Phone recordings


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Old 03-09-23, 05:30 AM
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Phone recordings

As of late I have need to start recording phone conversations. I can download an app for use with my Android cell phone. But I also have and prefer to use my "landline" phone. However, it's not a true landline but is part and parcel of my bundled cable subscription. Not sure what the technical term for this type of phone line would be called (VoIP perhaps). So, what might be the best possible method to record incoming and outgoing calls using this particular phone?
Oh, by the way I'm quite familiar with the legal aspects of phone recording. Here in New York State only one party needs to be aware of a phone recording. However, for what it's worth I always make the recording known to both parties.
 
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Old 03-09-23, 10:56 AM
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Google "record landline calls". There are a number of devices and some computer software to do that. The same phones and devices that work on POTS usually also work on VoIP/FIOS. The translation to VoIP takes place in your incoming terminal equipment. True VoIP via Internet uses your computer as a telephone. (e.g. Skype.)
 
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Old 03-09-23, 01:00 PM
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You cannot record voip calls directly. As with most recorders you need to record from the phone itself. Many wireless home phones have a recorder built into the base. If not... what are you using for a phone ?
 
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Old 03-09-23, 02:23 PM
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I have a Vtech CS6229 5 unit system. The base system that will record unanswered call and then each satellite phone in various rooms.
 
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Old 03-11-23, 04:56 AM
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Old school, but inexpensive, an inductive pickup works well. Uses a suction cup to "arrach" to the earpiece of the handset. Works with a wish range of recorders. I don't know how well it would work with cordless phones.
 
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Old 03-12-23, 08:40 AM
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Years ago I made an interface to record from the phone line with a 600 Ohm transformer isolated with resistors and a 1uf capacitor. That was to a cassette recorded at the time. Now a digital recorder with a line input. The phone line db level though is less than a typical line output of an audio device, so I needed to pad it down to it could be connected to the microphone input. I now have a digital recorder. Over the years when voicemail systems were retired and replaced by a new one I was asked by customers and co-workers to save some messages considered valuable.

Since you have a cordless system that uses an analog phone line the same could be done - but the components these days would need to be ordered online. Back in the day you'd be able to get them at Radio Shack. As stated - probably the easiest and most practical way would be to use the inductive pickup, if they're still available. I'd think it would work if attached near the receiver - not sure what else it would pick up though with all the electronics in a cordless phone.
 
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Old 03-12-23, 10:47 AM
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What I've done when calling back to take out phone scammers e.g.
"This is the IRS (your electric company, your credit card company) you owe $x,xxx, and you MUST call us back at 1-717-123-4567 to arrange payment or we send out the sheriff (cut off power, freeze your accounts)...

So, IF you have a google-cellphone number, you likely have a google-voice number that will allow you to make calls through a Windows desktop/laptop. There are lots of voice recording apps which let you record computer audio, including the computer voice calls.

So, what I've done is place the outgoing call using a google phone number, then hit 'record' on the computer audio software: voice-memo, Audacity, SoundWire, etc. Then just hit 'record' and you've got a copy of the audio.

IF you happen to have a computer that still has a fax-modem card, then you can use that to record audio.

There are also some phones that have a 'headset out' plug that can be used to record audio to a PC through the line-in jack.

FYI, I have ported several of my old business landline numbers over to Google-Voice numbers. In addition, each family cellphone has a Google-Voice number. So, when a phone-scammer calls more than once, I jot down the call-back number, then load all 6 Google-voice VOIP voip numbers. Call their switch board and record THEIR outgoing message and the beginning of the scammer's script.
Then, I call them back with all 6 numbers and play back their own message and script- (start a new recording).
Then play back both sets to all 6 phone scammers- which usually earns some spicy words in Hindi or Urdu, or Punjabi. Funny thing, with copy-past and 6 open phones, I can re-dial them faster than they can hang up. Usually after 10 minutes of this, their switchboard crashes, OR their manager gets angry and says something stupid and takes me off their list.
 
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Old 03-12-23, 09:17 PM
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If your cable subscription method plugs into your existing telephone lines and allows you to use your old school phones then you essentially have an analog old school system, at least as far as the phone sees it. I have Spectrum home phone services, and although it's VoIP in the external sense, it's analog in the internal sense.

I remember when Radio Shack sold the perfect phone recording solution for analog lines back 30 years ago. I little $25 gizmo that plugged into a telephone jack, with two cables that plugged into a cassette recorder.



One cable for the audio record jack, the other for the on/off function jack, like used on the cheap mics that plugged into cassette recorders. As soon as any phone lifted the recorder started recording. When the phone was hung up it stopped recording. Worked perfect, even recorded dialed digits, but restricted to how large/long a cassette tape you used, obviously.

Units like this are hard to come by these days because well, what's a cassette recorder, right? Similar units that are a little more advanced and record to your PC or a memory card are available, like this:

Universal Recorder

I have an older unit from this company that records to a inexpensive 4 Gig SDHC memory card that essentially works just like the old Radio Shack unit did. Simple, effective and easily hidden if needed.
 
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Old 03-13-23, 07:43 AM
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Hal_S
What I've done when calling back to take out phone scammers e.g.
I like your style!
 
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Old 03-13-23, 05:33 PM
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Originally Posted by ThisOldMan
Originally Posted by Hal S
​​​​​​
What I've done when calling back to take out phone scammers e.g.
I like your style!
Well then here's a story...
The best & funniest scammer escalation I've had was about 10 years ago when I had a non-stop barrage of scammer phone calls (I've got 3 consecutive phone numbers from my old office XXX-XXX-1400, XXX-XXX-1401, XXX-XXX-1402) and the scam call center had called each line about 7 times that day, which was getting on my last nerve. I'm was stuck doing a 4 hour long boring / streaming continuing education class, so I'm stuck at my desk.
So, I had the lowest level scammer send my call to her supervisor, then to the floor manager, then to somebody higher up yet- and he tried to convince me he was legit and calling from the IRS in Washington DC.
So I asked him what time it was, and whether it was raining. (Because I'm outside Philly, in the same time zone, and we had a cold front and heavy rain coming through the entire east coast- which I KNEW he didn't know)
Scammer manager was dumbfounded, couldn't give me an anser.

(Now, important backstory- one of my repeat real estate investor clients is on the board of the local mosque, and one of the phrases I learned from him (exasperated about real estate sellers) is the old-school proverb - "When a Muslim utters a lie, he is cursed by seventy-thousand angels."

So, scammer manager tells me "I am calling you from Washington DC.
I quote back the proverb "A liar is cursed by seventy thousand angesl."
And oh, damn, that must have hit home, because scammer-manager lost it. Started cursing me out in Urdu, THEN made the biggest mistake of his career. He says "Hey, for all you know, I'm working for ISIS and I know your number, and address, what if I send a bomb to your office, you smug SOB?"

THAT was unexpected, BUT I did have the presence of mind to take a moment . I said: "well- WAIT, you're on an INTERNATIONAL voip phone..and YOU have just uttered the magic words "ISIS" and 'bomb" on a computer phone line that is almost certainly monitored by the CIA & NSA! That is a drone-strike level screw up- GOOD BYE!"

And then the scammer-manager suddenly switched from being bad-ass to being Eric Stoltz as dealer/failed med student in Pulp Fiction yelling "PRANK CALLER, PRANK CALLER!"

And that is why I almost never get scam calls anymore...
 
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