TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Cellular Phone Harassment from '555-555-1212'

Re: Cellular Phone Harassment from '555-555-1212'

spam trap (strap@hanh-ct.org)
Fri, 15 Apr 2005 17:07:05 -0400

Lisa Hancock wrote:

> T. Sean Weintz wrote:

>> This is almost definitely a scofflaw telemarketer calling from a PRI
>> line. By using a PRI line, can set the caller ID to be whatever he wants.

> Could you explain what is a "PRI" line, and characteristicss give it the
> power to change caller ID?

PRI = Primary Rate Interface. It's a standard High Capacity ISDN line,
with 23 B channels and 1 D channel. Generally attached to a PBX
system. The "B" channels function as phone lines, while the D channel
is iused for signalling. The caller ID info is (I believe) passed back
to the CO via the D channel.

> Why would any subscriber have access to such a line?

Well, where I work we have it beacuse a) it's cheaper than 23
individual business lines, and 2) Much more flexible. I have about 50
or so DID numbers pointed at our two PRI lines -- when someone calls
in, the CO passes the DNIS info (eg - what number did the person dial
to get us?) to our PBX, and it uses that info to route the call to
the correct extension. I also set the outgoing caller ID for calls
made to individual extensions to whatever number I have set up to be
the DID for that extension. When an outgoing call is made, the system
grabs whatever of the 46 B channels I have happens to be free - the
caller ID will always be set to the DID number of the extension making
the call.

I depend on our ability to set the outgoing caller ID.

>> You answer and get no-one on the other end because he is using a
>> predictive dialer -- a computer dials the numbers, and connects the calls
>> to people in the telemarketing call center only when the call is
>> answered on your end. If no one is available in the call center to take
>> the call, when you answer you get the classic "no one there when I
>> answer" effect -- you just hear dead air.

> I don't understand that when the fellow answers the call, why someone
> doesn't come on on the other end and make their sales pitch. There is
> usually a brief 1-2 second, but someone does come on. Obviously they
> don't want live people to miss their sales pitches.

Yes, but it would seem they have more outgoing lines than they have
salespeople to answer them. Common enough -- we all get those hang up
sales calls from time to time I think.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The hassle is the 'predictive dialer'
> (which is what they call the device which 'dials ahead' and gets
> suckers on the line works too fast for the human beings doing the
> talking/selling. It thinks, based on formulas built in, that by the
> time it gets a sucker on the phone, an agent will be ready to talk to
> them. That's when the predictive dialer plays a pre-recorded message
> saying 'please hold, we have an important message for you' or
> something similar. That's when I usually hang up, and you should also.
> PAT]

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