Call Protect blacklist now full...

[Andrew221]

Yea, i was deleting numbers to make room for more numbers to block.  Got fed up with it now and brought a new phone which blocks all unwanted calls 100%.  Don't get any now, peace on earth 

[RobFletcher]

The scammers now change their numbers all the time in order to make the blacklists pretty much useless. As you say, it's hard to know which ones to delete as numbers do come back again from months ago!

People are now moving to the call blocking phones which do cost of course and need to be set up and monitored. 

In my case where I look after my mum's phone from 250 miles away, I opted to use the Do Not Disturb and VIP List part of the Call Protect system. It does cost £3.50 per month, but works very well - worth the peace of mind I think.

For this I have set her phone to send ALL calls to voicemail every day, 24 hours, (ie 24/7!) and only allow numbers in her VIP List to actually ring the phone. This list is friends, family, doctors, services. I can monitor and add to this list myself. The only thing I can't do is hear the calls on voicemail, but I do check the numbers most days using Google, and it's clear that all the calls so far have been scammers.

So far it has stopped 757 calls to her phone ... big success ... as you can see!

Rob.

[elvisnugent]

Yes I know sending the to blacklist is useless as they change their numbers. Shame BT can't control this, but most are international so they can't. I must admit I have fewer of these calls now which is good

[RobFletcher]

I have been monitoring and logging my mum's scammer activity ... over the last 35 weeks, this is how her daily calls stack up.

Maybe this will be of interest to someone!

Rob

[JR011147]

I think it's time BT increased the limit

[Andrew221]

Hi used to have to delete random numbers to enable me to block the latest ones.  Got fed up so brought a new phone, with 100% call blocker, it fantastic, no unwanted call now at all , heaven

[Carefree]

@Andrew221 Which phone did you get?

[Andrew221]

BT4600 Premium Nuisance Call Blocker 

[pompey1898]

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@Andrew221wrote:

BT4600 Premium Nuisance Call Blocker 

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Hi @Andrew221 ,

If one really wants to stop all nuisance calls then that is the answer, well done you.

[PeterNS]

A bit fishy: BT, after charging us serious fees, offers the 'free' Call Protect service but limits it to 100 blacklists, which, as this conversation shows, is completely inadequate, and further it appears BT don't care when this is raised. And lo and behold someone suggests (and an 'Expert' immediately jumps in and endorses this) the purchase of a new BT phone with a similar system on it -- BUT NOTE this is limited to just a 1000, which will probably soon be reached, given the experiences noted in this conversation -- what a coincidence! I'm minded to raise it in Which? Conversation if someone has not already done so.

I believe that BT could do a lot more with our blacklist data. With users' permissions they could crowdsource the dodgy numbers in real time. When I check out new dodgy numbers on who-called-me type websites there is often a list of folk already complaining a few minutes before me. If BT detected that say up to 3 users had blacklisted the same number in the same hour they could divert it to a deaf voicemailbox straightaway and really snooker the scammers at least for that day. I'd happily give my permission for this.

The really black thought is that, whilst BT and other telecoms giants might appear, onion in handkerchief, to be concerned about this problem for their customers, really they benefit as a whole, as these calls must constitute a significant percentage of traffic, from which they must gain revenue between them. Perhaps if it becomes a legal obligation on telecoms companies to do everything they can to prevent these calls, things might change. TPS is a farce; BT Call Protect is a farce. This needs to change.