gardenmom5 Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 now- I'm getting tons of texts and phone calls (from *real* people!) for someone named "joseph", for class action lawsuits. (I've told real people to stop calling me. One law firm - that I had multiple messages from - did seem to feel bad when the clerk found out what happened.) I don't know if it was one digit off by mistake, or fraud . . . I'm wondering - so, please opine . . . if the texts that say "text stop to stop" - should they just be blocked, or is it safe to reply? those have no name, but are about "injuries". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSera Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 2 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said: I'm wondering - so, please opine . . . if the texts that say "text stop to stop" - should they just be blocked, or is it safe to reply? I block instead on those (if they are unsolicited) because they may be looking for hits of real text numbers, and which replying to their text does. Sorry you’re dealing with this. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I would block them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Block. I have someone who I have decided has dyslexia who keeps giving out my phone number. She uses it on her job applications, for doctors, and even to try and buy a house. I figured out she is switching two numbers around. To the point I have told anyone who calls to please take her phone and show her the actual number. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 41 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said: I'm wondering - so, please opine . . . if the texts that say "text stop to stop" - should they just be blocked, or is it safe to reply? those have no name, but are about "injuries". The only ones that I reply to are places like Safeway pharmacy where they have a text to stop for reminders. The rest I block since it is dubious origins. I think it is a mix of honest mistakes for legit stuff and purposely giving wrong numbers to sales staff. I know two of my Safeway pharmacists have a really hard time hearing birthdates correctly even when we aren’t wearing masks (but there is plexiglass screen), worse when we wear masks. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I would use my judgement. If it's fishing texts/calls about "injuries" I just block. If it is messages and calls about legitimate stuff I would respond with they have the wrong number. If they pester me about it then I ignore/block. Some people give out "fake" numbers for things and some people just make mistakes. (BTW the people who have given out my number as their fake number. I totally get it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 (edited) When I got this number 18 years ago, it was one digit off from someone else's number, someone who was late picking up her child from daycare, and late returning a movie to Blockbuster. I actually looked up her name in the phone book (goodness--"Blockbuster" and "phone book" in the same comment!) to see if it was there and what the problem might be. I never corrected anyone who called for her, because liability, but at least I knew what was up. Eventually, either she moved or something, because I haven't been called in a long time by someone looking for her. Edited August 23, 2022 by Ellie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Ugh... been dealing with that for 10-12 years. Someone started giving our number out to everyone. Including Lowe's, who wanted to know which name/address we were as there were two for my phone number. I don't get as many calls/texts that I used to. I block each one but it's always new numbers... Makes me crazy but it'd be more of a pain to change my phone number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 22, 2022 Author Share Posted August 22, 2022 6 minutes ago, Ellie said: When I got this number 18 years ago, it was one digit off from someone else's number, someone who was late picking up her child from daycare, and late returning a movie to Blockbuster. I actually looked up her name in the phone book (goodness--"Blockbuster" and "phone book" in the same comment!) to see what was up. I never corrected anyone who called for her, because liability, but at least I knew what was up. Eventually, either she moved or something, because I haven't been called in a long time by someone looking for her. I've had this number for at least 25 years. . . . I'd be sympathetic if it was a new number, but it's not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 For several years, I kept getting voicemails - I didn't answer the phone for them! - for people calling "Mom". I think she gave my number to everybody in her family! I changed my outgoing voicemail message to include my name, that didn't help. Finally I gave in and told them to get the real number off their mother and omg, the response I got was *so snippy*, guys. Because it was my fault, I guess, that they never once noticed they were calling their mother at the wrong number for over three years, and I should have found a politer way to tell them. Frankly, I think I was more than polite. I didn't ask them why they weren't close enough to their mother to have her real number, nor why they weren't smart enough to wonder why she never returned their phone calls.... Anyway, anecdote over, it's probably easiest and safest to just block block block these people. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Block. There's a doctor in Massachusetts who keeps giving out my email address. I wish I knew the right one for her, because I would forward things. But no, I am the one having to unsubscribe multiple times to alumni association newsletters, a real estate agent.... Nancy, wherever you are, please learn your own email address. 2 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 I've received calls for a cardiac patient! with test results from a hospital a couple of times and from an attorney handling a case. Each time, though, they left a message with the name of the person they were trying to reach, so I felt they were legit. I called them back, explained they had the wrong number, and asked that they remove my number from their clients accounts. I never had a problem again. When we bought this house, we started getting calls and receiving mail for Enid (our last name). I have no idea who Enid is or how she's connected to our house. We're the first owners, so she isn't a previous owner. We assume anything with Enid's name on it is spam and ignore it. (I do wonder, though, who she is. She's now listed in databases as being a member of our family. Maybe she's the (invisible) black sheep of the family. 🤷) 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 19 hours ago, gardenmom5 said: now- I'm getting tons of texts and phone calls (from *real* people!) for someone named "joseph", for class action lawsuits. (I've told real people to stop calling me. One law firm - that I had multiple messages from - did seem to feel bad when the clerk found out what happened.) I don't know if it was one digit off by mistake, or fraud . . . I'm wondering - so, please opine . . . if the texts that say "text stop to stop" - should they just be blocked, or is it safe to reply? those have no name, but are about "injuries". We moved here in summer of 2011 and started receiving calls from what I thought was the previous user of this local # I got from Comcast. I thought it would stop after a few years---No. This man is a local fraudster ---I found out that many years after we moved here, he was still listing our phone number with the local hospital. I told them to put a warning that he is doing that. I hate this man. He should be in prison for the amount of people he has scammed. Since we moved to Google FIber and they manage our phone, we get a whole lot less of these phone calls since we have to press 1 to accept any call, and I don't accept the collection agencies, law firms, etc,. etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 My SIL has had her phone number since 2006. For the last 5 years she has received random texts for a woman named Laura. They aren’t spam texts……they are various people and agencies that have been given a phone number by Laura. My SIL usually just answers back that they have been given a wrong number. Last week my SIL received a text from a real estate agent who wanted to know if Laura wanted to sell her home…..and she listed the address. My SIL was able to connect the dots and find Laura’s real phone number. She texted her and asked her to STOP using SIL’s phone number as a personal junk email address. SIL was pretty excited to figure out who she is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 You can reply, but don't bother. I'm all about politeness, but these people text hundreds of people a day and they don't care if you respond or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasProud Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 spam reported Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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