Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
Didjit
Enthusiast - Level 3

It's getting so that I don't even want phone service anymore. Like most everyone, I get a dozen robo/spam/telemarketer calls per day.  And the number spoofing makes it just egregious. Verizon, you have got to do something about this!

Why are you letting people on your network who are spoofing or not honoring the Do Not Call lists? Every call entering your network should be from a known user.  And you should only accept calls from other providers if they can definitively identify the originator.  If other providers won't honor that then they get dropped and ultimately isolated. Either they'll die out or they'll adopt the mandate.

In 2018 there's no excuse for the inability to identify (address, credit card, bank account) every user. And there's no excuse for allowing users to spoof their identification. And there's no excuse for not having a means by which customers can notify you of illegal calls, which you are then able to immediately shut down.

You've been lazy on this.  I expect you'll only make progress if there's legislation.  In the meantime you're allowing this entire medium of communication to rot away while you sit back and rake in money.  Your cash cow is about to run dry.

Labels (1)
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
boringusername
Master - Level 1

this is customer to customer forum. no one form Verizon is reading this. ALL carries have this issue. Are you suggesting than Saint Legere at t-mobile is being lazy?

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
Didjit
Enthusiast - Level 3

Where would be a better avenue for my venting, where Verizon might actually see it?

Don't know Saint Legere, but yes, the industry as a whole has been dragging its feet for a decade or more on this issue.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
glitchedpixel
Specialist - Level 1

1) Caller Name ID has existed for awhile which has a spam filter.

2) Spoof calls are impossible to avoid since they are usually done overseas over the internet.

3) Every single carrier has this problem, it isn't unique to Verizon.

If carriers had the ability to stop these types of calls, it would have been done a long time ago. Rant at the FCC if you want a target to rant at.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
Didjit
Enthusiast - Level 3

I would disagree, glitchedpixel​, with a couple of your points. The FCC gave providers explicit permission to block robocalls etc. in 2015. There's currently no financial incentive for the providers to do anything about this issue. My point is that they're inviting the gov't to step in with legislation and meanwhile they're risking the cultural abandonment of voice calls (akin to how landlines are rapidly fading away). I only seem them responding to A) legislation, B) loss of sales, or C) unfavorable attention.

My other point is that I don't believe the "nothing can be done" argument. Verizon (or any other carrier) can start by ensuring all connections within their network are traceable. The next step is to track connections coming into their network. If a significant amount of those connections are fraudulent then that provider gets blacklisted. If the major carriers took this approach the rest would have to follow suit or else be cut off.

Finally, Caller ID filter is fairly useless these days. The spammers constantly change their spoofed numbers. We're probably more likely to be blocking someone we'd want to talk to than a robocaller at this point.

I don't think I'm the only one annoyed by these distractions and deceptions. My intent behind all this is basically option "C", above.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
boringusername
Master - Level 1

Actually didjit it wasn't until Nov 2017 that carrier could block robocalls

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
deloused
Master - Level 3

Getting rid of phone service altogether would certainly solve that. I get about 1-2 unwanted calls per month, but if I was receiving a lot I'd change my number to stop that.

"Why are you letting people on your network who are spoofing or not honoring the Do Not Call lists? "

*Spoofing is not illegal, and is used widely by both consumers and companies for valid purposes. It's when a spoofer is using the technology for nefarious purposes that it becomes an issue. If all calls with spoofed caller ID numbers were blocked then people couldn't use apps like Skype, Google Voice, or their tablet or smart watch to make calls with thier primary phone number. And offices with multiple phone extensions like a call center couldn't have their outgoing caller ID display the main company phone number. These are all in demand and valid uses of spoofing.

*The do not call registry is enforced by the government, not carriers just like any other legal matter. Also carriers have no way of knowing when the Do Not Call registry is being violated. While the law makes it illegal for telemarketers to call numbers on the list in most situations there are also exceptions to the rule. Telemarketers that have had a previous business relationship with the person they're calling are allowed to call. I've received telemarketing calls from insurance companies that I've had policies and gotten online quotes from, which wouldn't be a violation. Carriers have no way of knowing who their customers have business relationships with do determine if a violation is occurring when they're receiving a call. When I was a teenager I had a telemarketing job, and I'd often call home from my desk phone for a ride. If carriers blocked my call because I was a telemarketer calling home I never would have been able to call, even in an emergency so that's a terrible idea.

Definitively identifying incoming callers is just not possible 

"In 2018 there's no excuse for the inability to identify (address, credit card, bank account) every user."

*Actually there's MANY good reasons for the inability to identify users, especially with those parameters. Some people don't have a credit card or a bank account, or do not want to provide those details for identify theft protection. Homeless people are also allowed to have cell phones.

"And there's no excuse for not having a means by which customers can notify you of illegal calls, which you are then able to immediately shut down."

*There are many good reasons why that wouldn't work either. Illegal activity should be reported to the appropriate authorities for proper investigation and action. If I report that I'm getting harassing calls from a particular number, and that number is spoofed the carrier could block or shut down the wrong party. Someone completely innocent could be blocked/shut down also if a false report was made.

"The FCC gave providers explicit permission to block robocalls etc."

*That's true. However, all spoofed calls don't use Robos, and not all robo calls are illegal. Just like spoofing robocalls can also have legitimate purposes. If all robo calls were blatantly blocked then my Doctor's office couldn't provide me with those automated reminders for appointments, my kid's school couldn't send those automated calls regarding important alerts, and municipalities couldn't use the reverse 911 system to notify citizens of emergencies.

Due to scammers taking advantage of technology and legitimate services it's not much easier for a phone carrier to prevent spoofed caller ID than it is for a mail carrier to stop someone from putting a false return address on a letter or package.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
dexman
Community Leader
Community Leader

As glitchedpixel noted, a fair number of these calls originate overseas using VoIP services. The call centers spoof telephone numbers when making their calls. It is virtually impossible to accurately block their calls. Many times, these boiler room outfits will spoof working telephone numbers, so, RBOCS and cellular service providers would run the risk of blocking legitimate telephone numbers. This also holds true for spoofed mobile telephone numbers, I, myself, receive more than a fare share of spoofed legit cellular telephone numbers on my smartphone and landline.

Verizon Core (Ma Bell) has been identifying potentially bogus calls for a while now. When a suspect telephone number is received on a Verizon Core landline, the word "Spam" is passed along as a part of Caller ID in addition to whatever other information is contained in the LIDB.

Other RBOCs such as at&t, FairPoint and CenturyLink may provide a similar service.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
melpreuitt
Enthusiast - Level 2

Doesn’t Verizon offer a service now that is supposed to stop the spamming and robot calls? They want $2.99 per month per line. Therefore, it seems to me that it IS possible despite the issues noted above. But Verizon is making money both ways in this one.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon, you've GOT to do something about spam calls!!
boringusername
Master - Level 1

melpreuitt wrote:

Doesn’t Verizon offer a service now that is supposed to stop the spamming and robot calls? They want $2.99 per month per line. Therefore, it seems to me that it IS possible despite the issues noted above. But Verizon is making money both ways in this one.

That will not stop spoofing

0 Likes