I have a tape recording of an old fashioned fax number. Every so often I break it out. But I generally ignore the calls. I've assigned specific ring tones to the important numbers, son, daughter, doctor, escort svc.

With my work cell phone it's impossible to know as I do business with banks all over the country and I have no idea what number my contact person will be using

The people that do this telemarketing work for a living are among the lowest form of life

I always suspected that the "do not call list" is the list that foreign telemarketers get ahold of and use. Might be illegal here, but they don't live here.

I found that if I don't answer, they just keep calling several times a week.

It's just been within the last year or so my cell has gotten bombarded with calls. Has anyone gotten the latest one where the very realistic woman's voice says "hello......ooops, I'm sorry, I dropped my headset, can you hear me ok now?" then goes into a pitch about some crap.

I tried the do not call registry, it has had no effect. I just now don't answer calls unless a name pops up or it's a local # and I'm expecting a call related to work or an appointment I've made, etc.

It's nearly impossible for me to believe, but these calls must actually be somewhat successful in generating actual sales, otherwise no one would continue using them as a marketing tool. Who the hell is buying stuff from these wankers anyway???

I just fail to understand how those marketing strategies pay for themselves. How can they afford it even if it is a robo-call phone? Are there actually folks out there who respond positively to those calls? I have never met one or even heard of one. Everyone I am aware of is just annoyed by all the trash calls.

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Yes. I think that's the one Sammy was talking about above. I think I have gotten that one 4 times in the past few months

What I would like to find out is why this only started happening the past 12 months to me

I've had my number for 15 years. I always thought that do not call list worked because I never got telemarketer calls after I registered I think in 2007.

And all of a sudden starting last year, its 3 or 4 a day

Since they often use local area codes I have missed doctors office etc since I usually won't answer numbers I don't recognize

Yesterday I got 4 calls. One of them I almost didn't answer turned out to be tire rack about an order I placed

I guess this is just part of living in the modern age

Robocalls, CallerID Spoofing, etc - all of these issues are very technical in nature. Last summer, the FCC requested telecoms to work together in a task force to solve the problem.

AT&T is taking the lead in the initiative:
AT&T supports FCC crackdown on robocalls, other carriers ... don't | CIO

If you're interested, there is a 45 page long PDF file that gives excruciating details on the issues that have to be resolved:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUK EwjErK_U96TSAhVq1oMKHZLnAjcQFggoMAI&url=https%3A%2 F%2Ftransition.fcc.gov%2Fcgb%2FRobocall-Strike-Force-Final-Report.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGTUz9UPbj-BfVcTcs84y7ey8I_rw&sig2=Q8_VbU1HfYvnZVufKqw0bA

To the OP:

I skipped all the BS above.

The solution is to never answer the phone that you threw into the woodchipper 15 years ago last November.

This is also being used to record your "yes" response which is later used to authorize fraudulent charges, in your name, to your credit cards, utilities, or other billing parties you may have. These guys are worse than scum.

Beware new "can you hear me" scam - CBS News

They are now using cloned numbers that *appear* to be local. If you call that number back, you get some poor dude whose number they just used. I get half a dozen of these calls per day on my work cell. I can't ignore it because those who are legit & call my cell generally really need help in short order.

It does seem as though Rachel from Card Services has finally decided to go Fuch herself, as I advised their rep several times.

Blight on society. They need to be hunted down and beheaded.

Before it got so bad, I'd just hand the phone to my four-year-old and say it was "Grandpa."

Now, I just don't answer calls I don't recognize. It's about all ya got. Anything important enough for someone to call, is important enough for a VM.-WW

For some time I redirected them to our fax.
Then for some time I took the call and just let the phone lay on the desk.
Now I dont get those calls anymore (in Germany this law seems to work).

I am surprised any carrier would be against it, unless they are making some money on the robo-calls and telemarketers.

I would change carriers in a heartbeat if they can promise no more robo-calls or telemarketers calling me. I would thnk that would be a BIG marketing tool for them.

1). Don't answer or hang up immediately.
"Hi, Is frank there? Is this frank garbowski?" [you ignore prompt to state your name.]
"No. Sorry wrong number" [There is silence. You have zero obligation to fill that silence.]
"Oh maybe you can help me. This is janet from flim flam company and I want you to kno..." [click.]

2). Keep them on the hook and make them pay with wasted effort.
"OOOOOOH that is GREAT. I love it. Hold on for just a sec the soup just boiled over. I'll be right back." [put phone down for 10 minutes]
"Hi are you still there?"
"Don't call back."

3). Engage them.
Record the conversation.
Find out their true name and address.
"Sorry I need to know what company I am talking to first. Can you tell me more?"
Serve summons and sue them in small claims for $500 per incident/harassment call after being warned it is a do-not-call number. (per the FCC)

Here at work at least twice per week we get some company that promises they can save us money on the credit card reader we use. It is just tedious. Since it is a business we answer every call. We just make silly stuff up to answer them.

For the folks selling their credit card system we just tell them we only take chickens pigs and goats or gold. No money that is evil and the work of the devil.

For the companies selling health insurance I tell them everyone here is a doctor and we treat each other for free.

The free vacation calls we tell them we travel all the time the best possible vacation is the stay home and read a book.

we got rid of ours many years ago. no one called us on it except telemarket.

use to not get any on the cell phone, now I get several a day.
if I don't know the number I don't answer.

use to fun when I person called you. you could mess with them.
if it was a woman I would ask her what she is wearing, is she hot, usually did not get much further. also fun to waste their time. set the phone down and le them talk

if it was a guy I held the phone to the cymbal on my drum set and......

DO NOT give your number or email out unless you have to. cant figure out why I buy shop towels at harbor freight and they want need my number,. thing is I heat people in line giving it to them.
why would I want a receipt emailed to me from home depot?! just another way to get info on you so they can spam you