Additionally, why can’t spam calls be automatically blocked, and why is nobody really doing a whole lot about it? It seems like this is a problem that they would have come up with a solution for by now.
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Because POTS is a POS
The Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) is the old copper line based system. A call comes in with routing information about where it needs to go but doesn’t necessarily say who it came from nor is there a way to check so its easy to spoof “local” numbers from overseas and run the call center from a country that either doesn’t care or financially benefits from the scams through them bringing money into the country.
There is a recent change that helps to combat a lot of it. Its called [STIR/SHAKEN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STIR/SHAKEN) because someone wanted to make a Bond martini joke. Since most of the network is now passing digital packets it adds more to the header about who’s system its coming from and who’s vouching for the call which can be checked up on. If there’s a call coming into the Verizon Boston switching center claiming to be from an AT&T number and its coming from the AT&T Boston switching center across town its probably real. If its coming from Mumbai that’s suspicious
There are still some gaps that they’re trying to close, mainly smaller phone providers that accept international connections. They provide a way for the international calls to get into the US system, then get assigned the label of the smaller domestic phone provider and short of blocking all calls from the smaller provider it hard to filter them out. The smaller providers also make money from their international connections sooo they’re not super interested in spending money to shut off that tap.
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