I have been trying to find a reverse telephone number lookup program that is affordable and accurate. There are so many out there that is impossible to make a choice. I get so many calls from unknown numbers and at 82 years old, I never want to answer them as they are probably spam calls. I would like to look them up to see if it is someone I should call back. Have you done an article on this subject or can your staff consider researching it? Thank you
You have to remember that the bad guys spoof the numbers on caller ID. The # you see is probably not where the call is coming from. And they keep changing #'s. So if you block a number it’s a wasted exercise.
On the reverse lookup. They all seem to want money now. Sometimes a new one will pop up but before long they have their hand out also.
As another poster mentioned, many numbers are spoofed. I suggest you let the calls go to voicemail or an answering machine and review them for authenticity.
Just because a caller ID says or someone leaves a message and says who they are, don’t believe it. If a credit card number, call the actual number on the back of your physical card not the one they leave in an email or on a machine.
I have a toll free number that I am holding for a business and not really used right now. The number of on one of those lists and every few days I get automated calls. All the calls go to voicemail and I get an email with an attached audio file. The files are always empty, meaning that whoever called heard the outgoing message and didn’t leave a message for me.
Another number I had used to be owned by someone else or they just chose a random number to say it was theirs. I would get collection calls for this person. In any event Mr Voicemail took the calls and since I did not recognize their number, I never called them back.
Because I use Voice Over IP (internet telephone service), I can create a white list of people allowed to call me and their cvalls ring my phone because I know who they are. The rest go to voicemail. If I have repeated annoyance calls, I just have the system look at that ID and just hang up the call.
Just because you get a call, doesn’t mean that you have to answer it.
We use cell phones only and on Android We keep Do Not Disturb on with incoming calls restricted to people listed in our contact list.
All others go to VM.
On some occasions when I am expecting a call from some one not in the contacts’ I temporarily turn Do Not Disturb off.
I usually look up on the internet the phone number that is spamming (most likely) me. Many times, there are multiple results for the number which means others have been getting the spam calls.
If something is direly needing my attention, they can send me a hard copy snail mail correspondence.
If it someone in trouble, they need to call 911 and not me. If a family member is calling with an unrecognized number they can possibly also text me.
For land lines, 99% of the time I would have ignored the call if they did not leave a phone machine message or voice call message via the Verizon message service at the time.