I have some art commissions back East, so I picked up this call without thinking. No one was there. Of course, this was a robo call and later today we will receive a call from some scammer trying to get personal information. We have been on the National DNC list for YEARS, yet we still receive these kinds of calls around mid-morning at least three days out of every week.
In part you are right they change the number on the caller ID. They don't really change their number but use technology to show false caller ID. Yes doing that is against the law for solicitors. They do it because ROBOCALLING is also illegal unless they have written consent from you to call you via ROBOCALL. They are also doing it because if they showed their real caller ID then the average person could report them much easier to the FCC and FTC for calling people on the National Do Not Call list.
The Government needs to force the phone companies to implement technology that confirms the callers true phone identity. If it can not be confirmed to have this show in the caller ID or block the call.
I do not answer the phone on calls from the entire area code 201. I get tired of hearing the phone ring with nuisance calls. I have blocked future calls from this number. My blocking capability is only for 30 numbers, so I just roll off a previously blocked number and add a new one. Of course, I cancel blocked numbers to free memory for new blocked numbers on a first-in, first-out basis.