How Did I Not Know This?

The robocalls start as early as 7:30 AM PDT. The people who run these operations have no families, right?

Recently they’ve taken to disguising their numbers to my area code, appearing as 203 or 860.

Screenshot_2016-03-31-18-57-25I am nocturnal. Bedtime most nights is around 4:00 AM. Last night it was after 5:00 AM. It’s always been that way. There’s no good reason.

My wife is understanding. Our curtains block the light. I sleep well.

Except the phone.

I used to leave it elsewhere. That’s not a grown-up attitude. There are responsibilities. Now it charges on the nightstand.

The robocalls start as early as 7:30 AM PDT. The people who run these operations have no families, right?

Recently they’ve taken to disguising their numbers to my area code, appearing as 203 or 860. Today a call came from my phone number plus one!

That call never made it to me. Boom. Shot down.

It’s a feature I didn’t know was there or was recently added to Android.

My phone has the ability to limit incoming calls (during certain hours or full time) to numbers in my phone book. It’s tough to find, buried a few menus deep. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best I’ve got right now.

This probably won’t be the last time I have to play defense against these hucksters. I’ll sleep easier tomorrow.

6 thoughts on “How Did I Not Know This?”

  1. Does Android have a “do not disturb” feature yet? That’s one of the few things keeping me a slave to the iPhone … the fact that no calls or texts will get through during my normal sleeping hours unless they are from specific contacts. It’s been a lifesaver, and I’m sure it will continue to be so as the election gets closer.

    1. Yes Meredith Android has that, at least in the latest release of Marshmellow, Android 6. I have the Note 5 and have it set to not to disturb me with any notifications between 10pm and 6am (time you can set) and with calls, I only allow phonebook calls in that time, but you can decide on that too.

  2. Geoff,

    Around here the weather alerts always seem to come through between 3am and 4am. Because I DO want to know if there is a serious tornado warning, I singed up for “text alerts” from two local news TV stations. What I didn’t want is all manner of wind advisories and other non-threatening texts @ 3am!!!

    I wonder if it’s the National Weather Service that keeps such ridiculous hours (I mean it’s CONSISTENTLY between 3 and 4 am) or if Mother Nature is just on such an awful schedule. What’s the scoop?

    Liza

  3. Have you tried
    nomorobo.com

    I put it on and it is wonderful. It stopped ninety five percent of the calls. It works with most phone services and it will list the services it works with. The phone will ring one time and then the call will stop if it is a telemarketer.

  4. I’ve taken to not picking up the phone if I don’t recognize the number. The only time I’m tempted is when the caller ID shows it’s MY phone number. I want to know who’s spoofing me.

    I just went through several weeks of someone (good old Bridget from Cardmember Services) was spoofing my work number. I had someone call me saying they wanted me to stop calling their business number with these robocalls. I let them know it wasn’t us. Got AT&T involved as it was 2 business numbers being affected. I think it’s stopped now, but who knows.

  5. Try this. Answer the phone and tell them to hold on for a second. Hit the receiver for 3 way calling, or hit the ‘flash’ button and dial 214-666-4321 (in Mass.) and then connect them into the ‘bot’ that answers the phone. A guy got tired of the telemarketers, so he developed a bot (robot) that will engage them in conversation and eat up their time.Call the number and test it out yourself, but realize you’re not talking to a real peoson, but talking to a bot.

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