For a few days I am getting SMS from 705-241-4794, i sent STOP, they keep coming, just a random letter or a message of random words. They called me today, I missed the call. I called back from various numbers and all receive a busy reject right away. I called from my VOIP.ms line and it rings, someone answered and when i asked why they are calling, a odd, robotic, child voice says sorry, wrong number. I have blocked them via VOIP.ms from calling, of course, there is no way to stop them from sending SMS, to which I pay for each message. But my main question then is how can, or what are they doing to only receive incoming calls from a VOIP.ms account? I have called from a cell, landline and other voip providers and from a TELNYX line and all are fast busy or show busy on the screen. For the number causing this harassment, 705-241-4794, a carrier look up shows Phone Number: 17052414794 Carrier: Rogers Wireless: 8821 - SVR/2 Is Wireless: y ---- but that maybe not current as it would be abnormal for a cell to be able to do this. Anyone have something similar or any ideas to help?
For what it is worth, I looked up the Callers Name in Google and see a Facebook listing for a hairstylist with that name in Ontario. The somewhat odd thing is that there are no friends associated with the account. A posting has been made within the past day. There also is a Reddit posting with her business telephoine number. Perhaps call that number?
Hello @BIGmouthSMALLvoice,
There are scammers who use “local” phone numbers as CallerID. We received calls in the past from phone numbers in our own town and they were scammers. One time someone in our town called us and was upset because we tried to scam them, so they said. We told them that we did not call them and that scammers used our CallerID. So our own phone number was used by scammers.
It makes a while it did not happen, but maybe you are victim of such a scam case; someone sending you SMS from a phone number they do not own or random phone numbers. (?)
We also had a fax always calling our home phone number. I simply blocked the number.
If blocking them does not stop the SMS, maybe you should create a ticket and ask them for this feature (that SMS would also be blocked).
Kind regards and good luck with this issue!
Alexandre
Thanks @Mark, I did google the number, but somehow I missed the info you are seeing. I will do another search!
Thanks @aleclerc, I did contact VOIP.ms via live chat, however the agent would only say I can’t block SMS, which I know, and have requested this feature for a long while now, and I did ask this entire question, however, they had no knowledge to share. I have had, and still get the 'Neighbor Spoofing Scam. calls all the time. Just this time its different in that I can only call that number from VOIP.ms, no other VOIP, cell, landline, phone apps, etc… that’s why is so baffling to me.
Oh yeah, this is a complex problem.
Maybe one reason why standard land lines cannot call the number is because they use a Virtual SIP Number with some gimmick. Also, it is probable that any other voip provider can reach this number, but not PSTN lines.
The only solution to know more would probably be to trace the call packets to this number. But this is a lot of work for probably scant results.
Kind regards,
Alexandre
I was under the impression that communication providers now had to keep phone number spoofing from happening. Meaning, I could only use DID numbers associated with my account. Seems like even small providers were included sometime last year (2023). Is this not correct?
Maybe this is a USA-only thing?
I had the same thought, but:
- These scammers can be from another country with no regulations in this regard.
- These scammers can have their own PBX systems connect to voip providers in other countries to generic trunks and simply not follow the law.
So even if our countries put laws to avoid this, there is probably a good number of methods to get their way around.
Ah, good point.
So, I wonder if source country of originating caller is available and can be used to route calls to a bit bucket?
It would be a nice feature, but would it be possible since the best approximations of countries are always calculated from IP addresses? And could someone use VPN services to bypass these limitation. Maybe no, maybe yes.
Maybe @VoIP.ms can check if there is something possible to block numbers for SMS (as it is actually the case with incoming call), and maybe also block incoming call from some countries/ip addresses, if somewhat possible.
Kind regards.
Yeah, I understand. They will get around pretty much anything.
I guess I was assuming they were legit. ! That would mean my thinking is an oxymoron. 
I’d guess that cellular number 705-241-4794 forwards all calls to another number (such as a VOIP.MS number) that performs the call filtering that you’ve noticed. It would be easy for them block all calls except those from numbers on a list.
Hello aleclerc,
Currently, the blocking of countries can be accomplished by utilizing the caller ID filtering tool with the use of wildcards in the format of (country code)*. It is important to note that the feature to block incoming traffic per IP address is not available at this time, blocking numbers for SMS is not available at the moment either.
Thank you for your reply regarding the inability to block unwanted text messages at this time. I understand the limitations, but I would like to reiterate the importance of such a feature. As a paying customer, receiving unwanted and potentially harassing messages can be a significant inconvenience.
As incoming messages incur fees, the overall cost of receiving unwanted texts can still be a concern. Ideally, a blocking mechanism should be implemented to empower users to manage their messaging experience.
Perhaps exploring alternative solutions, such as VOIP.ms crediting accounts for unwanted messages until a blocking option is available, could be a consideration. This approach would demonstrate exceptional customer service and a commitment to user satisfaction.
Hello BIGmouthSMALLvoice
As we understand the significance of having an effective blocking mechanism for unwanted texts and recognize that the associated costs can be a concern in its absence, we would like to emphasize that this is a collaborative effort between carriers and providers. We are fully aware of this situation and are actively exploring various options to mitigate this situation.
I have purchased a separate DID to use for temporary purposes to receive one-time SMS confirmation messages. Sure enough, I started receiving spam messages soon after. But since I only use it for short term needs, I can drop this DID and purchase another for future use.
Not free, but I consider it worth the purchase/monthly fees.