My husband and I are in our seventies and late sixties and we had so many phone calls from so many scammers You think the government could do something about it If you tell them you are not interested they keep ringing and getting nasty with you because they can not get their way to get hold of your bank card. Giving you some story about you been hacked and they can fix it all up for you by putting a program in your computer and they take you through everything and you download the program they can see everything in your computer never let them do this and they are very good at making you believe this and they keep going until they got someone one, and they really do not care if we are pensioners or not they will take our whole pension without a care in the world. I really donāt see why the government can not stop these call. I put my number up on Do not call But they still seem to get our number even if it is silent.
We are in your situation too, and feel your pain. The best thing to do with these people are to hang up. If they ring about your computer / NBN etc. Ask someone you trust to check your computer, contact your ISP, bank or whatever to ask if there is a problem. Donāt take their word for it. Legitimate callers will be happy for you to look up the number in the phone book and ring.
My husband was a shift worker and had a silent number so only family could ring him when we knew he was awake; we had to disconnect it. Scammers would ring - they just have computer programs that ring the next number and when someone answers it is then assigned to a call centre employee, hence the moment of silence, confusion.
Most scam calls are from overseas and they donāt give two hoots about the Do Not Call Register or to your situation. As we age, our ability to spot scams reduces. They capitalise on that and that older people struggle with technology. There are several topics here that list the names, numbers, scams etc which will help you spot a scam. Sorry to hear you have been affected.
The technology is on the side of the scammers. There is so far no easy way to identify them and intercept their calls or to pursue them at law if they can be identified. There are a few cases where international authorities have cooperated to prosecute scammers who prey on people in other countries but this is rare.
As others have mentioned, the scammers simply run through a sequence of all possible phone numbers. The scammers system/computer readily identifies which ones have a service, especially if you answer. Some numbers return a telco re index message to advise that the number does not have a service.
The most one can do is go only answer calls your mobile recognises. Telstra offer a home phone/service (Call Guardian) that only passes on calls from a list of numbers you set. All others can go to a message bank, at your discretion. The phone answers the call via a recording, enabling the home owner to selectively screen or ignore callers.
Talking about scam calls. I have had some this week from solar companies. I smelt a rat when they were selling the Govt Solar Rebate, not solar systems, and had āsomeone in your areaā or wanted my email āto confirmā our eligibility. None are registered with the Clean Energy Council.
Solar Energy (solarenergy dot com - which is under construction), Private Number and a number belonging to a legitimate physiotherapy shop.
Solar Energy Saver (no web address!!?) ph (03) 90879212
All reported to ScamWatch and Do Not Call Register. Any ideas as to why they are selling the Rebate? Should I be checking that my address is not the recipient of rebate?
Based on STCs, the link has detail about them
If you purchase a system you get allocated STCs based on the output, usually the provider of the system then keeps the Certificates and sells them on the STC Market. This Certificate handover by you reduces the cost of your system to you. If you havenāt purchased a system you are not given STCs so Iām pretty sure you donāt need to be alarmed.
You can look up on the Small Scale Registry for Certificates if you have the details at the following
https://www.rec-registry.gov.au/rec-registry/app/public/stc-register
Some States also provide direct subsidies for installation of Renewable Energy devices such as Solar Panel systems and Solar Hot Water systems but these require registration of your claim and proof of install, they are not available in all States or indeed all areas of a State.
I wonder if it is a phishing expedition and they are not selling anything.
Like you, I am a bit mystified as to why the government canāt do more.
For a start though, the government very rarely can stop anything. They can make the probability of being caught high and the punishment for being convicted severe - but that isnāt the government stopping anything from happening. That would be the perps voluntarily choosing to stop. 
In my opinion about what should be the case
- all international calls must be identified as international calls
- all domestic calls must either be anonymous or identify a valid, authorised return phone number (within the network of carriers - but the caller can still choose to be anonymous to the recipient)
- the Do Not Call register must be enforced for domestic calls
It is up to you as the recipient of the call whether you refuse all anonymous calls. It is up to you as the recipient of the call whether you refuse all international calls.
It could be both at the same time, they could be selling or on selling panels/systems and they could be seeking info to on sell to others, neither precludes the other.
These are shonkies where the rebates are advertised as someything new which I have managed to have shut down after reporting the ads to the websites.
They seem to mainly be collecting details for prospective customers to onsell to solar suppliers.
One mob who had an online āsurveyā to check if you are eligible had a business address in a building housing serviced offices.
An article regarding a person who cannot help people recover their lost funds due to fear of scammers.
An alleged grub has been caught.
