FortKnox's Journal: Unwanted Cell Phone Calls...

First of all, I support our troops, and I'm terribly worried about terrorist, but knowing that fear is what drives the terrorists, I'm not gonna mention it again, and go on with the daily routine.

I get a call on my cell almost daily. Its a 'private number' with no caller id or anything. It started maybe a week after I had my cell phone, before anyone knew the number. Its a fax digest (I think). How can I get this thing to stop?
I don't think its a problem I can take straight to T-Mobile. I'd rather find out who it is, and give them a (crude) piece of my mind.
All I know is its a fax, it happens almost daily, and I can't get the number (same thing happens with my wife's cell which is 1 number different than mine). Any ideas?

Origin

[irc.goatse.cx troll]

I'm guessing the numbers were found war/autodialer style ( "Greetings, friend. Do you wish to be as happy as me ? Well, you have got the power inside you right now. So use it, and send one dollar to Happy Dude, 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield. Don't delay, eternal happiness is just a dollar away !").

As for finding out who it is, You could try recording the call and playing it when calling a real fax machine (would that work?)

You could go ahead and take it to t-mobile, and see if theyll give you the in

Re:Origin

[robi2106]

As for finding out who it is, You could try recording the call and playing it when calling a real fax machine (would that work?)

I am nearly sure that a fax machine, just like a modem, needs ACKs and other data before it sends the actual content of the fax. This would mean that the fax (modem) on the other end is just sitting there sending out "Are you listening" messages and wating for a response.

robi

Well

[NaveWeiss]

If your cellular phone company supports redirection, then redirect that call into a fax machine and see what it's all about. Maybe it's some sort of a fax mailing list which has your number by mistake.

Re:Well

[Cy Guy]

redirect that call into a fax machine and see what it's all about.

This is what I used to do when we got misdirected faxes to out desk phones at work.

Typically these junk faxes will stop once they succeed in getting through once, but if it is a real junk fax scam, make sure you contact them and your provider immediately upon finding out it is a fax. Sending junk faxes is against the law, and I think subject to penalties payable to you as the unsolicited recipient.

no good ideas for stopping it yet

[GMontag]

no good ideas for stopping it yet, but it does sound like a sequential dialer. if the calls are not coming time-wise very close together then the list it is using was probably made from sequential scanning. if the latter is the case then the numbers will pass to new spammers even as you smash old ones.

either way, it does not sound like a very sophisticated system, so blasting the "disconnected number" tones into the phone probably won't do any good either, but would not hurt to try.

wait!

[GMontag]

Doesn't your cell phone company have detailed billing online? Check for incoming numbers there! Or did I blow past something in your post in my glee to invent a solution?

You can setup to block...

[Xerithane]

any incoming numbers. Another thing is to talk to T-Mobile and say that you are getting unsolicited calls on your cell phone, which is illegal. They may be able to get a little bit more info on the trace, or you could get the fax on your cell (depending upon type of cell) and find out who it is there.

I think the solution is obvious...

[M.C. Hampster]

1) Contact the U.N. and have them pass a resolution that would result in "serious consequences" for anyone making an unsolicited call to your cell phone.
2) The resolution will be promptly ignored.
3) Goto 1