Aren't you sick of those phone calls from people who want to sell you something or upgrade whatever you have atm?

"Hi! I'm (insert name here) from (insert company here)........"

I'm sure you've had them. Well I just had one that claimed she was from British Telecom (BT). So she asks me if I'm Chris. OK so that's fine. Yup! I'm me.
She says, "Am I right in thinking you get your landline calls with BT?"
I reply, " I don't know. Are you?"
She says, "You don't know who you get your landline calls from?"
"No," says I, "I just don't know who you are."
"I'm (name) from BT."
"Really? How do I know that?"
"Err...........?"

Time to hang up.
My point is, how do we know that these people are who they say they are. Any crook worth their salt will have enough details about you BEFORE they call to convince you of who they claim to be. The answer is to tell them that very firmly and hang up. If enough of us do that, maybe this cold caller culture will dry up.

But be warned, the latest thing around here is not to have a real person call you, but to leave it to a robot. I had a call from one of those a couple of weeks ago. I called the number it refered to and gave them a right old mouthful!!!

You know? On the whole it's been pretty quiet here ever since............

well, maybe the first name...but they don't hand out a last one. I'm in phone support now, so that's one of the rules. Back in the day, I had a temp job in a collections agency, and with those, not even the first name was given (they used aliases)

At least I don't call you, y'all call me...;)

I have a non listed number, so I don't get that many calls.
The ones that manage to guess my number?
I alwys hang up if I don't know the name.
Nice and quite here. ;-D

Corrie

 Overhere you can register yourself on a list that says you do not wish to receive such phonecalls anymore. The telemarketing businesses are required by law to stop calling you if you are on that list. Perhaps they have something similar overthere in the UK?

I received something similar in my inbox on a social network not long ago.. my conversation went like this:

They:
"So, i bet you would like to share me with my girlfriend. And ofcourse you're secretly hoping for a nice threesome right? Well then we should find out if we can meet up super quick. Then will you send me a txt quickly? Then i can give you my phonenr. We will soon experience pleasurable adventures with each other, maybe this weekend already? Txt (insert some code) to (insert some txt service) real quick okay?"

Me: 
"So, I bet you are a spammer. And ofcourse you're secretly hoping I'll send you all kinds of expensive txts right? Well then you should find out if you can fool someone else super quick. Then will you leave me alone quickly? Because i dont want your phonenr. I will soon continue with my real weekend plans. So stick your (insert txt service) where the sun doesnt shine real quick okay?"

The only downside about social network inbox-spam is that u dont get to hear their reaction when you tell them off.. :-P

I'm on a government no-call list also and my number is unlisted so I rarely if ever get those kinds of calls anymore.

I've had collectors calling and asking ME! how much it is that I owe...  I tell them I can not remember...
They also want to verify who I am so they want me to give them the last four numbers of my social security... I tell them I refuse to do that because I don't know who they really are...  This produces a problem for them..  In theory...  Perhaps without ID they are can not find me within the piles and piles of bundled toxic bills Wall Street sold them...  they don't really know who they are calling..   Or they want to scam me..

If you want to collect from me you should have all necessary information on hand...

Quote - I'm on a government no-call list also and my number is unlisted so I rarely if ever get those kinds of calls anymore.

This is an excellent government program that protects you against scammers...

I get calls all the time at work and they usually go something like this.

Caller: Are you the person in charge of making purchase decisions for I.T. at your company?

or

Caller: We are a fortune company stats collector and would like to update our records and they usually have our address etc and than have the name of the people who hasnt worked with us for 8 years.

My answer the above:  "Sorry I am not obligated to provide that info"

and that ends the conversation right there.
 

as soon as they start.. I cut in and say.. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm in a meeting right now, and can't take any calls." or "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in anything.." and ring off..

 At my job they usually call if we need their services for SEO and the likes.. Our job is to build good websites! Like what, they think we don't know how to do the very job we specialize in? :-/ 

It's good to know that I am not alone with this problem... I have had one persistent fella calling my number at all hours asking to speak to my brother... After finding out the nature of the call, I tell him in no uncertain terms and tone, that the number he had reached is on the DNC list and not to call this number again. Doing so will incur painful damage to his telephone ear. The fella asked how could there be damage? I replied, "Try it one more time and you'll find out"... He did the next day and I gave him a shot of air horn thru the phone and hang up. Been real peaceful since then.  Don't think I  will hear the last of these phone scammers or annoyers.

LOL!
Way to go, Fran! :-D

Corrie

We are on the DNC list and we still get the robot calls from politicians.  Apparently they follow a different set of rules than citizens do.

i have two ways of replying;

1. " that sounds interesting, oh can you hang on a second i just heard my doorbell..." then i leave the phone off the hook for an hour, its funny how long some of them hold on.

if i not in the mood to play about i choose version

1. "where did you get my number?" all the time they hang up immediately on that one.

Yup, two exceptions to the no-call list, political or non-profit organizations, and companies you normally deal with. My bank seems to be in the insurance business now. I've gotten as many as three calls in one day from them peddling various insurance plans.

Anyone who calls me knows to let the phone ring at least ten times, because I never answer before the sixth ring. Telemarketers are impatient.

Do you know how a fire-engine sounds? " tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ... tuut ...

But at least "Bel me niet register" (call me not register) is working in my country because by the looks of it the bottom fell out of the telemarketing. lay-offs by the hundreds and a lot of those working in that branch are switching to that much hated profession of being a "traveling salesman", going from door to door .... in wind and weather ... "No sales at the door!"

Around the middle of last year  I had a guy from a local telco ring to see about us changing to his company. When I said I wasn't interested he informed me as the phone was not in my name it was none of my business and to put my wife on. I hung up.

A minute later it rang again. Same person. I hung up.

A few moments later the phone rang again. When it rang out I used phone redirect to connect it to the telecommunications ombudsmen. I left it there for about 30 minutes and then transfered it back.

Next day I got a phone call from his supervisor . The guy had gone nuts on a receptionist at the ombudsmen's and was facing charges.

You really have to wonder sometimes.

What a wonderful idea, CS... I'm going to do that phone re-direct.  And yes, you really have to wonder sometimes.