How To Stop Chinese Spam Callers?

[Subtitles]

I have a business landline telephone number. Over the past two weeks I have been getting weird calls with different overseas numbers. One day it is from the USA then from France and then from China and off course "Private Callers" which can be either local or from overseas.
It is always the same voice and she gives different name every time. Every time I tell her I am not interested and she says "OK". But the next day I get another call with a different phone number and different name.
This is a landline number so there isn't many options to block calls like on smart phones and since the phone numbers are different every time there is no point in blocking the numbers.
My options are:
1 - Cancel the landline number and use a smart phone number. This is something that I am very reluctant to do.
2 - Ask my telephone company if I can block international numbers since I hardly receive any legitimate calls from overseas but there is always the chance that the spammers will use local telephone numbers.

Did you have such experience and how did you deal with it?
Thanks for any suggestions.

[jagabo]

Use an Ooma Telo and pay $10/mo for their premiere package which includes a call blocking feature. Use white-list mode -- only callers on your contact list are allowed to ring through. Others go to voicemail without ringing locally (or you can specify some other options)

[cholla]

I do not know if Israel has these programs but I'm assuming they do not.
In the USA there is this program:
Donotcall

Texas also has a similar program:
No Call List

These stop most spam calls.
No all of them.

Check to see if Israel has any similar programs.
If not maybe you can contact your government.
Maybe they have not thought of a program like the USA has.

@jagabo, I have the basic OOMA & it does not have call block.

[Subtitles]

Thanks for the suggestions but we don't have such options here for landline phones.
I called my telephone service and asked if they can block incoming and outgoing international phone calls as a last resort, since I hardly receive any such legitimate calls, but I was told that they stopped this service.
I think I will prepare an amplified noise like a gun shot next time they call. Not sure how this will sound through the handset microphone. Hope they get the message next time.

[jagabo]

@jagabo, I have the basic OOMA & it does not have call block.

You have to pay for their Premiere service. Call blocking options with white-list options pulldown displayed:


[Attachment 84315 - Click to enlarge]

Spammers that generate random numbers can only be blocked by the white-list option.

[cholla]

I knew about the premier option I will be fine with Basic.
As I posted the government blockers in the USA work most of the time.

[jagabo]

As I posted the government blockers in the USA work most of the time.

I still get a handful a day.

[jagabo]

There are also standalone call blockers that go between your phone and the incoming telephone line. Some support a white-list mode where only numbers on your white list are allowed to ring through. Here's one example:

https://www.telsentry.com/pages/sentry-3

The problem with white-listing is that it will block important numbers (say, your doctor's office) if they're not on the white list.

[ProJiJi]

I think this could be a classic case of "Fight fire with fire." and by that I mean that it reads above as if the caller is an actual human. I see that idea about a loud bang, but that might not be as good as playing back a very long recording of something in Chinese (if you think it is a Chinese type source of the trouble) - - - something in Chinese that is pleasant sounding and goes on and on and on and eventually that human is going to realize you are spamming her/him and your number will quickly be stricken from her/his list. And by something nice and long, there must be some famous literature type thing in Chinese, a super long poem or some such thing and not hard to get an audio recording of.

If it might seem to be another national doing the spamming, then change the recording to that language and do the same thing.

I'd say that your number will eventually end up on not just a "Do Not Call" list but on some super special list they reserve for no law enforcement agency type number list. I'd bet those professional spammers have a special list of numbers they absolutely forbid their employees to call, like law enforcement numbers.

[hech54]

I just run my landline phone through my Fritz! Box home wifi box. If the call is not on my Blocked List, the call rings through to my iPhone(when I'm home). If it's a junk call I simply add it to the blocked list from the iPhone.
In theory, I can use the Fritz PC interface and block an entire country If I wanted.
My in-laws are blocked. Seriously.

[netmask56]

Long got rid of my landline as it no longer is the traditional 2 wire separate to the national fibre digital network (NBN) instead it connects to the back of the Telstra smart modem. I use my iPhone for all calls, if they aren't in my contacts list they go to voicemail.

[lordsmurf]

My in-laws are blocked. Seriously.

That's so you!

[pandy]

Nowadays i use wireless (DECT) phone with embedded digital answering machine, didn't changed default announcement message and selected predefined one in other language (in this case French as not highly popular in my country) - so caller need to wait few rings and listen message in French - work quite well - so buy some cheap answering machine and then use it as a filter between you and caller - in ancient times where welcome message was stored on minicassette - i've made some "distracting and unpleasant" (at least some callers expressed complains) music recording ( if i recall correctly part of Pheadrea from Tangerine Dream https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Pheadra+tangerine+dream&iax=videos&ia=videos ) - callers called this music as "calling some mortuary" . Btw - you may use some Chinese superstitions (I know they are very superstition nation) - particular numbers (like 4 ) and their sequences expressed in Chinese (use some translator and voice synth) or something similar - unless you are dealing with AI it may work too.

[Subtitles]

Thanks for all the useful suggestions.
In the meantime I didn't have any more calls. Maybe because of the holiday season but I expect them to resume next week.
Anyway I am inclined to use the gun shot sound as loud as my speakers can allow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVz9zoWNrQ

[cholla]

Thanks for all the useful suggestions.
In the meantime I didn't have any more calls. Maybe because of the holiday season but I expect them to resume next week.
Anyway I am inclined to use the gun shot sound as loud as my speakers can allow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVz9zoWNrQ

How about a woman screaming at full volume ?

[netmask56]

Simple solution don't interact with them. The moment you recognise its not someone you know, hang up.

[ProJiJi]

Simple solution don't interact with them. The moment you recognise its not someone you know, hang up.

I thought that the problem was picking up the receiver, whether or not you say anything. Indicating it is an operating number, or some such vocabulary.

[cholla]

My answering machine "picks up the receiver" for my OOMA landline.
For me the only call I regularly get is one of the third party car warranty sellers.
These have almost stopped.
Maybe one every couple of weeks.
I do get a few call & hang ups that are some robocall but as soon as they detect an answering machine they hang up.
Usually leaving no message.
Since my telephone keeps a record of the numbers I know it was an automated call that left no message.

If I had a major problem I would pay the extra for OOMA premium as jagabo does.

[thecoalman]

If I have time I just answer yes to everything until they realize what I'm doing which is usually followed by a string of expletives I can;t understand.

Scammer: This is Mega Bank I would like to speak to Joe Schmoe.
Me: Yes
Scammer: We have detected a fraudulent activity on your account.
Me: Yes
Scammer: We need your account number, DOB and social security number.
Me: Yes
(at this point the eagerness in their voice is obvious because they think they have a live one)
Scammer: Can I have your account number?
Me: Yes
Scammer: Please repeat the account number.
Me: Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfOQsOOyRmw


--------------------------

If I don't feeling like playing with them I say "Hold on let me get the wife, she handles that". Put the phone down and go back to what I was doing.

[TreeTops]

Saw this on the internet:

"If you receive a spam call, never answer "yes" to any questions they ask, as this is a common tactic used by scammers to record your voice and potentially use it to authorize fraudulent charges or other actions without your consent; simply hang up the phone if you suspect a scam call."

So maybe it's better to just say 'no' to every question they ask.

[pandy]

Saw this on the internet:

"If you receive a spam call, never answer "yes" to any questions they ask, as this is a common tactic used by scammers to record your voice and potentially use it to authorize fraudulent charges or other actions without your consent; simply hang up the phone if you suspect a scam call."

So maybe it's better to just say 'no' to every question they ask.

So seem this is still wrong approach as they can use your voice to train some AI voice generation solution - best is to pickup phone and mute microphone so they can't record any voice and they need to pay for call - simply pickup, mute and keep call active - after few tries they give up and stop calling your number as it is highly unproductive.