A way to fight back against telemarketers

May 12, 2017, 12:15 AM

tigereye313

Disclaimer: I've not tried this service personally, but find the concept amusing.

http://www.jollyrogertelco.com/

So what this does is allow you to text the service while waiting for the actual telemarketer to appear on the call. The service then calls your phone which you patch through to the telemarketer and mute your line, and when the TM bozo does get on the line an AI robot screws with the telemarketer automatically and strings them along while you listen in. Brilliant!

May 12, 2017, 01:20 AM

12131

Really? Are we so inept, wussy, or whatever you want to call it, that we now need to pay someone to ignore phone calls?

May 12, 2017, 01:48 AM

slosig

I finally got so fed up with the "spammer" calls that I just put my phone on permanent "do not disturb" then set "do not disturb" to allow anyone in my address book through. No more stopping what I am doing to check who is calling, if they are not in my contacts I don't even hear a ring. I'll see the missed call next time I look at the phone and if they left a message I'll listen to it. If not I'll just smile that "do not disturb" did its job, ignore the missed call, and carry on.

May 12, 2017, 05:30 AM

Deqlyn

I just use the block feature on my phone. Guess I will be not getting any of those cruises I keep winning. I think 6 is enough though, Ill let someone else win

May 12, 2017, 05:39 AM

Chris Anchor

I have two replies to telemarketers #1-say no one here to authorize any purchases or change in utilities and give them our Alaska home office number (one made up in my head) or #2-go into an accent so hard to understand that they give up. Just gotta play with them. It's really got to be a hard job on the other end. Chris

May 12, 2017, 05:40 AM

braillediver

I don't need no app to deal with telemarketers. Call at your own risk.

May 12, 2017, 06:09 AM

Edmond

I like the V-Tail method... Lol

May 12, 2017, 06:11 AM

rbert0005

Funny, there are no humans on the line with any of the calls I get here. Just robots.

Bob

May 12, 2017, 07:02 AM

Deqlyn

quote:
Originally posted by rbert0005:
Funny, there are no humans on the line with any of the calls I get here. Just robots.

Bob

Skynet bob, i warned you!

May 12, 2017, 07:13 AM

SIG4EVA

quote:
Originally posted by 12131:
Really? Are we so inept, wussy, or whatever you want to call it, that we now need to pay someone to ignore phone calls?

I think the point is that you don't have to do anything on your end (waste time) and they get burned. The same thing they do to you. (robo call). I don't even bother answering anymore because most of the time nobody is there.

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May 12, 2017, 07:46 AM

jbcummings

quote:
Originally posted by Chris Anchor:
I have two replies to telemarketers #1-say no one here to authorize any purchases or change in utilities and give them our Alaska home office number (one made up in my head) or #2-go into an accent so hard to understand that they give up. Just gotta play with them. It's really got to be a hard job on the other end. Chris

I like this response. Since I don't have a home office in Alaska the following number might work

Contact number for the NSA 301-688-6524.

May 12, 2017, 07:58 AM

zoom6zoom

so we end up with machines talking to machines? Isn't that how Skynet got started?

May 12, 2017, 08:28 AM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by Edmond:
I like the V-Tail method... Lol

Just talk to them. That's what telephones are for.

What are you wearing?

Do you have underwear on? What color is it?

Are you coming over to see me? Will you bring ice cream?

What's your name?

Do you wear anything when you sleep?

Do you have a dog?

Is it raining where you are?

Are you going to send me a credit card?

Sometimes they take me for a walk, but I'm not allowed to drive the car anymore.

May 12, 2017, 08:48 AM

Steve Collins

I got rid of telemarketers when I finally pulled the plug on our landline phone. I never get any on my cellphone.

May 12, 2017, 08:57 AM

CoolRich59

quote:
Originally posted by tigereye313:

So what this does is allow you to text the service while waiting for the actual telemarketer to appear on the call. The service then calls your phone which you patch through to the telemarketer and mute your line, and when the TM bozo does get on the line an AI robot screws with the telemarketer automatically and strings them along while you listen in. Brilliant!

I dislike spam calls because they waste my time. This looks like it requires even more effort than just ignoring the call and then blocking the number. So, I'd have to give it a thumbs down.

I do like slosig's approach: Put your phone on full-time do-not-disturb. If you're not in my contact list, your call does not come through. I know this is not practical for some folks, but almost all the calls I get are from my wife or my kids, so this is a great solution for me.

_____________________________________________________________________
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May 12, 2017, 12:17 PM

dry-fly

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Collins:
I got rid of telemarketers when I finally pulled the plug on our landline phone. I never get any on my cellphone.

Give it time, they'll find you.

May 12, 2017, 12:24 PM

nhtagmember

I have been robocalls - several a day - for the past few weeks

just started all of a sudden and I'm on the do not call list but apparently its not enough

May 12, 2017, 12:53 PM

HRK

Suggested in my no more telemarketers thread,

https://www.nomorobo.com/

I use the block caller feature of my phone supplier, Spectrum, you login to your spectrum account, go to phone services, block callers, and add any calls that come in from the caller ID into their web site, it's free, whereas nomorobo is a few bucks a month.

Advantage to nomorobo is that you get the benefit of others who enter robo call data into the database.

May 12, 2017, 01:08 PM

bald1

quote:
Originally posted by slosig:
I finally got so fed up with the "spammer" calls that I just put my phone on permanent "do not disturb" then set "do not disturb" to allow anyone in my address book through. No more stopping what I am doing to check who is calling, if they are not in my contacts I don't even hear a ring. I'll see the missed call next time I look at the phone and if they left a message I'll listen to it. If not I'll just smile that "do not disturb" did its job, ignore the missed call, and carry on.

What version operating system do you have that offers that feature?

I ask because i'm still using an "antique" Android v2.4.2 and am in the market for a new phone.

May 12, 2017, 01:41 PM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I have been robocalls - several a day - for the past few weeks

just started all of a sudden and I'm on the do not call list but apparently its not enough

Wireless or landline? Because such calls to wireless number are a violation of FCC rules.

Of course; Getting the FCC to actually follow-up and punish the cretins is another matter.

I activated T-Mobile's spam blocker on my wireless phone. Our LL is via CallCentric VoIP, now, and it has extensive, and configurable, spam/scam call handling. Our telespammer call rate has dropped from 3-5/day to maybe 3-5 a month--if that.

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