a word of caution here. as noted already, old numbers are now new numbers for someone else. and using incorrect numbers can backfire. when we were teens, my little sister & i spent late nights pranking taxi companies. giving wrong address to dispatcher, wrong phone confirmation numbers. long story short & also put a stop to our "fun" ..when a classmate was telling us at school about the engry taxi driver who had awakened friends angry household in middle of night. there are no phony adress' or phone numbers. companies that run these contests are doing nothing more than collecting information to sell to other companies. i do not think anything they have to give away is worth the loss of privacy by having my name, address & phone number sold all over. i don't give my email addy either.

I got a new cell phone number about a year ago, and at first I got numerous spam/scam calls a day. I sleep days, so it was VERY annoying to be repeatedly woken up by the phone ringing, but I didn't want to turn the phone off because I use it as an alarm clock, plus I need to be able to answer any emergency calls from my family.

I stopped the calls by doing these three things:

1. I put my number on the Do-Not-Call list.

2. I downloaded a free app called Mr. Number that blocks unwanted calls. You can block them yourself, plus it also has a list of known telemarketers and scammers whose numbers are automatically blocked. You can choose to either hang up on them, or you can send the caller straight to your voice mail. On your end, the phone never rings.

3. I went to YouTube and found a recording of the "number disconnected" message. You know the one that has the high pitched "Doo Doo DOOOO" tones, then says "The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service ..." I recorded that message as my voice mail greeting, then used Mr. Number to route the unwanted calls straight to my voice mail. (Obviously, you have to explain to your friends and family that your number is valid, and to wait until the "number disconnected" message finishes, and then they can leave a message if you happen not to answer.) I think I heard somewhere that computer-generated calls are programmed to listen for the "Doo Doo DOOOO" tones, and that the computer will flag your number as being invalid and will remove you from the list.

Between these three things, my spam/scam calls dropped from 10+ a day to zero VERY FAST.

My husband got a new number at the same time I did, and he did the first two things above, but he recorded a regular voice mail message rather than the "number disconnected" message. He still gets occasional unwanted calls.

As far as giving out my number, I very rarely do. I either tell them the number is private, or I make up a phony number. With my e-mail address, I give them an address that I purposely set up as a throw-away address, and they can spam it all they want because I rarely even check it.

(No affiliation with the Mr. Number app.)

It seems we are all plagued with the same issues! I don't give out my information either. I use a "junk" e-mail, and when needed/pushed use a phone number from my old employer that "just rings". My landline allows me to block 250 numbers, and with caller ID we only answer calls from people we know. Not big on entering contests, or signing up for "freebies". Maybe it is an age thing....we are retired...if I want it, I buy it...I don't need someone calling me with an offer I can't refuse! I'd never donate to someone over the phone. I chose who I donate to. As others have said, I pay for the use of my landline....not scammers, or solicitors, or telemarketers!!

I have the problem with mobile phones. I have one and only give number to family, it is for emergencies when I go out not ringing all the time when I go out. When a mobile number is required I do 07712345678 just ensure 11 digits and beginning sounds like beginning of some mobile line.
Worked so far only one man caught on and used my landline which I had also given.why do some places want both.

This is what I did/ do to get off unwanted mailing lists. If I receive a solicitation in the mail that contains a return envelope that does not require me to use a stamp, I circle my name and write "Delete my name from your records." I make sure to cross through any areas that need to be filled in. I then stuff as much of the sent material into the envelope and mail it back to them. I rarely get any more solicitations from the organization. For catalogs, I call or email the company to delete my name. I use the word delete rather than remove so they know I want to be out of their records completely. It has worked beautifully. It takes a little time at first, but within a few months you can cut down or eliminate most of your junk mail. I receive very little junk mail anymore. My only phone is my cellphone, so I screen calls. If I don't know the number calling, I don't answer. If it is a legitimate call, the caller will leave a voice mail.

Every time I get a call on my cell from a sales person I just touch Block Caller. They can call and leave voice messages all day long, I never get them again.

I too am on the no call list...I keep a log of who calls (even when I'm not at home--caller ID)..if I have asked not to be called by the company...I make a report to the FCC...it's on line...and takes only a few minutes...once you tell the telemarketer you're reporting them to the FCC...that usually gets their attention!!

When I get to the contest entry page, if they ask for phone # I just leave the sight. I agree - giving your phone # out is just asking for trouble.

This is certainly an interesting topic.

When getting unwanted phone calls my late husband would begin speaking with them and/or asking questions keeping them on the line for a VERY LONG time. he said they are paying for the call and I am going to make them pay.
When I get an unwanted call like for windows I tell them my house is new so don't need new windows.
An older fellow told a caller he was sure glad they called cause he was just foreclosed on and he needed their product. They hung up.
I agree there is nothing that is really free. we have a local thing in the summer for anyone from 0-18 years of age that can get a free noon meal. They ask for volunteers to help serve this so I volunteered one day to see what really went on. A bunch of teenagers came after their baseball practice. That really turned me off of this practice.
PLUS people say but it is free, a government program to use. There are NO FREE LUNCHES! Guess who the government is? Us of course.

Whoops I just got a call from my credit card company! I was told I was paying too high of an interest rate. He came back up with a figure that apparently is my limit on my card. I said What are you saying? That is my balance? I continued and told him I pay my bill every month so do not need a cheaper rate. He hung up !