Scam call

dreadnut

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Just got a message on my phone - this is why I don't answer it when I don't know who it is: "This is Amazon calling to conform your order for an iphone charging system for $749.00, if you want to cancel this order press #1 or call xxx xxx."

Yeah, right. Had I answered the call, I likely would have immediately pressed #1, whereupon they would use that verification to hijack my account.

Then the lowlife ba$tards had the gall to leave voicemail!
 

richardp69

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Yup, I seldom answer the phone either if I don't know who it is. In fact, being the Grinch that I am, I seldom answer the phone even if I do know who it is. Why??? Actually, it's because there are so few people that I've met that I can truly say I like.
 

Rambozo96

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I like to mess with the scam telemarketers. They aren’t supposed to hang up on you so I just act like an old man hard at hearing or if the scam involved getting on a scam website I make sure to ask about the dumbest questions possible and act like I accidentally X’d out of the site or selected the wrong option in the menu as the scam telemarketer walks you through it. It’s pretty funny getting their blood boiling.
 

gjmalcyon

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I like to mess with the scam telemarketers. They aren’t supposed to hang up on you so I just act like an old man hard at hearing or if the scam involved getting on a scam website I make sure to ask about the dumbest questions possible and act like I accidentally X’d out of the site or selected the wrong option in the menu as the scam telemarketer walks you through it. It’s pretty funny getting their blood boiling.
Heh-heh. I do that too.

Here's a funny Ted Talk from a guy who played along with a scam email attempt:

 

davismanLV

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I'm not a big phone person and I can only spend limited amounts of time when I do talk on the phone. I put all the numbers that have reason to call in my phone so I have a business, medical center, anything..... so I know to pick up. Even for friends, my policy is text me and clear it with me first. We can arrange a time to talk, but text first. Or just only text. Text is my favored form of communication. There's a time for a phone call, but it's super rare!!!
 

Nuuska

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Sometimes I answer the scam e-mails and tell my name is Joulu P Ukki - ( = Santa C Laus ) - which is not understood as a joke - then they praise the lord for me being a good person - eventually the find out I'm not . . . 😅 :poop:
 

ruedi

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I always tell them to please discuss the matter (whatever) with my custodian. Oddly they never want his number, and the conversation is over within seconds.
 

Uke

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Yup, I seldom answer the phone either if I don't know who it is. In fact, being the Grinch that I am, I seldom answer the phone even if I do know who it is. Why??? Actually, it's because there are so few people that I've met that I can truly say I like.
". . . there are so few people that I've met that I can truly say I like." And that's why we like guitars, instead !
 

fronobulax

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I like to mess with the scam telemarketers. They aren’t supposed to hang up on you so I just act like an old man hard at hearing or if the scam involved getting on a scam website I make sure to ask about the dumbest questions possible and act like I accidentally X’d out of the site or selected the wrong option in the menu as the scam telemarketer walks you through it. It’s pretty funny getting their blood boiling.

I used to think that was fun too. Then I supported some law enforcement types who were dealing with financial fraud and scams and they told me all of the things that might happen because I stayed on the line. After they said it got me added to a list of numbers that sometimes get answered by a live person and pointed out that even if I never said "Yes" they could still record the call and craft a recording that might pass as me during voice authentication, I decided it was too risky to be fun. They had more to say, I just didn't need to hear it.

IMO.

YMMV.
 

Rambozo96

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I used to think that was fun too. Then I supported some law enforcement types who were dealing with financial fraud and scams and they told me all of the things that might happen because I stayed on the line. After they said it got me added to a list of numbers that sometimes get answered by a live person and pointed out that even if I never said "Yes" they could still record the call and craft a recording that might pass as me during voice authentication, I decided it was too risky to be fun. They had more to say, I just didn't need to hear it.

IMO.

YMMV.
I stopped upon hearing something along those lines of that they could do as retaliation.
 

dreadnut

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Best not to acknowledge them at all by not answering the call. If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer. Drives Mrs. Dread nuts that I often don't answer my phone. But I tell her "If it's important, they'll leave a message."

Ain't technology wonderful?
 

adorshki

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Do you answer the phone when you're playing guitar?

Definitely one of life's tougher questions...
I unplug the phone when playing. NOTHING interrupts playing.

And these days the robot callers seem to outnumber the live people about 10-1. They usually give "their" name to make it sound more like a real person, so I ask 'em "Dave (or whoever), are you a robot?"

Most of the time they keep talking which is the give-away right there, but occasionally one will say there's a live person available to help them. If they keep talking I just put the phone down and go back to whatever I was doing. Make 'em pay more money for the no-results call. :devilish:

If they put the live person on the line I ask 'em why in the world they think I'd want to do business with a company that uses illegal marketing practices. (Robot calling is illegal here in CA)

But I had the most fun a couple of years back when a scammer called to say it was Microsoft technical support and they'd detected a security breach on my PC. I didn't own a PC at the time but I fell right into it:

"Ohmigod I'm so glad you called, I have a real weird problem!! When I turn on my PC green slime starts leaking out of the sides it looks just like snot. So I opened it up and there's all these little bugs inside. They look kinda like little tiny crabs with batwings. Do you know what they are?" (click: hangs up)

Never heard from 'em again.
 

Coop47

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This was a while ago. but I strung along a guy who had called to "fix" my laptop, asking stupid questions ("Who put the virus in my computer? How did they get in my house? Should I spray it with anything?"), pausing a lot ("Hang on - it's time to take my cookies out of the oven. Do you like cookies? Me too! What's your favorite kind?") and kept going until he started getting insistent on getting my SSN, and then angry. At that point I started berating him: "Is this the best job you can get? You must be able to do better than this. What do you tell your family?" Click.

Now I'm like Dreadnut - letting the phone ring, wondering why I have a landline...
 

adorshki

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Now I'm like Dreadnut - letting the phone ring, wondering why I have a landline...
Because it still works even when the power's out and you can't recharge your "smart" phone....plus you can screen calls on the answering machine in case you're right in the middle of a delicate cooking maneuver, for instance. 😀

It just occurred to me that in these in-covinated times, I almost welcome the opportunity to dick with telemarketers.
 
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fronobulax

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Because it still works even when the power's out

Perhaps. That was true when Verizon maintained copper wire locally. But one day they told me they were not going to repair the copper but would instead upgrade me to fiber. I was given no choice and the fiber depends upon a big old box of batteries that are projected to provide service for 8 hours according to Verizon and 2-4 according to disgruntled customers.

Bottom line is if your landline is not copper then don't count on service without power.
 
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