Getting spam calls on my Watch but call is not on the Phone

kagatone wrote:

I want to further add, and probably this is my misunderstanding. The phone number assigned to the watch, I thought, was not directly accessible via the telephone provider. Meaning you can't call it directly. If that's not true then I understand. If it is true then perhaps this is an AT&T issue.

This is supposed to be true, however I have read a couple of posts over the time since the cellular watches have been released that some people have seen this. While it may have something to do with whatever carrier they have, and I cannot remember all of that, I have never experienced it on my AT&T watch. You may want to contact their support, or if you have a corporate store where you live, not a reseller, have them check your account. They may need to reset something to make sure the number is not accessible. It is really only supposed to be an accounting number to process your $10/month charge.

Unfortunately blocking the calls do no good as the spammers just change the last digit . Some even use your own number. Supposedly the Congress is going to outlaw most of these calls, but I'll believe it when I see it. You say it just started to happen. I have been experiencing it for years and it's getting more frequent.

I have the same AT&T app which identifies many of the callers as spammers, but I do get them on my iPhone as well. Most of the spam calls come through on my non-cell (magic Jack) home number which I have ported to my iPhone. I am very careful as to who has my mobile number, but some unwanted calls get through anyway.

ChrisJ4203 wrote:

kagatone wrote:

[snip]….

This is supposed to be true, however I have read a couple of posts over the time since the cellular watches have been released that some people have seen this. While it may have something to do with whatever carrier they have, and I cannot remember all of that, I have never experienced it on my AT&T watch. You may want to contact their support, or if you have a corporate store where you live, not a reseller, have them check your account. They may need to reset something to make sure the number is not accessible. It is really only supposed to be an accounting number to process your $10/month charge.

Most reputable networks do block incoming calls to the direct number assigned to the Apple Watch eSIM, and it is used only for admin purposes. However several recent reports all from AT&T users suggest AT&T has opened the numbers for direct external access so robocalls and spammers are no longer being blocked. The only resolution will be for victims to demand AT&T blocks direct calls to an unpublished number, and if the request is refused they have little choice but to vote with their feet.

All of the major US carriers assign a different number to the Watch for billing purposes but all them can be dialed by a number and go directly to the Watch. And apparently it is not just in the US. The spammers are just dialing randomly so obviously they will eventually hit some Apple Watch numbers. Thanks to a change in regulations AT&T is busy adding customers to their cell block service. Congress will probably change the telecommunications act but the problem is most of these dialers are not in the US so the law will not extend to them.