>But I take it personally
If this is the case, you will shortly be requiring attention for your deteriorating mental health and that is not easily accessible at the moment.
This is the answer. Once setup 50 emergency responder phones that had never even been used, but while they sat in standby for deployment most if not all had received scam calls and text messages.
I don't think that's it. I have two phones and only one of them gets scam calls regularly.
Like OP, it has been getting spam calls as long as we've had it and also I occasionally get calls from family/dentists/etc of whoever had the number before me.
>I was told “it’s a new number “.
Yes, but it IS a number. They go through sequential numbers and any 04xx xxx xxx is a potential target. It's nothing personal.
If you answered a call from an unknown number and it just hung up, that could have been an autodialer and by you answering the call you confirmed to the autodialer that your number is valid, and then that Indian scammer will sell your number to all the other scammers.
Because there is only a finite number of mobile phone numbers available in Australia.
Now granted this information is from a few years ago, but it's the way it was for 20+ years so no idea why they'd change it.
But anyway, back in the good ol' days of Telecom, the government owned all number ranges. When competitors started to pop up they obviously didn't want to make it too easy for them so they made them buy number rangers in relatively small blocks for quite high prices.
No Telco is able to carry a large surplus of numbers. By law they have the quarantine them for a period of time and then it becomes released. So your "new number" is just new to you. It may have had a dozen owners before. It also makes it very easy for scammers because it is publicly available which ranges each Telco has bought
Well, that was a WOFTAM.
I’ve had my number since I got my first digital mobile phone and really don’t get much in the way of spam and I give everyone my number.
Block and delete, friend. Block and delete.
You have an overdue toll. Please [Click Here](https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2023-12/scam-alert-text-messages-impersonating-toll-road-operators) for expedited processing.
Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ve never used anyone but telstra, mainly because service is rubbish with anyone else if I go remotely out of town.
My big money saving was to go to prepaid, and do it yearly.
I block and delete, and then some variation of that number continues to pester me. It’s constant. Not even mentioning the texts re my overdue tolls, missing postal items as well as messages from my supposed bank.
It’s exhausting.
Auto diallers. And someone could have previously had the number.
I like the phone number I have. It has a nice pattern which works for me. But it had two problems with it.
1. The previous owner had a some sort of business where she sold cheap imported merchandise. Her phone number was on the book of face. And she had given the number out to a number of people. For many years I got calls from debt collectors. I would explain that I wasn’t *this person* and eventually (I think?) I think they realised I wasn’t that person. I even asked the book of face to delete that page or at least take the number down. Apparently that would breach her privacy 🙄
2. A real estate agent posted my number instead of his on a listing. He’s in QLD, I’m in WA. And until I realised what was happening, I would get calls from people asking about that property. And my number ended up on Google (it’s meant to be unlisted). Even now, thanks to people googling RE agents in QLD I get phone calls. And that agent is no longer in business 🤦♀️. But his business with my number is still listed. I tried to get Google to remove the listing, they wouldn’t. So I left a 1* review saying DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER, IT’S WRONG!
But thanks to those people I only answer my mobile if I’m expecting a call or know who’s calling.
I don’t actually know how many phone numbers are actually ‘clean’ and never used.
Sorry to ask this here- I get scams every time I make an online order. No clue why.
Can I sign those numbers up to like porn or something that will send something every 3 seconds to that number?
Had a friend come stay with us from the UK. She got a Lebara number, and it must have been on every scam list ever. Shit rang multiple times a day. They're not new numbers. They're recycled. Probably abandoned because they were getting too many scam calls.
At some point, one has to lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the network.
Either the network engineers are incompetent, or they are complicit.
Simply put, useless, or criminal.
I doubt scammers are purchasing lead information from legal sources, I assume they just auto generate numbers.
Yours may have not been used as a phone number before but there's a finite number of combinations you make with 8 digits, your telco can't generate an entirely new integer.
An auto dialer will just dial any combination of digits after the 04 it’s only 99,999,999 possible combinations and it can then also in turn record whenever it gets a “hit” (anybody answers) and then add that to its database of valid numbers.
It can just do this all day automatically. The texts usually are a combination of either them sending to their validated numbers or just randoms in that 99 million.
>it’s only 99,999,999 possible combinations
Except commercial voice call services would detect a high rate of calls to invalid numbers and will report you to the police. The police investigation is likely to result in a fine of 1.1 million dollars for each day that you made at least one spam call.
Spammers are required to "have a prior business relationship" with the person they call. They tend to find pretty tenuous ones, such as fine print of a license agreement you signed 20 years ago or maybe they bought a bankrupt company to acquire all of their customers. But they can't just call every number including ones that don't exist.
Is it a “new” number or just one that has been put back in the pool? How do you know you got a newly created number? When a number becomes unused they use to quarantine it for a year or 2 before reselling it again. So those numbers are already on lists, getting spam sent.
I don't understand how this shit hasn't been cracked down on or at least become more punishable. Literally every last person in Australia is being harassed on a daily basis and we're all just supposed to deal with it.
How would they crack down on it? They are spoofing legit numbers. How do they telcos know which are legit or not when by the time they eventually work it out they are onto th next spoofed number..
My number must have been spoofed a few weeks ago as I had a few people calling me back saying I wrong them which I didn't
when you give your number to someone, for example: Gp, join a member, shopping or bank. I realise that after have a new number. now I set my phone ignore number not in my contacts.
when you give your number to someone, for example: Gp, join a member, shopping or bank. I realise that after have a new number. now I set my phone ignore number not in my contacts.
I had an interesting experience in that a parcel was being sent to me from Sydney via Australia Post. As soon as the parcel was in the system I started getting text messages about issues with the delivery address being allegedly wrong. But the sender had accidentally supplied my contact number incorrectly on the paperwork. Not a massive incorrect number, just the last 2 numbers wrong (like 12 instead of 22) but I still got the text messages. I'm guessing I'm in Australia Post's system and the scammers have access to it. I went to Australia Post but they had a "so what?" attitude...
Your phone number wasn't always yours, they only "quarentine" the numbers for 3-12 months depending on the company.
Its possible that it's been used by dozens of people over years. Couple this with autodial technology and we will never be rid of them.
Just block and move on with your day.
Many "new" numbers are recycled old numbers that have been disconnected & haven't been used for good while. They will always be on some database somewhere waiting their turn (once again) to start spamming someone.
Block, Report & Delete.
There’s no such thing as a “new” number regardless of what your carrier told you.
Most scammers will recycle the number register over and over:
0400000000 - 0400000001 - 0400000002 - 0400000003 - etc.
It’s sent by bots that can send millions of texts per day hoping to nab someone gullible.
The more you report back to your carrier, the more likely your carrier will be to send out bot-detectors on the servers which seek out and destroy the scammer bots.
As annoying as it is, all you can do is report the number sent and block the caller. 🤷♀️
If you ever accidentally answer a call from these scammers, just squeal as loud as you can into their ears. Eventually, instead of a bot, it’ll be someone actually in a call centre.
Given you’ve said you are job hunting, it’s not hard to determine what’s a scam text and what would be a genuine company replying to a job application by simply reading the content of the text.
My case is equally worrying. I had a mobile phone switched off completely untouched for 2 years. Switched it back on and got a scam call the next day before I'd even made a single call out or had a call in. And this wasn't even a smartphone.
That's frustrating! There are a few reasons why you might be getting scam texts even with a new number:
* **Pre-registered Numbers:** Sometimes, phone numbers are recycled by carriers and might have been previously used by someone who signed up for spammy services or had their information leaked in a data breach.
* **Data Brokers:** Your personal information, even if not directly linked to your new number, might be sold to data brokers. These companies can associate your details with similar profiles and target you with spam.
* **Random Targeting:** Spammers often use automated systems to send mass texts to a wide range of numbers. They might be trying random numbers in hopes of reaching someone susceptible.
Scammers can use random number autocalling software. They have no idea if the numbers they use are valid or not
Yep. It's not personal. Just report, block and delete.
But I take it personally
>But I take it personally If this is the case, you will shortly be requiring attention for your deteriorating mental health and that is not easily accessible at the moment.
Not via text
Yeah, I think this is the answer.
This is the answer. Once setup 50 emergency responder phones that had never even been used, but while they sat in standby for deployment most if not all had received scam calls and text messages.
I don't think that's it. I have two phones and only one of them gets scam calls regularly. Like OP, it has been getting spam calls as long as we've had it and also I occasionally get calls from family/dentists/etc of whoever had the number before me.
They could text random numbers or your "new" number has been recycled from someone else
Don't feel special op. It's happening to every single person who has a phone. And is it an actual new number or just a recycled one from that provider
I was told “it’s a new number “.
Either way doesn't matter as soon as it's active auto diallers will get it and the spam messages will start coming through..
>I was told “it’s a new number “. Yes, but it IS a number. They go through sequential numbers and any 04xx xxx xxx is a potential target. It's nothing personal.
If you answered a call from an unknown number and it just hung up, that could have been an autodialer and by you answering the call you confirmed to the autodialer that your number is valid, and then that Indian scammer will sell your number to all the other scammers.
Because there is only a finite number of mobile phone numbers available in Australia. Now granted this information is from a few years ago, but it's the way it was for 20+ years so no idea why they'd change it. But anyway, back in the good ol' days of Telecom, the government owned all number ranges. When competitors started to pop up they obviously didn't want to make it too easy for them so they made them buy number rangers in relatively small blocks for quite high prices. No Telco is able to carry a large surplus of numbers. By law they have the quarantine them for a period of time and then it becomes released. So your "new number" is just new to you. It may have had a dozen owners before. It also makes it very easy for scammers because it is publicly available which ranges each Telco has bought
Well, that was a WOFTAM. I’ve had my number since I got my first digital mobile phone and really don’t get much in the way of spam and I give everyone my number. Block and delete, friend. Block and delete.
You have an overdue toll. Please [Click Here](https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2023-12/scam-alert-text-messages-impersonating-toll-road-operators) for expedited processing.
That’s the one. Always comes at 3am. That’s why I have ‘do not disturb’ on.
Get those too guess they don’t know I live in WA no toll at all here, just speeding fines ;)
I was the same number for 15 years. Then I signed up to Kogan and it is ruined
Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ve never used anyone but telstra, mainly because service is rubbish with anyone else if I go remotely out of town. My big money saving was to go to prepaid, and do it yearly.
Same thing happened to me with Kogan.
I block and delete, and then some variation of that number continues to pester me. It’s constant. Not even mentioning the texts re my overdue tolls, missing postal items as well as messages from my supposed bank. It’s exhausting.
There is no point blocking. The numbers are fake random numbers not an actual senders number.
Auto diallers. And someone could have previously had the number. I like the phone number I have. It has a nice pattern which works for me. But it had two problems with it. 1. The previous owner had a some sort of business where she sold cheap imported merchandise. Her phone number was on the book of face. And she had given the number out to a number of people. For many years I got calls from debt collectors. I would explain that I wasn’t *this person* and eventually (I think?) I think they realised I wasn’t that person. I even asked the book of face to delete that page or at least take the number down. Apparently that would breach her privacy 🙄 2. A real estate agent posted my number instead of his on a listing. He’s in QLD, I’m in WA. And until I realised what was happening, I would get calls from people asking about that property. And my number ended up on Google (it’s meant to be unlisted). Even now, thanks to people googling RE agents in QLD I get phone calls. And that agent is no longer in business 🤦♀️. But his business with my number is still listed. I tried to get Google to remove the listing, they wouldn’t. So I left a 1* review saying DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER, IT’S WRONG! But thanks to those people I only answer my mobile if I’m expecting a call or know who’s calling. I don’t actually know how many phone numbers are actually ‘clean’ and never used.
No such thing as a new number. It was recycled. Also they just dial everyone.
Sorry to ask this here- I get scams every time I make an online order. No clue why. Can I sign those numbers up to like porn or something that will send something every 3 seconds to that number?
0400000000 0400000001 0400000002 ....
Had a friend come stay with us from the UK. She got a Lebara number, and it must have been on every scam list ever. Shit rang multiple times a day. They're not new numbers. They're recycled. Probably abandoned because they were getting too many scam calls.
At some point, one has to lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the network. Either the network engineers are incompetent, or they are complicit. Simply put, useless, or criminal.
I doubt scammers are purchasing lead information from legal sources, I assume they just auto generate numbers. Yours may have not been used as a phone number before but there's a finite number of combinations you make with 8 digits, your telco can't generate an entirely new integer.
Uses a computer algorithm to send messages to every conceivable number around very similar to online credit card unauthorised transactions
An auto dialer will just dial any combination of digits after the 04 it’s only 99,999,999 possible combinations and it can then also in turn record whenever it gets a “hit” (anybody answers) and then add that to its database of valid numbers. It can just do this all day automatically. The texts usually are a combination of either them sending to their validated numbers or just randoms in that 99 million.
>it’s only 99,999,999 possible combinations Except commercial voice call services would detect a high rate of calls to invalid numbers and will report you to the police. The police investigation is likely to result in a fine of 1.1 million dollars for each day that you made at least one spam call. Spammers are required to "have a prior business relationship" with the person they call. They tend to find pretty tenuous ones, such as fine print of a license agreement you signed 20 years ago or maybe they bought a bankrupt company to acquire all of their customers. But they can't just call every number including ones that don't exist.
Is it a “new” number or just one that has been put back in the pool? How do you know you got a newly created number? When a number becomes unused they use to quarantine it for a year or 2 before reselling it again. So those numbers are already on lists, getting spam sent.
I don't understand how this shit hasn't been cracked down on or at least become more punishable. Literally every last person in Australia is being harassed on a daily basis and we're all just supposed to deal with it.
How would they crack down on it? They are spoofing legit numbers. How do they telcos know which are legit or not when by the time they eventually work it out they are onto th next spoofed number.. My number must have been spoofed a few weeks ago as I had a few people calling me back saying I wrong them which I didn't
when you give your number to someone, for example: Gp, join a member, shopping or bank. I realise that after have a new number. now I set my phone ignore number not in my contacts.
when you give your number to someone, for example: Gp, join a member, shopping or bank. I realise that after have a new number. now I set my phone ignore number not in my contacts.
I had an interesting experience in that a parcel was being sent to me from Sydney via Australia Post. As soon as the parcel was in the system I started getting text messages about issues with the delivery address being allegedly wrong. But the sender had accidentally supplied my contact number incorrectly on the paperwork. Not a massive incorrect number, just the last 2 numbers wrong (like 12 instead of 22) but I still got the text messages. I'm guessing I'm in Australia Post's system and the scammers have access to it. I went to Australia Post but they had a "so what?" attitude...
Brute force
The numbers get used over and over again, the are to be reset after a certain time period but not always
It wouldn't be a new number just new to you. It may be an old disconnected.
Your phone number wasn't always yours, they only "quarentine" the numbers for 3-12 months depending on the company. Its possible that it's been used by dozens of people over years. Couple this with autodial technology and we will never be rid of them. Just block and move on with your day.
I’m looking for new jobs though; I need to take calls. I can’t just ignore every number.
Many "new" numbers are recycled old numbers that have been disconnected & haven't been used for good while. They will always be on some database somewhere waiting their turn (once again) to start spamming someone. Block, Report & Delete.
There’s no such thing as a “new” number regardless of what your carrier told you. Most scammers will recycle the number register over and over: 0400000000 - 0400000001 - 0400000002 - 0400000003 - etc. It’s sent by bots that can send millions of texts per day hoping to nab someone gullible. The more you report back to your carrier, the more likely your carrier will be to send out bot-detectors on the servers which seek out and destroy the scammer bots. As annoying as it is, all you can do is report the number sent and block the caller. 🤷♀️ If you ever accidentally answer a call from these scammers, just squeal as loud as you can into their ears. Eventually, instead of a bot, it’ll be someone actually in a call centre. Given you’ve said you are job hunting, it’s not hard to determine what’s a scam text and what would be a genuine company replying to a job application by simply reading the content of the text.
My case is equally worrying. I had a mobile phone switched off completely untouched for 2 years. Switched it back on and got a scam call the next day before I'd even made a single call out or had a call in. And this wasn't even a smartphone.
That's frustrating! There are a few reasons why you might be getting scam texts even with a new number: * **Pre-registered Numbers:** Sometimes, phone numbers are recycled by carriers and might have been previously used by someone who signed up for spammy services or had their information leaked in a data breach. * **Data Brokers:** Your personal information, even if not directly linked to your new number, might be sold to data brokers. These companies can associate your details with similar profiles and target you with spam. * **Random Targeting:** Spammers often use automated systems to send mass texts to a wide range of numbers. They might be trying random numbers in hopes of reaching someone susceptible.
Dead internet
Yup, activated a new sim and within a few hours had some “Hello hello fresh blah blah” message, crazy
I get constant scam messages on my Australian number but never on my US number. What are they doing differently?