My phone provider has a call blocking feature. When I get a telemarketing call, I just add it to the blocked list. Phone never rings from THAT number again.

I always hesitated to do that with the "Withheld" numbers as I'm afraid it'll block ones that I may want. Do you know if it blocks just that number or anything marked "Withheld"? Thanks.

Trouble with blocking one number is that calling banks will use a number of phone numbers for outgoing calls. So you block one, chances are they will use another one without even trying.

It is probably this company down in FL that starts out Hi, this Heather etc and we want to reduce your interest etc. It is a big scam and the authorities have been trying to years to close them down. I too have had trouble and several people on this and others have been harresed. DO NOT be nice, yell, scream,talk fast, and sometimes they do go away for awhile. I did alot of research on it and did finally find a address and name and have reported to our attorney general. Can't find the information right now but will try to look again.

I think it is Card Services of America.

Get a high noted, piercing whistle.

Use it.

o j

Hang up immediately. Don't listen to the message, don't respond to the cues. They won't take you off their list. So just hang up. I hang up when I get that pause that indicates someone calling from a phone bank. I don't even say "hello" more than once.

If you listen thru to find out who is calling, you are wasting your time.

With my house phone, you can't get through to me unless you unblock your phone number. I still get those "unknown name" calls (it's ringing right now, as a matter of fact! LOL), so I don't answer those either. Mind you, I know who this particular caller is. They call every day, and every day I let it go to voice mail..... it's a game.... We're winning.

I don't know that I can block anyone on my cell phone, or even make it so they have to unblock their calls. I think at one time you could press *69 (?) to get the #. You may want to talk to your cell phone provider. There is a way to trace those calls. You do pay extra to trace the calls. The trick is to write down the date and times they call, then call your phone company with the information and have the people charged with harrassment. When I have had the same problem and threatened companies with that charge, the calls stop.

chi83, call your phone provider and ask if they show a number, tell them you are receiving unwanted and unsolicited calls they may have a way of blocking them. If they do not then try #67 to call them back or ask the person what the company name is, I believe that by law they must identify themselves if asked, tho things may have changed since I worked in the industry several years back.

Asking/telling someone to take you OFF their list doesn't work and isn't how to stop the calls. What you do is get ON the national "do not call" list. Google "do not call list" and you'll find your way to how to take care of it.

I don't recall the star code list for the exact number, however the "*xx" will not override a blocked number and give you their number. They used to call it call trace or something but all it does is gives you the number (and the number can be spoofed). It was intended for people without caller ID to have caller ID available, for a charge of course. It'll simply say "number not available" on a blocked number. BTDT way back when.

And people keep making a big mistake. When you ask them to "take me off the list" do you realize what was just done? It authorized them to call you! For *any* chance, you must request/demand or otherwise to be put *on* their do not call list, *not* be taken off! Once you're taken off the do not call list, you're fair game, even to places that honor the DNC list. While it may be a technicality, it's the way it is.

Every couple months we get a thread on telemarketing scum. And there's a couple people related to scumbags so they're always defending their harassment claiming, not unlike drug dealers, they're just trying to make money and put food on the table, bla, bla, bla, and even go so far as to lecture how "tough" a job they have! LOL Oh, poor babies. Too freakin bad. You harass me for payment and you're slime in my book. And if you compromise your ethics and morals for money, what does that say?

Fight back. Don't be afraid and don't let those bottom feeding jokers intimidate you. Have fun with them.

In theory, you can tell them it's a cell # (I imagine you could say it is even if not, if you want to lie to a liar) and they're not supposed to call cells randomly (of course they can though, with permission), however there too, there's a few places than honor the list and many, if not most who do not.

A good whistle, an air horn, etc, are all fun. Give the phone to a kid who likes to talk a lot, could be fun, though you risk what might be said. Play a recording for them. Perhaps some televangelist screaming fire and brimstone? Wouldn't *that* be a pleasurable irony! Audio from a porn movie? Flatulence, toilet flushing, moaning groaning, etc from indigestion? Cough a few times, make a vomiting sound and pour some water in the toilet. Maybe you can get them to spew chunks all over their screen! Get creative.

Another thing you can do is tie up their time. They make less to no money dealing with people who don't fall for the scams. Ask them to repeat things over and over. Ask if the credit card, service contract, etc is available in plaid. Play like you think it's a friend playing a joke on you, "Suzy, that's you! How's the syph? Did you get it cleared up?" Ask what they're wearing and what they're doing. Keep going as far as you want with that one. Pound the phone on a desk or table a bit and apologize for dropping the phone.

BTW, some think that playing a SIT (special information tone) will accomplish something. It doesn't. I've tried it. One of my CID programs will play it, but the wardialers hang up before it and move on to harass someone else.

And of course, NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM! If it didn't make money, they wouldn't do it. Same with spam email. Why do people patronize these scumballs?

Now I should add that there's a few (albeit very few) places that operate by the rules and are trying to do legitimate things. A local charity was calling me 10-15 times a week after I donated some things. I was blocking numbers and then decided to give them a chance. I knew they were a pretty legitimate operation so I thought I'd reason with them which seldom works but I thought maybe it would. It did. I simply said there's no need to call me all the time since I won't have more to donate until summertime and I will call them when I have something for them to pick up. She said she didn't know what she could do but would talk to her supervisor. The calls did stop quickly.

Also, if you call them, you authorize them to call you. If you call their toll free number, you cannot block your number and they have a record of a preexisting relationship which lets them call you so be careful on toll free numbers. That's why many places don't give a local number. If they only advertise to call a toll-free number, you now know why.

My son worked as a telemarketer for two companies, both briefly. When a customer asks them to remove them from their list, they would. BUT if the customer yelled at them and demanded they not call again, then hung up on them, they wouldn't. It's all in how you ask.

BTW, it's law here: if you ask someone to stop phoning your number and to remove your number from their calling list, they HAVE to. If they continue to call, they can be charged with harassment.

I know this won't help you any this time but I never give out my cell phone to anything but friends, family and personal business type stuff. If I give out my cell phone I always ask first if they share this info. If they do, I don't give out my cell phone. This is my only phone.

I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to hang up on me when I request to be removed from their list, but they do it anyway. I know I could just ignore the calls, but honestly it makes my blood boil how incredibly rude they are.

I'm pretty careful about who I give my cell number to so I'm not sure how they would have gotten it. I'm also getting calls about a home security system and I rent an apartment, so I figure it's from the same source.

Thanks for all of the advice!