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[broadstairs]

This is the problem with scammers who often spoof a number which may or may not be a real phone number, however if the number calling is always the same one then this *may* not be the case.

Yesterday I happen to have on the Victoria Debyshire show on TV and there was an item on this problem. The interesting thing was that there was someone from one of the official agencies who said that even with a spoofed caller-id it *is* possible to trace back to the original number calling, however the process is difficult and I think he said that it may need court orders. somehow I doubt that this will be done very often.

Stuart

[sevenlayermuddle]

The interesting thing was that there was someone from one of the official agencies who said that even with a spoofed caller-id it *is* possible to trace back to the original number calling, however the process is difficult and I think he said that it may need court orders. somehow I doubt that this will be done very often.

I would agree, that it would usually be possible, and that it would rarely be done. 

Same applies to 'number withheld'.   Even if you withhold your number, it still travels with the call all the way to the destination exchange, but a bit is simply set in one of the parameters to say the number should not be presented to the called subscriber.

Problems arise however with equipment that does not play by the rules.  BT have processes that are meant to ensure all equipment connected to their copper does play fair, but they cannot control what happens on the far side of international gateways.

At international gateways, I believe the caller's ID may be very effectively stripped from the call parameters, in cases where the originating country has stricter privacy laws than that of the destination.

[sevenlayermuddle]

A timely article on the Beeb website, seemingly the Microsoft support scams will net $1.5 bn for the gangs in 2015, in the U.S. Alone. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34411723

[sevenlayermuddle]

I've noticed a new tactic recently for phone scams, the spoofed number is chosen to match my own local dialling code.   One even matched my actual home phone number to within two digits, I guess they think it is more likely such calls will get picked up?

I have had two such calls in recent weeks, one from a claims management firm that sounded UK-based, the other was a 'consumer survey' from what sounded like an Indian call centre. 

[burakkucat]

Eight days ago, the telephone made its noise. I picked up the receiver of the bright red 300 series telephone that was beside me. The line was totally silent, so I waited two seconds and then clearly said "Hello". There was an audible click and then a lot of call-centre background noise.

Nuisance Caller: (With Asian accent) "Hello."
Grumpy b*cat: "Yes?"
NC: "Hello."
GBC: "Yes?" (With a more exasperated tone.)
NC: "Can I speak to the householder?"
GBC: "No." (Perfectly clearly, precise and to the point.)
NC: "Hello."
GBC: Parks the receiver in the "off the hook" position and gets on with what he was doing prior to the disturbance.
NC: "Hello." (five seconds) "Hello." (ten seconds) "Hello." (ten seconds) "Hello." Click.
GBC: Smiles to himself and decides to see how long the System X exchange will give me in a PG state before it connects my line to the "howler". After five minutes had passed, I decided it wasn't going to happen and replaced the receiver on the rest.

A little later on, I decided to see if there was a CLI recorded. Interrogating the system via a MF telephone, I was told that I was called by "01102079468675".

And the band played "Believe it if you like".   

[NewtronStar]

My observation of the NC they bombard my phone number at 10am then 11am then a lull then 1pm and a lull again until 3pm then 4pm another at 5pm and then another at 6pm.

There is more observation theses cold calls last for two months and then it all goes quiet for few months and it starts all over again it's definitely not random a clear case these calls are generated from a computer database call centre.

The computer calls more telephone numbers than the operator can deal with and the reason why the call is silent.   

[burakkucat]

The computer calls more telephone numbers than the operator can deal with and the reason why the call is silent.

Agreed.

A simple solution would be to say nothing when one picks up the receiver, just wait for the caller to speak first. 

[NewtronStar]

Good news have had the CPR call blocker connected for a month and nuisance calls have almost gone, though the unit when first installed needed a we bit more of user programming to stop the rest getting though 10 out of 10 

[burakkucat]

Good news, indeed. 

[NewtronStar]

Good news, indeed. 

Yep it is and can still see the blocked incoming calls on phone or on DSLstats/MDWS with spikes of upstream errored seconds but the phone does not ring and that is just bliss

[sevenlayermuddle]

Good news have had the CPR call blocker connected for a month and nuisance calls have almost gone, though the unit when first installed needed a we bit more of user programming to stop the rest getting though 10 out of 10 

From a 'glass half empty' perspective...

The Nuisance Call Industry have now profited from you, to the tune of whatever you paid for the call blocker.

[NewtronStar]

From a 'glass half empty' perspective...
The Nuisance Call Industry have now profited from you, to the tune of whatever you paid for the call blocker.

What else could I do I'm registered with TPS which is a load carp and asking the ISP to block calls would cost over £40 per annum with only an 80% block rate.

The CPR unit is only £36 a one off payment and programmable or just hit the block button it's been well over 2 months since I have had to listen to an Indian call centre/international/unavailable the list go's on.

[sevenlayermuddle]

What else could I do I'm registered with TPS which is a load carp and asking the ISP to block calls would cost over £40 per annum with only an 80% block rate.

The CPR unit is only £36 a one off payment and programmable or just hit the block button it's been well over 2 months since I have had to listen to an Indian call centre/international/unavailable the list go's on.

There is, I agree, very little point in registering with TPS.  That is an organisation set up by, and to represent the interests of, the  direct marketing association.  Their members are the very people who think is it socially acceptable to make nuisance calls.   

Personally, paying money to prevent the calls, regardless of whether that is effective, is simply feeding the whole sordid gravy train.  I simply will not do so, it is akin to paying a ransom.

What can you do?   Waste as much time as possible, of the callers.   Their business model is delicate, and depends upon 'dead ends' just hanging up.   Don't do that, keep them talking, annoy them, make them swear at you.   That becomes an unprofitable business model, and the industry will evaporate.   

But success does depend upon destroying the myth that TPS is in consumers' interests, and  upon derailing the related industries, like manufacturers of call blocking apparatus.

[NewtronStar]

What can you do?   Waste as much time as possible, of the callers.   Their business model is delicate, and depends upon 'dead ends' just hanging up.   Don't do that, keep them talking, annoy them, make them swear at you.   That becomes an unprofitable business model, and the industry will evaporate.   

SLM have done all thoses tricks over 4 years and nothing seems to delete my number from the database call centres, you seem to think this is a human based call centre and it has emotions during the telephone conversation which may change the outcome to further contact.

I can tell you outright talking to them just makes things worse they now know there is a human behind this number and the database operator will give this number as a live contact which then is put into a priority database list which means more calls from the nuisance callers.

[sevenlayermuddle]

To be clear, I wasn't suggesting that you, or I alone, can stop the calls.

If society can pull together, such that we all adopt the tactics I suggested rather than waste our time with TPS or waste our money with call-blockers... That is my vision.