'Cardmember Services' Etc Spam Cell Calls

[DGUtley]

These calls seem to be ratcheting up in terms of frequency and in spoofing numbers from my area. I know the Feds have been trying for years to close these down. Nonetheless, I still get them. If it is a slow day at the office, I pretend I am from India and toy with them a bit because these seem to come out of India.

Has anybody come up with an app to stop these calls?

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/wh...tions-answered

[Crepitus]

No app as far as I know and yes, sometimes 10-12 a day. Drives me nuts sometimes. But yes they. An provide some entertainment on slow days.

Me:. This is Rich, hiw can I help?
Sam (thick Indian accent) : Hello, this is Sam from your local area (insert lame business here) may I speak to the owner or manager please ?
Me: Sam is that any way to start a conversation?
Sam: Pardon me?
Me: you don't start a conversation by lying, especially when you want to sell someone something.
Sam: but I'm not trying to sell you anything sir.
Me: now you've lied to me 3 times Sam, I'm starting to get offended!
Sam: but I have not.lied to you sir.
Me: sure you have, the first thing you said was a lie. You aren't local to me at all, and your name isn't Sam, that's just something you picked as easy to remember and American sounding.
Sam: but sir I am local to you.
Me: where are you?
Sam: right there in wichEEta Kansas. (Wichita)
Me:how long have you lived here?
Sam:. Many years.
Me: and still can't pronounce it?

.........

[waltky]

How to handle cellphone spam and text messages...

Pogue’s Basics: Report text ads and spam
February 1, 2017 - One of the blessings of the cellphone era: There’s no spam, as there is with email, and no telemarketer calls, as there is with landlines.

Well, there’s not supposed to be. Cellphone spam is illegal. If you get telemarketing calls, you should sign up for the Do Not Call Registry. You probably already knew about that.

What you probably didn’t realize is that if you get text-message spam, you can forward it to your cellphone carrier for future filtering and blocking. It’s too late for you this time, but you may as well help to spare thousands of your fellow citizens from getting the same cellphone spam.

All you have to do is forward the text message to 7726. (That’s the number spelled out by SPAM on your keypad. Get it?) If you’re feeling especially patriotic, also report it to the FTC. And be glad you have at least some channels to fight back on.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pogue...203934284.html

See also:

Pogue's Basics: How to forward a text message
April 12, 2017 - In a previous “Pogue’s Basics” tip, I let you know that you could report cellphone text-message spam by forwarding it to 7726.

“Well, great,” one reader wrote, “but how do you forward a text message!?” Ah. I guess that might have been helpful information!

* On the iPhone, hold your finger down on the actual text message that you want to pass along. When the More button appears, tap it, then tap the curly Forward arrow.
* On Android, hold your finger down on the actual text message, and then tap Forward.

In each case, you’re now asked for the phone number you want to forward to. Boom: The deed is done.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pogue...183748185.html