Strange Phone call --how could it happen?

[VMI77]

This is a question for those members who know how the phone system works....my understanding isn't enough to explain what happened over the weekend. We have a land line and a base station with wireless handsets at home. We hear the phone ring. Handsets are in their cradles. The caller ID says the call is coming from us and shows our phone number as the calling number. My wife picks up the phone and finds there is no one there...call ends.

So, my question is, how can the phone spontaneously call itself like that? Is it likely a product of something happening on the phone system, or is it more likely to be something happening with the phone/base-station setup?

[brhalltx]

Most likely, it's someone spoofing the caller ID to make it look like it's from you.

Or, the stalker is in the house... (It's coming from inside the house!)

[DocV]

Do you have voicemail service with Voicemail screening enabled?

[BigBangSmallBucks]

Most likely, it's someone spoofing the caller ID to make it look like it's from you.

This is a tactic that many bill collectors, telemarketers and scammers use. It's just like when you get a spam email from an email address almost identical to yours.

[Keith B]

It is a very common occurrence these days to see your own information come up on the Caller ID (CID). Telemarketers are using Voice Over IP systems that 'spoof' the CID info to say whatever they want. These in particular are using the automated call list in the system to originate the call and then use your name and number as the CID. When the end user answers the phone the system routes the call to an open telemarketing agent. That is the 'pause' you hear many times when you answer the phone before the telemarketer comes on the line and why there is 'no one there' when you answer. If you hold long enough a telemarketer will come on the line.

Bottom line, if you are not in the habit of talking to yourself, then don't answer the phone when it says it's you that's calling.

[RottenApple]

This is a question for those members who know how the phone system works....my understanding isn't enough to explain what happened over the weekend. We have a land line and a base station with wireless handsets at home. We hear the phone ring. Handsets are in their cradles. The caller ID says the call is coming from us and shows our phone number as the calling number. My wife picks up the phone and finds there is no one there...call ends.

So, my question is, how can the phone spontaneously call itself like that? Is it likely a product of something happening on the phone system, or is it more likely to be something happening with the phone/base-station setup?

Are you using a VoIP service like U-Verse Voice, Vonage, etc? If so, then it may be something in the backend system. We (U-Verse) had just such an issue a couple weeks ago where some (thankfully very few) we getting exactly what you described. But that's been long resolved.

ETA: And if you do have U-Verse voice, please call support and let them know.

[Abraham]

We let our answering machine do it's job, that is, I nor my wife, ever answer the phone directly.

Relations and friends know our phone policy, therefore they'll shout out words to the effect of: Pick up the phone, it's your daughter, friend, etc. calling.

If we don't hear these words, we ignore our phone calls.

Easy.

[Keith B]

We let our answering machine do it's job, that is, I nor my wife, ever answer the phone directly.

Relations and friends know our phone policy, therefore they'll shout out words to the effect of: Pick up the phone, it's your daughter, friend, etc. calling.

If we don't hear these words, we ignore our phone calls.

Easy.

That only works if you have an answering machine in your home. For those with CO based voice mail it they can't screen calls by listening to the caller.

[VMI77]

Thanks for all the replies.....it's just old normal AT&T. We screen all calls and only pick up for numbers we recognize. My wife only picked up this time because she thought it was me messing with her. A telemarketing scammer makes sense as we get such calls every day and we never pick up. Anyone calling we don't recognize, but has a legitimate reason to call, leaves a message if they really want to talk to us.

I guess I don't really understand the logic behind starting off a sales call with a lie and a trick. I don't quite see how that is going to make anyone more receptive.

[The Annoyed Man]

Thanks for all the replies.....it's just old normal AT&T. We screen all calls and only pick up for numbers we recognize. My wife only picked up this time because she thought it was me messing with her. A telemarketing scammer makes sense as we get such calls every day and we never pick up. Anyone calling we don't recognize, but has a legitimate reason to call, leaves a message if they really want to talk to us.

I guess I don't really understand the logic behind starting off a sales call with a lie and a trick. I don't quite see how that is going to make anyone more receptive.

These people are intrusive, and they know it. They've also learned every avoidance trick in the book. So asking, "how can they stoop to this" is like asking, "how can a spammer stoop to using MY email address to send spam either to me or to anyone else?" These are unprincipled people.....maybe not the individual employees, but the people who run companies that do this stuff CERTAINLY are unprincpled, and their businesses deserve to be treated as unprincipled.

They are, like cockroaches and flies, a fact of life. They are neither going to go away, nor suddenly become honest, less intrusive, or more respectful. So we have to deal with them the same way we deal with cockroaches and flies.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Most likely, it's someone spoofing the caller ID to make it look like it's from you.

Or, the stalker is in the house... (It's coming from inside the house!)

Have you checked the children?

[VMI77]

Most likely, it's someone spoofing the caller ID to make it look like it's from you.

Or, the stalker is in the house... (It's coming from inside the house!)

Have you checked the children?

Don't have to, our "children" will already be barking in that situation, all four of them.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Most likely, it's someone spoofing the caller ID to make it look like it's from you.

Or, the stalker is in the house... (It's coming from inside the house!)

Have you checked the children?

Don't have to, our "children" will already be barking in that situation, all four of them.

From a classic horror movie.

[TomsTXCHL]

I guess I don't really understand the logic behind starting off a sales call with a lie and a trick. I don't quite see how that is going to make anyone more receptive.

I'm not buying that it owes to a telemarketer. This has happened to us a couple of times too (Verizon land line) and I was as baffled by it as you.

I am inclined to believe it may be something like a check on the lines by the providers' service people or perhaps (in my case) a Vz computer.

[Keith B]

I guess I don't really understand the logic behind starting off a sales call with a lie and a trick. I don't quite see how that is going to make anyone more receptive.

I'm not buying that it owes to a telemarketer. This has happened to us a couple of times too (Verizon land line) and I was as baffled by it as you.

I am inclined to believe it may be something like a check on the lines by the providers' service people or perhaps (in my case) a Vz computer.

Not a line check. You do not get multiple rings on those, usually just a 'ping' at most and normally nothing. And if you answer it there would be dialtone immediately, not dead line. This based on 36 years in the Telecommunications industry and internal investigations on this issue.

It is happening across the country, on cell phones and landlines. It is definitely telemarketers. See http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/c ... -caller-id" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.today.com/money/id-scam-uses ... 1D79933382" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;