Community Chat

[Kachina624]

I wouldn't be paranoid about it.  They can't do much without cooperation from you.  The more you answer the phone, the more they'll call because that indicates to them there's a live potential sucker at your number. 

[truffle]

I never answer my landline.  The two calls I mentioned came into my mobile phone.  

[MRDR]

I understand the wisdom of this, but am very glad that I failed to follow it last year. The unknown number was my niece's cell phone. I had her landline number in memory, but not her cell

She was calling to tell me that her father, my brother, was in critical condition after a massive surgery for cancer. Failing to pick up the call would have caused me to miss that information. Even worse, because he insisted, no one outside of his wife and children had any idea he was ill. The news, therefore, even more devastating.

[VaBelle35]

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@phoenixbrd wrote:

@VaBelle35  Don't Don't Don't press the message.  I'm hoping what you are saying is that you received three messages, not that you pressed any numbers.  Unknown calls and messages are best left alone...acknowledging them makes the situation worse.

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@VaBelle35 wrote:

I had a voicemail message the other day that was an automated message saying if this is VaBelle press 1.  After the 3rd time it said, by not hanging up you acknowledge that you are VaBelle and blah blah blah.

I matched the timestamp on the voicemail to a number on my caller ID and googled it. Nothing came up for it, so I'll have to see what I acknowledged.  

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It was a voicemail that their automated system left on my answering machine.

[Lindsays Grandma]

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@ROMARY wrote:

I keep my landline off the hook all day, all night.  Too many telemarketers, and I'm through running or almost tripping just to answer their calls.  It works!

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I am curious...do you check messages periodically?  I ask only because if you keep the phone off the hook all day and night what happens to those you want to talk to if and when they call?  I'm a landline person, can't stand carrying a cell phone every where I go!!!!!

[Tinkrbl44]

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@ROMARY wrote:

I keep my landline off the hook all day, all night.  Too many telemarketers, and I'm through running or almost tripping just to answer their calls.  It works!

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@ROMARY

Can't you just turn the ringer off so calls can go to voicemail if important?

[phoenixbrd]

@KathyPet  Yes, is this my routine also.  The junk calls have become so numerous that I basically use my phones for calling out and pay very little attention to incoming calls.

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@KathyPet wrote:

I never ever answer a call unless I recognize the name or caller's number and I cannot understand why some people answer calls from a unknown name or number. 90% of the time they leave no message.  AT the end of every day I scroll through the missed calls list and block all those numbers that appear.

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[cotton4me]

We had a new one last night – they spoofed our local PBS station number.  We didn’t pick up but they left a message about purchasing a medical device.  The medical device scammers change numbers all the time.  You can’t even trust what caller ID says.  They’ve also spoofed The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation.   We never pick up the phone unless we recognize who it is.  We also use a call blocker, best device ever invented.  

[ValuSkr]

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@qvcfreak wrote:

next time someone says Sally and it's not a number you recognize just say who's calling. They'll hang up or it may be someone you hadn't talked to. Don't know what you can do to protect your accounts 

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I agree.  If someone says my name before introducing themselves and their company, I say "who's this?"  The next step is usually to hang up on them.  

They're rude by not introducing themselves, so I've no problem being rude back to them.

[hoosieroriginal]

If they ask your name - say "who's calling?"  They'll hang up real quickly.  Yes, that is a scam so expect to be billed for something - they have your recording saying you accept the product now.  Good luck with that.