11 Digit Phone Numbers

Have had some 11 digit numbers prefixed with 02 and 03 call the landline and hangup, anyone know what these may be?

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Hi @Geoff2,

Iā€™ve received a few of these hang-up calls myself.

I might be wrong here, but my understanding is that some telemarketing services use an automatic system to test out valid phone numbers. Itā€™s a way of curating long phone lists, a type of lead generation. Even if youā€™re on the Do Not Call Register you might be receiving a call from a charity, a business ignoring the rules or a scammer.

My approach is to avoid taking any calls that Iā€™m not expecting. Sometimes this can be tricky if youā€™re waiting for a legitimate call and you donā€™t know the number to expect, but most of the time if itā€™s a doctor/dentist/tradie I know the number to look out for. Every other call is screened via voicemail - if Iā€™m getting multiple calls without a voice message, I add them to the auto-reject list. Itā€™s not perfect, but persisting with this tactic means I get very few if any unwanted calls these days.

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11 digit total including prefix or 13 digit - prefix plus 11?

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Hi Brendan,
Likewise, if we donā€™t recognise number it goes to answer, legit callers will leave message or we intercept if we want. Iā€™ve added the Tax department number to the block list as they kept trying to threaten me with arrest.
I was trying to work out why the ID has on some recent hangup calls 11 digits instead of the standard 10. If I Google the number I get no hits, same result trying truncating a digit either end to make 10 digit number. If I google ā€œ11 digit phone numbersā€ I donā€™t get any recent hits from Aus which I find weird. Todayā€™s number was 02432141258.

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11 in total. eg today 02432141258

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Just a thought do they all start with a 4 after the prefix? that would make them 0432141258 a mobile number. I donā€™t know why it would prefix with a state code eg 02 thoughā€¦

Anyway here is a legitimate site that seems to use this technique to make inbound only calls from any State https://www.evoice.com.au/local-inbound-numbers but I am sure outbound calls from less reputable businesses could be found to exist.

Here is a legitimate UK one that supplies virtual numbers just to look at the possibility it could be a non legit one doing a similar system. http://www.sagetelecom.co.uk/Portable-Numbers-P27/

Or the ringers may be spoofing their own caller ids see this article from CNet https://www.cnet.com/news/fake-caller-id-fun-legal-and-easy-to-do/

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geographic location is ancient history :slight_smile: DIDā€™s only cost a few dollars a year - Iā€™ve had one in every city for many years, and can appear to originate from any of them ā€¦

Thatā€™s where I was heading - the number doesnā€™t seem to line up with any legitimate plan, so Iā€™m guessing the scammer has found a dodgy VoIP provider and/or a provider who isnā€™t filtering what they are presented with ā€¦

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What is at play here not to tighten things up to stop spoofing numbers and misrepresenting callerā€™s location. Why canā€™t we have an environment where landline numbers must be owned by domicile persons or businesses, so if the number is used for fraudulent or deceptive behavior people can be held accountable.

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Geoff2 asked ā€œWhy canā€™t we have an environment where landline numbers must be owned by domicile persons or businesses, so if the number is used for fraudulent or deceptive behavior people can be held accountable.ā€
For reasons unknown our governments are absolutely useless in taking action against the massive rise in spam and criminal phone calls. This gets me really angry because these people are stealing from many including the elderly and are making people drop land lines because they think they will avoid the problem by using a mobile.
It is a scandal and I do NOT believe that a combined effort between government and the phone companies could not do something about it.
However, while we have a bunch of politicians more concerned with their parliamentary pensions and fringe benefits, this, like many other issues, will not be fixed.

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Sadly, sometimes it is easier and effective to identify and advertise a problem than to try and fix it while creating a new (yet to be discovered and advertised) problem.

Would you make a proposal that would not become a ā€˜wack a moleā€™ game? A workable solution could evoke a write-your-minister campaign in support of your proposal.[quote=ā€œrjstevens, post:9, topic:15381ā€]
while we have a bunch of politicians more concerned with their parliamentary pensions and fringe benefits, this, like many other issues, will not be fixed.
[/quote]

A problem with our political parties putting the grubs up, and us voters for essentially being enablers although our choices are what they are :frowning:

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I think if carriers were told they will be fined as complicit in fraudulent activities if they allow spoofed IDā€™s through their networks a fix will be found.

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