So, if you are receiving calls from unknown numbers that hang up, there are a few steps you can take to severely decrease this nuisance. The first step is to register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry.
Some people, like business owners or salesmen, need to answer every call they receive, regardless of whether they recognize the number or not. If you fall into this category, knowing the common scams out there can be the difference between hanging up and being a victim.
Let’s touch on a scam that intentionally hangs up after one or two rings. The so-called “Wangiri” scam (Japanese for “one ring and drop”) is perpetuated when scammers call your phone and hang up after one or two rings.
Relying on people’s natural curiosity, these scammers are hoping you will call them back. If the scammer really wants to up the ante, they may call you several times with the same process, hoping you will eventually call the number back just to get the calls to stop.
The reason the TCPA addresses ATDS is because, instead of using lists to make robocalls, scammers can use an ATDS to continually dial sequential series of numbers in an endless loop. When a human answers the phone and speaks, the ATDS picks the voice signal up and either marks the number as an active number to call later, ...
When you do call them back, the number is frequently connected to a toll number, which begins assessing fees that are partially paid to the scammer. The goal then becomes keeping you on the phone as long as possible to increase the fees.
If you’ve been the victim of an ATDS, once your number is marked as active the ATDS will terminate the call and if there is no live human available to transfer the call to, then the ATDS will also terminate the call.
While less-than-reputable telemarketers and scammers could buy lists of active phone numbers, that costs money and can be difficult to acquire. As it turns out, it could just be easier to create your own list.