Best Spam/Telemarketer blocker for grandmother's landline?

[robinb]

My 90+ year old MIL has been receiving a TON of spam and telemarketer calls. (Haven't we all?) She's still mentally astute so she doesn't get roped into their schemes. But, I am worried that she'll slip and lose a bunch of money. Plus, she's being woken up and disturbed when they call in the morning.

Can anyone recommend an easy to use tool for diverting the spam while still allowing calls from family, friends and doctors/etc?

Edited: My MIL's biggest complaint is that she's always been a night owl and she is being woken up before noon. So, just ignoring the phone calls doesn't solve the problem of them calling at 8:00 am and waking her up.

 

[sam_gordon]

Answering machine? Tell her not to answer the calls, just listen to the messages. She can call back who she wants.

I'd also suggest caller ID, which could be included in the TV/phone service or a 3rd party system... https://www.maxiaids.com/product/bi...7KYR21Nb8q_cTfN9xh26LLsnWdPKDVS4aAkEyEALw_wcB

 

[Travel60]

Following.

It's a shame the phone companies don't step up to stop telemarketers. It wouldn't be hard to stop spoofing and to identify any line that makes over a certain number of calls a day.

 

[NYCgrrl]

@sam_gordon method is what I use but I must answer some calls for medical info (new doctors offices, telenurses, blah blah) that are not listed in my contacts. Every once in a while a spammer gets thru and since I’ve nothing better to do either I hang up or toy with them. I really need a life.

To date I’ve found no app worth the time of downloading and wish Congress would pay more attention to this problem that must effect them as well.

 

[maxaroni]

I had this issue with my dad. He moved to Florida, by himself, when he was in his early 80s. To the day he passed away at 87 this year, he was getting a bazillion calls each day, upwards of 40+. He had an answering machine as well as caller ID. He was mentally fit until the day he died and knew about the scams but I was always worried. The last couple of years of his life, he couldn’t handle all of the calls and got tired of going through the answering machine to delete and see if there was a “real” message. He got tired of looking at the caller ID as there were just so many. He had AT & T and was told he should change his phone #. He knew that’s what he should do but would NOT do it as he had the last 4 digits of his phone # the same since he was a kid. Each move, he was able to get those 4 numbers with the new exchange.

From what I gathered it is much easier on VOIP systems and of course, cell phones. AT & T didn’t offer him any suggestions and I called as well. Dad had a traditional land line. He did not have a computer so no WiFi and he didn’t want me to go through getting all of that for a phone.

 

[Skippy918]

Landline or cell phone? For landline, AT&T makes a cordless phone that has a built in feature, where the person calling you has to say their name and it will announce who is calling. Robocalls don’t get through on this. We’ve seen a huge reduction in spam calls since getting these phones.

 

[mjkacmom]

We were at my IL’s 2 weeks ago, pretty much saying goodbye to my 96 year old FIL, so many calls (he passed Wednesday, now 93 year old MIL is there alone), I get them myself daily but I have caller ID and an answering machine ((the Red Cross and ny blood center are daily for years, they have a ton of different numbers so impossible to block). As soon as MIL I’m ditching the landline, only have it for them to call.

 

[maxaroni]

We were at my IL’s 2 weeks ago, pretty much saying goodbye to my 96 year old FIL, so many calls (he passed Wednesday, now 93 year old MIL is there alone), I get them myself daily but I have caller ID and an answering machine ((the Red Cross and ny blood center are daily for years, they have a ton of different numbers so impossible to block). As soon as MIL I’m ditching the landline, only have it for them to call.

We moved out of NJ 2 years ago and did get a landline (Xfinity) as my dad would sometimes call on the landline as he preferred to talk on the landline as he heard it better. He passed away in January and we ditched the landline.

 

[robinb]

Landline or cell phone? For landline, AT&T makes a cordless phone that has a built in feature, where the person calling you has to say their name and it will announce who is calling. Robocalls don’t get through on this. We’ve seen a huge reduction in spam calls since getting these phones.

She has a landline. Is that a feature of the phone or the AT&T service? She lives in Assisted Living and her phone is through a local company. Do you know the model of the phone?

 

[_19disnA]

Not answering the phone is probably the best solution and let the answering machine take a message. If the call is legit from doctor's office or actual business/friends/relatives, they will leave a phone #/message you can call back later. The phone companies don't seem to care or would rather sell you some additional paid option to block those calls. Too many spammers also 'spoof' the number they are calling from, no idea why the phone company can't prevent that. Spammers rarely leave a message since they know no one is going to call them back.

One of our relatives used to have that feature where you had to speak your name before your call could go through. I don't think it has anything to do with the type of phone you have, but is something you activated through the phone company. Calls made from some automated system wouldn't get through but the spammers could still say a name (even if bogus) and get through.

 

[HopperFan]

Landline or cell phone? For landline, AT&T makes a cordless phone that has a built in feature, where the person calling you has to say their name and it will announce who is calling. Robocalls don’t get through on this. We’ve seen a huge reduction in spam calls since getting these phones.

Folks had this. Worked great and saved them steps to get to phone.

 

[robinb]

Not answering the phone is probably the best solution and let the answering machine take a message. If the call is legit from doctor's office or actual business/friends/relatives, they will leave a phone #/message you can call back later. The phone companies don't seem to care or would rather sell you some additional paid option to block those calls. Too many spammers also 'spoof' the number they are calling from, no idea why the phone company can't prevent that. Spammers rarely leave a message since they know no one is going to call them back.

One of our relatives used to have that feature where you had to speak your name before your call could go through. I don't think it has anything to do with the type of phone you have, but is something you activated through the phone company. Calls made from some automated system wouldn't get through but the spammers could still say a name (even if bogus) and get through.

My MIL's biggest complaint is that she's always been a night owl and she is being woken up before noon. So, just ignoring the phone calls doesn't solve the problem of them calling at 8:00 am and waking her up.

 

[_19disnA]

She could just unplug the phone or turn off the ringer when she goes to bed.

 

[fla4fun]

We were at my IL’s 2 weeks ago, pretty much saying goodbye to my 96 year old FIL, so many calls (he passed Wednesday, now 93 year old MIL is there alone), I get them myself daily but I have caller ID and an answering machine ((the Red Cross and ny blood center are daily for years, they have a ton of different numbers so impossible to block). As soon as MIL I’m ditching the landline, only have it for them to call.

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[barkley]

i have a landline and a cell. the message on my landline voice messaging system instructs callers that if it is an emergency to call my cell (but it does not give my cell number). the only people to have my cell are-close relatives, close neighbors, doctors. all of these individuals/medical groups are listed as contacts in my cell phone so that if they call their name immediatly pops up (i also put them under a specific ringtone so that any other incoming calls can be ignored and go to voicemail). if i choose i can turn the ringer off on my landline during the night and keep my cell phone nearby on a lower ringtone.

 

[Skippy918]

She has a landline. Is that a feature of the phone or the AT&T service? She lives in Assisted Living and her phone is through a local company. Do you know the model of the phone?

It’s this model. they might have other models with less number of handsets. https://telephones.att.com/pd/4634/...Range-Smart-Call-Blocker-and-Answering-System

 

[Skippy918]

These other models have the smart call blocker feature. https://telephones.att.com/telephones/cordless-telephones/smart-call-blocker

 

[robinb]

It’s this model. they might have other models with less number of handsets. https://telephones.att.com/pd/4634/...Range-Smart-Call-Blocker-and-Answering-System

thanks!

 

[tvguy]

i have a landline and a cell. the message on my landline voice messaging system instructs callers that if it is an emergency to call my cell (but it does not give my cell number). the only people to have my cell are-close relatives, close neighbors, doctors. all of these individuals/medical groups are listed as contacts in my cell phone so that if they call their name immediatly pops up (i also put them under a specific ringtone so that any other incoming calls can be ignored and go to voicemail). if i choose i can turn the ringer off on my landline during the night and keep my cell phone nearby on a lower ringtone.

My cell phone is my emergency phone, and only 10 people have that number. I only give out my landline number. However, especially with Doctors I have noticed many either have their ID blocked, or they are calling from someplace where the caller ID is some obscure clinic or place I would not associate with any of my Doctors. And if I let a call go to voicemail or the answering machine, even if I call right back, the Doctor is now with a patient or unreachable for hours or until the next day. So I find I HAVE to answer all calls.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So many great ideas, if she is sharp maybe she can manage turning it on and off in addition to the other suggestions?

When you don't want to be disturbed by incoming calls, you can activate the “Do Not Disturb” feature. All calls will be directed to Voice Mail and you won't hear your phone ring. To activate Do Not Disturb, dial *78. To deactivate Do Not Disturb, dial *79