New Contributor
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2 Messages
unknown number
I just got caller id on my phones, after a 3 month break, and all of the numbers on the caller id come back as "unknown number". The names show up, but the numbers don't. We gave it a couple of weeks to ensure that it just wasn't numbers being blocked. And we asked friends and neighbors to call to be sure that it isn't blocked numbers. Any ideas/suggestions for fixing this problem?
Bruce
Honored Contributor III
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5.7K Messages
12 years ago
Are the numbers of your friends and family appearing on your caller ID? My first guess is telemarketers or war-dialers on a computers trolling for victims who would answer a call from an unknown number. If the war-dialers get a nibble (a pickup, answering machine or callback), they'll sell the list of nibbles to telemarketers.
Essential to the telemarketing or trolling process is to spoof their number. That is, to mask or fake the originating telephone number. You probably wouldn't answer a call from CREDIT SERVICES, POLICE PRO FUND or CHARITY, so they'll fake their number to something intriguing, local or official.
If you're blocking unknown or private numbers, this is their workaround by spoofing "Unknown" or "Private" as their number. Legitimate private and unlisted numbers is a service from telephone providers, and some phones are designed to block the legitimate service. However, scammers will spoof "Unknown" or "Private" into the number so you can't block a phony 10-digit number. Bottom line, if you question the credentials on your caller ID, it's probably fake.
Spoofing is legal. Think of a dispatched Cox technician calling from his personal cell phone. Instead of RUFUS MCCOOTER appearing on your caller ID, COX COMMUNICATIONS would appear instead. However, scammers are severely abusing it. I feel until the nuisance calls stop...and they never will...whitelisting with a call blocker is the only solution.
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Adava
New Contributor
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2 Messages
12 years ago
Thank you. Sorry I should have been more clear. No the numbers for our friends and family do not appear on the caller ID. But their names do.
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KipK
Valued Contributor II
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606 Messages
12 years ago
Another would be a problem with the display unit itself. Is it happening on multiple Caller ID displays or just one?
There could also be a glitch in the EMTA (phone modem) if you have one, so if the problem is showing up on multiple Caller ID displays, you can try power-cycling the EMTA.
Finally, it could be an issue with the account, or the feature configuration in our switching system. So once we've checked the above two things, we'll have to take a look deeper into provisioning.
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