Spam calls and texts are driving me fing crazy anyone have suggestions?

After repeated data breaches that no company really seems to give a s— about my phone is blowing up with literally hundreds of spam calls and texts month. I get and make MAAAAYBE 2 or 3 important calls per month, 180-200 of the rest are literally all spam. Anyone have any suggestions, apps ect that they have found refuge with? I really don’t use SMS that much either, mostly it’s via signal, discord whats app, ect…

Just to put it out there I run CalyxOS on a Pixel 5a.

rdyoung, (edited )

Nice to see the reddit attitude making it’s way here. OP is downvoting all of the correct answers and the bad advice is getting upvoted.

To everyone reading this. If you don’t want spam calls stop answering numbers you don’t recognize. You should also go to your carrier and opt in to whatever spam blocking service they offer (should be free).

I would also advise as I did in another comment to keep your real number on GV or similar with decent spam protection/blocking and use a direct number you can burn if needed.

AlecSadler,

I use T-Mobile Spam protection and configured it to send every unknown number directly to voicemail.

For any telemarketing, spam, etc. calls they get directly ignored without being sent to voicemail.

I’ve been lucky to only have one false positive in 5 years now, cost of doing business.

rdyoung,

I don’t have that level of protection turned on and I get very few calls. Both my work and personal numbers are on GV so if somehow either of my direct lines start getting spam bombed I can burn them and get new ones. Thinking about it, I should maybe be prepared and grab one to park as I’ve advised so I have a fresh and clean one ready to go.

Railcar8095,

the bad advice is getting upvoted.

But… You are the most upvoted comment… And seems good advice… I’m so confused

rdyoung,

At the time of that comment I and all of the other legit advice was getting shit in and downvoted by OP and others.

punkwalrus,
@punkwalrus@lemmy.world avatar

I pretend to be another call center. Or an IVR.

“Thank you for calling Punkadye Laboratories and Archives. My name is Terry. May I have your GSN number please?”

I don’t know what a GSN number is; just something that I made up. Once in a while, I get an actual person, but I insist that I have “their latest GSN or a recent invoice,” before I continue. I have “a call center voice,” and can reasonably fake gender neutral.

Sometimes I answer, “Thank you for calling Punkadye Laboratories and Archives. Please listen closely, as our menu options recently changed. If you know the number of your party’s extension, you may dial it at any time. If this is a billing question, please press 1. If this is technical support, please press 2.”

Rarely does the call get past the press one part. Often this cuts the latest wave of calls quickly.

rip_art_bell,
@rip_art_bell@lemmy.world avatar

as our menu options recently changed

They’ve ALWAYS changed… 😭

ook_the_librarian,

How is it recent? This is recorded. When you said “recent”, did you make a little note take that word out it a month or so?

kent_eh, (edited )

The person who recorded our IT department’s ivr message hasn’t worked here for almost a decade, but the message still says “the options have recently changed…”

focusforte,

Pixel’s all screening from Google has pretty much completely solved my spam call issue.

Set it up to screen every single call from anyone who is not in my contacts, And I haven’t had to miss any important unexpected calls, or answer any spam calls, in months

EnderMB,

I love this feature so much. While I feel like the Pixel misses a lot of cool features from OnePlus and Samsung, this is IMO a killer feature.

lvxferre,
@lvxferre@lemmy.ml avatar

Note: this depends a lot on which governments you pay taxes to (country, state/province, city). With that in mind:

  • Check if there’s a “do not call” list where you live - i.e. a gov-enforced list of numbers that you are forbidden to call for advertisement. If there is one, put your number there.
  • Do not answer spam calls at all. Usually it’s easy to identify them, but there are some applications for this, like this (it’s in F-Droid so likely available for CalyxOS). By simply not answering those calls, your number gets marked as “inactive” by the advertisers/spammers/telemarketers, so the frequency of the calls gets lower over time.
  • Get a new phone number, redirect all legitimate contacts to your new number, and trash away the old one.
Atemu,
@Atemu@lemmy.ml avatar

gov-enforced list of numbers that you are forbidden to call for advertisement. If there is one, put your number there.

As a scam caller from some country the US has no influence over, that would be a great resource!

lvxferre,
@lvxferre@lemmy.ml avatar

I believe that it should still reduce the likelihood of spam calls - because you don’t advertise where you aren’t selling stuff, and if you’re selling stuff you don’t want to piss off the local government.

For reference: where I live the “do not call” list is from the state. Most of those spam calls come from people in other states controlled by the same republic, thus not subjected to the rules of my state - and yet the “do not call” list still does its job.

lazycouchpotato,
@lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world avatar

I have Call Screen on my Pixel 6a doing a lot of heavy lifting for me.

I really wish there was a non-Google version of it that everyone could download and use.

Atemu,
@Atemu@lemmy.ml avatar

That reminds me, STT, TTS and a tiny LLM are feasible to run on phone hardware these days. You could conceivably build something like Google’s data gobbling solution but fully local and offline.

ElderWendigo,

I added the phone number disconnected sound effect to the beginning of my voicemail outgoing message, set my ringer to silent, and set a personalized ringtone to anyone I actually wanted to speak with. That worked okay to get me off most of the lists. When that wasn’t enough to drive all of them away I started answering unknown numbers and fucking with the people on the other end, saying anything to string them along and waste their time with bullshit and lies. That actually worked better than anything else.

flashgnash,

I find if you answer their calls and fuck with them for a bit they tend to stop calling

_dev_null,
@_dev_null@lemmy.zxcvn.xyz avatar

I started answering unknown numbers and fucking with the people on the other end, saying anything to string them along and waste their time with bullshit and lies

I had a stoner friend who would drop everything in any given evening to do exactly this, specifically for his own entertainment and derision.

Ah, to be young and with plenty of spare time on hand, those were the days and we didn’t even realize it.

CADmonkey,

My wife and I used to take care of her grandmother. After a while, this old lady got excited to get a scam call or telemarketer, because she would hand the phone to me and I’d just pick a persona:

  • Confused old man
  • Helplessly stoned young man
  • Lecherous and blustery impolite person

There were others, but those were her favorites.

Railcar8095,

Pixel phone user, the built in spam blocker seems very reliable. When something goes through I use the call screening feature.

lolcatnip,

This is the reason why I won’t consider anything but a Pixel. I’ve tried other phones a couple of times but ended up replacing them with Pixels for the spam blocking.

Juvyn00b,

This right here. Got a pixel a year ago… Holy shit. Was wondering why I literally get zero spam calls after formerly only owning Samsung phones… Google Assistant screening everything is just fantastic for my ADHD brain.

the_q,

Too bad you aren’t running stock Android to get that spam blocking.

Karlos_Cantana,
@Karlos_Cantana@sopuli.xyz avatar

Mine will show “Spam” or “Telemarketer”, but there’s no way to stop it from ringing trough, outside of blocking each number afterward. I’d like to know who thought that just announcing spam was better than not letting it through.

XbSuper,

Check your settings, mine doesn’t even show me a missed call.

DogMuffins,

blocking numbers is a waste of time.

pan_troglodytes,

so, your mileage may vary but here’s what I do:

  • people I want to talk to are in my contacts list
  • I ignore all other incoming calls
  • voicemail is a filter. use it.
DirigibleProtein,

If they don’t leave a voicemail, then it’s either spam or not urgent.

Fuck the people (like my boss) who say “You’re so hard to get hold of”. Send a message or leave a voicemail, you caveman.

lolcatnip,

Or a debt collector. Fuck those people.

BurningRiver,

I keep my voicemail full. Text me if you need to talk from a number I don’t have in my contacts

sxan,
@sxan@midwest.social avatar

Yet Another Call Blocker is in F-Droid.

Pyro,

I have a Pixel 5a too and the call screening option is a godsend.

cheese_greater,

Airplane mode or MySudo

XbSuper,

If you ran standard OS, your phone would handle it for you. It’s my favourite thing about my pixel.

So I guess my suggestion is to revert back to the standard pixel OS.

Mr_Blott,

I dunno, have you tried living on a continent with actual consumer rights? Pffft 😅

mojo,

what does this even mean

LowtierComputer,

Not America basically.

mojo,

nice xenophobia that’s objectively not true

Schmeckinger,

How is calling out the lack of consumer rights in america xenophobia?

mojo,

because we have consumer rights, it’s objectively untrue as I literally just said.

Schmeckinger,

Yes you have consumer rights, they just suck compared to the EU for example.

linearchaos,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

Pick up the phone, say nothing and mute it. Unless you have a good reason to answer it, leave it be. Hang up after 30 seconds of they dont. The more sophisticated spammers will write you off as an automated system.

If it’s a human who should reach you, they’ll assume it was a bad connection and say hello after 10 seconds or so.

rosymind,

Tried this a couple of times, but they kept calling my junk phone. I got like 7 or 8 calls the day after Thanksgiving. I block the numbers, but the next number will just be one or two digits different

I keep the junk phone for things like shopping clubs, pharmacy reminders, etc. I have a seperate number for people and trusted sources (though I realize that anyone can be compromised. I’ll get a fresh number once that happens again)

Anyway, point is- I dont think they’re human scammers. At least not the ones calling me

rdyoung,

It’s bad advice. Just stop answering the ones you don’t recognize. If you have android, Googles phone app is pretty good at giving you the name of the company that is calling you (assuming it’s not spoofed). It’s also pretty good at flagging calls and texts that might be spam. If you are waiting for a call from your mechanic for example, it will usually show you that its Firestone or NTB or whatever calling.

Stop answering spam calls and they will eventually go away. If they don’t go away or seem like they are waning, you might have someone fucking with you and it’s time for a new number that you don’t give out to anyone. I do the same with email. I have ProtonMail and I have a few aliases that I use for specific purposes, if/when one them is leaked/sold/traded/whatever, I will temporarily pause that address and eventually it will get flagged as a bad one and they will stop coming.

rosymind,

They do not go away. I have literally forgotten about this phone to the point of it being dead/drained for an extended period of time… they calls never stop

rdyoung,

Have you turned on spam protection from your carrier? And as I said in another comment, if you port the number to GV or the like and let it sit, it will eventually stop getting calls. It also depends on what you mean by extended periods of time and if you then start answering the calls even when you aren’t expecting a call or don’t recognize the number.

rosymind,

I’ve answered two recently, but hadn’t answered them for about 6 mo to a year or so.

Before that- probably 3 years ago, now, I contacted the carrier about spam texts from websites and that stopped, though I still get spam texts from numbers (mostly political)

This number belonged to someone who was ditching creditors, so I think they eventually sold the number and it just gets passed around. Half the reason I keep it is so that it doesnt get released to someone else (it’s like something out of a pass-it-along horror movie)

Most of the time I dont care, but occationally I leave the volume up for some reason and end up with a 6am wake up spam call. I can ignore it 90% of the time

rdyoung,

This is bad advice. All this does is is flag the number as in service and it will get even more calls.

Aside from the advice I gave in another set of comments, you could and should check with your cell provider and turn on spam blocking if they offer it.

I have a total of 5 numbers across 2 phones, 2 at GV and 1 at textnow. I get very very few spam calls and texts. I very rarely answer the phone for a number I don’t recognize, I let it go to vm and then if it’s legit and important I’ll consider calling them back. I keep my phone on silent and all calls and notifications go through my watch so I am not listening to the phone ring especially when I am working.

Chozo,

All this does is is flag the number as in service and it will get even more calls.

That's not how it works. If the number rings at all, it's in service. They know your number is valid before you even pick up.

rdyoung,

That’s not how that works. Maybe you don’t understand how these call centers work. These days it’s usually a bot dialing a list of numbers and flagging any with a person answering as one for a real person to call to sell/scam/whatever.

I’m hoping for your sake that you are just being pedantic and hyperfocusing on my verbiage instead of the overall message.

variants_of_concern,

They usually hang up as soon as you pick up most of the time, just bots checking if it’s a real number for some reason

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