SusieQOH

True, but if it's someone I know they'll leave a message.

Anniedeb

I think we're all just stuck with those frustrating calls! We are listed in the do not call registry. We also have caller ID. Like most others, I don't answer any number I don't recognize. We have blocked all incoming unavailable, unknown, etc. I also block the repeat number calls that come in about our mortgage, credit cards, etc. Any message they leave is easily erased. Most times DH doesn't hear the phone ring anyway. Political calls are exempt from the do not call registry, but once they start their message about who they are calling on behalf of, I answer and ask to be removed from their calling list. That has worked also.

IceLeopard

Just don't pull a number out of thin air. Sometimes that number belongs to someone who does not want to be bothered with that many calls.

When I was a teen, someone kept calling and asking for "Lulu". Clearly she'd given him a fake number to get him off her back. Nothing Mom said convinced him to stop calling. Finally a friend of ours was there and answered the call. "Lulu's in her room with a customer. Call back in about 15 minutes." He never called again.

WMUTeach

Oh, goodness, I am still giggling out loud. Thanks for the morning morning smile. Juggling cats! Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha The picture in my head is just too silly.

NJ Quilter

At one point we were getting harassed on an almost hourly basis for days on end with telemarketing calls. I tracked each of the numbers. We were already on the Do Not Call list. It was so horrible I actually contacted the FCC to lodge a formal complaint. I was told by the very nice gentleman there that there was virtually nothing that could be done their end - at least at that time due to various regulations - as the telemarketers would simply change numbers, etc. His advice was to simply not talk to them. He said the more you 'responded' (i.e., letting them ramble while doing other things; giving them false info; etc.) was feeding into their (telemarketer's) systems simply by extending the duration of the call.

As soon as Nomorobo became available I jumped on that like white on rice! It is free for landlines. They do charge a small monthly fee for cell phones. I can tolerate the 1 ring. The spoofers still get through by using fake local area codes and exchanges but I let them go to the machine. Yep. No message. What really ticks me off about the spoofers is they will frequently spoof numbers of people or businesses that I Do deal with/want to speak to. That part Really ticks me off!

meanmom

I just saw a suggestion on Facebook. Answer the phone " with the name of your city, police department, fraud department."

OneBusyGranny

yea, me ,too. I'm 73, why would I have a student loan ? I told them my identity had been stollen(which it was ) and the Sheriff's dept is monitoring my calls. that stopped them.

janjanq

I have a feature on my landline phone that lets me easily block phone numbers. If that number calls again my phone will only ring once and "call blocked" appears on the phone's screen. We wait till there's a second ring before making any attempt to answer it. Helps a lot! We get at least 5 blocked calls a day but can now just ignore them without having to lift a finger.

janjanq

Never heard of Nomorobo. How do I get it?

janiebakes

I cancelled the land line service from ATT because it became expensive and unreliable. It would go out everytime it rained, then take two weeks before repairs were done. I signed up for VOIP (voice over internet) from my cable company. I signed up for Nomorerobo and that did help for awhile. Then I bought a VOIP router from a company called Ooma. It cost about one hundred dollars from Costco. I am technically challenged but it was easy to hook it up to the phone. It answers the phone after three rings and the caller can leave a message. I turned off the phone ringer and check once or twice a day for messages online at the Ooma site. The phone is blessedly quiet now. The monthly service from Ooma is free, all you pay are the State and local taxes, in my case less than five dollars a month. I would get rid of the land line completely but my MIL lives with us and she can't figure out cell phones.