Dealing with Phone Scammers--HELP!!! Needed

[Friends just call me Ross]

2 hours ago, Stavro said:

 

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/setup-interruptions-android-lollipop-do-not-disturb/

 

Our home phones don't use Android 5.0 Lollipop.

They are just regular phones that receive digital cell service.

 

I am actually starting to receive 

scammer calls on my cell. 

Bummer.  Just checked.  My cell doesn't use Android 5.0 Lollipop.

It's 6.0.1.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Friends just call me Ross

[Tortuga]

19 minutes ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

 

They are just regular phones that receive digital cell service.

 

I'm confused. Why wouldn't Nomorobo work on your regular phone?

[SheyZ]

 
That would work on a landline, but our home phone is Verizon wireless.

Really! You mean all u have are cell phones? Or is your Verizon a Wi-Fi phone? Run on your internet system.?. if so, my mom's phone is run on Wi-Fi which runs from phone to Wi-Fi router.. I just hook the blocker up to the phone.... It tells u how to do it!

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

[Friends just call me Ross]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

 

I'm confused. Why wouldn't Nomorobo work on your regular phone?

 

Because Verizon doesn't do Nomorobo, 

and because Nomorobo doesn't do Verizon.

[Friends just call me Ross]

8 minutes ago, SheyZ said:

Really! You mean all u have are cell phones? Or is your Verizon a Wi-Fi phone? Run on your internet system.?. if so, my mom's phone is run on Wi-Fi which runs from phone to Wi-Fi router.. I just hook the blocker up to the phone.... It tells u how to do it!

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk
 

 

We have a TDS landline, but it is only for high speed internet.  Verizon internet service is non-existent in this area of the UP, unless you can connect to someone's wi-fi.

[Stavro]

3 hours ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

Our home phones don't use Android 5.0 Lollipop.

They are just regular phones that receive digital cell service.

 

I wasn't aware of any non-cell phone services through Verizon Wireless.

 

Verizon does have other services that provide digital voice services for 'traditional' phones, and these services are indeed compatible with Nomorobo.

https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/consumer-education/robocalls/nomorobo.htm

 

Since there seems to be some misunderstanding over the devices you have and which of Verizon's programs you are using, I'd suggest calling the tech support number on your bill and having them walk you through the setup of Nomorobo for your particular configuration.

[Friends just call me Ross]

I would have to live in one of these places for 

Nomorobo to work on our phone:

 

[Stavro]

32 minutes ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

I would have to live in one of these places for 

Nomorobo to work on our phone:

 

I know for a fact that Nomorobo works on most if not all of Verizon's digital voice services, regardless of FIOS availability.

 

Have you actually called their support line to confirm that you are ineligible for all of these options, and that there are no compatible alternatives?

[Friends just call me Ross]

5 minutes ago, Stavro said:

 

I know for a fact that Nomorobo works on most if not all of Verizon's digital voice services, regardless of FIOS availability.

 

Have you actually called their support line to confirm that you are ineligible for all of these options, and that there are no compatible alternatives?

 

Not called support line.  Just reading the Verizon website message and believing it, 

since I tried for over an hour to install Nomorobo and Nomorobo wouldn't let me install it.

 

I will call, though.  

 

[Qapla]

I could say that I know for a fact that Comcast/Xfinity offers VOIP phone service to their customers - and I would be correct .... almost

 

Where I live we CANNOT have Comcast/Xfinity VOIP - not because they don't/won't offer it - it is because the County we live in will not allow them to offer it.

 

So, just because Nomorobo works on most/all of Verizon services does not mean that where Rosanne lives offers the service - just like we cannot get a service that Comcast/Xfinity offers to the rest of their customers.

[Stavro]

59 minutes ago, Qapla said:

So, just because Nomorobo works on most/all of Verizon services does not mean that where Rosanne lives offers the service

 

Generally speaking, Verizon Wireless does not offer landline phone service except in special circumstances.

 

Clearly this is a unique situation, and tech support will have far more technical information than any of us. Blindly telling others that a particular fix is impossible helps nobody at all.

 

If those who are actually qualified to answer the question can confirm that Nomorobo is unavailable, there are alternatives, but it would be preferable to eliminate the easiest/cheapest alternatives before going that route.

[SheyZ]

 
We have a TDS landline, but it is only for high speed internet.  Verizon internet service is non-existent in this area of the UP, unless you can connect to someone's wi-fi.

it doesn't matter what kind of service you have. this blocker thingy just works on your phone. No matter what kind of service you have, landline, TDS or Wi-Fi.

Here is something else I found.. by the way I have no idea what TDS means..🤣

https://tdstelecom.com/support/phone/features-call-blocking.html

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

[Qapla]

7 hours ago, Stavro said:

Generally speaking, Verizon Wireless does not offer landline phone service except in special circumstances.

 

Clearly this is a unique situation, and tech support will have far more technical information than any of us. Blindly telling others that a particular fix is impossible helps nobody at all.

 

I agree that calling tech support is the best option to find out - yes, they will know better than any of us.

 

That is why, just as "blindly telling others that a particular fix is impossible" is of no help, so is "knowing for a fact that Nomorobo works on most if not all of Verizon's digital voice services, regardless of FIOS availability."

 

I do not think she actually said it was Verizon Wireless - only that she had Verizon.

 

Verizon is a is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate, not just a Wireless Cell Phone company.  Its Verizon Wireless subsidiary is the largest U.S. wireless communications service provider as of September 2014, with 147 million mobile customers. They offer Cable television, Fixed-line, Mobile
Broadband, Digital television, IPTV, Digital Media, Telematics in addition to owning Yahoo.

 

 I apologize if I upset you with my post. I certainly was not trying to say she should not call tech support, only that, since various companies offer services that are not the same in all parts of their system, we should not "jump to the conclusion" that they "must" off a particular service since "we know for a fact" ......

 

Now, I suppose we should set this sideline aside and get back to her immediate needs.

[dove]

On 12/2/2017 at 9:10 AM, Friends just call me Ross said:

 

There are dozens of different people calling.  About five hung up on me while I was pleading for them to stop calling and remove our number from their list.  

 

I have witnessed to political callers before.  I shall give it a try.

 

 

Whatever the subject is, you can say, 'I have the answer to that, would you like to hear it?'

 

[Stavro]

6 hours ago, Qapla said:

I do not think she actually said it was Verizon Wireless - only that she had Verizon

On 12/2/2017 at 9:03 AM, Friends just call me Ross said:

That would work on a landline, but our home phone is Verizon wireless.

 

Since this is clearly a unique case, tech support will have the best answer.

 

6 hours ago, Qapla said:

since various companies offer services that are not the same in all parts of their system, we should not "jump to the conclusion" that they "must" off a particular service since "we know for a fact" ......

 

Except I do "know for a fact" that Nomorobo works across most Verizon services. I have been told by Verizon corporate that "every" home and small-business voice customer is eligible (corporate accounts tend to host or rent their own phone exhange). And I have personally set up Nomorobo on Verizon Wireless, FIOS, Analog (copper twisted pair), and Business Digital Voice. Because Nomorobo is generally enabled at the central office rather than the customer's handset, the exact connection method between the office and the customer is irrelevant.

 

If it does turn out that this is incompatible, there are numerous alternatives that can bypass Verizon entirely, though these would require more setup time than a technician clicking a button in a program.

[dove]

1 hour ago, Stavro said:

 

Since this is clearly a unique case, tech support will have the best answer.

 

 

Except I do "know for a fact" that Nomorobo works across most Verizon services. I have been told by Verizon corporate that "every" home and small-business voice customer is eligible (corporate accounts tend to host or rent their own phone exhange). And I have personally set up Nomorobo on Verizon Wireless, FIOS, Analog (copper twisted pair), and Business Digital Voice. Because Nomorobo is generally enabled at the central office rather than the customer's handset, the exact connection method between the office and the customer is irrelevant.

 

If it does turn out that this is incompatible, there are numerous alternatives that can bypass Verizon entirely, though these would require more setup time than a technician clicking a button in a program.

I have IOS and Verizon and Nomorobo works here...and I did it through the Nomorobo site. Even if you start at Verizon's site you will be re-directed to Nomorobo's site;  at least that was my experience..

[hatcheckgirl]

How's it been going, Ross?  They leaving you alone yet?

[Friends just call me Ross]

56 minutes ago, hatcheckgirl said:

How's it been going, Ross?  They leaving you alone yet?

 

They took the weekend off, but started again, bright and early, yesterday morning.  

 

I had to run errands, so I wasn't home, but my hubby says they called at least twenty times while he was in the house.

 

Stopped at Verizon. Explained what is going on.  They offered no help whatsoever.

 

I will be home today, so I will be able to spend the hours it takes to try to get through to an actual person at Verizon helpline.

 

They just called for the third time this morning.  Each call shows a different number on caller ID.  "Gone Phishing" takes on a whole new spelling and meaning.

 

Thanks for asking!!!! ((((Hugs))))

[Good-O]

Several times I have used the following technique - if a recorded voice, I hang up, but....if it is a real person, I say "This line is dedicated to Bible study work.  Are you calling to schedule a Bible study?" Usually that stammer and stutter and say "wha...what?  wha..." and I repeat the sentence.  They usually hang up without saying another word.  I have enjoyed doing this, especially to a 'real' person.  LOL  

[Friends just call me Ross]

Update:

The scammers persisted for an entire week,

calling every few minutes.

We never picked up and it has been several days

since they have annoyed us.

I believe only Armageddon will remove them 

completely.

[hatcheckgirl]

This has been an awful experience, quite psychologically stressful! And it seems you got no help from your phone company either. What an intrusion! Even if you left the calls go to your message bank, it would still make your pulse race every time the phone rang. Let’s hope for now that they leave you in peace.

[bohemian]

4 hours ago, Good-O said:

Several times I have used the following technique - if a recorded voice, I hang up, but....if it is a real person, I say "This line is dedicated to Bible study work.  Are you calling to schedule a Bible study?" Usually that stammer and stutter and say "wha...what?  wha..." and I repeat the sentence.  They usually hang up without saying another word.  I have enjoyed doing this, especially to a 'real' person.  LOL  

 

I pretty well say the same as above.  I also ask for their name and address and a suitable time for someone to visit them.

If they are still on the line, I then tell them some of the questions they will find answers to: what happens when we die? Etc.

[SheyZ]

 
I pretty well say the same as above.  I also ask for their name and address and a suitable time for someone to visit them.
If they are still on the line, I then tell them some of the questions they will find answers to: what happens when we die? Etc.

Great idea! Lol. U never know.

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

[New World Explorer]

10 hours ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

Update:

The scammers persisted for an entire week,

calling every few minutes.

We never picked up and it has been several days

since they have annoyed us.

I believe only Armageddon will remove them 

completely.

Just tell them how broke you’re and if they could spare $50 to help you out LOL 

If they try to hang up ... ask for $20 ... and if they really want to go away say ... what about $5 bucks hmmm ? 

Come on “scammer” don’t go away ... what about $2?... LOL 

Edited December 12, 2017 by Gregexplore

[Ferb]

I'm not sure I understand since this is described as a home phone and yet at some points in the conversation it seems to be essentially a mobile phone rather than a landline.  Since at some points you're discussing the differences between what works on Apple and Android, I'm getting the impression that it's a mobile device, but set up to work as the home phone.  (I've never seen such a setup, but I could imagine it's more common in other countries.)

 

For a mobile phone, I just block the numbers one by one.  I think any device supports blocking individual numbers, doesn't it?  At least you only have to deal with each caller once.  It's surprising how much the same few call centres are used for all different types of calls, at least in this country, and how quickly the number of calls diminishes once you start blocking a few numbers as they call.  I disallow numbers that that don't show the numbers - one sister in the congregation does this so her calls don't get through, but if she will insist on a practice that is mainly used by phone scammers...

 

For a landline phone, I have no particular advice - this is just why I would choose not to have a landline, if given the option.  (Since I'm not the only one in my house, it isn't really up to me - but I do unplug the phone if I'm the only one here for a week or so.)  I suppose you could get a phone service that provides caller ID and a phone that provides most of the same service as a mobile, potentially allowing for the same solution - but it seems easier to me just to have a mobile.

 

When you can see the phone number before picking up, then even if it isn't someone in your address book, and the call hasn't been blocked, you can fairly reliably tell which calls are genuine - people wanting to buy your hay will probably be from fairly local area codes (I presume you have those where you live) whereas junk calls will come from call centres in big cities (in this country, usually London, hence the number starts with 020).  You can also then let a number ring a bit and then decide whether to call back - type a phone number into Google, and the first thing to come up will be websites reporting whether the number is connected with any nuisance calls, and if it is you can block it. (A note of caution - my phone has no setting to block calls but not texts - often the same numbers used for making bulk calls for phishing will sometimes by used for bulk calls for more legitimate purposes, like 'here is your authorisation code...' when confirming a bank transaction, but fortunately I still have the capability to sort through my blocked texts and find the text I know I should have just received.)