Spam Calls After Entering PCH Sweepstakes

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So I was watching TV and after a Publisher's Clearing House commercial I entered their sweeps online. Like clockwork beginning a few days later, started receiving a lot of spam calls on my phone probably 6 - 8 per day. Should have known better...
 
I've always been very hesitant to give out any personal info.
So far it has served me well.

Even going to Harbor Freight, I won't give my Phone Number if asked.

I had a Door-to Door salesperson selling Windows ask if they could call me at a later date.
I said "don't call me, I'll call you"
-------------------------------------
I'm not going to give a Salesperson permission to call me.
If they did call and were persistant, and I complained, they would have said,
"well Sir, you said you wanted us to call you".
 
Some days I wonder about unplugging our phone altogether. We don't get that many calls--now that election is over with--but even still, all the spam calls come at the same time.

Thankfully, caller ID handles most of them. But next phone we get, I want to get one which DOESN'T ring, not unless if the phone number is a small group of numbers that we entered in. Just go straight to voice mail after a single ring.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Some days I wonder about unplugging our phone altogether. We don't get that many calls--now that election is over with--but even still, all the spam calls come at the same time.

Thankfully, caller ID handles most of them. But next phone we get, I want to get one which DOESN'T ring, not unless if the phone number is a small group of numbers that we entered in. Just go straight to voice mail after a single ring.


https://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
 
PCH players have a 1 in 181,795,000 chance of winning the big prize. The odds of winning a pick six state lotto averages one in 14,000,000. Mega Millions jackpot odds of one in 259 million or Powerball odds of one in 292 million.
I'll play a buck or two on a state lotto once in a blue moon. No spam too. Hopefully the spam calls subside. You can always go on a do not call list, but charities are exempt.
 
I give the number to an old phone that I don't use anymore to 99% of people and businesses, I only give my real number to those I know and trust.
 
I always get a ton of spam calls every March for pretty much the whole month. I have no idea why. I've noticed recently that the phone will one ring time then the person will hang up. Makes me wonder if their system recognizes I'm on the do not call list.
 
That's why I never sign up for any of those stupid drawings or sweepstakes.
 
Being retired my wife says I need to talk to people during the day, instead of talking to the walls or the dog.

She says I need to enter more Sweepstakes....
thankyou2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
I give the number to an old phone that I don't use anymore to 99% of people and businesses, I only give my real number to those I know and trust.


Do you still have that number, on a phone, that you pay to keep up? Otherwise, you might be handing out someone else's phone number.
 
Originally Posted By: spackard
Originally Posted By: supton
Some days I wonder about unplugging our phone altogether. We don't get that many calls--now that election is over with--but even still, all the spam calls come at the same time.

Thankfully, caller ID handles most of them. But next phone we get, I want to get one which DOESN'T ring, not unless if the phone number is a small group of numbers that we entered in. Just go straight to voice mail after a single ring.


https://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html


Interesting, I'll have to dig into that. I looked at a couple of videos, might be promising.
 
Ditched the land line last yr, only phone is my cellular Moto X (Got my eye on a new Moto Z though !!). I keep a contact named "Spam." All spam numbers that call my phone get added to the long list of numbers for that contact (have to do it manually). All calls from that contact are set to go directly to vm without ever ringing. So if they call again from same number they go straight to vm land. Problem is, the spammers don't always call from the same number again. But I still dutifully drag all incoming spam numbers into the Spam contact anyhow.
 
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Ditched the land line last yr, only phone is my cellular Moto X (Got my eye on a new Moto Z though !!). I keep a contact named "Spam." All spam numbers that call my phone get added to the long list of numbers for that contact (have to do it manually). All calls from that contact are set to go directly to vm without ever ringing. So if they call again from same number they go straight to vm land. Problem is, the spammers don't always call from the same number again. But I still dutifully drag all incoming spam numbers into the Spam contact anyhow.


I use an app called Blacklist Plus which allows you to set the phone to hang up rather than letting the call into your voicemail. The problem is that it's rare to get more than a couple of repeat calls from the same spoofed number. They just keep rotating to different numbers. Perhaps when NoMoRobo, or something like it, is available for wireless numbers the ability to reduce these irritations will improve. I've noticed a large rash of them lately.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Olas
I give the number to an old phone that I don't use anymore to 99% of people and businesses, I only give my real number to those I know and trust.


Do you still have that number, on a phone, that you pay to keep up? Otherwise, you might be handing out someone else's phone number.


I don't use the number any more, haven't done so for years. The last time I called it I got the "this number is out of service" message
 
I use this service( NoMoRobo )and it works FANTASTIC on my house phone. 100% free( small fee for cells ). hangs up on known telemarketers and scammers after just 1 ring. If one gets through( basically a new number they don't have yet )you just report it on their website and it is stopped as well. Can't say enough good about the service. Usually free services like this do not work well but this does.

Only catch is it requires VOIP service and they don't support all companies. I happen to have Comcast so it is supported.

If they cover your phone give them a go. You won't be sorry.

NoMoRobo.Com
 
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I second NoMoRobo! We have AT&T uVerse and was able to add that to our phone.

Most SPAM calls ring once and then are picked up by NoMoRobo.

All we have to ignore are all the No Number and Number Not Valid calls.

We just don't pick up for those.
 
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Ditched the land line last yr, only phone is my cellular Moto X (Got my eye on a new Moto Z though !!). I keep a contact named "Spam." All spam numbers that call my phone get added to the long list of numbers for that contact (have to do it manually). All calls from that contact are set to go directly to vm without ever ringing. So if they call again from same number they go straight to vm land. Problem is, the spammers don't always call from the same number again. But I still dutifully drag all incoming spam numbers into the Spam contact anyhow.


That is actually a great idea. Simple, effective.


Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I've noticed a large rash of them lately.


Same here, I have never received so many spam calls as I have in the last month.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
I second NoMoRobo! We have AT&T uVerse and was able to add that to our phone.

Most SPAM calls ring once and then are picked up by NoMoRobo.

All we have to ignore are all the No Number and Number Not Valid calls.

We just don't pick up for those.


NoMoRobo is currently only available for land lines (VoIP is included, for the most part). None of the wireless providers has yet to adopt it. But, if anyone has evidence to the contrary I would be VERY interested.
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
I give the number to an old phone that I don't use anymore to 99% of people and businesses, I only give my real number to those I know and trust.


Same here.
 
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