than to just ignore it or keep blocking the endless new…

I'm at the point where I'm going to start telling places my Skype ID and let them figure out how to contact me. We don't need our phone numbers any more.

The problem is, we do. Telegram, LINE, 2fa on many sites, banks, they all want my phone number. They require it. I already use a google voice number, but that still doesn't solve it all (still getting tons of bot voicemails)

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#137

Post by opendomain »

caseysoftware wrote: post #78
extrapickles wrote: post #4

The article doesn't describe how the technology works. Due to the slow speed (100 voicemail/min) its likely what they are doing is initiating a call far enough for the phone system to busy out your phone, then very quickly placing a second call that the phone system sends straight to voicemail as your phone is busy. Once this call starts to hit voicemail, the original call is dropped. I doubt phone companies let peop…

That's exactly how it works. While I was at Twilio, we figured out how to do it - mostly from a customer abusing the system - and shut them down at the time. The problem was that it wasn't complicated enough that it would take long for others to figure out. The problem I noted at the time is that since we only charged for minutes during the call, the first call - which was dialed and immediately dropped - would never…

I am a big fan of twillio, but I suspect that they or companies like it are contributing to the problem.

I would like everyone that uses a telephone API to be required to register a bond. If they are found abusing the system, they will lose the bond and be banned from using ANY companies telephone system.

That telephony companies do not take the opportunity fix tbe actual problem makes me think a court may be able to find they are complicit.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#138

Post by threeseed »

kaslai wrote: post #42
Sir_Substance wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As a naive outsider, seems like it wouldn't take much to just connect those two calls. Who would you charge for the call?

All phones services I've used charge for total usage, regardless of the initiator. If someone calls me, I still get dinged for every minute I'm on the line, same as if I placed an outgoing call. (Granted, I've only used pay-as-you-go type services, so perhaps other services are different.)

Apparently only the US and Canada charge the phone owner for incoming calls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_services#Incoming_calls

Europe, Asia, Australia etc all charge the caller.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#139

Post by briandear »

extrapickles wrote: post #4

The article doesn't describe how the technology works. Due to the slow speed (100 voicemail/min) its likely what they are doing is initiating a call far enough for the phone system to busy out your phone, then very quickly placing a second call that the phone system sends straight to voicemail as your phone is busy. Once this call starts to hit voicemail, the original call is dropped. I doubt phone companies let peop…

So if that is the case, these companies ARE violating the law because they are actually calling you. I hope they get slaughtered in court.

Re: Ringless voice mails from telemarketers

#140

Post by DaiPlusPlus »

bediger4000 wrote: post #53
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #46

Anyone else in a situation where you're receiving robocalls ten times a day? Hard to believe, but I can show screenshots as proof. I just counted. It's four times per day, like clockwork. Then there are various other robocalls that come in every couple days. So sometimes it's 4 per day, sometimes it's up to 7. It's mildly annoying, but is there any other option than to just ignore it or keep blocking the endless new…

I get about 4 "Card Services" or "Google Marketing" or some such robocalls a day, too. The Verizon customer service rep suggested "just blocking the number" after expressing shock and awe that robocalls happen, and he had never heard of such a thing! I suggest at least leaving the robocall running until it hangs up. Any given organization has to have a finite number of outgoing lines, and IVR/VRU's, so keeping them o…

These orgs don't necessarily have a finite number of outbound lines - they'd be using SIP and just buy more channels from the myriad providers out there for a few bucks a month. You can also get "unlimited channels"-SIP trunk providers too - in which case you're limited only by the number of simultaneous virtual channels your Asterisk setup can handle.

So no, "keeping them busy" is not a viable solution.

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