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Idea: A button on your phone app that plays a generic "number doesn't exist" recording to confuse spam callers (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/privacy

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Original idea by @[email protected]

Receiving a spam call puts you in a bit of a dilemma, or at least it does for me: How do I deal with this call that doesn't alert the spammers that this is an active number that they can call again? Answering the call is obviously the wrong choice, but I always assume that rejecting the call outright will also be detected as a deliberate action and therefore a person is on the other side. Some people have suggested answering the phone but not talking, so they think it's a dead number, but I want something more definitive.

My idea is to have a "spam" button on the incoming call screen, that answers the call but doesn't connect the microphone. Instead it plays either the standard "the number you're dialing is not assigned, please check your number and try your call again" recording, or a fax/modem sound to make them think the phone number belongs to a machine and not a human.

Would they work? Or would they still be able to determine that the recording is spoofed by the phone itself? Does anything like this already exist?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

You can just block unknown calls on your phone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I used Spam Blocker (Android) to block all calls not in my contacts from my area code.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

SpamBlocker is impressive.

I used Blacklist for about 10 years and SpamBlocker has so much more capability, far more than I can even get my head around.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's not the issue. Spammers sell each other lists of numbers that answer calls. By answering and blocking, you block one spammer and gain 5.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think you understand what I'm saying. You can set your phone to block all phone calls from anyone not from your contact list. I've never received any spam calls for years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I still get an occasional call coming through... Well to voicemail anyway. My phone only rings for specific contacts.

I get about 1 or 2 spam calls that make it to voicemail every month (ZERO ring through to me). But that's because I can't be bothered to make Spam Blocker be more restrictive, which would require some testing to ensure I don't block important calls.

When I first setup Spam Blocker, I was aggressive and it worked excellently. Not a single spam call even made it to voice mail. But I accidentally blocked my doctor's office, so I eased up on the restrictions.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

Actually I used to do this. I had a YouTube video pulled up and ready to click which had the "3 tones" and then the "number is no longer in service" message. Unfortunately these days just picking up the call is a data point recorded and used to send more calls your way, the best option is to just let it go.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

I used to do this with YouMail before their service got cattywumpus.