For the short term, I use PhoneTray (phonetray.com), which allows unlimited blocking, to intercept these calls. There's an incredible array of blocking options, and I've found it to be quite useful in minimizing the impact of these telemarketers and scammers.
Plus, all of these calls are reported to www.donotcall.gov, giving the FTC more ammunition in the quest to stop these illegitimate calls. Reporting certainly isn't a quick fix, especially since advances in technology make it increasingly difficult to find the callers, but in the long run, reporting helps, and some big fines have been levied recently.
I GOT A CALL FROM THIS NUMBER AND I WAS READY TO HAVE SOME FUN SO I ANSWERED IT. IT WAS A MAN WHO ASKED ME IF WE WERE 60 YERS OLD OR OLDER, I SAID YES (LOL WHICH WE ARE NOT) HE SAID WONDERFUL I HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU DID YOU KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR HOOD AS HAD MANY BREAKENDS LATELY AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, HE SAID ALL WE NEED IS SOME PERSONAL INFO FROM YOU, I SAID OK LET ME GET MY HUSBAND. THEN I CAME BACK TO THE PHONE AND SAID MY HUSBAND SAID WE ALREADY HAD A SECURITY SYSTEM, HE SAID OH MAY I ASK WHO WITH I SAID " SMITH & WESSON" BEST SECURITY SYSTEM EVER, AND WELL HE HUNG ON ME ... WONDER WHY :)
You live in Fantasy Land if you really think that is at all going to help. I have email confress, the Governor, the FCC the Atty. General......don't you think lots of people HAVE? My only guess is 'they' don't care and neither does the phone compnay, because it really wouldn't be that hard to make it illegal and unavailable to: spoof phone numbers, spoof caller ID info, allow overseas companies to have 800 numbers or any US toll free exchange, start enforcing all the many laws already on the books to punish telemarketers that call off hours, call period, harrass and pester. It wouldn't be anything at all for the phone company to include Call ID Block free on its service, instead of crap like voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting or even in those very packages. There wouldn't be a problem keeping a data base that records the # of times a number is blocked by the people who have done so on their phone service and then go after these jerks when it gets to be, oh, a few hundred thousand people getting hammered by the same jerks.
They don't WANT to fix this. Why is it we're paying or scrambling for ways to deal with this problem and yet the telemarketers and scammers aren't bothered, and the DNC list didn't seem to have any laws or consequences to it?