Has anyone experienced something similar? What other options do I have, besides changing my phone number? I have it for 10 years, I do not just want to give it away, but on the other hand, I also don't want to get random calls throughout the day, it is really annoying.
I have my current phone number with Swisscom since about 10 years. During that time, I have been getting the usual random calls from the 'Swiss Institute of Statistics' and similar other agencies, which is basically about changing your health insurance plan. This was ok, but this has lately spiralled out of control, to the extend that some of these agencies, when they make phone calls to other people, they somehow manage to make my number appear on their screen. As a result, I am getting about 10-20 calls per day from random people, saying that I called them, which obviously didn't happen. I called Swisscom and they said that is spoofing and that they cannot do anything about it, just wait and it will go away. However, this has been going on for about half a year and it is definitely not going away.
Block unknown numbers.
Ok, I guess this is indeed a solution. But is this proposal actually solving the problem after some time or does it simply hide the problem?
You can't really solve the problem, just mitigate it.
Spoofing a number is trivial... and illegal without authorization of the owner.
You can report it to the police, who will politely file a report and then do nothing about it (there's not much they can do as most of these operate from outside CH).
Easiest is to change number
Just get under the skin of people calling you. It's not that hard...or I have a fetish for being told horrible things in languages I don't even recognize.
There are calls from the Swiss Statistics Office to inquire about red/white wine, people offering to recover my lost bitcoins, or upfront selling health insurance.
I love to answer in French or Spanish. It really kills a bit of their soul since they make their best effort to learn German and defraud retirees, only to listen to an a*****e talking in Spanish. Or tell in German that "me" is busy with the children and let the caller wait until they end the call, tell I'm busy and ask for a return call 2 hours later and never pick up the phone....once I just laughed like a mad man until they ended the call.
Use your imagination, be creative and make sure your phone number is blacklisted by spam callers.
PS. I know "cultural differences", but who the f*** is these random people calling back a number they don't recognize? Is people that lonely?
Thankfully my experience is not as bad....
I get one call from an 078 number at exactly one minute to 12 each day. Always a different 078 number, which I block each day. This goes on for exactly 4 days and then stops for exactly three weeks.... so I'm guessing it is some kind of automated scam or other.
Well, I have done some of those, but this is just to make you feel better, it doesn't solve the problem. Unfortunately, it seems that the only real solution is to change the number....
And yes, Swisscom told me that the majority of the call centres are outside Switzerland, so nothing can be done about it.
And a shame it is still possible in 2023. hell, this ain’t 1993. If a provider forwards spoofed numbers, they should be cut from the phone network. A spoofed phone number should be treated similar to a misuse of the frequency on the airwaves. Hopefully sooner than later the ITU has a solution for this nuisance.
You can report it to SECO and OFCOM, but do not expect much in short term. The issue is known,
Get rid of your landline.
And it’s bullsh*t that Swisscom can’t do anything. They are the ones selling the bandwidth to the Spammers. They could stop doing that but their executive bonuses would suffer.
Part of the issue is that spoofing numbers has valid use cases.
Two of the ones I see most often:
* You use Skype Out or similar - and want the receiver to know your real number to call back. This is the easiest way to spoof a number really, but now Microsoft do some checks (e.g. send a text to the number to validate that it's "yours". So you may need to borrow your friends phone for a minute before spoofing it)
* You are a company, with multiple employees and phone lines. You want all calls to come from one number, so that people can call back and be routed appropriately
I find it best to change number often. Why are people sticking to their numbers? It's healthy to groom your connections, cut the bridges with people you don't talk everyday anymore
I called Swisscom once to ask about this ridiculous spoofing that's going on. They said it's impossible for them to block it, something about the way GSM works? Can't remember the details exactly.
Here's a weird one, I get the usual random 078 calls at weird patterns, where the call is just quiet, then disconnects. But once, someone, or a robot, said my full name, then disconnected. I really wonder what the purpose of these calls is - are they harvesting numbers, voices, waiting for me to confirm my name? What are they gaining by making these strange spoofed calls where nothing is said?
My latest Microsoft, Indian scam call came from a spoofed 078 number. The caller insisted on speaking German, even though I'm not in German speaking Switzerland. Quite fun to listen to German spoken with an Indian accent.
They could just be calling random numbers and if you pick up, they know it is a legit number and they add it to their list. In some cases, when I pick up, they tell me my name and ask me to confirm. I guess I was dumb enough in the beginning to believe that they are indeed an official service for insurance purposes and gave them my name, and then all hell broke loose...
I always tell them I don't have insurance and it's working out fine for me. They tell me it's ilegal I tell them I do much worse things... and to much worse people if they rat me out. I do my Dr. Evil Austin Powers sinister laugh, they laugh, it's fun
Seriously I found installing the local.ch app and in the app settings blocking telemarketers has helped
Yeah, and it's also super fun to update all the websites where you have 2FA via sms message
Das ist die verdammte Schweiz. Wir sprechen hier Französisch!
Different situation here.
These aren't scam calls calling the person, but someone scam calling other people, but spoofing the phone number.
If you annoy the wrong call center in India, they'll start spoofing your phone number... then what happens is you get hundreds/thousands of annoyed people in Switzerland, who think YOU called them and tried selling them insurance...
Aaah now i get it. Most Swiss people answer the phone by saying their last name. What a dirty business of contact harvesting.