Spoofing phone numbers

[sylvan]

As far as I can tell, cuz I have a lot of missed calls from spam or unknown numbers, I've had 2 missed calls that I've returned (on a cell phone, so it was a direct call back) in which the person on the other end claimed to they did not call me. One was a kindly older woman who said she hadn't used her phone and I called her back immediately. The other person, who I also called back immediately, was busy in a text conversation with someone else. I told the guy at Google, who I was waiting for a return call from and thought it was them, and he was confused.

Has anybody else had this issue? I'm sure it was a spam call, but coming from other people's numbers is concerning.

[El Barto]

I get plenty of robo-calls from numbers strikingly close to my own. If my number were 214-447-4588 the call would originate from 214-447, like they were from my neighborhood (which doesn't work since nobody owns land-lines anymore). I assume they're spoofing regular numbers to make it seem familiar to me.

The trick to dealing with it is just to not answer the phone when unknown callers call. If they're important they'll leave a VM.

[mikeyd23]

The trick to dealing with it is just to not answer the phone when unknown callers call. If they're important they'll leave a VM.

That's pretty much me, I don't answer any calls from numbers I don't know anymore. Like you said, if it's legit and they need to talk, they will leave a voicemail.

[King Postwhore]

I used to do what EB said but I've moved on to messing with these sales wesiels.  But recently, there's been a lot of automated calls and I'm back to letting them go to voicemail.

[Zook]

I've had debt collectors call from my area code. One time I thought it was my daughter's school, and it turned out to be a collector. Sneaky bastards.

[cramx3]

I get plenty of robo-calls from numbers strikingly close to my own. If my number were 214-447-4588 the call would originate from 214-447, like they were from my neighborhood (which doesn't work since nobody owns land-lines anymore). I assume they're spoofing regular numbers to make it seem familiar to me.

The trick to dealing with it is just to not answer the phone when unknown callers call. If they're important they'll leave a VM.

I've noticed this too and do the same.

[Anguyen92]

And then the collectors will leave a VM and go all "This is a call from a collections agency" or "this is Bank of America calling" and then what?

[sylvan]

I get that. Shit, I got a call from "Microsoft" last night  . I certainly don't say YES anymore to someone I don't know. And I've called back missed calls and gotten the "this number is not in service" and the like. But to call back a spam call and get an innocent individual on their private phone number is troubling. It's not like these people are registering numbers to make a bunch of robo calls.

[El Barto]

And then the collectors will leave a VM and go all "This is a call from a collections agency" or "this is Bank of America calling" and then what?

Doesn't happen very often. I suspect that often times they're set to disconnect after a couple of rings since actually hitting a VM is a waste of the robo-caller's time. Auto-dialers for real people will call multiple numbers and as soon as one yields a "hello" it'll dump all of the other calls and transfer whoever answered to an operator. That's why there's always a silent pause for half a second while you're transferred to a real person. Somebody will generally answer before it gets to everybody's VM.

[Kotowboy]

That's pretty much me, I don't answer any calls from numbers I don't know anymore. Like you said, if it's legit and they need to talk, they will leave a voicemail.

100%. If they don't leave a voicemail then it wasn't important.

[black_biff_stadler]

I was getting killed with spam calls in recent months so I just started answering those calls with "Your call is important to us [slight pause] please hold" in a convincingly prerecorded-sounding voice. I'd usually get hung up on in less than two seconds. Just avoid ever saying "yes" or other things that a scammer could record and then use to falsely represent you as having consented to their putrid horseshit.

[sylvan]

So yesterday I had to go to the vet to pick up meds for my dog and I left my phone in the car. When I got back in and was backing out my phone rang. A woman said, "I just had a missed call from this number." So I explained how it had happened to me and that I hadn't made any calls.

Fucking crazy. Get off my nuts you scammin' pieces of shit!