Re: Can't help but feel...
Of course they are! But implementing features that make life less annoying is not profitable. People are not going to give up their telephone because of the scammers and it will cost a lot of money to implement a system to stop this.
What we need is a system where spoofing a number is impossible. If a number is inconsistent with its origin, then the call is rejected. If a number has no number associated, then the call is rejected. And we also need a way to report scams quickly. I would like a system that if you get a scam, you dial *11, for example, and the last number that you called you, whether you answered or not, is reported to be a scam. (Of course, there should be a confirmation system: "The last number that called you was xxxxxxxx. Press 1 to report this as a scam otherwise hang up the phone.") After reporting a scam, the phone company will be required to trace and store the call details: where the call came from, the origin telco, and any other information needed to identify scammers. If a telco is consistent in allowing scammers, you would have the option to block all calls from that telco. You would also have the option to blacklist all or some international calls, international roaming mobile phones do not count provided the phone is verified. A telco could not act against a small number of scam complaints, because some are bound to be false. Legitimate telemarketers are annoying but not scammers, they would be reported by many to be scammers. A scammer reporting system would quickly make it hard on these people.