How do you handle scam/telemarketer calls?

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
My cell phone is my only phone. I've had the same number for years and I routinely get telemarketer calls or other scam calls, which drive me batty!!

I've gotten to the point where I just won't answer a call from a number that isn't in my contacts. If it's in my contacts, the name appended to that number will show on my phone and that way I know it's legitimate. If, by chance, it IS a legitimate call, they will leave a voice mail. 99.5% of the no-name calls I get don't leave a message. Sometimes I'll get a call from the same number numerous times (my phone shows how many times that number has called me) and then I just block the number.

What about you?
 

If it's not someone or a number I know, I don't answer and then I block the number. Later I look the number up online and to check and see what they're up to.
 
We use our land line almost exclusively, and have cordless handsets placed strategically all around the house. Our Motorola system "speaks" the callers name (from our programmed numbers) or number (from caller ID). It can be heard a room or two away, so if we don't recognize the caller we just ignore it. As Ronni noted, junk callers don't leave messages. If someone starts to leave a legitimate message on our machine, we simply pick up a handset. It works well and is particularly helpful during election season here in New Hampshire when we're likely to get 10 or 20 junk calls in a day.
 

I programmed my phone to ring if the number is in my contact list.

If it is an unknown number the phone vibrates to get my attention but I don't bother to answer.

The phone captures the missed calls and allows a caller to leave a message.

So far I have not missed any important calls and it has saved me several minutes.
 
AprilSun said:
If it's not someone or a number I know, I don't answer and then I block the number. Later I look the number up online and to check and see what they're up to.
Click to expand...


I do this too. Often when I google the number it turns out to be a known scammer.
 
I usually don't pick up if I see an unusual number on the caller ID on my landline. Sometimes I go to 800notes.com to see if that number has been reported by others as a scammer, then I comment there about their calling me. Luckily my old Tracfone hasn't received much spam at all over the years.
 
I rarely answer these calls. Our landline phone has a call block feature, which I use for scam calls. It does work. If I do answer a call without thinking, I simply hang up immediately if I realize it is a telemarketer.
 
Like most of the others, if I don't recognize a number I don't answer it. If it's important they will leave a message or send me a text.
 
Ronni said:
My cell phone is my only phone. I've had the same number for years and I routinely get telemarketer calls or other scam calls, which drive me batty!!

I've gotten to the point where I just won't answer a call from a number that isn't in my contacts. If it's in my contacts, the name appended to that number will show on my phone and that way I know it's legitimate. If, by chance, it IS a legitimate call, they will leave a voice mail. 99.5% of the no-name calls I get don't leave a message. Sometimes I'll get a call from the same number numerous times (my phone shows how many times that number has called me) and then I just block the number.

What about you?
Click to expand...

Check your phone settings to see if you have a "do not disturb" option. The only ones that can get through are those on your contact list. You can also set the times and the days for the option to be available.

It worked wonders for me.

I also disabled the voice mail option . What the heck. If I recognize the phone call number and it's on my contact list I just call them back. Why do I have to listen to a voice mail message.
 
chic said:
I do this too. Often when I google the number it turns out to be a known scammer.
Click to expand...

That's the way it is with me too most of the time. Sometimes the number will be a spoofed number. I don't find out anything when this happens but that still tells me they're up to no good or they wouldn't be using someone else's number.
 
We sometimes have things to sell on the local Facebook sales page or on Craigslist so I usually let the answering machine pick up till I see who it is. If I do happen to answer, as soon as I know it's spam I don't say one word, I just hang up.

Lately we've gotten a lot of political polls and my neighbor just hands the phone to their 10 year old son and let him chat with them awhile. I don't pick up for polls or surveys at all.
 
I don't answer calls with no familiar ID name or number. If such numbers call repeatedly without leaving messages, I block them as telemarketers, scammers, or junk.
 
I get those nuisance calls several times a day on my land line. Also, less often, on my cell phone. I ignore them.

However, they've found a new way to annoy me. Lately, some of them have been leaving messages on my answering machine (land line) and voice mail (cell phone). The cell phone ones I can ignore, but my answering machine keeps beeping until I push the button to hear the message.

I can fix that in my settings, to have it just show the number of messages, no beeps, but I kind of like the beeps when it is a legitimate call. These people are horrible. They have made most of our phones
practically unusable.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top