Annoying calls

[Frodo]

Not a Porsche-related question whatsoever, but I figured there's a lot of pretty smart people out there, some of whom might know the answer...

The question: We (on our land line phone) get quite a few infuriating calls that the caller ID identifies as "Unknown Caller" or "Unidentified", words to that effect. If you answer, you get nothing, silence.

We've always suspected it's some kind of automated call, one of thousands (millions?) trying to track when people are home. Not sure if this is right or not, but in any case it's a truly irritating nuisance.

Anybody know any remedy to this?? We got on the "Do Not Call" list several years ago, for all that's worth. (Though I do suspect that has at least reduced the number of nuisance calls we get.) We've also considered going with just cell phones, but aren't quite ready to make that jump just yet.

Suggestions?

[JFP in PA]

More likely, what you are getting is robot dialers looking for fax machines that they can then send junk faxes to. While I keep my home phone lines on the "do not call" state and federal lists; I still get these as well. I reversed the voice and fax lines in my home office as a test (neither is published anywhere), and within a week all the junk faxes I used to get on the old fax line started showing up on the voice line; they had already found the "new" fax line.

One thing you can do is see if your phone service provider offers “call blocking” that will automatically connect calls without proper caller ID to a voice mail message that tells them that “The number you have dialed does not accept calls from phones with blocked caller ID, please reconfigure your phone to turn on caller ID and call back.” It then hangs up. That will get rid of most, but not all of these types of calls.

I see caller ID as one of the greatest developments of our time, if my phones ring and home, and the caller ID is blocked, we just let it go to voice mail. 95 times out of a hundred, there are no messages left………..

[vath2001]

Sign up for the Do Not Call again. I read that the list is purged every 5 years. Not sure if its true or not, but its easy enough to sign up on-line.

[kabel]

this is exactly why I still have a land-line.

Anytime I suspect giving out my phone number may result in getting calls soliciting something I give them the land line number. only friends and family have our mobile numbers.

[70Sixter]

Charities, political calls, businesses you've done bidness, with and some others are exempt from DNC list.

I just check caller ID and let unidentified calls go to voice mail. Most do not leave message.

Recently discovered some were from stock companies we hold that were wanting a proxy vote.