Calls from "Private Number"

General Discussion
1

My mobile phone rang and I rushed to pick it up as I was expecting a friend to contact me… however, just as I was about to connect without really thinking… I noticed the screen said “Private Number” and I held back. It stopped ringing and no-one left a message… so, tough luck whoever you were…
But now I’m wondering… has anyone else received this notification when their mobile is ringing?

I get calls from friends and known contacts and their number is always recognised by my mobile… any unknown number, I leave 'em to go away or message… but PN in words, without any number at all… is a first for me.

2

I think I mentioned it a few weeks ago. We get quite a lot of them and as you say, they never leave a message. I had another one this morning.

It’s annoying that they can mask their ID like this and my phone doesn’t give me the option of blocking them. Ignore is the only option.

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3

I have blocked many unwanted numbers, if you leave me no message “away with you” is my reaction

I must check my phone to see if Private Number can be blocked… hadn’t thought of that and it’s worth a try :roll_eyes: hopefully this was the first and last one :crossed_fingers:

4

I installed an app called Saracroche a while back and the number of unwanted calls I now get is pretty much zero. Before I was getting several spam calls per day.

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5

That’s very interesting, thank you. :slight_smile: I’ll have a look.

6

I’ve installed it, will let you know how it goes. :slight_smile:

As I was walking over to get my phone, it dawned on me what the name of the appli means. Very clever.

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7

It seems that energy suppliers in particular have a way to use “private number”. So not scams as such but cold calling. :slightly_frowning_face:

We reading an article the other day that one shouldn’t say anything if you accidentally answer one of the calls in case it is a scammer who uses AI to clone you voice and make it seems that you have agreed to subscribe to their fake service. Urgh, more and more of the world is becoming a cess pit.

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8

Well, if they want me or OH to answer then Private Number is not the way.

The rest of your post is worrying - nothing seems safe these days.

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9

I seldom use my moby, but any withheld/private number calls go straight to the bin, the ‘phone does not even ring.

10

A lot of them start out by saying “can you hear me?” which naturally impels people to say “yes” - at which point they have got a recording of your voice agreeing to sign up for something…

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11

Well, it seems that my plan(s) of attack “say nuffink” and “don’t answer the phone”
should keep me safe. :crossed_fingers:

What a palaver, we have to be on our guard about so much these days… aaaargh.

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12

I never answer my phone if it does not have a name I know on the screen, and I tell everyone who knows me so that they can be sure to text me their number first.

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13

Having checked my “call history”, I can now see that there was a previous Private Number in March this year. My phone must have been left somewhere in the house (as I hate being chained to it) and I never noticed the call. Tough!

14

Thank you for this tip. I just installed Saracroche and sent a pourboire to Camille. We are very engaged selling our home and buying another just now, so receiving blind opportunist calls only adds to my stress levels. Yesterday I spoke with a chap for over five minutes thinking he was calling about a garage to rent, when he was actually a cold caller trying to sell windscreen replacements. OMG!@#%¥

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15

I have been getting Private Number calls for weeks now, sometimes three Times per day. I did decide to reply just to see who it was but it would not connect to anything. Had one earlier whilst in Super U when I was at the till.

16

I get them fairly often, it’s spam calling like all those other numbers with certain prefixes. The biggest nuisance is you can’t block them. I don’t answer.

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17

I do things the other way; I have an app that blocks all calls not in my contacts. Draconian, I know, and I have to remember to add numbers to my contacts for shops, tradesfolk etc who say they’re going to call but it works for me.

Edit: I’ve just had a look at that Saracroche app, it has the same ‘block all except contacts’ option. I’ll give it go, see which app I prefer.

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18

I can’t block the world and his wife :rofl:
Due to certain responsibilities I have to be contactable… to at least leave a message… but if they don’t then that’s their hard luck.

Regular contacts are, of course, listed in my phone :+1:

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19

Spot on. If it’s a genuine call they will leave a message.

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20

I’ve had one that calls from different numbers in different parts of France, quite a few calls mostly daily. A couple of times the caller has actually left a message - the same message from 2 different parts of France.

Trouble is, the message is the same pre-recorded message in both cases. Identical. Clearly not live. Wanting me to pick up and share my personal data for their “project”. Errrrr…..no.