Stopping robocalls

An automated system, comprising:

• a stored set of audio messages, wherein an audio message comprises a culture-based question answerable by a human but not by a robocalling system;
• and wherein each question has associated therewith at least one predetermined response pattern;
• a processor, processors, computer or computers that perform steps of:
• pre-answering a call directed to a telephone subscriber;
• delivering, onto the line of the pre-answered call, an audio message from the stored set of audio messages;
• screening the line of the call onto which the audio message has been delivered, for whether a predetermined response pattern associated with the question is detected, and, if a predetermined response pattern for the question is not detected, disconnecting the call before the call is permitted to ring-through to the telephone subscriber.

A method of preventing a robocall from reaching a telephone subscriber, comprising:

• pretesting a question against a system comprising a voice recognition system, for whether the question is machine-answerable;
• if in the pretesting step the question is machine-unanswerable, adding the question to a set of stored questions to be asked by an automated system;
• before an incoming telephone call is permitted to ring through to a telephone subscriber, pre-answering the incoming call, performed by the automated system;
• delivering an audio message which a human caller would be likely to be able to answer successfully but would be likely to be unanswerable by a non-human;
• disconnecting the incoming call unless the automated system receives a predetermined response pattern;
• processing the incoming call for ring-through to the telephone subscriber if and only the predetermined response pattern has been received by the automated system.