when will telus stop callers using a fake phone number

[Anon125]

it was announced that all carriers had to have the software to stop phone scammers using other peoples numbers.

it is NOT happening here.

do you still get scam calls from other peoples phone numbers?

Since the new years we have had lots of them. one idiot even was as stupid as to leave a message on our answering machine.

I read that the RCMP have disbanded the unit that was stopping them. how did the scammers know this so early?

[kamak]

I just had a rash of them, yes. But my spammers use the same phone number prefix as my phone, not some random numbers, they seems to always be the same prefix as my number or they are 800 numbers. Tried using Robokiller, but it doesn't work on Telus /Canada yet, I believe. It didn't setup properly for me, and blocked all calls even though I set it to just block an area code and prefix.

[xray]

My family has 4 mobile phones and a landline. We don't get any scam calls on any of them because we turned on Call Control.

FYI, SIR/SHAKEN does not stop scam callers. It only identifies callers as being verified or not verified. You still get the calls. More info here:

https://forum.telus.com/t5/Mobility/STIR-SHAKEN-Feature-For-Mobile-Devices/ta-p/124649

[Nighthawk]

Telus offers Call Control. It's very effective at blocking the automated spam calls and best of all it's free. I haven't had a single spam call come through in years. It will block all automated calls though.

Mobile: https://www.telus.com/en/ab/support/article/call-control-for-mobile-devices-explained

Landlines: https://www.telus.com/en/ab/support/article/call-control-explained

The new "software" you are likely referring to is the STIR/SHAKEN tech. Telus posted about it here a few weeks ago. It's something the CRTC imported from the US and wanted all carriers to implement. It does not block the calls but is supposed to help identify the spoofed caller ID from the scam calls. It is available for cell service but is very limited as only a few specific Android phones are included. This isn't a Telus specific limitation either. All carriers appear to have only a handful of relatively new Android devices supported. No iPhones. The other catch is that if calls originate outside of the network or out of Canada, they won't be verified and will still come though as normal, so Call Control is the best solution.

[kamak]

But there does need to be newer and better options. This is a limited and cumbersome way of doing it, for now it will have to work. I'm pretty sure most "non family/friends, and most non related people and businesses (all those not on your 25 list) will not bother typing in an extra number to get through to you.

[Nighthawk]

It's used more often than you think. I run into it at work several times a day when calling customers. Plus if you have Call Control enabled, all the caller has to do is press the requested number ONCE and they're automatically added to a whitelist. You don't have to do it yourself, though you can before they call if you want to.

[kamak]

Not sure why Robokiller doesn't work on Telus, but it might have to do with CRTC/Rules...etc I don't know. I just want to have more autonomous point of use control. Plus finer aggregated control. Robokiller seems to offer these controls but doesn't work in Canada or on Telus. It's pretty cheap at approx $40 for 2 year plan. Hope they get it working, or someone gets a Canada based service working, haven't tried any others. 

[Anon125]

we only have a landline.

thanks everyone

[kamak]

I remember that Telus had or still has a landline service like Caller Control. Maybe Caller Control does work on landlines?

[Nighthawk · Accepted solution]

As I posted earlier, Call Control absolutely is available for landlines and works the same as the mobility version. Info here: https://www.telus.com/en/ab/support/article/call-control-explained

[Anon125]

so if the emergency folks call from a machine that there is an earthquake coming-

etc etc etc

we will not receive that call

[Nighthawk]

The Emergency Alert System on cell phones would be the way that any warnings would be sent through. It's extremely fast and just pops up the message on your cell while playing an annoying siren. Since it isn't a call, it can't be blocked.

If there is an emergency like an earthquake, the emergency services will not be calling landlines. They never have to my knowledge. They'd have far more important things to focus on if there was a big earthquake coming. There is no system out there that would be able to dial that many landlines at the same time, let alone waiting for all the ringing and then the voicemail, or a busy signal,  or a fax, etc. Far too inefficient and extremely time consuming.

[Anon125]

we get emergency calls- fortunately test only

[xray]

You must live in a community that subscribes to a paid 3rd party service like https://peasi.com/municipality-community-notices/

The  National Public Alerting System is strictly wireless and broadcast. No landline alerts.

[Anon125]

thanks everyone