Do you like to mess with cold callers when they phone you? (Assuming they aren't bots)

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10 Answers

Didge Doo Profile
Didge Doo answered

My number is on the Do-not-call list so anybody who calls me is doing so illegally or, more often, is a scammer trying to separate me from my money. Whether I play with them depends on my mood. Sometimes I try to keep them talking or waiting while I put the phone down and go about my business; sometimes I just hang up on them.

But the ultimate telephone prankster is Tom Mabe and this one's a classic:


Not Online Anymore Profile

I just hang up, the do-not-call-list is a joke.

Wizeold Dogmom Profile
Wizeold Dogmom answered

If it is a scammer I mess with them.

I had one guy call and tell me he was from Publishers Clearing House and I had to wire him $549.00 from Walmart western union to claim my prize. I told him I am really old and I had to have him repeat every thing over and over to make sure I got it right. He said drive there and he would stay on the line with me until I completed the transfer and a UPS truck would meet me back at my house with a briefcase full of money. I kept this fool on the phone for over an hour until I asked for names in quick succession and one was .....Stahlling . I asked "how do you spell that? Stalling ....Like stalling for time?"

PJ Stein Profile
PJ Stein answered

No. I got a new home phone a few months ago when I moved and immediately put the new number on the do-not-call list. However it takes 30 days for the do-not-call list to be updated. I have an answering machine so I can screen my calls. It starts off telling the caller if they are selling something to hang up because I do not want or need whatever they are selling. The message than goes on to tell family members to leave a message and i will call them as soon as I find the phone. 

Rooster Cogburn Profile
Rooster Cogburn , Rooster Cogburn, answered

Depends on what mood I'm in at the time I guess. I mostly just hang up except for the ones that say they work for Microsoft's Tech department and I have virus! I play along with them and pretend I'm typing in what they say to do and when they ask what I see, I tell them : Not a darn thing because you're nothing but a darn scammer. They get mad then when they think they've got you! I'm on the no call list also and I haven't seen much difference !

Ancient Hippy Profile
Ancient Hippy answered

I usually politely tell them that I'm not interested and hang up. They are just people trying to make a living, even though they are annoying as he!!.

Tom  Jackson Profile
Tom Jackson answered

cnet asked this question recently---lots of interesting responses from the cnet community.  You can probably find that question on their site---quite a few interesting answers.

Recently I checked the internet to see what advice might be there as to how to handle such calls.  One source said that he was such a caller and gave some suggestions on how to handle such calls.

Here's his broad picture.  Answer, but don't engage.  Why: Answering and not engaging tells them you are there but also a dead end and a waste of time.  If there is only a recording on the line, the recording will normally give you an "opt out" choice for future calls.

If it's a live person, simply say "I will not discuss any of the subject matter of this call" and keep repeating that.  If the caller asks "Why don't you want to discuss it?" simply put the phone down.  (Hanging up on a live person, just confirms that the number his has just reached you on will be answered and he is more likely to call back.)

After about 2 or 3 minutes, you will hear the dial tone.  Then you simply hang up the phone.

Very effective.

K. B.  Baldwin Profile
K. B. Baldwin answered

I don't hear all that well anyway and my hearing aid doesn't work well with phones (No matter what the hearing aid company claims).  So If I'm in a" playful" mood I'll basically apologize for my bad hearing and then play along not understand anything and mis repeating what they try to tell me, and ask "Huh" a lot.  If I'm feeling mare cheritable, I will just say "Not intrerested" and hang up.

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