phone spam

[coW]

Out of curiosity, has anyone else here seen an increase in getting telemarketing calls on their cell or regular phone?
My phone has been relatively clean but over the last two weeks I've been getting more spam calls than ever.

My cell phone is a contact number for my consulting business. I've been getting one particularly annoying type of call, asking whether they can handle my outgoing mail.
I've repeatedly asked them to remove me from their list. The number is on the DNC list and they are spoofing caller ID - something they are not supposed to do as a telemarketer.


To screw with them, on the last call I asked for their contact information. When she asked why I'd need that, I told her that they are using my company resource to do their business. As such, it is perfectly legitimate for me to bill them at whatever rate is charged. I also offered that it may be cheaper to keep me on retainer so they can call me about 5 times a week (something they've been doing).
After some googling, found out the company behind all this is TMG Marketing so sent them a fax, clarifying my intent.
I'm just going to send them ficticious bills against fake invoices from now on - at $120/hr, that will get their attention.

[scott s]

Not spam, but my cell phone number is apparently the same number as a collection agency, except theirs has a 1-800 prefix. My area code is 803.
I get an unbelieveable amount of calls from people wanting to know how they can pay me so they won't go to jail. Some of them are calling about debts from 3-7 years ago. Mostly from bounced checks.

When I was growing up, my parents home phone was one digit off from the hospital. My brother and I told a LOT of people that that "No, we can't connect you to room 106, they died this morning".
I'm probably going to hell for that one.

[Cusser]

(1) I ask for the caller's home number, and tell them I'll call them back while THEY'RE having dinner.....

or

(2) pretend like I'm real hard of hearing ("What? What?), no one wants to deal with that

or

(3) "Give me your name and contact information as phone solicitation is not legal and I want to be sure to get it right when I involve the federal authorities."
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[coW]

That sending bills trick I've done before.
Great fun if you imagine that sending it to their account payable department steers a bunch of people into a dark alley: they have to run around the company trying to figure out what this bill was for.

An offending local newspaper was sent angry late notes - eventually got an apology out of them.

[Foxx]

i put my cell on the do not call list too.
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Frank
OG JHC
59 panel




Sarcasm is the body's natural defense against stupidity. i seem to use a lot.

[KGCoupe]

Listening to NPR, I heard about a guy that billed the offending callers, then took them to court to collect.
He did it more with the intention to get them shut down, or at least to change their calling practices.
In the end, he did end up collecting a tidy sum of money to boot.


Our number has been on the DNC list since it's inception, but due to the increase in solicitation calls I have been receiving over the past few months I am beginning to wonder if that expires after a certain period of time.

[EdW]

[coW]

[Spezialist]

Aa long as David R. Stewart isnt calling me its all good.
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[Jason C]

[KGCoupe]

[BWD]

[15 windowdelux]

When I was growing up, my parents home phone was one digit off from the hospital. My brother and I told a LOT of people that that "No, we can't connect you to room 106, they died this morning".
I'm probably going to hell for that one.

I had the same problem with a local rest home/retirement center, number was one digit different than their central number to reach about 3,000 people. Phone would ring every hour on the hour with employees calling in sick, senior cits wanting something fixed at their apartments, and so on. My answering machine would come on and say " Good Sam, this is 'Ed' which department please? Hold on and I'll connect you, music would play, and then I would say they got the wrong number and to leave a message for me. The business office from the place called one time to talk to me about my answering machine, I never called back figuring they could call me and get an earfull about the idiots that work for them calling me at 4am in the morning. A friends wife worked there and said that my answering machine message had really got them all worked up. I later changed the number and told the phone company about the issue and not to reissue the number. It was reassigned in less than a month.
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My last fortune cookie said:
"A short saying oft contains much wisdom."
Why is it all I can think about now is George
Carlin's "Seven words you can't say on television"????

[Kapt-Kubel]

I usually get scam calls from someone pretending to run a mexican radio station, that's about it.

[beetleboy58]

I got one for cable tv at 10 pm the other night. Wasn't impressed.

[derv]

The first 'wave' of numbers that were added to the DNC list are now expiring. If you put your number on the list when it first came out, it is time for a refresh.
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Jack

[dms]

These assholes ask for me , not so much on my cell , but on the home phone .
What I do is tell them that Im dead , I identify that im the deceased's bother in law , and I am handling his affairs and that the phone will be disconnected within the next 48 hours .
So there is no point that his be on your mailing list any longer .

They remove you off the mailing list and never hear from them again .
works every time
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If you don't like the way I drive , stay off the sidewalk .

[LittleThunder]

When I'm at work we get calls from some finance companys with recorded greetings explaining all they can do for you, I immediately dial any number and get switched over to another extension with some salesman. I put it on speaker phone and go about my business, which is helping customers in a retail store. The salesman can hear all of the commotion going on and is going "hello....hello". They hang up quickly but I figure if I can fuck their day up even for a few minutes, it's worth it.

[mike yapps]

We get phone soliciters all the time at work. Always the same ones it seems. I've answered sometimes and there's a recording saying that they have an important call, but all there representatives are busy so please hold.
I've been getting messages on my home phone saying that my warranty on my car is almost up and to call and get it extended. The newest vehicle I own is 26 years old. Maybe I call and see if they'll extend my warranty on my 66 Bug

[typesoneandtwo]

I got a phone spam call from Canada last night. This lady was talking all "eh, ya know" She was doing a survey concerning television. I informed her that I have not watched any television in over 8 years, no cable, no dish, nothing. She continued on in this whiny unintelligable monologue until I spoke up. "I'm gonna have to end this because I cannot understand what you are saying." ya know, ya hosers!
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Each day is precious.