junk phone calls (you just hear a noise)

geordief

any one got a solution for these?
I have been putting up with them for almost 10 years now.
When they first started I did ring eircom and the data protection people (its a long time ago so I have forgotten the details) but the message I got was that since they come from abroad nothing can be done.
So I put up with them because they sometimes go away but at the moment they are fairly frequent,
If you answer them you just get a kind of a fax noise and they might also end up on your answering machine which you have to delete manually as they can end up filing the answering machine quota.
One solution I had was to add the number(s) to the phone book so as to know not to pick up but they seem to use more and more numbers...
So has anyone else any experience of this annoyance?

Solair

It could simply be someone trying to send you a fax. A fax machine will often try the number several times until it gets a response then eventually give up.

You'll hear a tone repeating a few times, then it will hang up and wait a while then call back.

Depending on how the machine's programmed, it will eventually give up.

Perhaps try googling the number it comes from.

geordief

that is what I thought at first but , when the whole thing started (about 10 years ago I think) I left the fax machine on on purpose - overnight and for hours at a time in the day (I had just the one number) but nothing ever came through.
Anyway ,if it was a fax , over such a long period someone would have had to give us a call and asked us to turn the fax or complain that they couldn't get through.
My second supposition was an automated call that had gone beserk but I no longer remember the complete theory behind that one.

Like I say , it has gone on for so long that it feels like a part of normal life.
I think if this problem was ever fixed I would get phantom limb syndrome.....

Solair

geordief wrote: »

that is what I thought at first but , when the whole thing started (about 10 years ago I think) I left the fax machine on on purpose - overnight and for hours at a time in the day (I had just the one number) but nothing ever came through.
Anyway ,if it was a fax , over such a long period someone would have had to give us a call and asked us to turn the fax or complain that they couldn't get through.
My second supposition was an automated call that had gone beserk but I no longer remember the complete theory behind that one.

Like I say , it has gone on for so long that it feels like a part of normal life.
I think if this problem was ever fixed I would get phantom limb syndrome.....

If it's coming from abroad, and from outside the EU (or developed world) it's quite possible that there's nothing you can do about it.

If you see that it's coming from any Irish or EU-country's number I would suggest that you contact the data protection commissioner.

You can get DECT cordless phones that will let you do 'ignore' lists. Check online for details, do some googling.

Eircom / any other provider won't be much help as they can't seem to do much about calls that come from outside of their network / Irish & EU networks. Caller ID on these marketing calls can also be spoofed as they are coming from VoIP systems often located in not very well regulated countries.

Caller ID information's only as good as the regulation of the telecommunications network it's coming from!

If they ring you again, wait for as long as possible before hanging up and try talking. It could be some kind of autodialer with a system triggered by you speaking. That might get you speaking to a live operator.

basill

I used to ignore these sorts of calls or pick up swear at them and then hang up. After seeing a doc on telly a while ago about how cut throat the cold calling industry is with targets and average call times etc I have changed my tactics.

I now pick up and answer. When asked for Mr Bloggs I say, certainly I will go and get him. I then leave the phone down and after about 2-3 minutes they always cut the call. Seems I get blacklisted as a time waster as they never call back.

Solair

basill wrote: »

I used to ignore these sorts of calls or pick up swear at them and then hang up. After seeing a doc on telly a while ago about how cut throat the cold calling industry is with targets and average call times etc I have changed my tactics.

I now pick up and answer. When asked for Mr Bloggs I say, certainly I will go and get him. I then leave the phone down and after about 2-3 minutes they always cut the call. Seems I get blacklisted as a time waster as they never call back.

I engage them in long and pointless conversations about the weather. They eventually give up.

If it's a scam, like the one where they tell you they're from Microsoft, then I just play them along and give them plenty of rope to hang themselves with before I reveal that I'm onto them.

Alternatively, try "to ensure quality and for legal reasons, this call will be recorded. " they always argue or hang up!

Drop the Ball

A friend of mine has started receiving junk calls, the caller ID is 00165668. There is never anyone on the line if they answer the call. This is an unusual number, I was wondering was it a VOIP number and has anyone else go calls from the same number. Is it related to some kind of a scam?

Solair

Drop the Ball wrote: »

A friend of mine has started receiving junk calls, the caller ID is 00165668. There is never anyone on the line if they answer the call. This is an unusual number, I was wondering was it a VOIP number and has anyone else go calls from the same number. Is it related to some kind of a scam?

It's not a number, it's just fake / junk caller ID.

Caller ID is only as good as the information that's fed into it and how well regulated it is. Once a call's coming from outside the Comreg or EU regulated world, then it can basically send any data into the telephone network for caller ID and that's what gets displayed.

Damien360

Solair wrote: »

I engage them in long and pointless conversations about the weather. They eventually give up.

Brilliantly funny and had me laughing out load.

619C

I had a similar problem in that I was getting calls from a Taxi company customers in the middle of the night looking for Taxis.
I got a Fritz box installed and now I have a night service on so as we dont get disturbed during the night - however I allow all known numbers to call us.

Also you can bar or divert calls from specific numbers and route them to an answering machine or just block them.

I divert all of these to the Blueface 'monkeys' number