Telemarketers!
- Thread starter Karen W
- Start date
Lullabelle
Midlands, England
We rarely ever get telemarketers just conmen who think we are stupid enough to give them access to our computers, dealing with them is a pleasure, if they are talking with me then they are not pestering someone who is probably vulnerable.
I just put the phone down.
Wandering Bob
Über Member
I don't answer the phone any more. I haven't done so for 2 or 3 years. I've got a good messaging service - anyone who wants to can leave me a message, and I get an email telling me there's a message (and their phone number). Any friends who are hoping to contact me call my mobile instead.
rascal
Forum GOD!
I got rid of my landline years ago. I do get Indians trying to con me with bank scams. I talk to them for ages and tease them by playing stupid. Eventually they realise and hang up. I love it,lol.
Russ
Russ
epicuric
Legendary Member
In the UK we have a Telephone Preference Service. If you inform them that you don't wish to be cold-called they will add your number to a list that is (in theory) used by telemarketing companies to remove you from their databases. It seems to work.
CraigC
Guru
When I answered a business phone and they asked to speak with the owner, I'd tell them he lived in Abu Dhabi and would they like the number. When they said yes. I'd give them a number with the correct country code and the last seven digits were "eat" followed by the slang word for excrement.Never got a call back.
Now that I only use my cell number, Karen too, if I don't recognize the number I let it go to voice mail, which most don't leave. We don't have a land line anymore. With the Mid-Term elections being tomorrow, I've been getting texts, not addressed to me by name, from the Democrats. I'm an Independent.
Florida has a "No call list" that seems to work.
Now that I only use my cell number, Karen too, if I don't recognize the number I let it go to voice mail, which most don't leave. We don't have a land line anymore. With the Mid-Term elections being tomorrow, I've been getting texts, not addressed to me by name, from the Democrats. I'm an Independent.
Florida has a "No call list" that seems to work.
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I have to have a landline apparently for the security system that goes through the telephone line.
I'm on the Do Not Call list, and, I've used my up my allotment of 10 numbers to block, from the phone company. The calls still keep on coming. Not as many probably as others have. The caller ID will read out private number, or Unknown Caller. Then I know not to pick it up. Once I did pick up, and no one answered, but I could hear someone on the other end because of the background noise. Just wondered what you all do.
I'm on the Do Not Call list, and, I've used my up my allotment of 10 numbers to block, from the phone company. The calls still keep on coming. Not as many probably as others have. The caller ID will read out private number, or Unknown Caller. Then I know not to pick it up. Once I did pick up, and no one answered, but I could hear someone on the other end because of the background noise. Just wondered what you all do.
It doesn't totally work...
I used to be on a no call list, but that seemed to stop working about 2 years ago. For a while, I would answer the phone and go through the rigamarole of saying yes, that I was interested in what they were offering, then answering all of their questions with increasingly bad english with an accent that sounded more and more like Lahtka from the old TV show Taxi. They'd eventually hang up.
The funniest ones were some Indian guys who wanted access to my computer. They would get really frustrated each time I went along with their ploy but gave them the wrong numbers for MAC and IP address. Then I'd ask them for their address to help troubleshoot the problem with command line functions like Traceroute.
At first that all worked, they'd stop calling, but I must have really angered one of the bastards because I started getting calls all day and night from a dozen different numbers; too many to block.
Even when I continued to say that I was interested in the extended warranties, the lower interest rates on my credit cards, or how I qualified for medical care, they would call, then just hang up on me!
When I was in college, I worked at a "cold call" telemarketer for a few weeks, so it must have been the manager of the office that took a disliking to my games, so he or she was straight up harrassing me.
I read somewhere that if you don't answer your phone at all (for unknown numbers) for a month or so, you get removed from their call lists. That seems to have worked. I haven't gotten any calls in a while.
The funniest ones were some Indian guys who wanted access to my computer. They would get really frustrated each time I went along with their ploy but gave them the wrong numbers for MAC and IP address. Then I'd ask them for their address to help troubleshoot the problem with command line functions like Traceroute.
At first that all worked, they'd stop calling, but I must have really angered one of the bastards because I started getting calls all day and night from a dozen different numbers; too many to block.
Even when I continued to say that I was interested in the extended warranties, the lower interest rates on my credit cards, or how I qualified for medical care, they would call, then just hang up on me!
When I was in college, I worked at a "cold call" telemarketer for a few weeks, so it must have been the manager of the office that took a disliking to my games, so he or she was straight up harrassing me.
I read somewhere that if you don't answer your phone at all (for unknown numbers) for a month or so, you get removed from their call lists. That seems to have worked. I haven't gotten any calls in a while.
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On a funnier note, my son has started to get those calls, so he speaks to them in French with broken English, trying to convince them they've called the building manager's office in the sub-basement of the Eiffel Tower.
My wife pretends to have some weird Southern accent, and keeps asking them to hold on, then holds the phone out while she screams abusive obscenities at a bunch of children (that don't exist) in the background. She then gets back on the phone trying to get their sympathy for having to raise 9 children in a broken down school bus. Then she keeps putting them on hold to scream more horrifying things to her "9 kids".
It's pretty funny, but the first time she did this I went running downstairs to see what was the matter. Then she started screaming at me about that she wasn't gonna have no more babies unless I stopped cookin up that crytal meth in the front yard.
Both my wife and son still get calls, but at least they have fun with it and it's entertaining to see what crazy stuff they can come up with, and just how long the telemarketer is willing to stay on the line.
My wife pretends to have some weird Southern accent, and keeps asking them to hold on, then holds the phone out while she screams abusive obscenities at a bunch of children (that don't exist) in the background. She then gets back on the phone trying to get their sympathy for having to raise 9 children in a broken down school bus. Then she keeps putting them on hold to scream more horrifying things to her "9 kids".
It's pretty funny, but the first time she did this I went running downstairs to see what was the matter. Then she started screaming at me about that she wasn't gonna have no more babies unless I stopped cookin up that crytal meth in the front yard.
Both my wife and son still get calls, but at least they have fun with it and it's entertaining to see what crazy stuff they can come up with, and just how long the telemarketer is willing to stay on the line.
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Brilliant!
Duck59
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I let calls go to the answering machine. The wasters never leave a message, so I just block their numbers.
I used to answer them now and then. At one stage, I had two successive callers from India. The first one called himself Paul and the second John. Next time I got a call, I told him I wanted George or Ringo.
I used to answer them now and then. At one stage, I had two successive callers from India. The first one called himself Paul and the second John. Next time I got a call, I told him I wanted George or Ringo.
Toffeeapple
Über Member
It only works if the caller is in the UK, outside of it they are free to call you. I get a lot of calls from scammers claiming to be from TalkTalk, it cheers me up when they call!