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Unwanted calls from multiple numbers on a daily basis

Double44

Double44

Member
On a daily basis now, I've been getting unwanted calls, and every number is always different. I have no idea what I did to start them up, but they're getting increasingly annoying. What is the best way to block these idiots? Filtering these numbers through the contact list is no longer ideal.
 
There are a few things you can try. Call your phone company (try the security department) and tell them that these calls are deliberate harassment.

Contact your local police department and file a John Doe complaint against the callers for harassment.

Make sure your number is on the do not call list (even though that never does anything - the record will be there).

Develop a sense of humor. I get these from most likely the same company all the time. "Hi, this is <different name number each time> from blah blah" I respond with "Hi, John, this is Al from the FBI. Would you like to discuss the length of the sentence you're going to receive for this call?" And I AM from the FBI - Funny Brothers, Inc. Oh, did you think I meant Hoover's office?

On my cell, I've eliminated a few of these calls with Blacklist (free at the Play store). I have all 800, 855, 866, 877 and 888 numbers blocked.

You can also tell these callers that you're about to leave for work (no matter what time of day it is) but if they give you their home number, you'll get back to them. Then call them at the most inopportune times. (It's not harassment - they gave you their number to return THEIR call.) It's like returning spam snail mail. It gets you on the "don't call this nut" list. I don't care WHAT they call me, as long as they don't do it on the phone.
 
Since theyre all from different numbers, i dont think theres an android way to stop it mate. I feel your pain.
Maybe your best bet is to talk to them and try to find out what company they work for and take it up with them.
Theres probably a way to block ALL unknown numbers but that wouldnt be ideal
 
Get Blacklist by Anttek from the Play Store. The free version is fine.

Set it to block all calls/texts from numbers not in your contacts. It will log all calls and texts from those numbers without disturbing you and you can review the list when you feel like it. Though they will be able to leave you a voicemail
 
As Funky already stated you may be able to simply state to the people "Remove this number from your list, do not call again" and hope it slows down. Repeat the phrase until they concede.

As your carrier is listed as Tmobile I assume you live in the US.

Add all of your numbers, home and cell, to the National Do Not Call Registry.

https://www.donotcall.gov/

Telemarketers are supposed to update their do not call list with the federal database once every 30 days, so in theory the calls should stop in 31 days max.

If the above does not work you can transfer your number to Google Voice -

https://www.google.com/voice&#8206;

Sign up for a Google Voice account and port your current number, note your carrier may charge you a fee for issuing a new phone number to your phones sim card/imei serial.

Once ported setup Google Voice to automatically forward known callers to your cell and blacklist/blackhole unknowns to a standard "phone has been disconnected" message.

Google voice is pretty cool, most modern phones will allow you to copy your phone-book to Google and once that is done, if people are dialing your Google voice number, you can decide what phone number rings.

If its your mom calling you can have Google voice ring your cell and home number at the same time, first one you answer wins. If its the boss you can have it only ring your home phone and not your cell.

If someone leaves a voice mail Google will transcribe it text and email or text it to your cell.

It takes a bit to setup but once done you have seriously complete control of who contacts you where and under what circumstance you want.
 
Thom said:
I have used ... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.esmobile.reverselookupfree ... for a umber of years to identify who the caller is. I find its results to be quite useful. Perhaps it can help you zero in on the culprit.

... Thom
Click to expand...
I've reversed the most recent numbers on PC using Whitepages, each appear to be from different states:

Area Code: 323
Carrier: Level 3 Communications
Full Number: 1-323-244-2270
City/State: Los Angeles, CA

Area Code: 214
Carrier: Level 3 Communications
Full Number: 1-214-613-0182
City/State: Dallas, TX

Area Code: 803
Carrier: Level 3 Communications
Full Number: 1-803-767-4803
City/State: Columbia, SC

Area Code: 713
Carrier: Level 3 Communications
Full Number: 1-713-581-2170
City/State: Houston, TX

Area Code: 304
Carrier: Bandwidth.com
Full Number: 1-304-506-4097
City/State: Grafton, WV

(*if its not okay to post numbers, please moderate)

I added my number to the National Do-Not-Call Registry yesterday, but nothing will likely go into effect for at least 30 days. I've also never answered any of these calls, if I don't know them I don't answer.
 
I have Tmobile as well, with 2 kids I have Tmobile's Family Allowances.

Family Allowances cost me another 5 bucks a month but I have complete control over every single line on the account, its pretty freaking sweet.

I can go line by line on the account and grant each line a specific amount of paid minutes, free minutes, text messages, paid downloads and more.

Safety is never an issue as I can "white list" phone numbers on the kids accounts like both our cell phones and work numbers along with their grandmother and grandfather cells so they will always be in touch with an adult if really needed.

I dont lock down their phones normally unless they are doing bad in school or need a smack down and are grounded, even with their phone restricted so they cant call or text their friends they can always get in touch with us the second they need to.

Part of family allowances is a blacklist.. a "do not call" if you will.

With it I can enter phone numbers that Tmobile will intercept and not allow a connection on a network basis, and it is available on every line of the account with family allowances.

I have blocked nuisance calls in the past on both the wifes phone and mine, only caveat is its limited to 10 numbers.

Call Tmobile if this continues, they should be able to help.
 
How does porting a T-Mobile number to Google Voice work? I found this inside the Google Voice help menus, but I have troubles understanding what it means by "your mobile phone service plan will be terminated":

What you need to know before you port your mobile number to Google Voice

There is a one time $20 fee to port your number.

Your mobile phone service plan will be terminated when you port your number to Google Voice and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee. You may also experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for 5 business days or more, depending on the carrier from which you are porting to Google Voice.

Once porting is complete, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:

  • Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.
  • Once you&#8217;ve secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone.

You should not cancel your mobile service plan before porting is initiated. You will need your phone to be able to accept calls in order to complete the porting verification process.

If you already have a Google number on this Google Voice Account, it will be replaced by the number that you wish to port and will be completely removed from your account 90 days after porting is complete
Click to expand...
Seems complicated.
 
If you go that route just let T-Mobile know ahead of time that you will be porting your number and want a new one issued when it happens.
 
Double44 said:

Full Number: 1-323-244-2270
Full Number: 1-214-613-0182
Full Number: 1-803-767-4803
Full Number: 1-713-581-2170
Full Number: 1-304-506-4097
(*if its not okay to post numbers, please moderate)

I added my number to the National Do-Not-Call Registry yesterday, but nothing will likely go into effect for at least 30 days. I've also never answered any of these calls, if I don't know them I don't answer.
Click to expand...

Every number is listed as a VoIP number and has a history of complaints. I hope the Do Not Call list helps when it kicks in. Also, most states have a separate list you can add your number on.
 
Scammers and telemarketers buy huge blocks of "disposable" local numbers - these are internet phone numbers that their computers can use to place robocalls. There's little you can do, as these scum puppies are overseas... so the Do Not Call registry doesn't apply to them. Even if it did, they don't care.

I use an app called nomorobo that screens users' incoming calls in real time. If it's a known scam number, it won't even ring your phone. You can also set it to go straight to voicemail (In case it really IS a human being trying to reach you). If a scam number slips through, you can report the number for other users. It's free for landlines and $1.99/month for cell numbers. It can't eliminate all these calls, but it will knock the number of them down a lot.

TIP: If the message says "press 9 (or whatever) to be removed from our call list" do NOT press it! It's a trick to find out if yours is a good number to a live human being who will interact with the call. That makes your number more valuable on the market, and you'll end up with more calls! Just hang up. Sometimes, if I'm in a playful mood, I'll click through to a human being on their end and just mess with them. It frustrates them because I'm wasting time they could be scamming other people. It's a public service of mine, you're welcome...

:D
 
If you are on an Android phone, there is one technique. Familiar with the “Do Not Disturb” feature? On android there is a feature known as “Priority Only”. Change it to “Starred Contacts Only” and then place a star on each contact you need to hear from. If this runs the risk of affecting work, then either inform your workplace that they need to provide you with a number that they will call from, or invest in a separate work phone. This isn’t perfect, however as you will end up with a list of missed calls and/or a pile of voicemails to sort through. I got into the habit of stating in the recording on my voicemail that if I didn’t know the person then I would not pick up. I also stated that if I did know the person then they were to contact me by some other mean so I have their number, which can then be added to my contact list.

I’m not entirely sure if this will work on Apple devices, however the features may be similar. It is worth taking a look.
 
Yeah, I can't do the Priority Only calls because of my volunteer work and the other things going on in my life to help others. I'm likely to get calls from people I've not talked with before... which is nice, because I'm such a sociable guy. But I think I'm doing this "retirement" thing all wrong - I'm busier now than I was when I was working!

:p
 
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