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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Oct 8, 2018 11:53:30 GMT
Lebowskidoo 🦞 I find that my "Hello .. HELLO ! is anyone there ? I can't hear you" routine can be rather amusing (for me) ! One guy actually laughed at that and said "Good one !" Mostly I either let the landline calls go to the cell phone to be screened and then they don't get picked up. The closest to scam calls are the ones saying that "nothing is wrong with your credit card but …. " I don't know what the "but" is because I hang up at that point. My friend Jason once broke out into a spontaneous version of the song "It's Raining on Prom Night" from the movie Grease when a phone scammer called him. Eventually his terrible singing convinced them to hang up. Side Note: Jason seems to use this as his go-to emergency song a lot, he told me he started singing this when he spotted some bears while hiking in Alaska once too.
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Post by Terrapin Station on Oct 8, 2018 12:21:02 GMT
As I said above, now I always just ignore the calls now if it's not someone I know calling (and I'd not answer even if I thought it was my bank calling or something--if it's my bank, they can leave a message telling me at least roughly what it's about and I'll call them back), but I used to answer telemarketing/scam calls sometimes just to mess with the folks calling. A few things I enjoyed doing:
(1) I'd seem like I was interested in whatever they were selling, but say that I had run out for a minute, or that I had to talk to my wife first, or something like that, and I'd ask for their name and number to call them back. That didn't always work, of course, but sometimes it did. Then I'd keep calling them and harassing them.
(2) I'd try to sell them something instead.
(3) If it was a female calling, I'd just spend the whole call flirting with her/hitting on her. If it was a male, I'd say that I was more comfortable talking to a female about whatever it was.
(4) I'd act as if I could be very easily confused, as if I was really scatterbrained, etc., and waste as much of their time as possible. "Okay, wait--you're saying that I'll receive what? What is that? Could you explain that to me better?" etc. I'd even take it so far as to give them incorrect info. "Okay, definitely I'm interested. Let me give you my credit card number. Okay, that's <very slowly, where I'd just make up a number> 5542 35 . . . wait--is that right? I'm sorry, my eyesight is bad, and the light in this room isn't good. I need to go outside to see this better. <banging around for a couple minutes--slamming doors, etc.> Okay <very slowly> 5542 . . . Oh, dammit! That's that expired card. I need to go back inside and get the other card. <banging around again . . . making up a different number> 5434 . . . " I'd make a game of it to see just how much of their time I could waste before they'd hang up instead.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 8, 2018 12:58:49 GMT
As I said above, now I always just ignore the calls now if it's not someone I know calling (and I'd not answer even if I thought it was my bank calling or something--if it's my bank, they can leave a message telling me at least roughly what it's about and I'll call them back), but I used to answer telemarketing/scam calls sometimes just to mess with the folks calling. A few things I enjoyed doing: (1) I'd seem like I was interested in whatever they were selling, but say that I had run out for a minute, or that I had to talk to my wife first, or something like that, and I'd ask for their name and number to call them back. That didn't always work, of course, but sometimes it did. Then I'd keep calling them and harassing them. (2) I'd try to sell them something instead. (3) If it was a female calling, I'd just spend the whole call flirting with her/hitting on her. If it was a male, I'd say that I was more comfortable talking to a female about whatever it was. (4) I'd act as if I could be very easily confused, as if I was really scatterbrained, etc., and waste as much of their time as possible. "Okay, wait--you're saying that I'll receive what? What is that? Could you explain that to me better?" etc. I'd even take it so far as to give them incorrect info. "Okay, definitely I'm interested. Let me give you my credit card number. Okay, that's <very slowly, where I'd just make up a number> 5542 35 . . . wait--is that right? I'm sorry, my eyesight is bad, and the light in this room isn't good. I need to go outside to see this better. <banging around for a couple minutes--slamming doors, etc.> Okay <very slowly> 5542 . . . Oh, dammit! That's that expired card. I need to go back inside and get the other card. <banging around again . . . making up a different number> 5434 . . . " I'd make a game of it to see just how much of their time I could waste before they'd hang up instead. Telemarketing and scam should not be used like Telemarketing/Scam as in the same breath. Telemarketing is just another form of marketing. Yes, I do agree that the fact that they give people unsolicited calls may not be an ethical thing but telemarketers earn their living and feed their family by doing their marketing. Almost all forms of marketing is based on presenting best aspects of products while hiding or simply not talking about the bad aspects of the products. Good or bad, all forms of marketing have a part to play in the economy by reading consumer behaviour and providing correct direction for new research and development. You shouldn't not yourself become a pretender by pretending to be interested in them if you aren't. Just say that you are not interested and that you would prefer not to be contacted again. 10 seconds and it's done.
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Post by Terrapin Station on Oct 8, 2018 13:10:10 GMT
As I said above, now I always just ignore the calls now if it's not someone I know calling (and I'd not answer even if I thought it was my bank calling or something--if it's my bank, they can leave a message telling me at least roughly what it's about and I'll call them back), but I used to answer telemarketing/scam calls sometimes just to mess with the folks calling. A few things I enjoyed doing: (1) I'd seem like I was interested in whatever they were selling, but say that I had run out for a minute, or that I had to talk to my wife first, or something like that, and I'd ask for their name and number to call them back. That didn't always work, of course, but sometimes it did. Then I'd keep calling them and harassing them. (2) I'd try to sell them something instead. (3) If it was a female calling, I'd just spend the whole call flirting with her/hitting on her. If it was a male, I'd say that I was more comfortable talking to a female about whatever it was. (4) I'd act as if I could be very easily confused, as if I was really scatterbrained, etc., and waste as much of their time as possible. "Okay, wait--you're saying that I'll receive what? What is that? Could you explain that to me better?" etc. I'd even take it so far as to give them incorrect info. "Okay, definitely I'm interested. Let me give you my credit card number. Okay, that's <very slowly, where I'd just make up a number> 5542 35 . . . wait--is that right? I'm sorry, my eyesight is bad, and the light in this room isn't good. I need to go outside to see this better. <banging around for a couple minutes--slamming doors, etc.> Okay <very slowly> 5542 . . . Oh, dammit! That's that expired card. I need to go back inside and get the other card. <banging around again . . . making up a different number> 5434 . . . " I'd make a game of it to see just how much of their time I could waste before they'd hang up instead. Telemarketing and scam should not be used like Telemarketing/Scam as in the same breath. Telemarketing is just another form of marketing. Yes, I do agree that the fact that they give people unsolicited calls may not be an ethical thing but telemarketers earn their living and feed their family by doing their marketing. Almost all forms of marketing is based on presenting best aspects of products while hiding or simply not talking about the bad aspects of the products. Good or bad, all forms of marketing have a part to play in the economy by reading consumer behaviour and providing correct direction for new research and development. You shouldn't not yourself become a pretender by pretending to be interested in them if you aren't. Just say that you are not interested and that you would prefer not to be contacted again. 10 seconds and it's done. In both cases it's someone bothering me at home, unsolicited, trying to sell me something. I have zero sympathy for anyone doing that, or knocking on my door and trying to sell me something, etc. If we'd all harass them, waste their time, etc., we'd put all of those companies out of business, which would be a good thing in my opinion. It's amazing to me that any of those folks--whether telemarketers or scammers--are ever successful enough to stay in business in the first place. Just who are they making money from?
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Post by Terrapin Station on Oct 8, 2018 13:12:02 GMT
I have zero sympathy for any sort of pushy marketing, sales tactics, etc. in general, by the way. I'll F with pushy salespeople in stores, too.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 8, 2018 13:15:37 GMT
I have zero sympathy for any sort of pushy marketing, sales tactics, etc. in general, by the way. I'll F with pushy salespeople in stores, too. Isn't your wife ( at least the last one that I know - The south African one of South Asian origin) also in marketing? Now this question has nothing to do with the topic we are discussing. I just want to know if my recollection regarding your family history is correct or not.
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Post by Terrapin Station on Oct 8, 2018 13:23:26 GMT
I have zero sympathy for any sort of pushy marketing, sales tactics, etc. in general, by the way. I'll F with pushy salespeople in stores, too. Isn't your wife ( at least the last one that I know - The south African one of South Asian origin) also in marketing? Now this question has nothing to do with the topic we are discussing. I just want to know if my recollection regarding your family history is correct or not. I'm not anti-marketing. I'm anti unsolicited telemarketing, pushy sales people, etc. But no, my wife isn't involved with marketing. Her background is economics and international trade/finance. She's a consultant for financial companies and organizations, ranging from private banks and the government (World Bank/IMF, etc.) to investment groups, financial industry software developers, etc.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 8, 2018 13:24:45 GMT
Isn't your wife ( at least the last one that I know - The south African one of South Asian origin) also in marketing? Now this question has nothing to do with the topic we are discussing. I just want to know if my recollection regarding your family history is correct or not. I'm not anti-marketing. I'm anti unsolicited telemarketing, pushy sales people, etc. But no, my wife isn't involved with marketing. Her background is economics and international trade/finance. She's a consultant for financial companies and organizations, ranging from private banks and the government (World Bank/IMF, etc.) to investment groups, financial industry software developers, etc. Cool. I am also in finance.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 8, 2018 14:39:39 GMT
Terrapin StationI agree .. it's unsolicited marketing that is the problem with telemarketers. I figure , If I want something I will go to a store OR research on-line to find what I am looking for. Junk mail solicitations for insurance etc are in the same category … waste of paper and postage.
None of which has anything to do with SCAMMERS in the sense that the OP presented.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 15, 2018 4:12:15 GMT
Terrapin Station
None of which has anything to do with SCAMMERS in the sense that the OP presented. True. Just got a call from a scammer for the first time in may be last 8 years. He said he was from Department of Home Affairs (Australia) and that when I returned to Australia last time I had filled my immigration form incorrectly. He said I was to be deported and that I could clear myself by paying a fee on live call. I said Ok but first do you want acting classes from me as I can pick people when they are lying. He cut the call.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 15, 2018 4:16:25 GMT
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