Human "Captcha" for answering the phone - kill all robocalls!

I have had a MAJOR increase of robo calls lately from ones by some Indian person claiming to be from my power company (they usually don't even say the correct one), to political surveys, insurance surveys and general "charity contributions" most recent a FOP from a city 200+ miles away! Oh, don't forget the Indian chaps calling me telling me they are from Microsoft. To that guy (who has a totally spoofed phone # - wasn't even a real area code) I said "oh really, your from MS and your calling ME?" - "Yes sir, what you don't believe me? You don't believe I am from MS?" me- "Well I just don't know why MS would be calling me." Indian chap "Well I am, if you don't believe me then just hang up" after which he hung up on me immediately, lol. The reason I was shocked Microsoft would be calling me is b/c I haven't used MS in about 5+ years, NOTHING of theirs, so why call about a problem with my current machine?

So I get a lot of these calls where I say "Hello" and there is silence for a few seconds, say it again and MAYBE someone answers with "hello, but it often takes 3x. I always hear a click like it's switching to an operator. Then they say some BS like "I thought you were ignoring me like my wife and kids" (probably b/c I'm a guy, if it was a girl, it would have said "ignoring me like my husband and kids". Then they went off into their spiel about calling everyone and someother BS. I simply asked "are you calling for donations" and there was an odd pause and a reply of "OK.", I said , "what? Is this call to ask for donations?" - "OK". Now WTF. "What is this call for, asking for money or donations or a survey?" - "OK" - then I hung up.

That was obviously a robo call and it sounds really realistic. There has to be a way to get around these things w/o buying some stupid "box" you plug in that only works sometimes. I was thinking of making up some questions to ask them right away like "who was the last president", or "who was president during 9/11" stuff everyone should know and if they don't, I don't want to talk to them anyway.

I guess I would have to preface this with I'm asking this to see if you are a real person or a robo call - then ask the question.

Does anyone have any other ideas? I was getting 4-8 of these a day at one point, it was all the calls I would get, and I'm on the "Do not call list". Problem is most people spoof the # so it can't be reported.

I wonder if some of these calls are to record people voices so they can get their voice patterns. I don't use social media (especially not voice stuff) so unless they tap my phones (probably do/def did in past) then they would need to get it some other way.

My answering phone stops them, or if I answer and a sales person answers with some bs, I answer with "Hello.... this is a private number, we don't accept solicitations" and hang up. It always catches them off guard.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Does anyone have any other ideas?

I figured out a way to deal with this years ago -- though it really only works if you have a smart phone and/or texting. (1) disable mailbox (2) screen all calls and ignore unrecognized numbers or private numbers (3) if they really want to contact me, they can effing TEXT me!

I regularly get calls from the same area code and exchange. That's what convinced me to never pick up unless I know the number already, or unless caller ID shows something reasonable. The result, after several years' of strict enforcement of my own policy, is I rarely get robocalls any more.

Sad thing (perhaps this applies to you), it doesn't work well for a venerable land line. Land lines all show somewhere in a phone book, or are associated with an exchange that services land lines. For robocallers, land lines are premium.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
I wonder if some of these calls are to record people voices so they can get their voice patterns.

Actually, yes, some are. Certain phone scams record people's voices to use them for fraud.

Incoming calls show all information on my 47" LED TV.
Wonderful thing

"Yes sir, what you don't believe me? You don't believe I am from MS?"

Ask em for their employee number....
And MS will NEVER call you
You call them

Can I offer you viagra or cialis from online pharmacy, we are having a sale today.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I wish I got more Indian scammers calling me.

I only get the robot voices telling me about affidavits they've filed against me for tax evasion. Dang robots! You can't really prank them back

I got a call from Amazon (Amazon was on my caller ID) saying I can make thousands a week... there is always that what if it is real. It wasn't though obviously but I told Amazon and they said we would never call you, so I gave them the # that showed up.
I usually don't answer the phone unless I know who is calling but that peeked my interest.

If I don't recognize the number I don't answer. If someone needs to get a hold of me they can leave a message and I will decide if they are worthy of a return call.

During the week I get 4-5 calls a day from spoofed numbers. I am on the National Do Not Call list for all the good that does me.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

My wife inadvertently found a way around most of them.

I am not privy to the technology behind robocalling, but here you go.

When the call comes in, answer it but don't say anything.

Within 5-6 seconds, it hangs up and you don't get the call again.

I do not know whether it is just a programming thing that doesn't see it as a valid number anymore and strikes it from the call list, but it works.

My wife and I have two cell phone numbers that are different by 2 on the last digit, so she is always called first and me soon after.

She wiped out her Robo-terrorist calls in about a week... mine I sometimes answer just to screw with them and I was infested with calls for months after because of that.

But in the end, just try it. Pick up and don't say anything, the call drops and you don't get bugged anymore from them.

Hope that helps someone...

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
ISo I get a lot of these calls where I say "Hello" and there is silence for a few seconds, say it again and MAYBE someone answers with "hello, but it often takes 3x. I always hear a click like it's switching to an operator.

Don´t answer the phone with "yes?".

because there have been cases in my country that they snipped together your name and some bs to make a contract.

For example you answer the phone with "yes?" next time you say your name or you get asked for your name and you answer they snip together something like this:

"..."
"...so if you are fine with this you just need to say yes and your name and we´ll make that happen"

while "that" is a contract or god knows what.


I had someone with a ukrain accent call me that she is from the power company (...blablabla...) if I don´t let the technician in (who just happened to ring the bell at that moment...) they are going to rise the prices.

And when I looked at my outside camera that is build into the door speaker system, I saw a foreign guy standing there... He was definitly NOT from the power company.

Damn phonebooks... But my number is there since 20+ years, before all the internet and mobilephone hype so it was normal to have a phonebook entry.

Be aware!!

originally posted by: trollz

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
I wonder if some of these calls are to record people voices so they can get their voice patterns.

Actually, yes, some are. Certain phone scams record people's voices to use them for fraud.

True story. Honestly, you should never even say Yes or No or anything really to these callers. You can answer and say nothing, most times that works for a screen.

Cause they can take your recorded voice mash the words up and make it appear as though you agreed to something totally fraudulent.

Other than that - ditch your home phone if youve got one. Not necesarry in todays age.

Unfortunately, answering at a whatsoever makes it worse because they then add your number to a list of live numbers with people on the other end.

ETA: For mobile phones there are apps available, one is TrueCaller i believe. Anyways - these apps basically automatically doxx any number that calls you and gives you a name or business name instead of a number while its still ringing.

originally posted by: verschickter

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
ISo I get a lot of these calls where I say "Hello" and there is silence for a few seconds, say it again and MAYBE someone answers with "hello, but it often takes 3x. I always hear a click like it's switching to an operator.

Don´t answer the phone with "yes?".

because there have been cases in my country that they snipped together your name and some bs to make a contract.

For example you answer the phone with "yes?" next time you say your name or you get asked for your name and you answer they snip together something like this:

"..."
"...so if you are fine with this you just need to say yes and your name and we´ll make that happen"

while "that" is a contract or god knows what.


I had someone with a ukrain accent call me that she is from the power company (...blablabla...) if I don´t let the technician in (who just happened to ring the bell at that moment...) they are going to rise the prices.

And when I looked at my outside camera that is build into the door speaker system, I saw a foreign guy standing there... He was definitly NOT from the power company.

Damn phonebooks... But my number is there since 20+ years, before all the internet and mobilephone hype so it was normal to have a phonebook entry.

Be aware!!

oh man what i would give to have one of them standing in my driveway ... would take a long time to decide if i should call the cops or just dig a hole

my mother had what must be the best way to make humans stop calling hand the phone to a room of teenagers and let them say anything they want to

you know when the robots takeover there gonna have logs of all the time you were rude to them.
theyll also have access to all the darpa videos of humans kicking them.

Since I do most things online, it's pretty simple for me, unknown caller, 800 number or number I don't have in the phone then I usually don't answer. Sometimes, once a week or so, I lookup the numbers just to see what they were and a lot of time they are scams.

I do have an old fax machine without paper I power up if someone calls a lot.

I thought about one of those number screeners but calls haven't gotten out of hand yet.

But it would be nice if unknown and 800 numbers had to solve a random puzzle to prove they are not robots.

a reply to: Lumenari

I do that often.
I don't even pick up the receiver....just put it on speakerphone.

The only time it doesn't seem to work [in the past] is during open enrollment for unACA....or for political crap before elections.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Lumenari

I do that often.
I don't even pick up the receiver....just put it on speakerphone.

The only time it doesn't seem to work [in the past] is during open enrollment for unACA....or for political crap before elections.

Good to hear that it works for others as well.

I've passed the tip on to everyone I know, and it seems to work well... besides the crap political polls...