Develop AAM Blocked Numbers Blacklist?

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mathepac

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"As a matter of course, I don't answer calls from unknown numbers. I let them go to voicemail. If the call is genuine, they'll leave details, if not they'll just hang up. If they hang up, they'll go on my Blocked Numbers Blacklist!"

I copied my post above from another thread.

I've had a brainwave and I'm volunteering for work if the mods approve.

I have my own Blocked Numbers Blacklist on my phone as I'm sure others have on theirs. What if we shared the blocked numbers via PM?

Send them to me, I'll eliminate duplicates and redistribute the cleaned-up list. Then each of us individually replaces the blocked numbers list in their phone with the new AAM-wide expanded one.

The advantage I see is fewer SCAM/PRANK/SPAM calls to be dealt with.

It doesn't even need everyone to contribute to begin to be useful and I could do an annual or semi-annual refresh.

If it's a waste of time it's primarily only mine and I see no GDPR / data sharing prosecutions ensuing if we go ahead.

Yes/No?
 
This is a terrible idea, pretty much all of our numbers have likely been spoofed at some stage. Around the HSE breach I used to get calls regularly enough from irate people who had just received attempted scam calls from my phone number. I also phone people back only to be told that it wasn't them at all.
 
@Persia and @24601, I've never had either of those experiences. I'm careful about who gets my number(s) and where they appear.

Besides, if your numbers do appear on the proposed blacklist, what's to prevent you from requesting them to be deleted from the AAM Blacklist?

[EDIT] Without saying they're yours.
 
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@mathepac

I think the approach in your initial paragraph, which is a form of whitelisting, is the best way. It certainly works well for me.

That said, there should be an onus on the network providers to do more on the scam call front.
 
No issue, the network providers may see these activities as a way of upping traffic volumes and thereby revenues, so maybe they're disincentivised to take any action.
 
(Start quote) @Persia and @24601, I've never had either of those experiences. I'm careful about who gets my number(s) and where they appear. (End quote)

I have had the number for 25 years, not sure how I could have controlled access to it except by cloaking it in an unknown number and then some people won't answer my calls.

I'm not on mainstream social media nor ever will be (sniff).

My wife's number was also on this list.I suspect a lot of Irish mobiles numbers are also on this.

I agree with previous poster, mobile phone operators should have stamped this out years ago....I haven't bothered giving comreg a mention as they are beyond useless.
 
mathepac said:
@Persia and @24601, I've never had either of those experiences. I'm careful about who gets my number(s) and where they appear.
Click to expand...

I'm very careful with my number, but I've had a few people phoning me as they've had calls purportedly from my number. In reality, scammers are free to use VOIP telephony services to spoof calls from any old number, and seem to choose randomly from the pool of Irish (and indeed other) numbers.

So long as scammers can freely use any number their random number generator can use, your proposal is basically a "denial of service" list for innocent users who have never been, not ever will involved in any kind of scam. I would not use it.
 
kickstart said:
your proposal is basically a "denial of service" list for innocent users who have never been, not ever will involved in any kind of scam
Click to expand...
Explain that. Posters here are already blocking the numbers concerned as SCAM/PRANK/SPAM callers. I propose to increase the number of people blocking those numbers as they've already been involved in dangerous or nuisance calls, how are the callers innocent?
 
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@ClubMan

It’s three years since Comreg started working on this, and far longer since the problems started to manifest, and so far the sum total of concrete achievements is zilch. In terms of consumer protection, Comreg rates on a par with the CBI, i.e a 3/10
 
mathepac said:
Explain that. Posters here are already blocking the numbers concerned as SCAM/PRANK/SPAM callers.
Click to expand...
Blocking numbers owned by legitimate people but being spoofed by scammers in an organised fashion would mean anyone using your block list is blocking people who have no connection to the scam. If used in a widespread fashion, your list denies service to legitimate callers.

It's also not so useful - most scammers miss-use the number of a legitimate user for a small number of calls and then they change the number they're using. If they didn't, then the telcos could spot them and block their origin.
 
There's no need to make a list. If a number not in your phone book calls you, just press 'screen call' and let Google Assistant talk to the person.
 
mathepac said:
@Persia and @24601, I've never had either of those experiences. I'm careful about who gets my number(s) and where they appear.

Besides, if your numbers do appear on the proposed blacklist, what's to prevent you from requesting them to be deleted from the AAM Blacklist
Click to expand...
Ah that's grand so, since you haven't had those issues work away. You clearly don't understand how number spoofing works. Your number has more than likely been used by scammers and you just don't know about it. Do you want your number on a blacklist?
 
AAM isn't going to start any kind of deny list. Note the use of black/white list has been phased out due to racist origins.

It's been well covered here in the past that they are spoofing numbers, and they continuously rotate them so even if we were to publish a register of numbers that were known to be used, being very careful to highlight that the genuine owners of those numbers are not in any way implicated, the list would serve little or no purpose. We certainly couldn't suggest it good practice to check an unverified source and then spend time updating blocked numbers in your phone.

The only fool-proof way to ensure a scammer doesn't call you is to never answer your phone, even when it's a known number.
 
kickstart said:
Blocking numbers owned by legitimate people but being spoofed by scammers in an organised fashion would mean anyone using your block list is blocking people who have no connection to the scam. If used in a widespread fashion, your list denies service to legitimate callers.
Click to expand...
What percentage of the numbers used by scammers belong to real people? How many of those real people, assuming their numbers are being used by scammer/spoofers, would have genine reasons to ring someone on AAM.

This is like the "denial of service" nonsense. The only outcome from my proposal if implemented, is that a tiny number of people, AAM posters, will not receive calls from numbers already blocked by other AAM posters as those numbers were used by scammers.

Who exactly is being denied what service?
 
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