How to get Google to stop calling

John White · Apr 10, 2014

Does any one have any Idea how to get Google to stop to stop calling? I get up to 10 call a day from what they say is "updating my Google account. I know Google has nothing to do with this. I have asked to be removed but never helps. Some times I play along and say "wait till I go get the boss" and make them wait. I have entered my name on a do not call list. This a frustrating thing that many business have to deal with. I cant even hardly get any work done from running to the phone. I know we will never get them to stop till a law is past. Does any one happen to know the private phone number of a top govt. official or maybe his wife or girlfriend and the next time they call I am going to say please call my boss at ___ ____ ___ and maybe if they start get getting 10 or 15 calls a day they will take action. Has any one ever taken action against span callers and won?

zzvyb6 · Apr 10, 2014

Without a correct caller ID, you won't be able to identify them. However, you can play along and give them all false information. Then have them contact you at the phone number of the local State Police post.

The phone company usually has a form to fill out to identify the true caller. Get their number and put it on your own Do Not Call list. AT&T has a site to post up to 20 numbers that you don't want to ring in. Requires AT&T though.

If you know how to program a computer, you can have a modem program dial a number over and over until the moon turns blue. Put a "DO LOOP" around it for say 4096 times and turn it loose. This will tie up a phone line so have it work the midnight shift.

I suppose you could also get the GPS location of the caller and send a drone equipped with a Hellfire to the callback number. That's just wishful thinkin' though...

MacLawn · Apr 10, 2014

Probably not google, but in still DO NOT use anything related to google if I can. I don't search with it, NO gmail mess, will not make YouTube account, although I watch tutorials there occasionally.

All I know about the calls is - they are knuckahaids! I don't answer my home phone at all, and only cell if I recognize the number from my address book.

LJH · Apr 10, 2014

I haven't heard from 'Google' but get periodic swarms of nuisance calls like that and let them all go the answering machine. If I'm in a particularly cranky mood I'll pick up, tell them to hold for a minute and go back to what I was doing until I hear the beeping when they hang up (my customers know to leave the VM). I understand how that wouldn't work for a regular business though.

Don't own a @#$% cell phone so no worries there.

newbury · Apr 10, 2014

Your in a computer, it will take a LOT of effort to get out.

Somehow, somewhere my "mispelled name" got listed as a Dentist. Every end of semester I get calls about hiring fresh new staff, usually female. SWMBO frowns on it. However occasionally I have gotten "sample packs" of REALLY good toothbrushes.
When it first happened I spent about an hour on the phone trying to get it stopped. But I gave up.
Now I'm starting to tell them I retired, which I did but not as a Dentist.

dusty3030 · Apr 10, 2014

zzvyb6 said:
I suppose you could also get the GPS location of the caller and send a drone equipped with a Hellfire to the callback number. That's just wishful thinkin' though...

If there were ever a truer definition for "in a perfect world" written, I have never read it. You and I sir are brothers from another mother.

sixdogs · Apr 10, 2014

The only way that has ever worked for us is to simply hang up. As soon as we sense the call is a crank we just hang up. If no one answers promptly, which would indicate a bogus call, we just hang up. I'm not sure if it's the right way to discourage them but we sure have had a noticeable reduction in these calls. I'll add that we are on the do not call list. I would never talk to one of them. Never.

oosik · Apr 10, 2014

Huh. I have my phone number on the federal "do not call" list and have never been bothered by spam or crank calls. I don't have a land line - only a cell phone. I only turn the cell phone on when I want to make a call. All incoming calls go to my message box and when I turn the phone on I screen thru them and see if there are any I want to call back. Fantastic system for me.

not2old · Apr 10, 2014

When I get calls that won't quit, I get a person on the line and tell them I'm only allowed to talk to them if they have a retainer on deposit and ask for an address where I can send a bill. That's always worked for me. Once I was spammed with faxes that wouldn't quit. I wrote up a request to the advertiser, to take my number off their calling list and sent it by fax. When sending it, I taped it into a loop so that it ran continual for hours during the night. A couple of days later, the faxes quit.

KTurner · Apr 10, 2014

Google the phone number that is being called. Yes, your number. Maybe it was mistakenly put on the web somewhere (someone made a typo) and that's why you're getting all these . Something along these lines.

dave1949 · Apr 10, 2014

We get nuisance calls quite often lately. Years ago we had a box that went between the line and the phone that required the caller to enter a PIN# or leave a message. They don't usually leave messages and their computer is confused anyways by the enter PIN# instructions. Of course the drawback is all of your welcome callers now have to look-up or remember the PIN#. It works well but has that drawback.

There are similar boxes that can programmed with a list of allowed calling numbers, the rest get tossed.

I used to just ignore calls that I didn't recognize the calling number, but lately Sharon gets calls from all over related to her dog hobby activities. That woman is high maintenance. :laughing:

TnAndy · Apr 10, 2014

Check with your phone company. Ours has a *60 service that you can add up to 12 specific numbers you want to block ( if the number shows on your caller ID ).

We can also block ALL anonymous calls using *77. They get a message "this phone does not accept anonymous or blocked calls".

texasjohn · Apr 10, 2014

Scams abound, I am always extremely suspicious of anyone calling out of the blue and wanting something from me.

Got one the other day (Indian accent) saying they were from Microsoft customer support and my computer had been calling them with problems and they wanted to help me.....I hung up....they called back and demanded to know why I hung up...I explained that they were bogus and that MS would NEVER initiate such a call.

Really?? I'm supposed to believe that Mother MS is calling and for free will spend time over the phone with someone with unknown computer skills?? Not in my lifetime!

I also have a friend who got the same call...was gullible and followed along...they required a software download and then to run the downloaded software.... net is she decided to purchase a new computer to get away from the problems resulting...

tallyho8 · Apr 10, 2014

I get an average of 3 robot phone calls a day from different scammers. I have been on the do not call list for years. It is illegal to make pre-recorded calls so it is usually only scammers making them. Pushing the number they tell you to remove you from the list does not work, they keep calling. Waiting till the recorded message ends and then talking to a real person and asking them to quit calling does not work, they just hang up.

These recorded phone calls are dangerous also because they don't hang up until they finish and if you had to call 911 or had another emergency you could not use your phone until they are finished.

For the last couple of months I have been reporting all these unwanted calls to the FCC at 1-888-382-1222 but have seen no decrease in the number of calls yet. You do not need to know what number they called from to report them.

I like to keep my home phone and have it listed in the phone book so people can find me but I imagine that some day I will just have to get rid of my land line to end this aggravation unless the FCC finally does something.

tallyho8 · Apr 10, 2014

Also, the places making these calls have hundreds of phone lines so if you block one number, they just call you from a different number next time.

TomSeller · Apr 10, 2014

John White said:
? I get up to 10 call a day from what they say is "updating my Google account.?

At 10 a day forward your phone to one of the google offices on the attached link for a few days.

http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/locations/

Either that or to another telemarketing company.

sixdogs · Apr 10, 2014

As mentioned, we just hang up, especially if no one answers after the first "hello" from us. Many of these computer calls require a second 'hello" to connect to someone so we just hang up if no one answers after that first hello. It does seem to be working and we get very few calls.

Hanging up must be very permanent as a response because they know if they call back we will keep hanging up before they can say anything. As tallyho mentioned, we're just going to drop our land line if things get worse so you would think the phone companies have a vested interest in stopping these calls.

TnAndy · Apr 11, 2014

Yeah, got the "I'm from Microsoft" guy too.

"Are you sitting in front of your computer ?"

"Buddy, I don't even OWN a computer"

"Oh, well very sorry to bother you then"....and hangs up.

John White · Apr 11, 2014

They are always different numbers. As some stated, being on the do not call list doesn't work, they keep calling, reporting them to the telephone co. doesn't work. I run a small business and I am the one has to run to the phone taking my time. Really agveritating especially is I am welding or up on a ladder or painting. I run a service type business and if I don't get to the phone and answer it right away, most customers will not leave a message for me to call back. With the cell phones now if a area code pops up different than ours it still can be a real customer in my area. I have often wondered what would happen when they call me to say "sure" sign me up and then give them a bogus credit card #. That's what they are after is your credit card #. You will probably never get their product. Every day my wife tries to lay down and take a little nap after lunch at home and it never fails some one will call and say "we have your free life alert pendant" Can we have your credit card to cover postage. As far as I am concerned this is no different that theft. I have so many minutes in a day and if some one calls me, with bogus calls, they are stealing from me. For awhile I was having investors calling me wanting me to invest money with them. I would say sure mail me some information about your co. and investment. They would and I would throw it in the trash. (I am sure it cost them a couple of bucks to have it printed and Fed Exed to me) then they would call back in a few days and I would say I never got it and they would mail it again. Then I would say "the dog ate it". send it again. Finally they got the message and I don't get very many calls on that any more.