I’ve been wondering about something that probably resonates with many of us who still use our phones for calls and not just texting or apps. What percentage of phone calls are actually legitimate?

Even with my carrier’s “junk call” blocking, I find myself receiving 4 to 5 calls daily with no caller ID. It’s become second nature now to reject these unknown callers. But if I do answer, it often turns into a choice between being pitched a Medicare scam, a car insurance scam, a social security scam, or even a utility scam.

It makes me curious – how much of our call traffic is just a relentless barrage of marketing ploys and fraudulent schemes? The few times I still get a phone call, they either have caller ID and it’s someone I know, or it’s just a phone number and there’s a 99% chance it’s junk.

  • DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone
    5·
    11 days ago

    Government departments, hospital, many companies regularly call me with “No Caller ID” and then seem surprised when I don’t answer.

    If it’s urgent, they will should leave a message (instead they keep calling and complain that “it’s hard to get hold of me”).

    I actually just got a new phone number because I was receiving literally hundreds of spam calls, text messages, and voicemail messages in a foreign language, every week. I have “Silence unknown callers” switched on. Only my contacts can get through. If anyone else doesn’t leave a voicemail, send a text message, or email me, then it’s not urgent and I won’t even try to follow up.

    • yarr@feddit.nlOPEnglish
      3·
      11 days ago

      If it’s urgent, they will should leave a message (instead they keep calling and complain that “it’s hard to get hold of me”).

      This fucking kills me. The people who I screen the call, they go to voicemail, they hang up and try again, I send them to voicemail… it’s infuriating. Voicemail exists for a reason! And yes, my experience mirrors yours in that the same people will say they have “no way” to reach me.

      • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        10 days ago

        I had one person tell me that they were just trying to get past do not disturb by calling twice.

        I was like… It was that important, but not important enough to leave a voicemail or text? Suspicious…

    • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      10 days ago

      Properly configured telephone systems at hospitals etc. will show their main public facing phone number on Caller ID for any outbound call.