Robocalls "Thanks to the financial stimulus, your credit cards...."

[bob012345]

I keep getting this robocall that begins with Thanks to the financial stimulus, your credits card companies have lowered your rates...Just out of curiosity I hit the '1' key and asked the operator to not call again at which they promptly hung up without a word. At another opportunity when they called, I tried again (this time hitting the wrong key on purpose to respond and still got the operator, so any key works. I asked who was calling me and got the same response.

Has anyone received the same call? I gotten that call multiple times every day for weeks now. Thanks.

 

[fresh_42]

I avoid such calls, i.e. let them ring. If not, I choose a form of hello which they cannot record and abuse as an agreement on whatever they want to sell. This means: No yes, yep, yeah, ok, name or whatever. My solution is that I use "shalom", which also works for all who incidentally called me.

 

[bob012345]

I avoid such calls, i.e. let them ring. If not, I choose a form of hello which they cannot record and abuse as an agreement on whatever they want to sell. This means: No yes, yep, yeah, ok, name or whatever. My solution is that I use "shalom", which also works for all who incidentally called me.

I do the same. I was just curious and thought maybe I can waste their resources like answering but being real slow and evasive but its better to just ignore them.

I thought of letting them answer and then blasting a loud air horn in the phone. Is that legal?

 

[Vanadium 50]

At another opportunity when they called

What makes you think there is a single "they"? Despite the name "organized crime", criminals are usually not so organized.

 

[bob012345]

What makes you think there is a single "they"? Despite the name "organized crime", criminals are usually not so organized.

It was the same exact robocall. But yes, it could be used by hundreds of different scammers.

 

[hutchphd]

I have heard (yeah nice reference...I know) that people who actually respond to such calls meaning actually push button 1 receive a higher "gullible idiot" rating and are more valuable prospects for future calling. Don't answer.

 

[bob012345]

I turn the ringer and answering machine off when I really don't want to be bothered like at morning coffee time.

 

[gmax137]

I thought of letting them answer and then blasting a loud air horn in the phone. Is that legal?

Only if right after the blast, you say, "What the heck was that?? Did you hear that??" Then blast it again.

 

[Keith_McClary]

IIRC, if you press a button you can be connected to a "service" and billed $$ per minute.

 

[Klystron]

I have not received that particular robocall recently but did receive them a few months ago. I receive 2-3 calls per day, every day, to renew a vehicle warranty; presumably for my old reliable pickup truck.

My coping mechanism involves an old AT&T digital answering machine, ringer off, on my single remaining landline that answers with a creaky robotic synthesized 'voice', "Puh-leeze leave-a mess-age at da zound of da tone ... (wait for it) ...BEEEP!".

 

[bob012345]

I have not received that particular robocall recently but did receive them a few months ago. I receive 2-3 calls per day, every day, to renew a vehicle warranty; presumably for my old reliable pickup truck.

My coping mechanism involves an old AT&T digital answering machine, ringer off, on my single remaining landline that answers with a creaky robotic synthesized 'voice', "Puh-leeze leave-a mess-age at da zound of da tone ... (wait for it) ...BEEEP!".

Most of mine go on the old answering machine too. At least their system is wasting time leaving the whole message every time. That must limit their total calls per day.

 

[marcusl]

Interesting. I use a separate answering machine (Not AT&T) and the robocalls invariably hang up at the beep. I never have to hear their messages.

 

[bob012345]

Interesting. I use a separate answering machine (Not AT&T) and the robocalls invariably hang up at the beep. I never have to hear their messages.

I assume by a separate answering machine you mean a device where the phone is not integrated into the machine. Mine is a combo device for a wireless phone.

 

[marcusl]

I meant that I don’t use AT&T’s central-office voicemail. I have a combination landline phone and answering machine, probably similar to yours.

 

[gmax137]

I receive 2-3 calls per day, every day, to renew a vehicle warranty

On another forum, people have been posting that they answer these calls, sounding very interested in the insurance. They drag it out as long as possible before revealing their vehicle is a 1992 Corolla or similar. That's when the caller hangs up on them.

 

[bob012345]

On another forum, people have been posting that they answer these calls, sounding very interested in the insurance. They drag it out as long as possible before revealing their vehicle is a 1992 Corolla or similar. That's when the caller hangs up on them.

What really galls me is that they are so rude. I mean, if they want to steal my money they should at least be nice about it!

 

[shjacks45]

I avoid such calls, i.e. let them ring. If not, I choose a form of hello which they cannot record and abuse as an agreement on whatever they want to sell. This means: No yes, yep, yeah, ok, name or whatever. My solution is that I use "shalom", which also works for all who incidentally called me.

Those calls usually show a spoofed number so blocking doesn't help. Love the phone companies for letting people do that. There was a thing where 567 and some other area codes (and international country codes) are actually charge back "900" calls even though they called you.

 

[shjacks45]

I keep getting this robocall that begins with Thanks to the financial stimulus, your credits card companies have lowered your rates...Just out of curiosity I hit the '1' key and asked the operator to not call again at which they promptly hung up without a word. At another opportunity when they called, I tried again (this time hitting the wrong key on purpose to respond and still got the operator, so any key works. I asked who was calling me and got the same response.

Has anyone received the same call? I gotten that call multiple times every day for weeks now. Thanks.

For fun, press one and when the phone answers say "Please hold" then press mute and see how long they wait.

 

[DennisN]

On another forum, people have been posting that they answer these calls, sounding very interested in the insurance. They drag it out as long as possible before revealing their vehicle is a 1992 Corolla or similar. That's when the caller hangs up on them.

There are also very creative and funny technological countermeasures to telemarketing:

There is a Swedish youtube channel with funny dialogues between telemarketers and a preprogrammed Raspberry Pi minicomputer with a GSM dongle. The computer is called "RobotRalf".

And here's a funny similar example on another channel in English :

Hilariously frustrated telemarketer tries to tell Lenny he IS in fact qualified for the program