They want to talk to me, they can leave a message I want to talk about.

and I’m writing, trying to concentrate and be creative and the phone ringing is a distraction. I don’t pick up calls unless I know who is calling. But its still ANNOYING AS HECK, especially the number and frequency.

Sometimes I can unplug it, but my wife is a sub and needs to get calls.

Back in campaign season I could swear they were trying to wear me down or something, like if they call enough then I will get fed up and answer. Au contraire.

usually claiming it's my last chance for something or other. Promises, promises.

I get easily 10 calls in a 12 hour period,even on Sunday, even after 9 pm.
I have the ringer off, but can hear the phone "whisper" if I am near it.
No message, no return call, simple as that.

Harassment as a marketing strategy.

Most of the scam calls are from crooks that aren't going to follow any rules at all. Legitimate companies that follow the rules don't call you - if it is a legitimate company and it does not obey the rules they can get in a lot of trouble.

I try to report to the Do Not Call web site every scam call. Although most of the scam calls are spoofing other numbers it still gives the FCC a database of the abuses.

One of the things that the complaints are giving impetus to is the move to have a way for phone companies to block robocalls. Eventually I hope that they can also provide a way to prevent phone number spoofing. I'd rather see blocked numbers than a spoofed number that is a complete fabrication!

Most of the scam calls I get are either robocalls or those fake Microsoft Security guys from India - though since I started telling them that they scared me so much I bought an Apple computer they've not called me as often.

And I ONLY have Apple products.

But you make good points and I should start reporting these calls to the DNC registry.

Unfortunately some other guys managed to pick up the slack and now there are various robocalls from women at card services. It's hitting a moving target but it doesn't mean that the Do Not Call list doesn't work at all.

I don't leave numbers at websites. Click.

Hear from the Microsoft guys at least once a month.

Feel like I have a 'relationship' from "Carmen from Credit Services" she calls so much. Once, I tried to talk to a person - because they kept calling my mother - who had just passed away. They hung up on me - and "Carmen" called back the next day.

Talk to them about Bernie Sanders, try to convert them to the one true faith, tell them about the beauty of nature, just generally frustrate the hell out of them.

and just say hello and blast them when they start talking.

Almost makes me want a kid!

Someone else wrote that they let the person start talking, say "Hold on a minute" then set the phone down and walk off for a while. Repeat until they hang up.

I don't like tying up my phone line so I generally just tell them to take me off their calling list and hang up. I NEVER let them finish their spiel.

But, and this is a big but, from what I understand just answering the phone can lead to identity theft because then the computer calling you knows it’s a manned phone and not a computer.

I make take a chance on that if I can drive them insane. I did it to two husbands so a telemarketer is a piece of cake.

Pushing any button in response to the prompts - such as pushing one to have your number taken off their list - lets them know there is someone who will respond to them. Either case, some of the scam calls use those things to create lists of "live" numbers that they sell to other scammers.

I can't skip answering the phone. For one thing, often I am not where I can read the caller ID. Another point is that some of the companies I need to interact with either block their numbers or use services whose caller IDs do not come up as anything identifiable. The last part is that with my elderly mother and my elderly mother in law I get calls from caretakers, hospitals or nursing homes with numbers I would not be able to recognize.

usually selling magazine subscriptions, but I once got someone who "just happened to have some really good quality meat in his van". Right.

They stopped coming into our town to do that because the police would send postcards all the time reminding people that (a) the town/village requires permits to do that and (b) in the rare instance when they allow some company to do this they’ll send out a postcard letting us know. I’ve been here almost 10 years and they’ve only allowed it ONCE. They also post on FB all the time “if someone comes to your door, call us”. They don’t screw around here.

We actually have a terrific PD, one of the rarer ones in the country I think. And I live in a VERY ethnically diverse community whose most famous landmark is a world-known prison, but a lot of our officers live in our community which I think makes a HUGE difference.

Meat though...that’s interesting.

Then I got a dog.
A big dog.
And I let him answer the door.

Don't know what the meat scam is actually about, tho.

LOL! Sorry, I just love to say that when people say the phrase "Is it just me". I have received the call from my own number before too. That was a weird one. I think they do that to get you to answer because that freaks you out to see a call from your own number. I just use my caller id and any calls from numbers that don't recognize I don't pick up for. Those can go to voicemail if they have anything to say.

Yeah getting a phone call from "me" reminded me of that horror movie years ago "they're calling from inside the house!!!!!"

Annoying

Even after I block them, my phone still shows that they try to get through again and again. Very annoying.