Posted on 01/15/2011 8:18:03 AM PST by tuffydoodle
Have telemarketers found a way around the do not call list? I have been getting calls from telemarketers where they always ask for the wrong name. When I reply that they have the wrong number, they say, "well, maybe you can help me." The first time it happened, I listened for a minute, wondering why this person on my phone would be asking a stranger for help. When I realized what they were up to, I simply hung up. I've had several calls since, with the caller using the same tactic. Anybody else have any experience with this scam?
Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of the call? If I got a call from a salesman using a hijacked number, I’d slam down the phone so fast and I’d never do business with them and their company would remain firmly etched in my memory.
It sounds more like a bill collector trying to catch up with a dead beat that gave out your number on a credit app.
Got rid of the house phone about 2 years ago and just use my cell. Haven’t had a solicitor since.
It’s not a bill collector, I’ve listened to them long enough to know that they aren’t collecting.
I label any telemarketing call as a “Z” on my cell phone and never answer them again. You can also block a list of
numbers from ever calling you again on many cell provider
log in sites. I got rid of my land line years ago.
I did the same but made the mistake of keeping same number on my new cell. It wasn't until I decided to get my number changed that the calls stopped.
As a side note, I tracked down a telemarketer's number on the internet to a site where many folks were complaining about the calls. Someone there had managed to track the bogus company to some guy in florida who's been responsible for a number of scams and they even listed his current company, the phone number and his home address........LOL!
The remedy I use for telemarketers is this: “I’m sorry... Can you hold on just a moment?” Then I put the phone down and forget about it. Later on I’ll remember to go back and hang it up, but in the meantime I feel good knowing I wasted at least a little of their time and temporarily tied up one of their lines.
I got magic jack this year and I get to keep the phone number wherever I go. It’s one of the selling points.
If you move, you just pack up your jack and plug it back in once you have your computer set up. It should work fine.
The only thing is you have to let the 911 feature know your new address.
When I attempt to return call in the evening after work, using the number on my caller id... I receive a "cannot connect" type message... basically there's a call block not allowing the donation company's call center to receive calls (they can only make outgoing calls). Therefore I have to be home and actually answer the phone to tell them "take my number off the list."
I hate these companies... I wish a Mt. Etna-type volcano would open up under the call centers and melt them away.
Well—it looks like you have to take all calls..........We have 5 kids and 11 grandkids, all of whom have our cell numbers, so we don’t have your problem.
Who are you, Batman? :-)
I figure that any "emergency" that can't be left in a message should have been directed to 9-1-1 anyway.
A friend of mine responds to telemarketers with “What are you wearing?”
I just hit the mute button and ignore it, if it's someone I choose not to talk to at the moment but your way may be better. Even before the days of caller ID, I could hear a phone ring in the same room and ignore it, which I did frequently.
I have had some form of mobile phone since '91 or '92 and have never gotten a telemarketer call on one. My very first looked like a desk type phone and I had to plug it into the cigarette lighter to use it. I gave up my land line several years ago and have never regretted it.
I do understand that some people have a need for a land line.
Telemarketers where they always ask for the wrong name.Tell them you want a thousand of what ever they are selling and make up a fake card number it will keep the busy for a bit and if they call back change number.
For years I have been trying to talk my “better half” into getting rid of our land line, but he’s an ole Okie, and he’s slow to change anything—LOL!
For years I have been trying to talk my “better half” into getting rid of our land line, but he’s an ole Okie, and he’s slow to change anything—LOL!
Caller ID spoofing is illegal per a recently passed Federal law. I have received calls from some boiler room claiming to be a credit company. The number showing up on my caller ID is a local person, who has no association with the apparent scammer.
“Cardholder Services” was the name the scammer was using, and is similar to the name of a company that handles my credit card. I called the latter, customer serivces transferred my to their legal department. I was told that they are aware of the Federal law regarding Caller ID spoofing, and seemed very interested in who was misrepresenting them. I was asked about times being called and the spoofed number, among other things.
Standard reply should be ‘Sorry, I don’t take solicitations over the phone or at the front door’ then hang up.
I can almost always tell if it’s a telemarketer even before they say anything. After I say “hello”, and I hear a pause followed by a strange “ping” sound, I know it’s a marketer. They always ask for either my husband or me by name, so I just say they’re not home and can I take a message. Of course they hardily ever leave one, or seldom do. Getting lots of Habitat for Humanity calls recently. I’m also STILL getting political calls.
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