On 5/2/2013 12:29 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> I don't get calls from *live* telemarketers anymore. But those darned
> recorded calls haven't stopped. "The F!B!I! reports there is a
> break-in every 10 minutes" and other such foolishness. Most of the
> time their names and numbers aren't displayed. So I've got no way to
> report them.

These are criminal enterprises that are trying to swindle people with
fraudulent products or services. Meaning, they pay no attention at all
to the Do Not Call list, no more than a burglar would pay attention to
a No Solicitors sign on your door. Many of these firms are operating
outside the US, so they're outside the federal government's
jurisdiction. They have a habit of spoofing their caller ID, using
either phony phone numbers/names, or ones that don't belong to them.
They also frequently change their number(s) to get around being placed
on call block lists.

> I've given up answering the phone. And no, I'm not going to listen to
> the recording then press 1 to get a live person on the line to ask
> them to stop. I seriously doubt they care.

Actually, that's one thing you don't want to do. Doing so tells them
you're a person just gullible enough to think that that will have an
effect. Gullible people's numbers get shared/sold to other con artists.

> However, if anyone has any suggestions about how to rid myself of
> these recorded nuisance calls I would greatly appreciate it.

At this point, there's not much beyond using a call block service
(some phone companies provide it as a service, some phones can do it
on their own).

If you can't block, you can change the caller ID in your phone list to
label each of the nuisance numbers as 'CROOK' or 'SPAM' or some
similar don't-bother-answering clue. Not as good as a block, but
you'll recognize it as a worthless caller. The problem with either of
these approaches is that they keep spoofing their numbers, so pretty
soon you fill up your caller ID or block list and yet keep getting the
same calls from new numbers.

This is why the feds recently held that contest offering a $50K prize
to whoever could come up with a workable solution. Two winners are
sharing the prize money to help them commercially develop their
solutions.