new number spam

[evevvren]

hey all!

i just got a public mobile account a week and a half ago. since then, i've gotten robocalls and spam texts from like, a hundred different numbers and locations. it's a serious mess. how would i go about changing my number for free due to this madness? i am not exaggerating even a little when i say i get texts and calls from 5-10 different numbers every day. i cannot answer the phone if someone actually calls me (and i'm job hunting right now so this is very inconvenient).

thanks so much!

[brusselsboy]

I actually didn't contact Google to receive a message code when I added my 672 number in my Google Account. I don't know if it is because my Google account was registered/set in the region of Canada.

[Nezgar]

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@evevvren wrote:

could you elaborate on stay away from newer area codes??

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Some people have experienced that some banks, social networks, google, take a long time to recognize new area codes as valid phone numbers for verification / texting purposes. For example BC area code 672 is barely a year old.

A recent poster @brusselsboy was able get 672 numbers to be accepted by Google after contacting them: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Using-Your-Service/My-mobile-number-is-not-recognized...

Hopefully if you experience that elsewhere, you would also be willing to try to contact those orgs to highlight the issue with their systems that need to be updated for everyone's benefit...

[gblackma]

@evevvren 782 was established in 2014. It's probably okay. It's just that with some of the newer area codes foreign providers haven't updated their lists to include them . So you may have problems calling and receiving calls from them. Stay safe. 

[shep22]

@evevvren hi usually every day they have a new batch of numbers keep an eye out for a 902  one 

[evevvren]

could you elaborate on stay away from newer area codes?? when i signed up for my number, there was only the option to choose the new area code + dialing code (which is very new for my region - everything used to be 902 and now they're only giving out 782)

[Nezgar]

If you can tell right away that it is a spam/junk caller and don't want them to further annoy you by leaving voicemail, you can set the "invalid/busy" conditional call forward to something other than your voicemail when you manually decline the call. ie:

• Dial *67*18080000000# - an invalid USA number - caller will get either endless ringing, or a fast busy if call is declined or blocked.
• Dial *67*13065458171# - plays message "At the customers request, the number you have dialed is configured for outgoing calls only."

Unanswered calls, and calls while the phone is off the network will continue to go to voicemail as usual. Numbers you decline or are in the android reject list do not.  Reset it to defaults by dialing ##67# or ##004#.

Lastly, if you answer and can get a live human on the line, conference in Lenny. 😁

[evevvren]

do you know why my new number might have similar issues?? this number is very obviously recycled, which i don't know if i have ever used a recycled number before?? because normally i keep my numbers for a long time. this is insane, even since i posted the OP i had 2 new calls from different callers. i'm losing it haha

[gpixel]

@evevvren just let it pass. I've also been getting a lot of phone calls from local numbers, forcing me to pick up. it'll eventually stop. usually jobs will leave a voicemail with a number to reach them. so I suggest just letting your phone ring to the voicemail for now if you don't recognize the number

[gblackma]

@evevvren you can change your number once every 30 day cycle from within your self service account.  Stay away from the newer area codes. Welcome to PM. Stay safe. 

[kb_mv]

@evevvren You can change your number for free in your self serve account once every 30 days.

[hairbag1 · Accepted solution]

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@evevvren wrote:

hey all!

i just got a public mobile account a week and a half ago. since then, i've gotten robocalls and spam texts from like, a hundred different numbers and locations. it's a serious mess. how would i go about changing my number for free due to this madness? i am not exaggerating even a little when i say i get texts and calls from 5-10 different numbers every day. i cannot answer the phone if someone actually calls me (and i'm job hunting right now so this is very inconvenient).

thanks so much!

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Log in to My Account / My Profile and look for Change number. You can change it once every 30 days.

[Dunkman]

@evevvren 

You can change your phone number in  your self service account.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/change-your-phone-number

Problem is that your new number may have similar issues.