How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
CrankyOldGuy
Enthusiast - Level 3

My friend got a voicemail from a number which she had already blocked. It was a scammy telemarketer and she asked me to figure out how they did it. I had her block me and then found out that sure enough I could sent her a voicemail from my blocked number. I initiated a chat session with support to find out what could be done to block this and was told that she should call the "Unlawful Call Center". She did and for telemarketing calls she was given the option to put her number on the national do not call list!  For "harassment" calls she was told to file a POLICE REPORT  and call back with the report number. Needless to say she doesn't want to file a police report for every scumbag telemarketer that figures out how to send voicemails to customers who have blocked their numbers. And it's easy enough to do that I expect they all will start doing it sooner or later.

Any suggestions?

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
Justin46
Legend

You (she) might take a look at a FREE service called NOMOROBO (http://www.nomorobo.com/). It does require that the user's phone has a feature called Simultaneous Ring, which Verizon's Digital Voice does have. What happens is that when your phone rings, it rings at your house and at their datacenter at the same time, they take a quick look at where the call is coming from, and if the number is in their database as a robocaller, they just hang up, so the call is immediately disconnected. So your phone rings once, nothing more, and I don't see any way they could get access to voicemail with it working that way (but I don't use voicemail so I can't say this for sure).

I have been using NOMOROBO almost since it started, I love it. I still have the one ring, and the call still shows up on caller id on my phone, My Verizon, and the TV, but it is amazing how many calls it will intercept, with no enless ringing. As I said, it is a free service, very easy to sign up for, and if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you, it is easy to turn off.

Hope this helps.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV: Extreme HD, Internet: 50/50, Digital Voice
VMS Enhanced Service: 1 server, 2 clients
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
CrankyOldGuy
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks for the response. I love NOMOROBO and use it myself, but I don't think it's the answer in this case.

That's because the telemarketers, once they realize they're blocked, have the ability to send a message DIRECTLY TO THE VICTIM'S VOICEMAIL WITHOUT ACTUALLY CALLING THE NUMBER AGAIN. The phone wouldn't ring at all for NOMOROBO to pick it up.

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
Justin46
Legend

Are you sure? Since I don't use voicemail I don't have any experience with this.

What do you hear when you call a number that has you blocked and uses voicemail? Does the caller then hear an option to leave a voicemail? If that is how they are getting to voicemail then I think NOMOROBO would work, because it just hangs up immediately, no message, no option for the caller to do anything (at least that is the way I understand it).

Maybe I should be really, really happy I don't use voicemail huh?Smiley Very Happy

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV: Extreme HD, Internet: 50/50, Digital Voice
VMS Enhanced Service: 1 server, 2 clients
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
CrankyOldGuy
Enthusiast - Level 3

I'm sure. I tried it myself just to figure out how it was done. It is possible to send a voicemail message from a blocked number to the number that blocked it. The voicemail is sent after the blocked call is completed using a process completely separate from the original call. The message the caller hears on the original blocked call is the standard (and deceptive in my opinion) message that the number he has reached is "not accepting calls at this time". I don't think the message changes with or without voicemail. The process of sending the voicemail does not involve hearing anything from the number you are sending the voicemail to.

I don't want to go into too much detail publically. The process is simple enough so I'm sure other telemarketers will figure it out soon enough. I don't want to help them. What I would like is for Verizon to fix this hole in their system before the telemarketers catch on to it and start spamming our voicemails like they do our email.

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
Justin46
Legend

OK, sorry I could not help.

If you want Verizon to fix something, posting here is almost certainly not going to make it happen. Unfortunately you will need to contact them directly.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV: Extreme HD, Internet: 50/50, Digital Voice
VMS Enhanced Service: 1 server, 2 clients
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
CrankyOldGuy
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks for trying, Justin.

I tried contacting Verizon directly and so did my friend. The responses were not helpful and I'm not even sure they understood the problem. This seems more like a security vulnerability than a service problem and I have no idea where to go within Verizon with something like this.

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
CraigS1
Enthusiast - Level 2

Here's the thing.

I've been on the DNCList for years. Doesn't matter, but, if she gets a voicemail without her phone ringing? Hit 3 and delete it. Ever since the telemarketing industry figured out that no one will get fined / jailed for calling ANYBODY on that list, and technology has HELPED THEM more than US in disguising THIER actual number so that they can't be found and prosecuted, none of us will ever be able to stop telemarketers from calling.

It would be nice if the state and federal legislatures would STOP helping the "criminals" by undercutting the "laws" that are supposed to stop them.

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
SusanSS
Enthusiast - Level 2

Verizon landlines and cellphone "service" do not work with Nomorobo.  Verizon can't or won't come up with a solution.

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Re: How Telemarketers can avoid call blocks
Justin46
Legend

@SusanSS wrote:

Verizon landlines and cellphone "service" do not work with Nomorobo.  Verizon can't or won't come up with a solution.


Not completely true. I have a Verizon "landline", works just fine with NOMOROBO, I get virtually no robocalls any more. The requirement for the "landline" is that it must be Verizon Digital Voice, not POTS, simply because only Digital Voice has the required Simultaneous Ring feature. I have no idea what percentage of Verizon's "landline" service is Digital Voice, but I think it is significant, and all of those users could potentially benefit from signing up for the free NOMOROBO service.

But you are correct, NOMOROBO does not work with cell service, but at least for me I don't need it there, I get virtually no robocalls on my cellphone.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV: Extreme HD, Internet: 50/50, Digital Voice
VMS Enhanced Service: 1 server, 2 clients
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

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