"He has high regard for them and evidently has lots and lots of time on his hands."

No, it's the opposite. It takes less time to say "No thanks" and put the phone down than to do what some of you think is funny.

Yes, my default approach is to have high regard for most humans, except those who find it okay to be nasty to others whenever they want.

I agree there is a HUGE difference between low level phone sales jobs and outright scammers.

I do not think it is necessary to be gentle with fraudulent scammers attempting to deprive you or your loved ones (particularly seniors like me) of their money.

my default approach is to have high regard for most humans

Is this the same Elmer who often finds it necessary to correct people when their opinion is different than his, rather than simply adding his own opinion?

except those who find it okay to be nasty to others whenever they want

That is a straw man argument, no one in this thread has even remotely implied that they can be nasty to someone for any reason or no reason.

Here's the thing, Lucille. Why spend any time at all with an unwanted call. I don't stay on longer than 10 seconds, I hear the pitch and say "No thanks".

Are there types of unwanted calls that I need to know about, so I need to stay on the line and engage them before deciding what to do? I don't think so, unwanted is unwanted.

Women's Cancer Fund, the Police Welfare Foundation, Windows Security Team, First Responders Fund, Green Energy solar sales, Duct Cleaning, yada yada yada. I dispose of them all quickly and my blood pressure remains low. Others can do as they wish.

"Are you going to be polite to the pickpocket or the guy you catch attempting to break into your vehicle?"

No. They represent a risk/threat. Someone on the phone represents no threat at all.

I disagree with this comment. Scammers are a threat to gullible people who are talked into spending money they may not be able to afford to spend or buying something they don't need and probably won't receive. They swindle people all the time, cause emotional distress and financial hardship and are despicable.

While I don't ever engage telephone scammers, I see no harm in toying with them if that's what others want to do. They wouldn't hesitate to steal from any one of us or anyone else given the opportunity. If they want to be treated respectfully, maybe they should get a legit job and stop trying to take the hard earned money of their victims.

It's quite a stretch to say that someone who gives a scammer a bad time will turn around and go off on a ticket agent at an airport or a store employee stocking toilet paper.

And, with this statement, you've just insulted several of your fellow forum members, whom you know very little about about including how they act or treat others in their day to day lives.

My comment is my comment, those of you who like opportunities to talk
abusively to others will do it all the same. You're sad people to do
that and it's even sadder to gloat about it.

"Is this the same Elmer who often finds it necessary to correct people when their opinion is different than his, rather than simply adding his own opinion?"

Yes. I try to respect opinions I disagree with. You're right, disagreeing is not being disrespectful or disagreeable, despite what many others here think. But being abusive to others isn't something to take lightly.

When I cross the line, please let me know.

Good for you Kathy! Your answers made me laugh! I am so glad you tinkered around with him!! Those kinds of people irritate me, but way cool you had a sense of humor about it all.

Thanks for the story, Kathy :) It’s always fun when I get a call. One time, this guy wanted me to download a virus on my computer. I was in the car, waiting for my In-N-Out order to be made. He asked me if I was in front of my computer. The guy asked me what key was next to the 0. I said 9.

”No, it’s the dash.”

”But it’s also a 9.” I say.

“No it is NOT!” Literally, this guy was so mad. Anyway the. Call ended quickly. He was veryyyy mad!

OP here. Just want to give some back ground here. No, I am never rude to these people who call me. That is not in my DNA. Yes, I worked as a telephone solicitor many, many years ago. I was selling magazine subscriptions for "Only the cost of the postage"! Well, after I worked there a few weeks I did the math and those people were NOT getting a deal! So I quit that job. (felt bad about those sales I made too)

I do feel that I should tell the people that call here that it is at "their own risk". The computer guy that called was very insistent that I turn on my computer so that he could "fix" it. They call me, they are fair game in my book!

My DH fell for one of these years ago. Now if he accidently answers these type of calls, he yells at them to stop calling him! I know his blood pressure goes up!

Years ago I got a call from the Police Benevolent Fund. The guy wanted to send me an envelop so I could mail them a check. I told him that even better than that, I would run down to the police station, it was just a few blocks away, and take them the check! You should have heard him trying to talk me out of that. He was still going on about it as I said good bye! And yes, I did take a check to our police station that day.

Kathy G in MI

A few years ago a neighbor lost about five thousand before she caught it to a scammer that told her he was from Microsoft and her computer had a virus. She gave him her debit card number so he could "fix it.

That's funny Kathy as I did the same with trying to sell magazine subscriptions! I didn't like trying to push sales on people that really didn't want them. Needless to say, I didn't last long at that job!

If, after I have said hello, I don;t get a response by the time I count to 3, I hang up. I have no intention of being someone in a long line of someones to get a scam phone call.

I'm rather disappointed because even the Kidney Foundation and Diabetes Association phone calls are now computer voices. They used to be real people and I was always polite and pleasant to them.

If you want to have fun with scammers great. I look at it the longer you keep them occupied the less time they will be have to scam someone else.

My sisters MIL almost fell for the : Hi , it's your favorite nephew. One of her nephews has been troubled for quite a few years (due to some trama) He is a really nice guy but troubled. Anyway, she went as far as getting the "green dot" cash card and was about to send the information when her daughter happened to call and stopped her. I think it was for about $3,000 or so.

I got one of those "hi Grandma it's your favorite grandson calls. I don't have a grandson but decided to play along, this is how it went.

Hi Tom how are you doing?

Not so well. I was mugged and beat up and need money for doctors bills.

Me: That's horrible, where are you I will come pick you up.

FYI, heard these type of scammers will say their nose got broken somehow so thats why they don't sound like they do normally.

Tom: I'm in Boston so it's too far for you.

Me: What are you doing in Boston? I just saw you last night.

Tom: It was a emergency trip I just got here this morning.

Me: Well Tom, your lucky your sister lives in Boston now she can come get you.

Tom: Oh no grandma, she will get mad and won't help me, you can't tell her about this.

Me: Well that's pretty sad situation but Tom, I really need to tell you some horribly sad news. I don't have any grandsons and I'm just pranking you.

Tom: a few choice cuss words and hangs up.

My phone only rings once now because I have donotcall but still the Microsoft guy gets thru. Don't tell me to be nice to him. He's a freaking criminal and I do everything to make his life miserable. I'm suspicious of everything but my husband isn't and a few years ago when we were expecting a call from Apple , this guy called. I don't know why my husband fell for it but he was on the computer when I told him to hang up which he did. I called the number back and of course, they had that planned but there was another number on the website which wasn't in this country and when I googled it it was Nigeria. So now when they call I play really dumb and drag it on forever. I'm usually on the computer so I read my mail but keep up the chatter playing an idiot. After a long time which has kept him from annoying someone else, I tell him to F off and hang up. Call me rude. He is a criminal and should be in jail. I'm very polite if any legitimate people get thru saying... no thank you and hang up.

Scammers (differentiated from telemarketers) are crooks. Plain and simple.

I, too, wonder if this is the same Elmer Fudd who previously went by another name here at the KT. There was a discussion a few years ago about telemarketers. I mentioned that my son did some telemarketing to supplement funding for his college education. I seem to recall that EF said, "Telemarketers are the scum of the earth".

Elmer, I apologize. I should have done a search before popping off. It was another KT member that made the comment.

No problem donna and no offense taken, thanks. From time to time, my father would say "never look down or be critical of what work someone does to support themselves. It doesn't need to be something you want for yourself but all work is honorable". I passed that sentiment on to my own kids and I think it's a perspective many don't see.

A problem I have with a comment like this:

"I do feel that I should tell the people that call here that it is at "their own risk". The computer guy that called was very insistent that I turn on my computer so that he could "fix" it. They call me, they are fair game in my book!"

is that I'm sure this is typical of those who think themselves to be fair minded, those who doesn't want to be on the receiving end of unfair treatment. But they think it's okay to be on the giving end when they waive their wand and determine it to be warranted. Hypocrisy at its best.

As before, that's not the kind of person I want to be.

Kathy, you are just way too funny and cool! I love how you told that guy who was wanting you to donate to the Police Benevolent Fund and that you would run down to the local police dept. and give them a check. I LOVE your answers to these callers. I am going to remember these two answers to put in my repertoire of answers of people wanting to scam me. I have noticed that when you meet that magical age of retirement the calls get worse! Always wanting for you to contribute to something. I got a call the other day telling me my credit card to @#$% credit card company had been compromised and they needed to verify my number. I hung up. Wish I had something funny to tell them or tinker around with them.

I've never had one of these calls, nor have I had one from Revenue Canada saying I owe taxes. I want to have fun like you had.

On the other hand though, our store gets calls often from some guy who gets REALLY aggressive about wanting our cashiers to activate Visa or MasterCard load cards. He wants the numbers and PIN numbers over the phone. We've never followed through on it because: stupid. I was in the store one day though, when one of our supervisors was having the conversation with Mr Aggressive. She was yelling, he was yelling, I was telling her he's not from head office just hang up but she was scared to. I finally told her to tell him to call our 1-800 number and talk to security and they would help him. When she told him that, he hung up. But the calls started again. For some stupid reason our cashiers always like to argue with the guy. I keep telling them just to tell him to call our 1-800 number and someone will be happy to assist him, but they would rather argue with him........... I still haven't had the joy of answering the phone when he calls..

thistledew, try to be a little less obvious about stalking my comments. You've made the same comment twice, following something I said by just a few minutes.

OMG, Fudd!! I did not stalk your comments. Why oh why are you so mean? I am so hurt right now! I promise I did not stalk you, why would you even think that?? I am leaving this forum and deleting my account! Cruel and mean, that is what you are!! Crying! Why or why

For some stupid reason our cashiers always like to argue with the guy.

When I moved in to my apt last year I had to get Comcast in because things were not going easy peasy as far as setting up. When he got there, I kid you not he had the deepest, richest, sexiest voice ever. I'm probably not supposed to even notice cuz I'm a tough old hen, but I love hearing him talk.

I don't know why your cashiers love to talk, maybe he has a wonderful voice. Debby I think you can just present the cashiers with an incentive. Maybe for every 801 (1-800) calls they refer between them they can have a pizza party.

Thistledew don't get all upset. He's probably flirting with you the only way he knows how.

I get calls all the time about my "student loans". Press 1 if you want to talk to someone about your student loans. Press 2 if you want to be removed from the list.

Okay. I have pressed 2 until I am blue in the face, and I still get them. So, I pressed 1....intending to be polite and ask if there was any way I could be removed from the list. I was polite. I said, "I do not have student loans. I am 71 years old...." and before I could finish my sentence, he said, "Quit wasting my &^%$^#^ time!" I didn't know if he thought I was going to say he was wasting my time, or I was wasting his time, and then he proceeded to cuss me out. I mean REALLY cuss me out!

Hey, I am no stranger to cuss words....I know some myself, and so I unleashed a few on him. And as I hung up, he was still cussing me.

I get it that they are poor. I get it that it is a crappy job. I don't care, when I try to be polite and someone cusses me. Quit scamming and get a real job.

I didn't intend to hurt your feelings and I'm sorry if I did. Take a look back at what I was referring to and tell me what conclusion you would draw if the same thing happened to you.

You posted the first "Kathy you're so funny" comment following mine within a few hours, the second saying the same thing following another comment I made by 15 minutes. If I wrongly jumped to a conclusion, that's my mistake.

Speaking of stalking, there's whypraytell who thought it would be funny to bomb my email account (fortunately it's one used only for this site) with 20+ likes within 10 minutes. Not all that clever to do, anyone can go to a user's Houzz "home page" and find a history of posts. whypraytell has been building up to this with a series of "likes" and insults in the recent past. It's sad.

Elmer, are you OK? At first I thought you might be pulling our legs, telling us we ought to be polite to criminals who are in the process of trying to destroy our computers and possibly empty our bank accounts. But your response when challenged was harsh and insulting, and as forthright as you are, that isn't your normal style.

whypraytell is probably a Russian bot who will end up over on Hot Topics.

Yes, all is a-okay here. Thanks for asking.

I have a live and let live attitude. I'm dismayed when people are self-absorbed, which is how I view those teeing off on others as has been described with these phone calls. Put down the receiver (or push the button), get back to what you were doing, concern yourselves with things that are more important.

I've liked your comments a couple of times, over the years, but I didn't know things like that went to your email. Sorry about that. I never check my email, so I don't know if things like that get passed along. I will check my email (maybe later....maybe not) so I can see if that happens.

marilyn, I've also liked your comments too.

The "send an email" thing is, I think, a setting on the Your Houzz page. I have it On, not Off, because I like to learn when others have "liked" something I said. I also like to hear when someone dislikes what I say when that's done politely in the thread.

I mentioned what whypraytell did because it was childish. I check that account maybe once a day, the "likes" usually come in a few at a time. Over 20 from one person within a short span of time, covering my comments in several different forums on different topics, is a deliberate effort and isn't normal.

Not a bot, the person has posted inarticulate insults aimed in my direction a few times.

Edit to add - I checked that email's trash file, when I saw them all, that's where I sent them en masse. It was 21 "likes" on 21 different comments I made, all clicked by whypraytell in a total of 7 minutes.

We get these calls often. Dh retired now and answering the ph he would talk to them. Lol, until I told him “ they call often”.

last time I acted excited and said “it’s been a while since you called, how are you doing”. He was ready to hang up then.

i try to be polite and just say “ no thanks but thanks for calling”. Not always easy to be polite.

Again these people are scammers out to get money from unsuspecting usually old people. Be nice to them and say no thank you? Would you do the same to the person robbing your neighbor's house? Same thing. They are CRIMINALS who belong behind bars. Tit for tat.

My 20 something daughter almost fell for an IRS scammer last year - fortunately she texted me while she was on the phone with a guy claiming she would be arrested if she didn't pay up. He scared the crap out of her. I had her hang up and he immediately kept calling back, with different #'s showing up on her ID. He thought he had a live one and wasn't about to give up. She just kept blocking the #'s as they came in.

Would I feel bad if someone played a guy like that? Heavens no. I wish he had called me.

I'm always nice to telemarketers that call in to my work - and as soon as I tell them we're not interested, 99% of them hang up on me.

Lol this thread is getting very interesting :) :)

Thistledew, thanks for making me laugh!

Just got a call from “Rachel” at card services! She wanted to talk to me, so I pressed 1 and asked the man who answered if I could speak to her. His response, Rachel? Yes I answered, she is the one who called me. Him: do you know why she called? Me: about my card. Him: I’ll get her for you. Me: I hear just dead air and then a dial tone! Hmm, Rachel must be on another line.

But all kidding aside, I received an alert from my credit card that the other night at 1:38 a.m. I ordered $1,350.00 of Jimmy Choo in New York!

They play with me, I play back.

Lucille: the guy does not have a sexy voice they like to listen to. I even said in my comment how he yells at them and he's aggressive. Nothing sexy about a voice like that.

So, now my phone number is being spoofed. Calls being made to people about financial issues showing my number as the callback number. The first time I didn't understand and assumed I had made a butt dial. Second time I said, "I am so sorry, I think my phone number has been misappropriated." I will be nice to these people who call back. Would not be so nice to the people causing the havoc as Elmer would be.

graywings123, I would call your service provider to see what they can do to stop those calls.

Graywings, that is terrible. I hope it all gets straightened out soon.

Graywings, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call from someone and he asked what I wanted, as I had called him. I told him I made no such call and he insisted. He called me, by dialing the number that came in. Mine.

I realized afterwards that I have seen 000-000-0000 come in on the phone, as well as my own number. So this guy had received my number spoofed.

I'm currently working doing market research. Calling people asking them to do a survey on current issues, or do an online survey at their convenience. I've been told many times that they enjoyed talking with me, that they seldom do surveys, but they liked how I sounded, polite etc. I've even been thanked many times after they do the survey.

I'm always, always polite and if they tell me to take them off our list, I assure them that I will. I've had people settle down, if they get upset because we've called a few times, and they get angry, I just stay calm and explain what the call is about. When I'm calm, they calm down.

When I get sworn at, or to physically do something that I'm incapable of doing, as I'm female, sometimes I just laugh at them. Depending on how rude, loud and obnoxious they are, it decides how I handle the calls.

But of course, I'm not a criminal scamming people, asking for money, or selling anything.

I don't know the story about whypraytell, but be aware that anyone can change their username (just the one that shows when you post) to ANY name, so it's possible that someone could have been impersonating whypraytell (why, I don't know), but if she says she didn't do it, it's possible she didn't.

For the ones who want to access my computer in order to install spyware, etc., or the ones who want my credit card number so that they can use it to buy stuff without paying, or who use some story to get my access numbers to bank or investment accounts, it seems to me that the difference between them and some thief who sticks a gun into my ribs in a back alley is that they don't have a gun ... and, O.K., there's not the threat of physical violence - but if you steal from me, you're doing me dirt.

Sometimes I ask them if their mother is proud of them for getting paid to be such a thief.

ole joyful

ole Joyful, they would probably tell you "Hold on a sec, soon as she gets off her phone call, you can ask her yourself."

;-)

Why even answer he phone if you (“you” isn’t corrected at anyone in particular) don’t know the number that’s calling? If it is valid the person will leave a voicemail, no? In cases of my not knowing the caller ID number, I just let it ring through unless I am expecting a call (such as a service person calling from their cell phone rather than a company number, or something like that). Most times there is no voicemail left.

We had 3 calls yesterday that we let go to the answering machine. It’s just every so often you feel you want to “take back” your telephone!

It is inefficient. I would rather just answer the phone and deal with the caller.

I don’t understand what is inefficient about it. I’m not arguing, just saying I don’t understand. If I don’t answe the phone for a number I don’t know, I’m not wasting my time. If I do answer and it is a telemarketer or spammer, it IS wasting my time.

Suzieque, I agree with your choice; with my poor hearing, phone calls are difficult, and I definitely don't answer the phone if it is someone I don't know unless I'm expecting a particular call.

As far as I'm concerned voice mail is one of the best inventions ever. There is zero chance of me answering a number I don't know. Therefore I haven't personally dealt with one of these scammers in a very long time.

People can't even leave a voicemail on my phone. I never clear it, or listen to them so it's full. lol I hate voicemail...…….. People who know me have my phone number, so they can text me, or FB message me. I'm more apt to respond to those rather than answer the phone. I used to be a big phone person, but now hate talking on the phone. I never answer the phone if I don't know the number. The few times I thought I recognized the number, ended up being political parties trying to get me to join their party. Nope. I now just block those numbers so they can't call again.