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Apple to Join 'Robocall Strike Force' to Crack Down on Automated Phone Calls
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It's gotten so bad now that I think the only solution is a whitelist. There's no point blacklisting spoofed numbers, you'll never get a call from that particular number again. Do not call lists are completely useless. Legislation is useless, because most of them come from overseas. Nuclear weapons seem like overkill, but less and less as time goes on...
AT&T is prepared to take a leadership position in the industry in the development of comprehensive solutions. We currently allow many of our customers to block calls using black-listing software like Nomorobo and we are committed to providing our customers with the best blocking tools available for use with their knowledge and consent. […]
Article Link: Apple to Join 'Robocall Strike Force' to Crack Down on Automated Phone Calls
Yeah, yeah, I love THAT part about AT&T allowing "many" of their customers to employ Nomorobo. Um, those customers I believed are restricted to subscribers of AT&T's U-Verse with a VOIP land-line. AT&T has not made (unless there's been recent development that's escaped my attention) Nomorobo available to their wireless/mobile customers. According to AT&T's "U-verse Update: 1Q15", AT&T had 5.2 million U-verse Voice connections. Compare that to AT&T's "1Q2016 AT&T by the numbers" where they report they had 139.6 million wireless customers in the U.S. (and Mexico).
This from NoMoRobo:
"Unfortunately, AT&T Wireless doesn't currently support Nomorobo.
But there is something that you can do. Please call their customer service department at 1-800-331-0500 and ask that they add Nomorobo to their service."
"Unfortunately, AT&T Wireless doesn't currently support Nomorobo.
But there is something that you can do. Please call their customer service department at 1-800-331-0500 and ask that they add Nomorobo to their service."
Also, why use a picture of lovable Wally!? He's a Disney icon and one of my favorite Disney characters.
Agreed! Poor Wall-E
Most of the robocalls I get are "NO CALLER ID" or "UNKNOWN". Apple does not give me a way to block these. Doing so would be a start.
true.. just scary about having a member of my family on emergency that is calling me from and unknown phone.
$100 says this isn't implemented until after the election.
I think political robocalls have always been exempted - even from the Do Not Call list.
The biggest problem I see, as these companies doing the ROBOCALLING are using NON-EXISTING NUMBERS and Different Numbers every time they call people. I am bothered by this one company on a weekly bases (Consumer Credit Card Relief), each time they robo call me, it's a different number and when you call the number back, I get "this number is not valid" recording. I have asked them repeatedly to stop calling me, but they still call me back. My number is on the FTC's DONOTCALL List and has been for years, yet I still get robo calls all the time. I have submitted complaint after complaint to the FTC, yet nothing changes, I still to this day, get robo called all the time. I have started adding there numbers to a contact in my iPhone and I have these numbers blocked, but they just use a different number to call me, so I am still bothered by them.
Another issue is, when you give your number away when buy a car, a home, credit card, etc, they share that number and from what I understand, is automatic consent to robo calls from them. I can't tell you how many times I get a call from a Car Warranty company about buying a warranty for my car. I have asked them repeatedly to take me off their list and also told them I have a warranty already. Still, a month will go by and they call.
The only fix I can see, is to NOT have a PHONE at all. Send me mail, It just go from the mailbox to the fire pit in my back yard, I don't even have to read it to know it's SPAM.
Another issue is, when you give your number away when buy a car, a home, credit card, etc, they share that number and from what I understand, is automatic consent to robo calls from them. I can't tell you how many times I get a call from a Car Warranty company about buying a warranty for my car. I have asked them repeatedly to take me off their list and also told them I have a warranty already. Still, a month will go by and they call.
The only fix I can see, is to NOT have a PHONE at all. Send me mail, It just go from the mailbox to the fire pit in my back yard, I don't even have to read it to know it's SPAM.
It's gotten so bad, I'm ready to not have a phone number at all.
Seriously, is there a way to disable voice service on my phone altogether?
Seriously, is there a way to disable voice service on my phone altogether?
I would definitely enjoy having less telemarketing calls. It's gotten to a point that some people are belligerent with telemarketing. Maybe we can have a ban on automated political phone calls too?
Exactly, I don't know why it's not an option for my phone to ONLY RING if you're in my contacts list. Otherwise go to voicemail. If you don't leave a voicemail, I don't even care to know that you called. Transcribe the voicemail - if it's deemed as SPAM then delete it.
They could allow those calls to go to voice mail and if a message is left, then let the vm through.
That's the thing about the call guardian thing on my landline phone I mentioned earlier, it allows the caller from an unknown number to leave an 'announcement' (without ringing). Obviously machines don't leave a message, so your phone doesn't ring, and live spammers/scammers don't leave a message, because they know you won't answer, but if the message is "Brian from work" or "Dad at the hospital" you can choose to receive the call, either as a one off or whitelist it.
Works wonderfully, and I don't understand why its not made it into the mobile world.
Oh thank god, It's gotten absolutely out of control! Sometimes 1-3 a day!
I've jailbroken for years now primarily for this exact function. It's the only major reason left that I still do. Apple's call blocking is barely one step above pointless--no way to block unknown or blocked numbers, no way to whitelist...no real point.
While we're at it, can we finally have a solution to physical junk mail?
For everything worthwhile that I receive in my physical mailbox, I receive 10+ pieces of junk that goes straight into the recycle bin.
For everything worthwhile that I receive in my physical mailbox, I receive 10+ pieces of junk that goes straight into the recycle bin.
The DNC does effectively regulate the telemarking of legitimate companies. What it does not do (because it was never intended to) is stop criminals, most of whom are calling with spoofed numbers from outside the country. If CID spoofing was ended, a huge percentage of the criminal activity would cease. Additionally, if the telecom system was able to detect war dialing (which should not be technically difficult), the boiler room operations that depend on it would be undercut substantially. Between the two probably 90% of this activity could be stopped.
I don't think they do need to be initiated locally, and that's the heart of the problem. Most of these criminal boiler rooms seem to be located in India where they can apparently fake stateside CIDs with ease. The telecom system currently can't detect when a CID doesn't match the real call origin. Fixing that should not be difficult technically, but it might require legislation as you suggest because at least some of the issue is the access structure of the telecom system that was created after the AT&T breakup.