Automated Nuisance Calls increasing

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Victor_Delta
Victor_Delta Posts: 462 Forumite
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in Phones & TV
Is it just me or is everyone experiencing a noticeable increase in automated nuisance calls i.e. where a computerised voice tells you that your broadband or phone line or computer etc is about to be disconnected etc, and how you need to press 1 (or something else) to talk to someone to prevent the impending disaster!

The numbers which appear to generate these calls are usually ordinary UK landline numbers so I assume they are spoofed and follow no predictable pattern, and so are very hard to block. We are now receiving 2-4 of these calls every day and, although we ignore them, they are becoming very annoying.

Has anyone found any way of stopping them?
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  • Socajam
    Socajam Posts: 1,238 Forumite
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    Someone called me yesterday about my credit card debt.
    I pressed 1 and the person who answered asked me the question: I asked him which CC was he referring to, he started prattling on.
    I replied that I do not have any CC s become I am bankrupt, to say he was !!!!ed was an understatement.

    Another time someone called about about my electricity account asking if I wanted to switch to something cheaper.
    I said that it was not possible because I do not have electricity, he was speechless and hung up the phone
  • Altarf
    Altarf Posts: 2,916 Forumite
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    Victor_Delta wrote: »
    Has anyone found any way of stopping them?

    Buy a BT phone with ‘Call Guardian’ and your phone won’t even ring when these calls dial you.
  • brewerdave
    brewerdave Posts: 8,508 Forumite
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    Re the OP's question - yes, we are finding a huge increase in junk calls the past month -as we have caller display we don't answer -let the ansaphone do the work. I believe it is as a result of my wife using the home number as a contact point for some Lidl competition!!:mad:
  • Victor_Delta
    Victor_Delta Posts: 462 Forumite
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    Altarf wrote: »
    Buy a BT phone with ‘Call Guardian’ and your phone won’t even ring when these calls dial you.
    We have BT's 'Call Protect' which doesn't require a special phone but I have no idea if it's reducing the number of junk calls we still receive.
  • Altarf
    Altarf Posts: 2,916 Forumite
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    brewerdave wrote: »
    I believe it is as a result of my wife using the home number as a contact point for some Lidl competition!!:mad:

    You should go back to Lidl and get some more tinfoil to line your hat.

    The calls are simply randomly dialled numbers by machine as it is effectively free to do so. And as you are letting the calls actually be answered (albeit by machine), the computer will be logging your number as a good one to call.
  • Altarf
    Altarf Posts: 2,916 Forumite
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    Victor_Delta wrote: »
    We have BT's 'Call Protect' which doesn't require a special phone but I have no idea if it's reducing the number of junk calls we still receive.

    If you receive any junk calls then a BT phone with Call Guardian is more effective as you receive none with that.
  • Mister_G
    Mister_G Posts: 1,926 Forumite
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    Yep, we've had the BT8500 for the past four years and not one of these unsolicited calls has got through. It's far more effective than BT's Call Protect system.
  • hareng
    hareng Posts: 581 Forumite
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    Altarf wrote: »
    Buy a BT phone with ‘Call Guardian’ and your phone won’t even ring when these calls dial you.


    Because nothing will get through unless you let them.
    "
    What does BT Call Protect do?

    BT Call Protect proactively monitors nuisance calls and automatically prevents them getting through to your phone by sending them directly to a junk voicemail. BT will identify nuisance calls on the BT Blacklist which will automatically send them to your junk voicemail.
    You can also create your own personal blacklist to send all future calls from unwanted numbers to your junk voicemail."


    So if you have a business its useless, you do not know the type of numbers calling you whether UK or International.


    Not to mention ALL these scammers change the numbers they are calling from daily. They buy in block what you think are legit UK numbers (ie 0121, 02380 etc) but are calling from India and the like. Have known the same scammer use 3 different numbers each blocked in the space of 4 mins! So if the fraudsters numbers is not on the database, it will get through until its reported.


    Then theres the limited life BT phones last, best had to date is just over 12 months before they break same as nearly all others except Panasonic still going strong after 10 years.
  • Victor_Delta
    Victor_Delta Posts: 462 Forumite
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    How does Call Protect work?
  • Altarf
    Altarf Posts: 2,916 Forumite
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    hareng wrote: »
    Because nothing will get through unless you let them.

    That kind of is the point!
    hareng wrote: »
    So if you have a business its useless, you do not know the type of numbers calling you whether UK or International.

    Who mentioned businesses?
    hareng wrote: »
    Not to mention ALL these scammers change the numbers they are calling from daily. They buy in block what you think are legit UK numbers (ie 0121, 02380 etc) but are calling from India and the like. Have known the same scammer use 3 different numbers each blocked in the space of 4 mins! So if the fraudsters numbers is not on the database, it will get through until its reported.

    Duh, they don't "buy in block" they just spoof the caller ID with any old number. But so what, if it is not on your allowed call list it doesn't get through.
    hareng wrote: »
    Then theres the limited life BT phones last, best had to date is just over 12 months before they break same as nearly all others except Panasonic still going strong after 10 years.

    No idea what you do with your phones, but all the BT ones I have used have worked fine for years.
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