[Asterisk-Users] Junk calls from FWD numbers

[Andy Powell]

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 27/01/2004 at 15:55 Chris Albertson wrote:

>My Asterisk server registers two FWD numbers.
>On average I get about one call a day from someone calling
>from an FWD number and leaving a pointless, under 10 second
>message.  It's easy to see who these people are if I look
>in my CDR file I can see thier name and number.  They seem to
>be new FWD users, likely who've just downloaded FWD's Xten
>softphone and then dial some random FWD user (me) to try it
>out. I wonder if these same people when they first got a
>POTS phone installed in thier home got out the white pages
>and dialed randomly asking anyone who'd answer "Hi does this
>work? can you hear me?"
>
>Question:  Does everyone with an FWD number get these junk
>calls or am I the only lucky one?
>
>

There are a number of things you can do:

1. Make sure you are not listed in the white pages (turn it off from your settings page)
since FWD is a community it's pretty much accepted that if you list in the white pages 
you are open to receiving calls from people you don't know. Hopefully they are at least
respecting your timezone settings. The FWD white pages bears no resemblance to a
'normal' white pages .. they share only a name.

2. If the calls are nusance calls then get in touch with Ed Guy and report the problem 
- (Don't rely on the caller id as to where the call came from.)

3. Keep in mind the reason that you don;t get calls on your pstn line with people saying
"Hi does this work? can you hear me?" is because pstn calls are tried and tested over many
years. voip doesn't have this (pstn calls don't get NAT issues) luxury. 

There is of course nothing you can do about people dialing random digits...

HTH

Andy