Overseas scam calls spoofing Australian phone numbers

I usually just don’t answer, BUT I ALSO OWN A VERY PIECING WHISTLE, WHICH I BLAST IN THEIR EAR ON OCCASIONS !!!. THEY DON”T LIKE IT !!!. SERVES THEM RIGHT, THEY SHOULD BE IN JAIL, WHICH I TELL THEM ON OCCASIONS AS WELL !!!.

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This may make you feel better but it will do nothing to stop them calling again.

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Nearly all are just doing a job for a pittance in the hope of making a sale and an earner. Why take it out on the caller? Depending on their background getting angry is a sign of weakness. They may even be smiling at the anger.

The real villains are those who set up and manage the call centres or scamming operations. Perhaps it might serve to ask the caller for the bosses home number. Although I’d not recommend it. Who knows where that might lead.

I’d be all for reimposing $1 minimum plus timed charges on incoming International Calls as a disincentive. Our phone systems have long been reconfigured to make that unlikely. It would also punishes the majority who are honest callers.

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Better than anger is a calm statement: “It is such a shame your mother did not love you enough to teach you to be honest”

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I only get scam calls in my landline. Recently I got the usual Windows tech support telling me my computer is spreading viruses. I said I don’t have a computer. He asked about other devices, I said no, don’t have any devices. He asked how I check my emails. I said I go to the local library… he hung up.
However, I’ve found that an answering machine helps. Only genuine callers actually leave messages, usually someone you’re already in contact with.

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Systems have evolved, but this old mate still was the best (mid 1980’s)

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I no longer have a “landline” and only use mobile. I have a massive list of blocked numbers which is pretty useless for all the reasons already stated. I also no longer use any of those call block apps because they have not been useful for a couple of years…. because the scammers can spoof genuine numbers. So I use Do Not Disturb quite regularly, and wiht iOS15, it seems like you can send a message to genuine callers saying that DND is on (or similar) and to call or msg again later.

I keep hoping that Woolworths mobile will get the short message service which goes to text, which is available on both Telstra and Boost prepaids but its n/a yet. That saved the notifications you get that someone called and no message was left because your friends, contacts, doctor or whoever will leave a message. If scammers dont leave a message I dont care and I dont want to know. Annoying.

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Overseas scammers are definitely spoofing local numbers. I phoned one back, and the woman who answered swore that she had not just called me.

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Classic.

image

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I missed a scam call a couple of days ago when I had put my phone down.

As usual, calling the number back using the overide code could not connect.

I had another one yesterday which I answered within 2 rings only for it not to connect.

This one is the strangest number I have ever seen.

+71867907875

I cannot find out which country it supposedly originated from and calling it resulted in a recorded message from Boost Mobile advising that they do not support calls to this destination.

Perhaps it was from Hell?

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None. It is a random number that doesn’t pretend to match real phone numbers.

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+71 is Scamland

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They may be working for a pittance, but they need not be committing a crime, some people lose $30,000 or more dollars in these SCAMS, if you did, would you feel so compliant.

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There’s a difference in outcome between scratching at a sore and treating the root cause of the underlying skin cancer.

It’s unlikely that any amount of scratching is going to effect a cure. I was suggesting if we intend to choose a target it needs to be those who are behind these criminal activities.

There is an alternative, which is to find ways to break the business model, aka ‘stopping the boats’. A part but not perfect solution is to find ways to better control outgoing funds at the border. Another might be to break the chain leading to the customer.

EG

A combination of both could be more effective than either. Reducing the frequency of access and success may reduce the workload to one where international policing becomes more practical as the volume reduces.

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I have an iPhone & have changed my settings so that numbers that are not in my contacts are “silenced”. That way the phone does not ring or disturb me & if genuine, the can leave a message :grinning:

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If you had a choice between making scam photos and leaving your family to starve, which would you choose? Morals are absolute only when we can afford them.

This is a really bad idea. Some scams involve transferring callers through to an expensive pay per minute service - generally off-shore and often based in Africa.

7 is the international calling code for Russia and a few other countries. Apparently 71 is “Not used (for special services)”.

You are right, it could be a modern day Mother Teresa on the phone just trying to scrape a few dollars up to open their new shelter for the homeless. We mustn’t make assumptions about the morals or circumstances of those who try to steal from us, they could be saints in disguise. At least I don’t employ profanity to hurt these tender little souls.

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Please, no! We don’t need any more fanatics who think others’ suffering is ‘a good thing’.

At least you got the country right. If your only asset is the ability to speak English, in a country that has a large proportion of its population earning less than USD1.90/day, then maybe you will use that single asset rather than starving. You might even justify it to yourself and to those who rely upon your earnings based upon the rape of your country by its colonisers.

Having made that decision they will have occupied the moral high ground and so I should feel ashamed to stoop to pointing out that they are thieves. Think how cruel it would be to attempt to do something more substantial against such poor waifs like prosecute them. More and more a few unkind words looks like the lesser of two weevils. And it has the benefit that they can polish up their karma by turning the other cheek - a win-win for sure.

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Having watched the report on TV about the scammers, someone or some people are using misery on both sides of the Ocean to bring obscenely large amounts of money into their pockets. Regardless of the little person ringing us, the offence is theft and possibly more (consider the individual hurt it does here and the real risk of suicide). Their society chooses to create this rank poverty as does ours.

Blame is both sides, I just go to the old saying two wrongs don’t make a right. Poverty in India is a World problem, so is poverty in any Country including our own. We need to recognise the faults of previous years, not repeat them but learn from them to create a better outcome. We perhaps could fix this with concerted effort but that requires a level of agreement that I can’t see happening.

Would we still have scammers if they had a reasonable income from honest work, sure because there are greedy immoral people who don’t care about others and seek only their own gratification. Just like we get spam emails from Nigeria, USA and so on that seek to steal our details (our identity), our money, we can only rely on that they will continue to exist and the best we can do is educate ourselves so we are wary of the traps.

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