# Solved: Unknown Caller on phone



## silverado4

We have been bothered by "unknown caller" on our caller i.d. When we pick up the phone it is just a "busy" signal. I think they are trying to get us to use *69 to call them back, and it may be a long distant call. Does anyone know how to stop these type of calls coming in? I tried *77, I was told this would stop it, but it doesn't, and *87 would resume it again.
I have "packet8" cable phone, they can't help either. This is so annoying, this should be outlawed, and only numbers come in so I can block it. Thanks


----------



## cwwozniak

silverado4 said:


> it may be a long distant call.


Sorry if this is a dumb question but I am not familiar with packet8. Doesn't your caller ID show the number that called along with the "unknown caller" information?

If it does show a number, try a Google search for it.


----------



## silverado4

No, It just shows the "unknown caller", it does not show any number, I wish it did. Packet8 is a cable phone co. that charges $199 a year, thats all, plus about $4.00 a month (taxes). I never had a problem with them. I never get a phone bill, just once a year charge for $199. I love it. I used to have Sun Rocket, but they went out of business.


----------



## Wino

Don't pickup the phone for 'unknown' or 'out of area'. If it's important (and I presume you have voice mail), they will leave a message. If not, don't worry about it. There is no law saying you HAVE TO answer your phone.


----------



## NICK G

I never answer "unknown caller" or "blocked ID" calls.
Guess what? My VA (Veterans Administration) calls me with "unknown caller" reminding
me of appointments and the likes. Luckily they leave a voice mail. That's weird.
Everyone else who chooses not to be identified can talk to my message center also.


----------



## JohnWill

Almost all VoIP services have anonymous call blocking, why not enable that?


----------



## PEBKACRTM

That tends to be the debt collection line for various creditors. Wells Fargo is notorious for this as is AT&T. It's a flaw in the auto-dialing system. If there is anyone you think you may owe money to, I'd bet it's them. Give all your creditors a call and see if any are trying to locate you for anything. Run your credit as well and you may find the culprit (although that would depend on how long they've been trying to get in touch with you) Aside from that, not too much you can do about it. Eventually, they tend to give up and transfer your debt to a different department and that gets you off their bad dialer. Had the same thing happen to me before. Ended up being a bill collector looking for the person who had the phone number before me. Threatened them with legal action (once I actually got someone on the line!) and they stopped calling. 

Now, if you want to hear something REALLY weird, I keep getting calls with caller ID saying it's coming FROM directory assistance in Hawaii (808) 555-1212 and, of course, they never leave a message. I swear, the lengths people go to to try to block their number!


----------



## JohnWill

I'd just block the call. If it's a debt collection agency, they can send a certified letter if they want to communicate with me. 

It's far more likely to be telemarketers.


----------



## PEBKACRTM

Hee hee. I hear ya. Just keep in mind, they don't have to send a certified letter before they SUE you and service of process is good whether you physically accept it or not. May be better to handle things before they get too far gone


----------



## n2gun

I block all anonymous calls and my service forwards them to a message that tells them i do not accept them.


----------



## JohnWill

Sorry, but I don't accept anonymous calls. A telephone call has no standing legally, and anyone that sues you without any notice will probably lose the case anyway. I'm not losing any sleep about blocking anonymous phone calls.


----------



## PEBKACRTM

I wasnt saying yay or nay to accepting annonymous calls. I was just giving the poster something to think about since the pattern sounds familiar for debt collectors. May be one, may not be. I know of hundreds of people who have received default judgments against them without ever even being aware of the suit (I'm in the legal field) which is why I always suggest being proactive. Nothing wrong with blocking anonymous callers.


----------



## JohnWill

Since I have no debt's outstanding, I'm not worried. And I also have free legal help available for those times when idiots have the temerity to file lawsuits that have no merit against me.


----------



## Soundy

Our telco (Telus) has an option - and most others probably do as well - where if a caller has their number blocked, they'll get a message that "this person does not accept calls from unknown numbers; please press ### (don't recall the exact sequence) before dialing to unblock your number". If the person still wants to get through, they dial that code, then my number, and their number is unblocked for that call. The name may still come up a "unknown" or "anonymous" or whatever, but at least I can see the number.


----------



## NICK G

I'm in a better position than some. I'm single and retired. No phone call is important to me.
I usually have my cell off. I merely check my messages occasionally.
My recorded message is: 
"I may be available but do not wish to talk to a couple people.
Leave your name and number and if I don't call back, you're one of them."
beeeeeep


----------



## Soundy

^Hahaha, I like that, I might just use that message myself 

My brother's voicemail OGM is, "Hi, you've reached me, but you haven't quite got me..." Kinda like that one


----------



## gurutech

My outgoing message is:

Hi, you've reached me. If you are a debt collector, I've sent the payment already. If you are calling to send ME money, leave a message and I will call back with my address for you to send payment. If you are my mother in law, hang up and lose my number. I won't return your call anyway. If it's that important, call your daughter - she still talks to you occasionally.


----------



## silverado4

Thanks for all your help in this matter. I did put a block on the anonymous caller. It was supposed to go to my voicemail, but it doesn't. I would block that number if I could see a number, that's my problem. There is no number, only "unavailable unknown caller". I'm working with my cable phone co. now, I have a ticket in, they are going to try to resolve this problem. Maybe they will give me the option of typing in "alpha's" instead of just numbers to block anything I don't want, I hope so.


----------



## silverado4

I found out the way to stop the anonymous calls, I'll try that again for a few days to see if this works. I don't have any outstanding bills, so I don't know why anyone would even try to call me. I was just wondering if someone could call my line, then when I answered, use it as theirs to call someone. Is this possible? That was my concern. I'll get back to you in a few days to see if this works this time.


----------



## sup2a

in Australia we have had a massive mobile callback scam, a number from...Sydney i think, will ring your mobile for a split second, and you of course ring back wondering who it was and they charge you a fortune for the call and try to make you enter a competition, i have had this call many times now and i guess all you can do is ignore it, as much as it is annoying not knowing who is actually calling you


----------



## silverado4

I didn't ever call back, or answer it. I also thought it was this type of scam, that's why I never called back. My cable phone co. 'packet8' is looking into this matter now to see if there is a way to stop these. Thanks for your feed back.


----------



## Soundy

I never call back a missed call unless I know who it is. I figure if it's that important, they'll either leave a message, or call back. Anyone who can't be bothered to do either, I probably don't want or need to talk to anyway.


----------



## JohnWill

I'm with Soundy, if they don't leave a message, how important can it possibly be? They're on automatic ignore with me. A phone call has no legal standing, so getting in trouble by not calling back is a non-issue.


----------



## silverado4

I'm sure it's not an important message, but it's still frustrating. I wish the phone system would just ignore these calls, but they won't. I've never heard of "soundy", is it a cable phone co? I pay $199 per year plus 4.76 per month, taxes. I don't think that's bad.


----------



## Soundy

silverado4 said:


> I've never heard of "soundy", is it a cable phone co?


----------



## silverado4

Wake up and smell the coffee, I could have had a V-8. Sorry, I thought "soundy" was a phone co, I didn't look back.
I didn't get any "unavailable unknown caller" today, 5/11, maybe they are picking on someone else now. Let's hope.


----------



## silverado4

Today is the 14th of May, I still haven't gotten any more unknown caller's. Could this be the last of it? Did they get tired of me not answering? I sure hope so. Thanks for all your help in this matter, it was greatly appreciated... Silverado over and out (I hope).


----------



## sup2a

it really does depend, i mean it could have been a salesperson trying to get you to buy long distance whatever, and ti may have been a one off thing, or it could have been someone with a wrong number in which case they may try again, or it could be a nuisance call either way, they MAY stop, but i guess there are no guarantees, i though i got the last of the Sydney "Hang up" calls, but i recently got another...


----------

