Been reading thru posts but can’t find…
Will the number blocking (on FP5) accept wildcard entries?
I have added a range to block and it didn’t complain. Waiting to see if it works.
Some people were talking about an app for this, so just asking if I need to get that.
My phone rings many times a day, always scams and fake surveys. Driving me crazy. If I can’t block them I need to change my number!!
ians
Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/OS the deGoogled mobile OS and online services
last I checked there’s no *-block. Users reach for YACB, see Best call blocker app - #8 by marcdw for screenshots
OK, thanks for this. I’ll check it out 
I used to get quite a few of these calls but decided to try the following:
When a number I don’t recognize calls, I answer and mute the phone, putting them on speaker. If it’s an automated dialer, it will usually just sit there silent, eventually timing out and hanging up. Sometimes a person will eventually come on the line but it’s generally obvious that they are only then being connected or that it’s a call center. Don’t hang up or do anything to let them know that they have a valid number - any response will give you away.
After doing this a few times, I hardly ever get these calls now. Letting the calls go to voicemail gives away that it’s an active number as well, so the “silent treatment” is best, they can’t verify that it’s a normal voice line.
Hopefully this helps others who are still getting these annoying calls.
SpamBlocker from F-Droid looks very comprehensive, and is actively updated, unlike some of the other apps (but maybe those are already perfected?).
Click the “?” next to each setting to see a pop-up explanation/guide.
Be wary if you decide to do that. See: Your old phone number is a hacker's dream — what you need to know | Tom's Guide
A couple of years ago, I changed both my home and mobile numbers; I released the home number, but “parked” the mobile number with a VOIP service. I made sure to update all my online accounts with my new mobile and home numbers.
Some months later I received multiple notifications from my banks that my name, social security number, past addresses, and telephone numbers had been posted on the Dark Web. I already knew that I had been included in multiple large data breaches over the last few years.
I started searching online for my old home number, and discovered that at some point someone had used it in another city at an address I didn’t recognize… but under my own name. I immediately contacted my VOIP provider to find out if the old number was currently unassigned; it was, so I had them reacquire it for me, and ported it in for “parking” at a cost of US$1.95 per month. This number receives a deluge of calls from spammers, scammers, and debt collectors every month. (I have no delinquent debts, myself). I direct all those incoming calls to a fake “disconnected” message, so they don’t ring my phone.
So far, there has been no negative information posted to my credit files, so hopefully I acted in time.
So for the sake of security they force you to use long passwords that are impossible to remember, yet they let you log in with a phone number and reset your password with a text to that same number. I never thought about the security risk since I don’t use my phone number to log into sites. I see the option sometimes, but I always enter my user name.
I wasn’t planning on changing my number any time soon, but I’ll think twice about it after reading that article. That’s a blatantly obvious security breach due to the fact numbers get recycled. Just goes to show how slow and stupid the system is. And these are the people we count on to keep our data secure and private.
Agreed. I use FreeOTP+ authentication app whenever I can now, but as you say, it’s stupid that not all businesses provide that method.
I’m still glad I changed my numbers, and even added an additional one, so I can separate digital activities, in case one gets compromised. And changing numbers as well as providers drastically cut down on spam I used to get. As for the parked numbers, I don’t use them, hear them, or have to answer them; I just let my VOIP account settings silently deal with them.
But again, these days you have to take precautions if you do change numbers.