Ringless Voicemails - how to block?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

In case you're not familiar, "ringless voicemails" are a fairly new, particularly sleazy tactic that are starting to be used by marketers, bill collectors, etc. They deliberately sidestep call blocking and all existing laws (like the "Do Not Call List", etc.) A voicemail just pops up without your phone ever ringing. This is doubly annoying because it takes some effort / time to delete a voicemail as opposed to simply deleting a call or adding the caller's number to your blacklist / blocked caller list.

For now I've just disabled my voicemail but short of that, does anyone know of an app or similar technology that can be used to simply block them from being sent in the first place (bonus points if you know of an app or invent one that intercepts them, makes 10,000 copies of the incoming voicemail and then returns them to the SENDER'S voicemail box without them ever getting to me).

[masraum]

Interesting. This is the first that I've heard about it.

Ringless Voicemails, "There's No Real Way That You Or I Could Block This"

On your side, you get a notification, without your phone ever ringing. For the company using ringless voicemail, it's cheaper and oftentimes eliminates a person on the other side of the phone.

They record a message one time, and it's send straight to thousands of voice mails. "Instead of doing 20 or 30 calls a minute, you can leave 100 messages that minute or more, and it never rings the person,” says technology expert, Brian Schott. He says it only works on cell phones, and it's mostly being used by debt collectors or loan agencies. "Because it doesn't use any of a person's cell minutes, it avoids all of the telemarketing laws." Meaning the government "do not call registry" doesn't apply to these voice mails.

"There's no real way that you or I could block this, there no real way as a consumer that we can protect ourselves from these,” says Schott. Most companies providing the ringless voicemails won't allow scammers to use it, because many don't want the FCC to block the technology. "Solicitation, that's not what they want this to do," says Schott.

[Dantilla]

I've received several from the same company that starts out: "Sorry I missed you, but...."

You just lied to me! If you deliberately bypass the phone ringing, you are not sorry you missed me, you did on purpose!
I won't do business with you, even if I need whatever it is you're selling.

[island911]

I believe that it's at the level of your provider.

One way in is when a person is in their VM, they have an option to leave a (no ring) message for another number.

[Brian 162]

Every couple of months I'll get one of those messages. It's a credit collector looking for someone (not me). I have them blocked but they manage to leave a recorded message.

[djantlive]

Just side swipe and delete. Not a big deal right?

[masraum]

The VM isn't going over the cell network. I believe the Cell providers are providing some folks with a way to send VM via IP.

I suppose it's fortunate that "it's mostly being used by debt collectors or loan agencies", and "most companies providing the ringless voicemails won't allow scammers to use it, because many don't want the FCC to block the technology. "Solicitation, that's not what they want this to do," says Schott."

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by djantlive

Just side swipe and delete. Not a big deal right?

Only if you have visual voicemail - I don't. It's more of a PITA than that since I have to go into the voice mail menu, enter a password, etc. I know - first-world "convenience" problem and all but it's the principle of it too.

I may just leave voice mail turned of - it's very seldom used for anything important anyway, but I occasionally get business-related messages left there and don't want to miss out on anything legit.