The first rule of avoiding scam calls is to never answer unknown numbers, and even some known ones.
Curious? Bored? Worried it’s an emergency? Wait the extra minute it takes for the call to go to voice mail, then decide if it’s legitimate.
And what if you're looking for a job?
And what if you're dealing with multiple doctors offices?
And what if you're running a class and get calls from students?
And what if you just don't want to get 50 calls a day all trying to scam you?
What did you do when you didn't walk around with your phone in your pocket? Maybe you're just that young. Seriously, put the electronic devices down & step away. You'll be ok. If it's an emergency they'll immediately try again or at least leave a message.
No, they don't. I'm in my 40s and have severe health problems. The doctor's offices are auto-blocked by phone companies because they don't leave messages so they're marked as spam. My phone doesn't actually ring...at all. It goes to spam without ringing. I once had a surgery referral delayed months.
My Chart is fantastic for existing doctors, but referrals typically make initial contact through phone calls. And of course I haven't entered them in as contacts and they often have dozens of numbers they might call from. This has become so ugly that my regular doctors need to schedule appts.
Last year, I saw five new specialists and each appointment was delayed by this phone hellscape. One of my rheumatology appointments, we spent 10 minutes trying to sort out why my referral had been cancelled because they said they were unable to get a hold of me on the phone. It never rang.
No problem. Normally, I don't have the energy for this, but your questions were so valid and I felt the doctors' appointment one to my soul. This has been, increasingly, a dangerous problem for some of us. It's already costing my health to deal with this, and it's only getting worse.
If you have an iPhone, unknown numbers not ringing is a setting you can change. Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Numbers. Turn that off & calls from numbers not in your contacts will ring through.
I don't have an iPhone and we tried to figure out how to turn it off, but it just can't be turned off. I've started to check my spam calls regularly to prevent this, but I think it's just going to get worse before it gets better.
It's a symptom of the problem both with automation and with the number of shady outfits at work. People are receiving so many spam/scam calls a day that they're flagging anyone who doesn't leave a message (such as those restrained by HIPAA) as "spam" and the phone provider is struggling to keep up.
