BHOU!
So, three cold callers yesterday (land line). One called right after 8am. I can't block them because I run a company from home and do-not-call-list rules only applies to private numbers (NIX in Sweden). I don't have time to play games with them, so I think I'm just gonna tell them to wait, resume my work, then hang up after 2 minutes. Hanging up quickly only gives them more time to harass others.
I'm thinking I can get them to stay on longer if I leave the phone next to a radio or a sound source. I might have to do some experiments with a stop watch and graph paper ready.
A warning though: Some scammers specialize on calling from a pay number and hang up before you can answer. If you call them back to see what it was about, they try to make you wait and since you're the one calling, you'll be the one paying (probably a lot per minute too).
4 comments:
try using sound clips of scary movies like crying people and chainsaws revving up, they're bound to stop calling "the psycho weirdo" that way and since it's an outsorced company they're bound to blacklist you, so you're safe even if someone else hires them again, I've successfully used this technique before.
And have the tape at hand in case they freak out and call the cops, make it an old and cheesy one to make it even less threatening.
other alternatives are to use highly annoying elevator music or regular music whit the sound of an old dial up modem spliced into it after a minute.
one way thats worked for me is the fact that as an ordained minister, all I have to do is say "umm, this is a church phone" and they never call back! am I saying "go ahead and lie and tell them YOU"RE a pastor too!"...is that what I am saying??? YES. DO IT! for the sake of your time and work...just say you are the reverend __________ of the Temple of Sado-Masochistic Envy or whatever...they'll get the picture....LOL
Hehehe. These suggestions might work if it's the same people calling again and again, but I don't think that's the case. I think I'd crack up and ruin the act anyways. I can't even sneak up on my cats because I have to choke giddy laughter.
These cold callers probably have their ways of taking revenge on people who prank them, so just leaving them waiting, never really knowing what happened seems like a good neutral solution. I'd get my revenge by taking away what's most precious to them (time), and I give that time to other potential victims.
I think the best way to reply, is just saying "Hello?" when a see a number that could be a cold caller. Then they have to ask who they're talking to, and I get a chance to ask them to wait while that person gets to the phone.
I've taken to answering the phone with fake establishment names. Like Rodney's All-American Pizza Shack. My friends know me well enough to get it, and it throws off the telescammers pretty well.
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