Does anybody else receive strange phone calls every day?

For the past couple of years living in my house Random people's mail has been delivered to us., sometimes private numbers asking for random people I've never heard of. The caller ID is always different from a random part of the united states. I don't feel suspicious of the ones who actually speak to me, though.

It's the numbers that I pickup and nobody says anything, that freaks me out a bit. Here is a scenario of how I handle the situation now. Note the numbers and the headings on my caller ID are never the same.

*phone rings*
"oh it's another strange number I don't know from some random part of the country."
*answer phone*
*silence*
*silence*
"...hello?"
*beep, almost like a recording device got turned on*
*silence*
*silence*
*hang up*

This happens so much. I try to call the numbers back but most of the time get no answer or a "this number is not in service anymore" immediately after they just called me from that number.

Does this happen to anybody else? I don't know what it is but I have my suspicions. Put this in the gray area because it's just downright strange and I have no explanations. Maybe you nice people here at ATS can help me out? Thanks.

reply to post by WhoFeelsitKnowsit
Yes, they are "Robo-calls". It is a computerized system calling you. It calls random numbers and when too many people actually answer these call the recording is too "busy" and you will hear nothing but the occasional beep before the system hangs up. Sometimes it will call back later, but not always.

It also happens when telemarketers have an automated system dialing many numbers at once, and when you answer they, and all the other operators, already have someone on the line. It is quite annoying, but is very common. Nothing to worry about.

I think I can solve your puzzle...

The same thing happens to me daily.

Phone rings, I answer, nobody responds, phone hangs up.

It is because these call centres will automatically ring your number, then it will ring on their side and if there is nobody to answer the call on their side it will simply cut off after so many seconds.

Hope this helps.

ETA: Damn, the kitten with the guitar got there first... and I thought i'd have the upper hand using digits instead of claws too...

"Google" the number and I bet you will find that many people are receiving calls from the same number and many will give a more detailed explanation on the source of the call and what their purpose is.

In your research you will find there are a few websites devoted to these types of "unwanted" calls as well.

Here is a link where you can type in the numbers that call you. You will get a list of other people who have complained about them. It will also give you links to all the other services that have had complaints/comments posted about them, and all the data on where they are located and what kind of phone systems they are using. Most are telemarketing robocalls

www.spokeo.com...

Des

reply to post by WhoFeelsitKnowsit


This has happened quite a few times to me too. The weirdest ones are when I get a call, and the phone number shows up as 00000000. Sometimes it is an actual number but in both instances I answer no one responds and it hangs up. What I have come to do now is answer it and don't say anything at all, play "phone chicken" to see if whoever it is on the other side says anything, then I just hang up. I have wondered though why it hangs up after I say hello... Almost like its taking note of my voice and recording it. Anyway I don't get to concerned but it is interesting/annoying.

Their are multiple explanations for this .

1. Dialer\outbound\robo campaigns from any one of a million companies
2. Your number being close to something else, I can't tell you how many issues like that I have worked on. One of my cell phones is 1 digit off from a local major orchestra box office so I would literally get calls from around the country because of this.
3. Misdials.
4. Illuminati tacking you down, ok its not that but why not on ATS!

my mother was just complaining about this

now i can answer her questions

thanx peeps

peace

It's pervasive. And the do-not-call registry is a cruel joke. Today I got a call on my cell from the number: 1205875. Yup, 7 digits. Even that number comes up on the google search.

Thanks for all the responses. I would like to tell these people to take me off their calling list, whomever they are. That's the problem though, I call back and either get no answer at all or a disconnected phone line. I just want these callers to leave me alone. The weirdest part to me is they don't even ask for anybody living in or whom has lived in this house. Always ask for random Lisa's and Richard's and Lucy's and what have you. Never the same name twice. It's probably nothing, like you guys said, just some telemarketers. Just weird to me that they always ask for someone different.

I googled one of the numbers I traced back to IVR at 239-935-5830 and found that many people were experiencing the same thing from this number. Not just this number though, here is a quote I found interesting. ..

source:800notes.com...

I have been receiving harassing calls from Education Services for several weeks now asking for Zem (not my name). When I confronted them and told them to stop calling or I would report them they are now calling from many different numbers, not leaving messages, and if I try to call back the number say "disconnected". I have blocked this number but they continue to call from many different numbers. WTF? how can this illegal nuissance be stopped?

Ok, this is really creepy, but I got a call from 239-935-5830 about 3 weeks ago... and from then on they called 2 times every day! I told my parents, and they called them back, but when they called them back, the phone would answer for 2 to3 seconds then hang up. We tried this a few times. Then they still called, and they are still calling today. I answered the call today, and i said hello? and no one answered. About 12 seconds later, they hung up. What is up with this

I received a phone call from 239-935-5830 today and they claimed to have gotten my information from an inquiry I made about going back to school on line and I never did any such thing. The more I questioned "David" the more nervous he got and when I asked for a supervisor he put e on hold for a few minutes and came back telling me that it would be "IMPOSSIBLE" for me to speak to a supervisor since they are so very busy on Saturdays. At that point I called his bluff about being a legit "Educational Services" company and he started get very upset and not allowing me to get a word in edgewise. He did however tell me I could call the number 24 hours a day and reach a supervisor that would be more then happy to answer any questions I have. At that point I warned him that I would be reporting the company to the BBB and whoever else I needed to. Of course, I tried calling back and I got a very unprofessional "Yeah, Hello" and then hung up on so I kept calling back and repeatedly got hung up on without so much as a hello.

So this is common? Next time they call i'm going to answer with "Federal reserve bank, can I help you?"

I have phone calls EVERY DAY on my cell phone from multiple numbers and they are always looking for the same person; and i always tell them that this is not that person and so on...... it's really odd...

Originally posted by bdomihizayka
I have phone calls EVERY DAY on my cell phone from multiple numbers and they are always looking for the same person; and i always tell them that this is not that person and so on...... it's really odd...

It's really not odd ..Numbers are reused, numbers are similar..

Got an extremely strange call this morning. A recording, saying it was a message to Disneyland employees, "from your leaders". It said "there are extra hours available, if you are interested". Strange thing is, I live in Central Illinois, nowhere near Disneyland. The "from your leaders" part was creepy. I know it was probably meaning team leader, but the whole message had a strange feel to it.

Originally posted by bdomihizayka
I have phone calls EVERY DAY on my cell phone from multiple numbers and they are always looking for the same person; and i always tell them that this is not that person and so on...... it's really odd...

Probably debt collectors looking for a person. This happened to me until we found this nifty solution. Instead of saying the person isn't at this number (which they probably don't believe), say "just a minute, they will be here shortly", then put the phone down by the most annoying music you can find (bad experimental jazz or high pitch songs in a some obscure language). They will eventually hang up after about 10 minutes. Repeat this a few times and the calls will stop.

The random mail and people asking for people you don't know could be debt collectors.

As another poster mentioned, they are robo-calls. Very annoying, I get them too.

-SAP-

I will go for collection agency for 250, wink.

Best thing to do? Just let them go to voicemail.

There's inexpensive devices you can buy which will intercept these calls before you even hear a ring and disconnect them.

Most people get the occasional call such as this, but they're generally infrequent. If it happens too often, or is too annoying/disconcerting, why not just change your number? Most major service providers will offer a number change one time at no charge for situations such as this.

the trick i have found is to get a small tape recorder and record a computer signal. by hooking a computer to one phone in a house and recording the computer fron another phone on the same line .

after a couple calls there auto dialer will think that the line is a dedicated computer line and drop the number from there list.