Who's watching your cell phone activity?

[Tiny]

I don't use my cell phone much for calls. I do text a handful of people regularly. I haven't given out my cell number to many people and I don't use it/give it when setting up accounts on line. 

I did give it to the "doctor's office" I use since I seem to have such a hard time getting appointments (I have to communicate with them during the work day and any time I deal with them it seems to take atleast 5 phone calls over several days to get a routine exam scheduled).  

So, I've been dealing with the annual exams (lots of phone calls back and forth) AND it seems that every time I do a back and forth with them - my cell phone gets hit with assorted 'scammer' calls during the next 24 to 48 hours.   I don't recognize the area codes - and when I enter the phone numbers on line to see "who is calling me" it's always something like a 'home security' company or a 'fix your credit' company or a 'lower your interest rate' company or an out and out scammer who phishing for information.    

It's like when I get an incoming call from a legitimate source the scammers are made aware that my phone number is 'live' and my phone number goes into their database of numbers to call.    It doesn't happen with texting or making out going calls.  ONLY when I get legitimate incoming calls.  I can go months without getting an incoming call.

 

Are scammers able to 'survey' the world of telephony and capture what numbers are 'active' or live?   What's going on?  Why do I have to deal with added annoyance of scammers calling - along with the battle to get a legitimate doctor's appointment

I'm feeling paranoid... it's like I stuck my head up out of my "fox hole" and now the scammers are 'shooting' at me!!!  Stupid yearly medical exam!!!

[Deleted]

Don't forget to add your cell phone number to the Do Not Call list.

Maybe that's it. I don't know.

[trippypea]

I wonder if it is a matter of them sharing their phone list with some other entity, and from there, who knows where it goes? I signed my kids up for a Ceramics class at an arts organization, and the next day I was getting calls from an 'innovative, performing arts, charter school' that was doing an open house, and I know that they had to have gotten my number from the arts org. Or, when you get a new car, somehow every other car dealership knows and starts sending you info...

[NastyWoman]

Jun 14, 2016 13:36:32 GMT -5 @bluester said:

Don't forget to add your cell phone number to the Do Not Call list.

Maybe that's it. I don't know.

Like that helps.  My cell is on there and I keep getting endless weird (for me) East coast calls. I don't know anyone there, but I get calls all the time. I reject any and all calls from numbers I don't know.  My family/friends know this so they send an email if they are planning to call from unknown (to me) places.

[Opti]

Jun 14, 2016 12:44:55 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I don't use my cell phone much for calls. I do text a handful of people regularly. I haven't given out my cell number to many people and I don't use it/give it when setting up accounts on line. 

I did give it to the "doctor's office" I use since I seem to have such a hard time getting appointments (I have to communicate with them during the work day and any time I deal with them it seems to take atleast 5 phone calls over several days to get a routine exam scheduled).  

So, I've been dealing with the annual exams (lots of phone calls back and forth) AND it seems that every time I do a back and forth with them - my cell phone gets hit with assorted 'scammer' calls during the next 24 to 48 hours.   I don't recognize the area codes - and when I enter the phone numbers on line to see "who is calling me" it's always something like a 'home security' company or a 'fix your credit' company or a 'lower your interest rate' company or an out and out scammer who phishing for information.    

It's like when I get an incoming call from a legitimate source the scammers are made aware that my phone number is 'live' and my phone number goes into their database of numbers to call.    It doesn't happen with texting or making out going calls.  ONLY when I get legitimate incoming calls.  I can go months without getting an incoming call.

 

Are scammers able to 'survey' the world of telephony and capture what numbers are 'active' or live?   What's going on?  Why do I have to deal with added annoyance of scammers calling - along with the battle to get a legitimate doctor's appointment

I'm feeling paranoid... it's like I stuck my head up out of my "fox hole" and now the scammers are 'shooting' at me!!!  Stupid yearly medical exam!!!

I don't fully know, but I think there is a way that some scammers patrol the phone lines to see what numbers have been active recently. I do get a rash of scam calls sometimes when I call friends or need to set up appointments. My cell phone lives off, so for me scam calls are not an issue except for them sometimes clogging up my incoming unanswered VM.

[teen persuasion]

I'd swear that this is true for our landline phone.  Most days we get zero calls, but if the phone rings once, it rings at least 5x that day, all within quick succession.

It feels as if there's someone watching, and if I answer the phone, they go "Oh, goody! We've got a live one.  Let's all call Teen.  

In the past 24 hours I've gotten calls from the MS letting me know DS5 would be getting a perfect attendance award next week (only legit call), the NRA (wanted me to contact my senators to stop attempts to limit assault rifles - I considered calling the senators to let them know I approve of gun limits), someone who wanted to convince DH to protect fantasy sports (I kept hearing vanity sports and was  ), the IRS who is suing me, and someone looking for donations for the VA.  

[thyme4change]

The IRS sure is suing a lot of people these days.

[Tiny]

I made a bunch of calls from my landline today - set up drs appts - and I swear I hung up and about 2 minutes later I got a spam call - apparently the rules have change on the time share I don't own. I made a couple of other calls and then called to set up a final drs appt... and again within 15 minutes of hanging up - I got a call about how my credit card had been compromised without any identification of what CC was calling (Discover? BoA? Chase? Citi? who). When I asked which card/bank... the caller asked me for MY NAME and the number on my card. I hung up. It's weird - it's like a call to the 1800 number for the medical center/doctor's offices triggers a spam call. Which is sad, because I would imagine many older people call the medical center/doctor's offices...