COMMENTS

25 responses to “Open Thread Update: Phone Follies”

1. Sometimes, just for kicks, if it is a local number/AC that I am 90% sure is a scam, I say: “Sheriff’s office, fraud division. How can I help you?”
   They usually hang up, though some protest: “No it is not.” Then I hang up.

   Reply to Kathleen Doheny

2. My phone company screens many of my scam calls. However, I get a few each week. When I do answer, I answer like I did as a receptionist for a company. I give a make believe company name and ask how I can direct their call. They hang up.

   Reply to Karina Lok

3. What I hate is when callers start with “How are you?” which always means they want to sell you something. I say “I’d rather not discuss how I am, thanks. What are you calling about?”

   Reply to CLT

4. Just for fun, try looking into the Jolly Rogers Telephone Company, a very reasonable fee based service which uses AI technology to trick telemarketers etc. into thinking they are actually speaking to a human and WASTE THEIR TIME. The inventor of it has done TEDX talks and the service itself has gotten wonderful reviews .
   You can also access some of the scripts that are guaranteed to make you giggle.

   Reply to Carolina B

5. We were receiving 20+ scam calls daily on our cell phones. Our phones are Google phones. The phones have built-in call screening at no extra cost. After activating that feature, the Google Assistant screens every unknown # that is not in our Contacts. We can see the caller’s words translated Live & can choose to pick up if the caller says “doctor so-and-so is calling for…”. If the call is a scam, we have the option to mark it as such & it gets entered into Google’s database of scam numbers.

   Reply to E. Lee

6. when I pickup a crank call, I try to get to a supervisor and tell them that this phone
   belongs to a 7 year old child and that this is considered a child endangerment
   violation. They usually don’t call back.

   Reply to Sandi

7. On iPhone on Settings go to Phone and near bottom of list turn on Silence Unknown Callers.
   No more scam ringing calls!!!

   Reply to Vince

8. Latest wrinkle is to spoof the phone company’s “verification” of numbers. Verizon supposedly marks a “V” on calls from verified numbers, intended to make it easier to know when a caller is legit. It did not take long for the scammers to copy the “verified” symbol, and now that appears on most of the bogus calls. So we also don’t answer any unknown numbers, which does make the phone less useful and valuable to us. There needs to be some consequence to crooks stealing my resource like this.

   Reply to Todd Jackson

9. I don’t answer if I don’t know the # either. My phone will display the # and city or state the call is coming from. I sign a lot of petitions for environmental, animal welfare and political action groups, though, and they are allowed by law to call me to solicit funds, unfortunately, so I believe a lot of these calls come from these organizations. Some of them have taken to leaving voicemail messages, which is annoying. It costs me to listen to the vm. Some vms are silent – VERY annoying!

   Reply to Rose Marie Wilson

10. I never answer my [landline] phone unless I recognize the caller name +/or # and especially if I’m expecting the call. I consider my phone a screening device, first and foremost! Voice mail messages can supply anything I need to deal with or know about.

    By the way. l really enjoy + appreciate Senior Planet offerings, most of all, the wellness exercise routines. Sally Saenger [Strength + Stability] is my favorite!

    Reply to Claudia Nelson

    1. Normally I ever answer calls that come in as unavailable, name withheld etc. I was caught unawares and being set up for a potential scam as a result of coincidence. I was having massive problems with my nationally recognized internet provider. My wireless was dropping constantly and I was losing data, documents and assignments. In the midst of this o e day, I received a call from said company. I was told that their equipment indicated a problem that could be fixed remotely.
       Will continue.

       Reply to Cassie Elliston

11. It doesn’t bother me that much anymore. I usually just egg them on or laugh at them very loudly. Since I’m retired I am more tolerant of pests.

    Reply to cheryl

12. Once, when I accidentally answered the phone, the caller asked, ‘How are you today?’ I actually answered that I had a cold and I couldn’t find the flavor teabag I knew I had purchased. The caller mumbled something and hung up on me.

    Reply to Gayle Ratner

13. No message left, no interest

    Reply to Beverly Orwig

14. Like most of you, I don’t answer unless I recognize the caller. If they’re legit, they’ll leave a message. One caveat if you do talk to an unknown person: Never say “yes” to anything they ask. E.g. “Is this Joan Price?” instead of “yes,” I’ll say, “Who is this, please?”

    Reason for not saying “yes”: scammers can cut and paste your audio “yes” to create a record that you gave consent to whatever they want.

    Reply to Joan Price

    1. THANK YOU! Excellent advice. I was once taken in by a legit-sounding caller who, towards the end of the conversaton, asked me to slowly pronounce my full name. I shut up and I hanged up. Close call!

       Reply to Hollis Wagenstein-Hurturk

15. I am turning 65 in 15 months and the Medicare calls are rolling in, sometimes four and five a day. By call #4 on day 5 I was a screaming mimi. I’m in healthcare so I know what’s going on, who I’m going with, etc. I was not prepared for the volume of calls. Another 15 months of this????

    Reply to Lynne Ingram

16. Occasionally there is something going on in my world that could increase calls from unfamiliar numbers (doctors, lawyers, native-american chiefs☺️) Reluctantly, I may gently pick up the phone and clear my voice to avoid saying “yes” or anything courteous. I am always perplexed and become angry when no one says anything on the other end. I usually scream, “what’s the point of wasting my time and yours?” Are these calls just to know there’s a live body on the other end? Or to annoy me tomorrow

    Reply to Jean A

17. I had trouble with retreaving my messages from my land line voice mail so I had the company take voicemail off my phone. I’m home most of the time and if they want me they will call back. I enjoy a lot more peace since I did this. Most callers will let phone ring 4 times then hang up. If I get a unwanted call I just pick up the phone and say the word NOOOO. and hang up. Ah peace.

    Reply to Cookieu71

18. I’ve used Nomorobo for years. It blocks a large percentage of these calls.

    Reply to AnnJ

19. Last week I received a strange text asking if Savi was available to watch her cat. I told the texter that they’d reached the incorrect number, no Savi here. Texter apologized and said her name was Mary from Malaysia, 34 years old, now living in New York. She asked if I wanted to exchange photos and be friends, saying it’s fun to make new friends. I checked her area code, which was from Los Agngeles, and decided this was fishy. I blocked her number. I’m not that desparate for friends.

    Reply to Susan

20. If they are legit, they will leave a message, dont answer unknown callers. I see some have started using bogus text messages. beware of these, delete. Its a wild world. Be safe. Double check.

    Reply to debra s.

21. We (husband and self) don’t run to pick up phone anymore. We screen or let phone go to voice mail. Like you too many calls are bogus.

    Reply to Linda W

    1. I don’t answer calls on my home phone or mobile phone unless I know the caller or the phone number. They can leave a message . Period.

       Reply to Steven J. Gaman

       1. If I don’t know the number, I don’t answer. They have the option of leaving a VM message. I’ve gotten calls from Kenya – other countries too, but Kenya is the best. LOL. Then I’ve gotten calls from the DC area code. Messages left. Foreign accent. Message says that if I don’t respond to a particular number, the authorities will show up at my door and arrest me. Boy, am I ever tempted to “play”. I am on the Do Not Call registry. Still, they call. I block spam numbers. Still they call