Fun with Telemarketers

[Jim Koepke]

The idea hit me just this morning. It needs a bit of work…

With many telemarketers when the phone is answered with the usual "hello" there is a pause and then someone comes on the line and says, "hello."

This is an awkward moment. One time a second hello was said by me and then the person on the other end said, "hello" again. My response was, "goodbye."

This morning after the pause and hearing the tele-scammer say, "hello" my response was to say, "Is your car warrantee about to expire, we can save you the cost of expensive repairs… ."

They hung up.

Maybe if enough people do this they will realize tele-scamming is futile.

jtk

[Ray Newman]

When a telemarketer calls and asks for Ray Newman, I respond and tell them "This Herbert Newman. We are burying Ray Newman tomorrow." Dead silence, no response, then they hang up.

[steven c newman]

I usually just answer with...."Sheriff's Office, Fraud Desk..."

Or, just answer in Vietnamese. usually, just cussing them out for calling me......

[Dave Anderson NH]

It's amazing the response I get when I answer with "Chou Ong" and continue on in Vietnamese.

[Tom M King]

I have my phone set so it only rings if the number is in my Contacts file. No time, or patience for robo callls, telemarketers, or seekers of free advice. The ones wanting free advice always took the most time, even if I told them to start with that I didn't know of anyone to come fix their roof.

[Don Coffman]

I play them, figure if interrupted make it worthwhile. Push the prompts if a recording, get to the real person, may as well interrupt their time .... give them a fictitious vintage auto, mileage the works until they get mad and hang up.

[Axel de Pugey]

I would not like to be rude, but why is that posted in Woodworking by Hand / Neanderthal Haven?

[Charles Taylor]

This morning after the pause and hearing the tele-scammer say, "hello" my response was to say, "Is your car warrantee about to expire, we can save you the cost of expensive repairs… ."

They hung up.

Maybe if enough people do this they will realize tele-scamming is futile.

On those occasions when I'm foolish enough to answer a call from an unrecognized number, and it concerns my car's extended warranty, it's a robocaller. I don't know what it takes to qualify for a live human scammer, but apparently I'm not doing it right.

[Rich Engelhardt]

We screen all our calls - however - as annoying as they are, I remind myself that at least they are out there trying to earn a living & not just sitting around with their hand out & mouth open like some demented baby bird waiting for a freebie.

[Jim Koepke]

I would not like to be rude, but why is that posted in Woodworking by Hand / Neanderthal Haven?

That was my mistake. Thankfully one of the moderators cleaned up my mess.

We screen all our calls - however - as annoying as they are, I remind myself that at least they are out there trying to earn a living & not just sitting around with their hand out & mouth open like some demented baby bird waiting for a freebie.

Some of these so called 'telemarketers' are "trying to earn a living" by enticing people into giving their financial information and then ripping them off.

We supposedly have a national "do not call list" to which telemarketers are supposed to comply. Any telemarketer who isn't complying with this is operating outside of the law. If they are acting outside of the law, why should they get any business from me?

jtk

[Bruce Wrenn]

We never answer our land line, just let answering machine pick it up. BIL has a message in which he says "hello," followed by a pause. Amazing how many will talk till beep shuts them off. Back last year, I opened an Amazon CC just to get discount ($100) on purchase. Established a one thousand dollar credit limit, as I seldom buy from Amazon. Kids have prime accounts, so if I need something, I get them to order it. Weekly, I get calls telling me that a purchase which far exceeds my credit limit has been posted to my account, and I need to call then back at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Also get one telling me I can get a 50% discount on my Direct TV bill, just by calling the number shown on my caller ID, which we don't have. Notice, caller didn't say call Direct at their listed business number. Tried that, but didn't get 50% discount, though I did get a 10% discount for a year. As for warranty, I play them along for a few moment till I say, "I'm sorry, I meant 1988, instead of 2018." Click!

[Bill Dufour]

Older cars the odometer only went to 1,000 mile so I can tell then I have a 09 Hupmobile inherited from my mom and the odometer is under 10,000 miles.
Bill D

[Alan Rutherford]

I've played some of those games in the past but my time is worth more than that and there's a real risk of being recorded saying something that can be edited to make it sound like you agreed to something you really don't want to agree to. And some of those callers are computerized. You'd be surprised how well a computer can hold a conversation with you and then wouldn't you feel silly?

My procedure:
I ignore the caller ID although I might proceed more gently if it looks legitimate.
Pick up the phone. If the voice is already talking I hang up.
Say "Hello". If I don't hear an appropriate response in about one second, I hang up. If I hear background voices, electronic sounds, a "click" like a line is being transferred I hang up.
If I hear "Is this Alan" or "Is [my wife's name] there?" I never say "Yes". I say "Who's calling?"
If I don't get an answer I like I hang up.
If it sounds like a legitimate fund-raising or survey call I say "I can't help you" and hang up.
The few times it's actually someone I want to talk to I apologize for being so abrupt and proceed from there.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

We supposedly have a national "do not call list" to which telemarketers are supposed to comply. Any telemarketer who isn't complying with this is operating outside of the law. If they are acting outside of the law, why should they get any business from me?

jtk

The do not call list is the most ineffective toothless law in existence. It was created to make the great unwashed, i.e., us, think that our elected officials are doing something productive instead of feeding at the trough.

I don’t answer and block all calls from any number I don’t recognize. All the friends, associates, clients, businesses I deal with, etc., are in my contacts. Legitimate callers who aren’t will almost always leave a voicemail. I’ve actually gotten calls from my own number! That’s how sophisticated these scumbags have become.

Btw, I also have a free app that is pretty effective at screening and automatically blocking spam/telemarketers. It’s from ATT, but I’m sure other carriers offer something similar.

[Mike Soaper]

I would not like to be rude, but why is that posted in Woodworking by Hand / Neanderthal Haven?

I thought it was there for folks that still use rotary phones