I am recently receiving 20+ unwanted calls on my landline.....suggestions??

[dougp26364]

We have an app called NoMoRobo. It works on the land line when you sign that phone number up. Landline coverage is free. Coverage on our cell phones runs $19.99/year per phone number. The service currently has nearly 10,000,000 numbers listed as scammers and automatically blocks them. On our land line, the phone rings once and then the scammer is sent to a dead end. On our cell phones the phone doesn’t even ring.

It doesn’t block all of the scammer calls. Scammers can generate new spoofed numbers rather easily. It has cut the number of scam calls down dramatically. I’ll have a day were I’ll get 5 or 6 in a day, then my phone will be quite for several days. I suspect there are a few of these scammer outfits and they’re generating spoofed numbers once a week. That seems to be the pattern. Quite several days, then a deluge of numbers I add to the NoMoRobo app to block the new numbers for everyone using the app.

The majority of scam calls involve selling property I don’t own, timeshare exit or Medicare coverage. Every couple of years PAC’s blow up my phone with political adds.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

 

[Sandi Bo]

I'd suggest just stopping doing faxes if at all possible - there's no real "modern method" for faxing lol.

Totally agree, I am amazed that sometimes it is still a viable option. I am dealing with estate issues and more than once now the simplest way to get something to someone was fax. Humorously, one seems to be the IRS. I guess getting an EIN for a now irrevocable trust isn't that common, but I couldn't do it online (at least I wasn't inputting the data correctly to spit out what I wanted) and once I got a live body they had no interest in helping make the online option work. You could hear their voice brighten up when I asked if I could fax. Sadly, they are supposed to fax the results back and I'm still waiting (it takes them 4 days for them to READ the fax, another 7-ish to process the request, yada yada).

But crazy how long it took for places to accept an email with a scanned copy of something. Now many places will even let you take a picture with your cell phone and send it. But fax... has saved me (well jury still out with the IRS this time, lol).

 

[Sandi Bo]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

For my stepmother (keep in mind my father/stepmother bought into VIP Platinum level at Wyndham, surely attended record numbers of timeshare presentations and then record numbers of postcard free meal offers to listen to how to get out of your timeshares dinners...), I eventually got rid of their old phone number. It was unreal the calls she continued to receive (and she should would sometimes give the my phone number because I take care of the timeshares now). Fun times. I hated to change her number, but the final straw was when she opened a bank account for the Publishing Clearing House guy to deposit her million dollars when he was coming to deliver the car she won. For this situation, a number that had been around for a million years, and on who knows how many sales call lists - it was a good decision.

 

[Bucky]

I’ve glanced through all of your posts in this thread and am still wondering what the calls are concerning? Are they political, tele marketeers, obscene or of various subjects. That many calls a day tells me your number may have been posted on some type of message board, etc, etc.

i know you said you needed a landline for sure but, how important is that compared to your sanity?

we ported our landline number to our cell provider many years ago and it treated improved our quality of life by getting rid of spam calls. We leave our phones on do not disturb 24/7. Nothing gets through unless they are in our contacts list.

 

[dioxide45]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

Over time, that number will be added to calling lists and it will start to get calls. Why not follow some of the other advice offered here to have the calls blocked and keep your existing number?

 

[jorcus]

Just curious, why are you keeping your LL? The only reasons which I can think of are:

• Crappy ISP
• Unreliable power
• Both

If you have to have a reliable out-going line:

• Get a new number for the LL
• Buy an Ooma and transfer the old LL number to the Ooma device

You will get much better control of in-coming calls and people that already know your number will not have to change. You can then use the LL for out-going call only. Don't tell anybody the new number. Turn off the ringer for the LL and don't answer it.

If you have an ISP outage, Ooma should be able to still answer the call and store the voice mail in the cloud which can be accessed by cell phone or your LL.

Other reasons to have a landline.

Connection to older home security systems.

Connections to older life alerts.

Best way for 911 to know your location if you cannot speak.

Having said that I use Voiply which is pretty much the same as OOMA and can block a certain amount of numbers. I like having the mobile app which not only sends calls to my cell phone but I can make calls from my cell phone that come from my land line number. This also is a way to make calls back to the US when I am out of the country using wifi. I can't say Voiply is as reliable as a copper land line. It seems like I have to reset it from time to time. But between the app and voicemail to email I always know when I got a legit call.

 

[dougp26364]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

They use auto dialers. A machine set up to call every number between xxx-0000 and xxx-9999.
It will slow down the telemarketers that use calling lists, such as the Medicare Advantage plan or timeshare exit companies. So yea, it will end the targeted telemarketers until your new number appears on a list.

 

[Glynda]

They want you to answer so they can either sell you something or scam you. They make massive amounts of calls. They actually call multiple numbers simultaniously and the first one to pick up routes to a person on their end and they start the grift. This is why so many times you answer and it is nothing but dead air. They only need to scam or sell a few people to make money.

The same is true for the massive amounts of spam. It is cheap to send out and they only need a tiny percentage of people to fall for it for them to make it work.

The time hubby answered there was no one there. That explains that. Thanks.

 

[jp10558]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

Every time I've gotten a new number (for a prepaid cellphone usually) - that number gets more annoying calls that are now "wrong number" calls for the old owner of the number. Everything from collections to old girlfriends lol...

 

[Brett]

Does anyone here think that changing my phone number will help?

OR, will I just be inundated with calls to THAT number?

eventually, yes.
Cell phones are better at blocking spam

"most modern cell phones have built-in features to block specific numbers, utilize carrier-provided spam filtering tools, and often have dedicated apps to identify and block suspected spam calls, making it significantly easier to manage unwanted calls compared to a landline."

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

I’ve glanced through all of your posts in this thread and am still wondering what the calls are concerning? Are they political, tele marketeers, obscene or of various subjects. That many calls a day tells me your number may have been posted on some type of message board, etc, etc.

i know you said you needed a landline for sure but, how important is that compared to your sanity?

we ported our landline number to our cell provider many years ago and it treated improved our quality of life by getting rid of spam calls. We leave our phones on do not disturb 24/7. Nothing gets through unless they are in our contacts list.

I have waited to sift through the (hopefully) many repsonses.....to answer the questions once people go through my specifics.

I received another approximately 27 calls today. NONE left a message.

A couple days ago, I answered my phone...twice....just to see if a person would come on to TALK to me about something.
NOPE, neither time.

I have turned down/OFF the Ringer(s) of my Phone(S).....so that I can barely hear the incoming calls (it comes from a room 30 feet away). When I hear the 'soft' ring, I look at the Caller ID on my phone....IN CASE IT IS A VALID CALL. (sad to say, not very common lately)

90%+ of the calls are from my area code.

I have a Tracfone Plan......it costs me about $6 per month. That's because obviously it is limited in minutes/usage, etc.
I have access to about 1500 minutes each YEAR.....so I only Text 'occasionally', I go on the Internet from home thru that phone, and I use it for SHORT conversations.

So, THAT is why I have a Landline.

When I want to talk to friends for more than 5 minutes......like to a Brother/Nephew for an HOUR+....I use my Landline.

When my Doctor, Pharmacist, Friends, etc wants to reach me....they call my LANDLINE...and leave a message.
(Several of them don't know my Cell Phone number.)

My Landline, combined with my Cell Phone, gives me TWO ways to reach me by phone.
FIRST CHOICE: Landline SECOND CHOICE: Cell Phone

So, I'm doing the best I can, but even a 'Quiet' ring 25+ times per day can be annoying.

Thanks for everyone's responses....much appreciated.

Given my 'rant' above....any NEW advice?

Thanks again

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

They use auto dialers. A machine set up to call every number between xxx-0000 and xxx-9999.
It will slow down the telemarketers that use calling lists, such as the Medicare Advantage plan or timeshare exit companies. So yea, it will end the targeted telemarketers until your new number appears on a list.

Now THAT was a helpful answer, thanks. Not the answer I was hoping for....but still a HELPFUL answer.

 

[Passepartout]

I have a Tracfone Plan......it costs me about $6 per month. That's because obviously it is limited in minutes/usage, etc.
I have access to about 1500 minutes each YEAR.....so I only Text 'occasionally', I go on the Internet from home thru that phone, and I use it for SHORT conversations.

Can't you block numbers on the Tracfone? I know they spoof numbers, but you CAN thin the herd by blocking the worst of them.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

It's not my Tracfone that is the issue....it's my Landline.

I can block up to 12 numbers. I can hit a blocking number with each call.....but these calls are NOT from repeating numbers.

 

[Bucky]

I have a Tracfone Plan......it costs me about $6 per month. That's because obviously it is limited in minutes/usage, etc.
I have access to about 1500 minutes each YEAR.....so I only Text 'occasionally', I go on the Internet from home thru that phone, and I use it for SHORT conversations.

So, THAT is why I have a Landline.

When I want to talk to friends for more than 5 minutes......like to a Brother/Nephew for an HOUR+....I use my Landline.

When my Doctor, Pharmacist, Friends, etc wants to reach me....they call my LANDLINE...and leave a message.
(Several of them don't know my Cell Phone number.)

My Landline, combined with my Cell Phone, gives me TWO ways to reach me by phone.
FIRST CHOICE: Landline SECOND CHOICE: Cell Phone

So, I'm doing the best I can, but even a 'Quiet' ring 25+ times per day can be annoying.

Thanks for everyone's responses....much appreciated.

Given my 'rant' above....any NEW advice?

Thanks again

Can your landline company not help with figuring out why all of the calls coming in with nobody on the other end? Do they not offer help for more than just the 12 limit? If not, sadly you may be forced to switch cellphone providers so that you can port your landline number to them and then use the do not disturb feature. Solves all the problems of keeping your landline phone number and using the do not disturb feature of your cellphone. Unfortunately I don’t think $6 mo will be beatable.