WARNING!!!

[geron]

I, too, have found that a skirt has an interesting effect when the Jehovah's Witnesses call. Especially if you then give them the full Dawkins when they try to engage you in conversation.

[howardfh]

Jehovah Witnesses have made only one trip to my door since I moved to the country.
I had my door open to air out the house since it was new and had some chemical smells that needed clearing out. I was in my bed room and heard noises in the house so grabbed the gun and charged the kitchen coming face to face with the intruders. They dropped all of their papers and cleared out so fast that I almost shot them anyway. It wasn't until I picked up the trash they left that I found out who they were. None have ever returned.

I had my mum poorly in the front room, and had left the door unlocked so the two nurses I expected to attend could enter without me having to leave mum. Sure enough the doorbell rang and I shouted "come in!" - unfortunately they were two JW's who probably couldn't believe their luck that someone had invited them in. On entry, however, they could see that they weren't the expected visitors and I said "oh, I'm expecting a doctor or nurse..." so they left after apologising.

[Fred in Skirts]

One of my tricks to phone scammers is to answer the phone with hola in a thick voice and when they don't answer me back quick enough shout it at my loudest. Keeping a thick accent I ask them to repeat stuff multiple times. It does waste their time..and is a lot of phunn.

[Daryl]

One of my tricks to phone scammers is to answer the phone with hola in a thick voice and when they don't answer me back quick enough shout it at my loudest. Keeping a thick accent I ask them to repeat stuff multiple times. It does waste their time..and is a lot of phunn.

I used to be pretty good at performing an indistinct central european made-up-on-the-fly bogus language. You are inspiring me to dust that skill off.

[Fred in Skirts]

One of the best things I have heard of is answering the phone with:
Detective Hanson, Homicide, who are you and why are you calling? Do you know the deceased? Where did you meet the him and when was the last time you were with him. What is your business with him? Where were you at about 3:20PM this afternoon? ETC.

It usually keeps them sputtering for a while..

[beachlion]

One of my tricks to phone scammers is to answer the phone with hola in a thick voice and when they don't answer me back quick enough shout it at my loudest. Keeping a thick accent I ask them to repeat stuff multiple times. It does waste their time..and is a lot of phunn.

I used to be pretty good at performing an indistinct central european made-up-on-the-fly bogus language. You are inspiring me to dust that skill off.

Sometimes the scammers only need to record a "Yes" and they are in business. So be careful with your bogus Central European speak you don't say "yes" in one of those languages just by accident.

With caller ID, most of the scammers are weeded out and I know I should not pick up the phone. I don't want to waste time on those scammers. In the Netherlands, before Internet became that popular, certain mail order companies were bombarding you with mailings. Most of them had prepaid envelopes in the mailing. Most of them stopped mailing me after I send them a brick with the return envelope glued to the box. They had to pay for that package.

[Big and Bashful]

So far my mobile phone has remained mostly spam free. My house phone would get the occasional call asking if I had bought an energy saving appliance. As nobody else ever phoned it I just switched to Plan B. I just unplugged the house phone and for years now I have been using it at work, no landline phone connected at my house at all. Anyone who wants to call me can use my mobile, if they have the number. If I don't recognise the number or the number is withheld they are onto plums.

It's a sod when I am on call because I then need to answer unknown numbers just in case it is Work, the Work exchange suppresses numbers so they always show as unknown callers.

[Raakone]

One thing, if you ever get a call claiming to be government (usually tax agency, not always), don't believe them. If you truly owe money, you'd get notified either by registered mail or by bailiff/process server. Do not call the callback number. Also, there is no way to track down a specific computer having a virus, at one point I was regularly getting calls from someone claiming to work for either "Windows" or "Norton." What they HOPE to do is con you into giving them control via remote access, then they effectively lock your computer and require you to pay them by credit card. It was low-tech ransomware. There's so many ways to get back though. I read there's even someone who keeps a copy of the Hobbit next to his main landline phone, and starts reading from that book to anyone he thinks is trying to scam him.

[Sinned]

Yes, DON'T CALL BACK ON THE PROFFERED NUMBER. Often the charges for using that line can be something like £30 per minute. I believe that Ofcom [0] have clamped down on this sort of scam but there's always ways around this sort of thing.

[0] Ofcom - our telephone regulatory body.

[Gusto10]

One day I was called by I presume a scam artist. he wanted me to invest at least 25k, wasn't willing to forward paperwork, I had to trust him based on what he said by phone. I, having had sales trainings myself, played along and indicated that I had to check if and whether I was able to get the money from my deposito, etc. After a few days of such game playing he understood that I had been playing along with him with out the intention to invest. He became angry and said he would delete me from his calling list. I managed to say thank you therefor before he had ended the call.

[PatJ]

Anyone besides me ever received dozens upon dozens of calls from Rachel from Credit Card Specialists?

I got to the point where I would hear Rachel from and have the phone hung up. However, I left a message
at a local car dealer to schedule an oil change. The return call was from ... Rachel from (car dealership name)
and almost hung up on her.

I advised her not to use her first name when calling people because of the telemarketing complaints from
Rachel, but rather start with (dealership name) service department. She admitted that she wondered why
people were hanging up on her.

Telemarketers are doing legitimate business harm by their incessant phone calls.

[Jim]

Anyone besides me ever received dozens upon dozens of calls from Rachel from Credit Card Specialists?

Yes! If I didn't have a friend named Rachel, I think I'd hate the name. They've got a few more recordings with different names now, so I might wait a few more words before I hang up.

[Uncle Al]

Well, the Scammers/Spoofers are at it again
My caller ID showed my name and home phone number, as the idiots
tried to call me. My own phone had been "Spoofed".

Uncle Al

[r.m.anderson]

Anyone besides me ever received dozens upon dozens of calls from Rachel from Credit Card Specialists?

Yes! If I didn't have a friend named Rachel, I think I'd hate the name. They've got a few more recordings with different names now, so I might wait a few more words before I hang up.

Wasn't Rachel a biblical name ?

The spoofers spammers could have used Mary or a host of other names.
Of course in biblical times credit cards were not in the cards or future.

That Rachel* is so old hat - that has been around for several years one
of the first annoying Robo-Calls

Certainly lacking originality aptness and thought

*No offense to your Rachel !

[Daryl]

In the Netherlands, before Internet became that popular, certain mail order companies were bombarding you with mailings. Most of them had prepaid envelopes in the mailing. Most of them stopped mailing me after I send them a brick with the return envelope glued to the box. They had to pay for that package.

That's a great take on "reactive armour"!