Goodbye?

[kiloran]

I may not be able to post on Lemon Fool after today. I got home and found the following serious-sounding message on my answering machine....

Your broadband and landline connection will be terminated today

Oo-er. That sounds really bad.

The serious voice continued....

Press 1 so that we can fix up(sic) the problem

It's so tempting to press 1 and wind them up, but I suspect it may be a very expensive premium rate call.

Idiots!

--kiloran

[Watis]

I've always enjoyed reading your posts, kiloran, but all good things must come to an end.

Bye!

Watis

[Slarti]

Press 1 so that we can fix up(sic) the problem

It's so tempting to press 1 and wind them up, but I suspect it may be a very expensive premium rate call.

If you press 1 to a message on your answerphone and make contact with the caller I shall be most impressed


Slarti

[kiloran]

Well, I'm still here, with phone and internet connection still working.

It's typical of poor customer service when even the scammers can't do what they promise!

--kiloran

[Infrasonic]

Press 1 so that we can fix up(sic) the problem

It's so tempting to press 1 and wind them up, but I suspect it may be a very expensive premium rate call.

If you press 1 to a message on your answerphone and make contact with the caller I shall be most impressed


Slarti

Have your answerphone on the end of a premium rate line with a myriad of menu options and the scammers become your friend. (A few people have done this, but apparently BT frown upon it and may suspend your service...).
I got a semi convincing AI bot call a few weeks ago, took me about ten seconds to figure out it wasn't a live human.
I've become adept at using the native Android spam block for tel/SMS now.

[UncleEbenezer]

I've become adept at using the native Android spam block for tel/SMS now.

Interesting. I couldn't find a native spam block for that. What menu should I look under?

I do have Contacts+ (an app) which does the job of blocking (and invoke it as soon as I hear a robotic voice), but a native spam block would be good.

[Infrasonic]

I've become adept at using the native Android spam block for tel/SMS now.

Interesting. I couldn't find a native spam block for that. What menu should I look under?

I do have Contacts+ (an app) which does the job of blocking (and invoke it as soon as I hear a robotic voice), but a native spam block would be good.

I'm on Android 6.0.1.
Telephone number block is in telephone app/3 dots/settings/blocked numbers/add number.
Either add the number manually or use copy paste from the call side of things for the number you want to block (you'll have to actually go into the number for that).
There's also a caller ID and spam setting which I have on but it's never indicated an incoming call as spam, probably due to them spoofing different numbers all the time. Sheffield and Leeds seem popular at the moment, but I have no doubt the calls aren't originated from there.

SMS. Messages app. choose the message you want to mark as spam/block, 3dots/details/block and report spam.

Neither methods are particularly intuitive, and I'm pretty certain Android never used to have native blocking, as when I got my Nexus 5 in 2013 I spent a while looking at third party apps to do it.

[UncleEbenezer]

I'm on Android 6.0.1.
Telephone number block is in telephone app/3 dots/settings/blocked numbers/add number.

Thanks. I get as far as settings and its two submenus general and calls, neither of which leads to anything about blocking. I've been there before.

Neither methods are particularly intuitive, and I'm pretty certain Android never used to have native blocking, as when I got my Nexus 5 in 2013 I spent a while looking at third party apps to do it.

Heh. OK, that explains all.

[Infrasonic]

^^ One of the major reasons I went with a pure Android phone was OS updates.
It was on Kit Kat (4.4) when I got it, then Lollipop ( 5.1), then Marshmallow. No more major OTA OS upgrades now (unless I reflash myself with 7.1) but three wasn't bad.

[kiloran]

My word, this is getting tiresome. Another call last night, and three today, but slightly different to the first one..... these are from British Telecom (who of course do not provide landline or broadband service..... that's BT). And they were all from different spoofed numbers, so difficult to block.
I've been mercifully free of spam calls for a year or so, I wonder what's triggered this sudden spate?

--kiloran

[Infrasonic]

My word, this is getting tiresome. Another call last night, and three today, but slightly different to the first one..... these are from British Telecom (who of course do not provide landline or broadband service..... that's BT). And they were all from different spoofed numbers, so difficult to block.
I've been mercifully free of spam calls for a year or so, I wonder what's triggered this sudden spate?

--kiloran

I've noticed with a few of the robo calls that they always ring off after four rings, so that's my minimum wait now before I answer non address book numbers. Divert to voicemail is set at about 9 rings.

I think spam calls go in waves, a bit like email spam. Maybe there are filters that work for a bit then get gamed on the calls side as well as email.
Royal Mail seem to be the major junk snail mail provider these days, so perhaps there is no financial incentive for the phone networks to really clamp down on it...

[UncleEbenezer]

Royal Mail seem to be the major junk snail mail provider these days, so perhaps there is no financial incentive for the phone networks to really clamp down on it...

The carriers - Royal Mail, BT, and all the rest - have to consider legal constraints, not just financial ones. Courts are a regular weapon of spammers against anyone who comes between them and us.

[monabri]

I use "Mr Number" to block calls. Its a free Android app which I've used for quite a few years now.

The landline is a nuisance with all the scam calls...we use a blocker ( Call Saint) but we still seem to get spates of scam calls.