Random calls during the day?

[penguinofsleep]

Is this something criminals are doing right now to check and see if people are at home or something else?

A friend of mine has been receiving random phone calls every few days at various times of the day for the last few weeks. Every time they pick up, the line is silent for about 5 seconds, and then the call drops off. He never gets a call back.

My thoughts were that it's probably nothing but that he should be alert just in case. I imagine it may not be a particularly effective way of seeing who's home b/c often times people won't answer the phone when they are home (unavailable or just don't want to get the phone). We also didn't rule out a telemarketer with a bad automated system that drops calls on accident sometimes or things along those lines. However, I didn't want to completely throw out his concerns as he is one of the last people I would have expected to ask me this and I imagine it isn't particularly hard to find someone's phone number now days.

Funny this comes up w/ someone right after I post in the dog thread too...

[<IXOYE><]

They are automated messages. Once you pick up the phone and say "hello", the system hears it and starts its jibberish. If it doesnt hear anything after a few seconds, it disconnects.

[mej16489]

They are automated messages. Once you pick up the phone and say "hello", the system hears it and starts its jibberish. If it doesnt hear anything after a few seconds, it disconnects.

Calls as described by IXOYE are incredibly common. Most commonly they are telemarketers, survey takers, and creditors. Telemarketers you can semi-eliminate by getting on the national 'do not call list.' Creditors might not even be calling for you or someone in the house - it could simply be an old number or someone in your home shares a name with someone who has an outstanding debt.

Basically its an efficiency tool for people who make tons of phone calls. Since a large majority of calls go completely unanswered, it doesn't make much financial sense to have someone on the line ready to talk with you. So instead they call numbers and wait for an answer. If someone answers and a person is available in the pool of people they get connected to you.

I understand it; but I sure hate them...

[penguinofsleep]

thanks - looks like my guess was right. i'll pass the word along to my friend (no, friend is not referring to me here).

[Jason95357]

Calls as described by IXOYE are incredibly common. Most commonly they are telemarketers, survey takers, and creditors. Telemarketers you can semi-eliminate by getting on the national 'do not call list.'

Get on the Do Not Call List, but there are still a ton of jerks that don't bother to follow the law. I've been on the National Do Not Call List since it was created. The last 6 months or so I've been getting a couple of calls a week - either hang-up or "Anne with credit card services." I used to try to talk to someone to complain and demand they remove me from getting calls - it's pointless. Now I just Google the number as it rings - find it is on one of the reported lists, and add it to my phone's "Call Blocking" list so I'll never hear from them again. This works great for repeat callers.

You can report them to the FTC and FCC, but unless everyone does this and they get a flood of reports, they aren't going to do anything, which is why these places flagrantly call folks on the Do Not Call Lists (I suspect they may be so stupid as to use the Do Not Call Lists to find folks to call).

What needs to be done is forcing the telcos to block caller id spoofing and allow private citizens to file in small claims court for some sort of statutory amount ($500 sounds good). This would instantly put an end to this shady business practice.

[Scuba951]

You wouldn't believe how many of these I take at work every day. Anything from yellow book, google, to loan apps.
I get calls with no caller ID and when I pick up its a dial tone.

[Aldemar]

I've come up with something that shuts them up immediately. I just say, I'm Al's brother, Al passed away yesterday, what can I do for you?

Profuse apologies from the other end and they hang up. So far, it's worked, no repeat callers. I was getting at least 2 calls a week from some home improvement company but that has stopped also.