Unknown Phone Numbers

Jules

SF VIP
Do you call them back when you see them on call display?

A local discussion group had numerous complaints of someone unknown answering the phone when they redialled. Even before spoofing was common, I never called back an unknown number.

Years ago I accidentally dialled a number and hung up when I realized it. A couple of hours later I went through an inquisition from the woman who I had mistakenly called.
 

Did you hang up on the woman?

Many years ago a new number (I think they don't re-issue them for 6 months?) clearly previously belonged to someone with massive credit issues. Calls and calls. Hung up on one woman who immediately called back, berated me, then hung up before I could say anything back. Got the number changed. It was ridiculous.
 
Unknown name and number, we ignore, and it's my understanding that one should never try calling back, as there are scams that exist where upon returning the call, you are auto-charged a high dollar amount for each minute you're on the phone.

I find it all comical, because dear husband and I have been on the receiving end of peoples frustration over trying to reach us by way of their cellphone, only to be blocked by a service we have on our line that requires the person calling, to push a number button in order to reveal their name or telephone number, and apparently that's a problem for some, as is getting ignored when they call and their listing displays "unknown name and number" or "private".

On many occasion now, dear husband's and my response has been, "hey, you wanted to get a cellphone".

I don't know if things have changed, or are changing in the way of cellphone numbers having names and numbers attached to them, but I don't even give it a second thought when the telephone rings and I see unknown name and number. It's become second nature in our home to ignore such calls.
 

It depends on which phone is called. I have a cell phone, which I only use as an emergency phone, and my "car" phone. Normally I use my land line phone. That's the number most of my friends have. I never recall an unknown number of my cell phone. But if an unknown number pops up on my land line, and it's from my area code, I probably will. With either phone, if the party is not on the line as soon as I answer, it's a robo call, so I hang up.
 
Unknown name and number, we ignore, and it's my understanding that one should never try calling back, as there are scams that exist where upon returning the call, you are auto-charged a high dollar amount for each minute you're on the phone.

I find it all comical, because dear husband and I have been on the receiving end of peoples frustration over trying to reach us by way of their cellphone, only to be blocked by a service we have on our line that requires the person calling, to push a number button in order to reveal their name or telephone number, and apparently that's a problem for some, as is getting ignored when they call and their listing displays "unknown name and number" or "private".

On many occasion now, dear husband's and my response has been, "hey, you wanted to get a cellphone".

I don't know if things have changed, or are changing in the way of cellphone numbers having names and numbers attached to them, but I don't even give it a second thought when the telephone rings and I see unknown name and number. It's become second nature in our home to ignore such calls.
Same here. One problem, though - a call from CPS always displays "restricted number". I missed a lot of calls from them before Collin's case worker finally emailed me.

My phone has a feature that displays the words "potential spam" on some calls. In any case, if I don't recognize the number of who's calling, I don't answer (unless it says "restricted #").
 
These Scam/robocalls are a nuisance. If it's a number we don't recognize, we let them leave a message....almost never do they do so. We've even had a couple of these calls showing our own phone number on the caller ID. I put a call blocker on our phone last Fall, and it has blocked well over 400 of these calls. On the very few times I've answered the phone....usually when it showed a local caller, the person on the other end had a very strong Indian/Pakistan accent....and they were going to save me a bundle on Medicare, etc.
 
Same here. One problem, though - a call from CPS always displays "restricted number". I missed a lot of calls from them before Collin's case worker finally emailed me.

My phone has a feature that displays the words "potential spam" on some calls. In any case, if I don't recognize the number of who's calling, I don't answer (unless it says "restricted #").
I also have spam alert or potential scam set up on my phone, but I still ignore unknown numbers even if this does not appear on my screen.
 
That’s one thing I do like about smart-phones— showing what city the call is from. There’s no doubt when I receive a call from Hollywood, CA, Kingston, Jamaica, or (as happened yesterday) from Mississauga, Ontario Canada that there’s no reason for this Georgia girl to take the call!
 
Our phone number was wrongly listed in the phone book as being the number for the local scrap yard. Callers took some convincing that they had the wrong number. Eventually we gave up and bought an answering machine, giving the correct number.
 
I don't even answer if I don't know the name or number. Today, I received a call that displays as "Wireless caller". The number was a local number but I let my answering machine get it. I figure if it's someone I know that is trying to reach me, they will leave a message. This number just hangs up. I've had several that claim to be calling from a "local number" but after I did a search online for the number, I found they are really scammers. That's when I block their number.
 
Years ago I too had someone read me the riot act when one of my sons dialed the wrong number and hung up. She kept demanding to know why I called her, I said I didn't. She said well your number is on my caller I.D. I said I don't care I didn't call you. She kept going on with her harangue. Then I yelled. That's it I'm coming over there! I didn't know who the woman was. She yelled back. Just quit calling me b----h and quickly hung up. There must be a group of people out there who have nothing better to do than investigate unknown numbers on their caller I.D.
 
I do not answer if it is an unknown number .....most important calls or real ones leave a message.
Many scams / spoofs use your own area code to get you to answer.

There are many reverse directories some want a fee but others are a sharing site where people can enter # and say something like " this was a sales pitch from ____".
 
Both my physician's office and my dental office must use outside services to make their "reminder calls". It'll show an Arizona or a New Jersey number, but the automated caller says, "This is Dr. ____'s office calling to remind you of your appointment on Tuesday at 10:15". Unfortunately, sometimes they'll also say, "Please press 1 to confirm your appointment." I've always wondered what would happen if I didn't press 1.
 
I would never call an unknown number back. I usually ignore calls that don't display who they are; like calls that start with 800. So, yesterday I received one so I pressed the hang up; they called again and I again pressed the hangup. There was a voicemail and it was the family doctor returning my call. I apologized and told them I don't answer 800 numbers and why were they using that number. They said something about an outside line. Sigh...what would I do without this excitement in my life!
 
Both my physician's office and my dental office must use outside services to make their "reminder calls". It'll show an Arizona or a New Jersey number, but the automated caller says, "This is Dr. ____'s office calling to remind you of your appointment on Tuesday at 10:15". Unfortunately, sometimes they'll also say, "Please press 1 to confirm your appointment." I've always wondered what would happen if I didn't press 1.
I got a call from Ohio reminding me of my pulmonology appointment. I hate these automated phone services. Good for the business but awful for the clients. Waste of time and money on the client's end. I even had a discussion with my cardiologist about this last Sept. and he just shrugged when I pointed out all the illogical aspects of using these systems.
 
I usually ignore unknown numbers. If I get one that keeps calling I will pick it up but not say anything. If they start their schpeel I hang up and put them in call rejection. However...sometimes if I'm feeling mean...I will verbally tear them a new one first. 😆
 
That's the thing about days gone by, I don't recall being bombarded by telemarketing and scam callers back in the day as we are today, and I directly blame telecom providers for not doing enough to prevent such callers from burdening paying customers.
You make a valid point there Marg, but telecom providers can only do so much. For example, I saw one of those investigative TV shows recently. They traced scam callers to the UK back to India. What the crooks were doing was somehow dialling through some device that gave a UK number to the receiver.

You might wonder where these odious individuals get our information, fact is, we give most of it away, quite freely, not just on social media sites but on simple things like on line purchases. When you buy on line you have to give an email address, ever wondered why?

The way to deal with it is to believe nothing. Recently I had a letter from my credit card company asking me to call them most urgently because they believed that my card had been compromised. Being suspicious, instead of calling any of the numbers given in the letter I called the number that's on my card and asked the customer services if they had sent me a letter. It turned out to be true. They told me the problem, cancelled my card and issued me with a new one. But it could so easily have been a scam.

Admission time, that finger dial phone was issued to me at my first address back in 1968, I bought it from the phone company, after privatisation for the princely sum of one pound. It still works but like everyone has said, it's important to know the incoming call and to that end the old phone is linked to a modern one. There's another good reason to have a modern handset, finger dials are useless for voice menus. When asked to press one for the money, two for the show, doing that with finger dial just cuts you off.
 


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