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[OmegaFax]

This is a strange occurrence and can't be a coincidence.

I get a call to my cellphone with the exact same area code + first 3 digits as my number. I don't recognize the number and didn't answer. Since I never give this number out to anyone except immediate family for communication or emergencies, it's unlikely anyone would have it. I don't have a voicemail set up for it because it's hardly used for incoming calls and if I do recognize the number, I will call back.

Sidenote: Got a call from an alumni association last year to my cell asking for my father but I never asked how they got my number. Really strange because they got the pronunciation right but the cell number has never been associated or in his name. I simply said it I didn't know who they were talking about and said good-bye.

It was the right school. I only picked up by accident because it was an area code I recognized and thought it was an emergency.

Anyway. Back to the main story.

I get another call to my Google Voice number. Different number than my cell. Same deal except it's the number I commonly use and give out. The area code and first three digits of the number are exactly the same as mine. No one left a voicemail.

I called both numbers back using a number with a blocked outgoing caller ID and just muted the microphone. A person picked up on the first number and I hung up (kind of a dick thing, I guess but I was surprised it wasn't a robocall or a disconnected number).

The second number went to someone's voicemail.

Is it common for robocallers to spoof phone numbers? I don't think either of these people called me and the phone numbers were so close to my own and minutes apart for it to be a coincidence. Has this happened to anyone?

Edit: I've had this happen a few times. Maybe every other month? I always block the numbers but decided to follow-up and see who they were today.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

That's happened to me as well, I don't answer numbers I do not recognize, they never leave a message.

 

[BrightLightLava]

You only got one?

I get probably 5 a day. It sucks, but it's easy to know they're bogus, as I don't live there anymore.

 

[skullmuffins]

Yeah it seems to be pretty common. I get those calls too. I don't answer numbers I don't recognize and the callers never leave a voicemail, so I can't be sure it's a telemarketer or scam or whatever but I assume it is. Sometimes telemarketers will even spoof your own number.

 

[dangeROSS]

I had an instance where someone was spoofing my cell phone number to make robo calls. I had no idea what was going on at first. Was just getting tons of calls from random numbers saying they were returning my phone call when I had never called any of these people in the first place.

After doing some research I figured out that what was likely happening was that my cell number had been spoofed. I called AT&T to try to figure out a solution, and they were no help at all. The only remedy they could provide was that I change my cell phone number. Which I really didn't want to do. So instead I waited it out. For about 3 weeks I was getting constant calls from strangers. Then finally it stopped and I haven't had any issues since then. It really was frustrating and the fact that there is no real way to stop it other then change your number is strange to me.

I had been communicating with someone on Craigslist for a desk right before this all happened. So I wonder if that was how my number was picked for this. But I have no idea if that is really true or not.

 

[johancruijff]

carriers can basically do whatever the fuck they want with your number\other numbers

 

[linkboy]

I've been getting them a lot as well.

I put this on my phone and it's helped a lot to block known spam calls

 

[Miyahon]

Yeah this has happened to me where they have the area code and first 3 numbers of my phone number but the last 4 vary. I never answered them except once and as soon as I answered they hung up.

 

[SephCast]

This has been happening to me a ton lately :/

 

[MacGurcules]

Yeah, it's getting pretty bad.

The one that's been hitting me lately is that they'll spoof something close to my number and just start blowing me up for like five or six minutes. Like three, four, five calls in a row sometimes.

I've picked up a couple of them after a handful of tries demanding to know who it is. I get a recording along the lines of "Hi, this is Angie with <line noise> can you hear me okay?"

 

[OxtheMidget]

This has been happening to me for a while but in a different way. I get multiple calls a day from people who claim I have been calling them, when I don't even know who they are. Looks like one of the numbers they spoofed is mine and they're robocalling people from the area around my area code with my number showing on caller ID. Looked around online and it seems that this is not uncommon lately but no one seems to be able to resolve it other than by getting a new number.

 

[dangeROSS]

This has been happening to me for a while but in a different way. I get multiple calls a day from people who claim I have been calling them, when I don't even know who they are. Looks like one of the numbers they spoofed is mine and they're robocalling people from the area around my area code with my number showing on caller ID. Looked around online and it seems that this is not uncommon lately but no one seems to be able to resolve it other than by getting a new number.

I had the same thing happen. I gave it like 3 weeks and it finally stopped. Dunno if that would be the case for everyone. Hopefully it gets better for you.