Kashana: Phones are such a great deal these days. For just $1000, all calls are scam and all search is AI.

Phones are such a great deal these days. For just $1000, all calls are scam and all search is AI.

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.

Sick of scams? Stop answering your phone.www.washingtonpost.com Phone scams are still hugely popular — and they depend entirely on people curious enough to answer.

The way we’re all told to treat all this as normal. It’s fine that half your email is scams. It’s fine that you can’t answer your phone. It’s fine that every Instagram post is full of scam bait comments. It’s fine that people text you weird phishing links. Just adjust your behavior.

And also keep spending. Update your phone that will send you the same amount of scams. Pay for social media verification so you can get rid of zero scammers.

Late stage capitalism, eh? When we get too heavy at the top, we'll just ... topple over.

People say late stage capitalism but it's not. It's just capitalism.

And your $1000 phone will be obsolete in 2 years as the battery is worn down or software updates surreptitiously cripple it over time and apps become more and more bloated and AI requires more power.

And now we are being sold phone applications to detect our zombie subscriptions that are themselves on a subscription…

Every gap or failure in America's systems is an opportunity for new middlemen to make money. Instead of making anything work better or becomes so painful that paying a third party to bridge the gap becomes the only way to get on with your life.

I am so tired of individuals being told to deal with the enshittifications that companies have created either actively or through neglect.

Don’t you understand shareholder value?!? Then the next argument will be “Well.. you are probably benefiting from them due to your 401k, etc”. Well.. as a shareholder *I* don’t want to benefit as the only people who will receive it are the suits at the top anyways.

Not me, I love being that person who is good with technology for a dozen boomer and silent generation elders “They’re trying to steal from you, grandma” is a whole job which exists because our government refuses to regulate

I struggle with it because so many of my clients (small business owners/employees) have difficulty with scams. Most of them are trained to call me now if they're unsure. I won't charge for a 3-minute check to tell you that the email you just got is a scam.

Yeah, I’m doing that too. With how much money and time is stolen by these goddam scammers, taking a couple of minutes for clients or Facebook friends to help them avoid fraud is the just the right thing to do.

Sure, teach them a few times. If they don't learn they deserve it. Not our problem you can't teach stupid to not be stupid.

it's your compassion that sets you above the rest

And as with everything, the problems are systemic and structural, but all the solutions are pushed onto *you.* Our political system is incapable of action, and corporations don’t care, so just accept that voice communication is now useless, and every text and voicemail is a potential threat.

I've put my toddler in charge of answering the phone. It has made the spam calls much, much, much more entertaining for everyone involved. I heard some woman coaxing "give the phone to your mommy..." and it sent us all into giggles for the rest of the night. Doesn't solve the underlying problem.

If I had a toddler I would so do this

Could be the first decent use case for AI.

It's not just normal, it's a business model. Companies like Google advertise call screening, and spam filtering as features of their products.

... which don't actually work.

But it has AI that uses ten tons of water per call to fail to block them!

remember when they had a Do Not Call Registry, and 75% of Americans registered their landlines with it, and it actually worked?

I have told Bell to put me on their do not call list about 12 times. Still calling me.

I just got a prompt on my Android phone to install *something* that was going to add a whole new layer of security by checking literally everything I do? Seemed to be linked to Mcafee... Anyway, I knew nothing about this so I declined.

The only thing McAfee does anymore is try to sell you more McAfee products. Non-stop spam and pop-ups everytime you boot up. I will never have it on one of my devices ever again.

As an aside, the most useful software that Norton makes is the Norton Removal Tool. I'd say the same about McAfee, except their removal tool blows.

Same, I shout about being less annoying than a virus every time I turn on my computer these days. Never again

I thought the only thing McAfee has done this decade was drugs and crimes.

AND THE US MAIL! It makes me nuts that I can't stop the barrage of crap that goes immediately into the recycling bin. IMAGINE how many trees would be saved if people had to opt in to coupons, circulars, catalogues, appeals, etc......

Yes. I would say that by weight, I actually need/want no more than 1 percent of my mail.

And as you probably know, the USPS literally sells your change of address data to useless marketers...

Everything is personal responsibility.

Unless you’re a woman or doctor.

Or politician

Really

The person who wrote this has never managed health care for an elder family member with multiple conditions. (Calls from most of my mom’s health providers do not let me call back)

Today’s example: I was leaving a medical facility when I get a call from a medical provider. While I am on the line (walking to the garage), I get another call from another medical provider. I can click over in time, so try to call back after the first call ended. No dice.

While I am listening to the phone tree with no idea what to select, the second provider calls back - to ask me to come back to the facility immediately because they only took half the X-rays they were supposed to…

And as a nurse, we can’t get family on the phone because the hospital comes up as “possible spam” because we make so many outgoing phone calls a day.

That is enraging - of all the calls to signal for screening, a nurse calling about a hospitalized family member is the very last that should be (and, thank you for your service)

So frustrating and you are welcome.

I remember how frustrating that was

ugh, I got caught TODAY, because I clicked on the wrong thing during a distracted moment. It's really everywhere and you only have to relax your vigilance for a second or two.

Happened to me as well not that long ago.

This is such a ripe target for Biden, it's honestly malpractice for him not to go after it. Plus it's such an easy way to make grift salient, and whaddaya know, his opponent just happens to be a con man...

It really feels like a significant part of the economy. It doesn't help that the so-called capitalists keep supporting a known scam artist.

$1m fine to AT&T and friends for every scam call or text. Same to internet providers and email. Bet this would evaporate overnight. Politicians being cowards towards their masters it’ll never happen, but if it did whoever pulled it off (or even suggested it) would be the most politician ever.

Our entire law enforcement has zero desire to go after organized crime groups running these scams. This story is about a theft done by organized crime. The author is mad at bail reform instead of cops refusing to even try to find the ringleaders. mobileapp.bostonglobe.com/05192024_648...

An identity thief stole $5,000 from me. I spent two years tracking down how.mobileapp.bostonglobe.com

(Waiting desperately for the obligatory P U S S Y I N B I O comment)

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