Spam Phone Calls

[Hack&Lube]

Over the last few months, increasingly I have been getting spam phone calls. My general policy is not to answer the phone when it's an unknown number to me or they don't leave a message.

What's strange is that lately all the calls have been coming from 403 addresses but all belonging to small towns and rural Alberta. When I pick up, it's either a robo call (a lot during election and tax seasons) or dead air. Sometimes it's the obvious fake Chinese consulate or fake CRA, or "You've Won a Free Trip".

I have a feeling that spammers are buying up 403 numbers from rural areas to appear as though they are calling from the local Calgary area but luckily my caller ID shows it as "Banff" or whatever other southern alberta region it is. It is almost never Calgary. I get up to a dozen each day.

I'm on Bell but I've had my same cell phone number since 1998. Does anybody experience the same thing? Any solutions for this? I heard that on Telus they have an option that a caller has to press 1 or something to get through to you.

[btimbit]

They're not buying up numbers, they're spoofing them. The call isn't actually from that number.

You're right about Telus Call Control, I'm with Koodo and it has the same thing. It's fantastic and can't recommend it enough. It's better than just blocking numbers because this way they can't leave a voicemail either. I'm surprised Bell doesn't have something similar, maybe they do. Haven't had a spam call all year and it's glorious, like you I was getting close to a dozen a day.

[Locke]

I only take 'Smeat' phone calls.

Ahhh.....Simulated Meat....what a time to be alive.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by btimbit

They're not buying up numbers, they're spoofing them. The call isn't actually from that number.

You're right about Telus Call Control, I'm with Koodo and it has the same thing. It's fantastic and can't recommend it enough. It's better than just blocking numbers because this way they can't leave a voicemail either. I'm surprised Bell doesn't have something similar, maybe they do. Haven't had a spam call all year and it's glorious, like you I was getting close to a dozen a day.

Didn't know that I had this feature! Question for you, how easy is it to add authorized callers? Ideally, I'd like to have all the contacts currently (and then any newly added contacts) on my device to be added to the authorized list - is that possible?

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Over the last few months, increasingly I have been getting spam phone calls. My general policy is not to answer the phone when it's an unknown number to me or they don't leave a message.

What's strange is that lately all the calls have been coming from 403 addresses but all belonging to small towns and rural Alberta. When I pick up, it's either a robo call (a lot during election and tax seasons) or dead air. Sometimes it's the obvious fake Chinese consulate or fake CRA, or "You've Won a Free Trip".

I have a feeling that spammers are buying up 403 numbers from rural areas to appear as though they are calling from the local Calgary area but luckily my caller ID shows it as "Banff" or whatever other southern alberta region it is. It is almost never Calgary. I get up to a dozen each day.

I'm on Bell but I've had my same cell phone number since 1998. Does anybody experience the same thing? Any solutions for this? I heard that on Telus they have an option that a caller has to press 1 or something to get through to you.

I've always gone by the assumption that it is a spammer (spoofed) call when the second three digits of the number are the same as mine. Haven't been wrong about that yet.

[Yamer]

I'm on Bell and I've noticed an increase in scam calls. It doesn't help that the Samsung smart block feature is broken and routinely blocks numbers from people in my contacts.

On this topic, does anyone else receive spam SMS messages from email addresses? I probably receive at least two of these types of texts a month, sometimes more.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Didn't know that I had this feature! Question for you, how easy is it to add authorized callers? Ideally, I'd like to have all the contacts currently (and then any newly added contacts) on my device to be added to the authorized list - is that possible?

Doing my own homework I see that authorized and blocked callers are restricted to a maximum of 25 each. Less than ideal but still may be worth it. Just not sure whether I want to put those not on my authorized list but in my contacts through the (minimal) hassle of entering the code.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Didn't know that I had this feature! Question for you, how easy is it to add authorized callers? Ideally, I'd like to have all the contacts currently (and then any newly added contacts) on my device to be added to the authorized list - is that possible?

Yeah very easy, you just do it on the website. You would have to put each number in manually which is kind of a shame but not too bad

Make sure to also add any robocalls that you might actually want as well, like for example my bank calls with a verification code to do certain things like adding a new e-transfer recipient and it took me way too long to figure out why I wasn't getting that call

[monkey brewery]

I've noticed it's gotten better in the last few months, only 1 or 2 a month. Early pandemic by contrast I was getting 3-4 a day.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I actually kinda miss taking the occasinal spam call and wasting their time but alas, call control has reduced spam calls to zero since activating. It's an awesome feature. Bit of leg work setting up the allowed callers list but soooo worth it.

[GirlySports]

I've won alot of Westjet trips apparently.

[calgaryred]

I live in BC with Roger's I get a call from a number in Ontario at least once a day, it's a robo call from the so called CRA saying they have found a package at the border containing illegal products and I was in big trouble. At the end of the call I have the option to talk to someone by pressing one on my phone. Everytime I get a different guy and he admits the call is bogus, and is in Pakistan.

Sent from my SM-A105M using Tapatalk

[monkeyman]

I keep getting calls that go directly to voicemail, but no message is ever left. What’s the point of that?
Im also getting a lot of emails for everything from undeliverable packages, student loan forgiveness, unclaimed lottery winnings, and IRS arrears. I know they’re all scams, but man they seem to be bombarding me lately.

[WhiteTiger]

I have about 50 arrest warrants out for my arrest...

That one always makes me snicker.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

I have about 50 arrest warrants out for my arrest...

That one always makes me snicker.

"Do you you know how much you owe CRA in Taxes???"

- Interestingly enough I do!

[MoneyGuy]

Twice I’ve answered one of these calls, with nothing on the other end. What’s the point of such a call?

[DoubleF]

This thread reminds me of the story Sliver(?) told us about how he used an airhorn to piss off the scam caller. He was lamenting that it backfired on him because the guy was making sure he was getting extra robo calls or something like that.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Twice I’ve answered one of these calls, with nothing on the other end. What’s the point of such a call?

Now they know your phone number is legit and you get added to even more lists?

[para transit fellow]

not only am i getting the spam calls, the spammers &fraudtsters have been spoofing my employer's phone main number on their calls

I got about 30- 40 phones calls this week from people who either:

a) complained about being "scared or harassed by the call (we explain that we did not call them) or

b) called us from their call log to ask why we called them

[FlamesAddiction]

I get the tax and Chinese ones all the time. I also get one saying that I have a package at DHL.