Been phone scammed?

I just got a phone scam call asking me for copier information, and it put a smile on my name when I asked for information from THEM forcing them to hang up.� So tell me your stories?� What are the kind of things phone scammers have tried to obtain from you, and what kind of nasty, evil things have you said to them or ways you've had fun with them?

I'll be the first to admit that telemarketers, market researchers and othergroups who call you at home unsolicited can be irksome and that there could very well be a momentary sense of victory that comes with being evil to them. But last summer, I took a job as a market researcher (those are the ones who call to get people to take surveys but dont' try to sell anything) to help pay for my tuition and living expenses (Toronto being the most expensive city in Canada to live in) and I can tell you, that being nasty to somebody who calls you at home accomplishes nothing. You're not "sticking it to the man" and you're not putting a dent into a big corporate clog. All your'e doing is further ruining the day of somebody who, I promise, already hates his or her life. A job as a telemarketer or market researcher does not pay very well and the working conditions are pretty terrible. I worked in a dingy office with computers made in 1986 under the glare of supervisors who treated their employees like disobedient infants. The only people who take jobs like that are those who have absolutely no other choice. My office was filled with recent immigrants, students, single parents and other people who hated being there, but absolutely needed the job just to get by. Those awful people who call you during dinner trying to get youto take a survey or switch your long distance company and just won't take no for an answerreally don't want to be calling you at all. But the fact that they have rent to pay forces them to do so. And those high-pressure sales tactics (which, of course are really annoying) are grilled into the caller during training along with threats of termination if they don't do their best to "get that sale" or "get that survey".

I hated that job so much. I would literally come home from work crying almost every single day. Between being screamed at by the people I was phoning, and patronized by the supervisors (basically, the supervisors assumed that, if you were working there, it must mean that you were too stupid to flip burgers) I had absolutely no self-respect by the end of the day. I swear to God there is more dignity in a pap smear than in a job like this. I started fantasizing about falling down the stairs and breaking my leg and being in such horrible pain that I couldn't get out of the hospital because then at least I wouldn't have to go to work.

Now, my little rant doesn't mean that you have to be overjoyed whenever your personal time is taken by an unsolicited call. But instead of hanging up or screaming or being evil, just cut the person off during their speil and say "Please take my number off your list" That company is legally required to never call you ever again. It takes about 2 seconds of your time and it doesn't contribute to the humiliating existance of some blue-collar worker in a cubicle somewhere. If you're feeling really magnanamous, say"Have a nice day" before you hang up. But trust me, the Seinfield joke about "Well, can i have *your* home number so I can call *you* and take up *your* time" gets old really quick.

I understand both of the prior comments and that is why I fully support the Do Not Call list that it receiving so much publicity at the moment. As much as I don't appreciate being called I know the negative conditions these people work under. I couldn't handle the guilt that came with every call. I wanted to hang up but I didn't want to be mean and I would end the call conflicted and unhappy. Kinda like passing the panhandler on the street.� And I was getting around 10 EVERY EVENING!

I can say all this in past tense because I ive in Oregon where the first state-wide no call list has been happily in place since 1999. I LOVE it. I don't get the calls so I don't have to go through that.�I've still had the occasional research or polling calls and, when I'm not also getting bombarded by sales calls, I don't mind them.

I hope the national one pulls through but at least I've got Oregon!

Viva la No-Call-List!

John and Jill, there is a difference between a phone scam and a telemarketer. I don't know which you are referring to John... telemarketers may be annoying, but at least they are not criminals. We get a lot of calls here asking for donations from someone claiming to be from the police department. These people are criminals. The police department does not call homes soliciting donations. That would be a phone scam. The others you should feel sorry for.

thanks, gella and jillian, for saying what i would've said if i had a functioning brain today. we have caller id, so i usually don't answer the phone unless i know the name and number that come up. if i do answer anyway (if neal calls from the office, for example, it comes up as "unknown" just as it would for a telemarketer), and it's a solicitor, i break into their spiel to say politely that i'm not interested, and i'd like them to put me on their "do not call" list. no reason to flip out at telemarketers, who are just trying to make a living, and who get enough grief from everybody else. and no reason to stay on the line any longer than necessary with someone who seems skeevy and possibly not on the right side of the law.

I was referring to phone scams, the illegal side of telemarketers.

Q- How many Buffalo senior citizens does it take to change a light bulb?

A- One, but they pay a telemarketer $2,000 for the light bulb.

I do also get calls from telemarketers at work, real ones who are just trying to sell me something.� I'll just reinterate that our company is not interested in whatever they have to offer. I'll be nice about it, and keep saying so in a nice way.� Once someone did become angry on the other side trying to push the topic, but I just kept my ground without getting angry myself.

Also, being in NYC, I also get people who just walk into the office trying to sell my something.� Usually, they'll claim they've "already wired our office with their phone/ethernet lines" and they just need our signature to confirm they've done this work.� I HAVE been scammed on this before while I was new, and was very lucky to get out of it with my job still intact.� Now, I won't sign ANYTHING unless it's just FedEx delivering something.� I always tell them I won't sign for anything at all and to talk to my supervisor about it.

I didn't mean my original tone to say that I enjoyed being evil to people who call me unsoliticed, but I want to make myself clear that it was meant for criminals who call me, not run-in-the-mill, 100% legal telemarketers.��I apologize�if I hurt feelings out there.

That's what I'm talking about.

Need some aluminum siding?

I got an obscene phone call last year from a guy pretending to be a telemarketer. Disturbing.

People still make obscene phone calls? I thought that went the way of the Dodo...

My sister and her friends at Bryn Mawr frequently got calls from some dude posing as a market researcher doing a survey about shoes, and whenther or not people wore them... it took a while for them to realize that this was not in fact a market researcher but rather just some dude who got off on the idea of women running around barefoot.

My Grandmother signed up for every subscription that came with a free gift.� We tried to stop her, but we couldn't.� As far as she cared, she was getting something free.� Didn't matter what it was.� My father had to call the companies to remove her from their lists.� It was sad, and it was scary.� And she'd give it all to her grandkids.� When she passed away, in addition to more stuff, we found issues of everything from Better Homes and Gardens to Playboy.

On September 12, 2001, I was alone in my NYC apartment, and pretty much freaking out.� And I got a call from a market surveyer - he was asking questions about Olive Oil.� I told him I was in NYC, and ended up keeping him on the phone for almost a half-hour.� Probably didn't go over so well with his bosses.� I was just so happy to talk to someone who wasn't in the middle of it all.� And I did answer all his questions.� Although, truth be told, I could� only remember the name of 1 Olive Oil brand (Bertolli's).

I always prefered the idea of obscene phone answers.

You know, you pick up the phone and answer "What are you wearing?"

Trust me, people will stop calling...

Once during pledge week at WFUV someone said he'd make a pledge if he could talk to one of the DJs. I asked her if she would do it and she said yes. She gets on the phone and I saw all the color run out of her face then she hung up. The guy made an obscene phone call.

I have a standing rule about my phone and my time:� It's MY phone and it's�MY time.� I despise telemarket calls because I didn't ask for it.� Hey, if I want the product/service, I'll look it up.� (Ask me how I feel about being accosted by people collecting money at intersections, grocery stores or malls...)� I fall into the "rude to telemarketers" category.� Notice I don't apologize.� It's an unfortunate job - but (crass as THIS sounds), it ain't my problem.� I've worked minimum wage, too.

I almost enjoy when people try to scam me on the phone, though.� >:)� I've had the "we just need the number on your copier" calls at work.� Or the "we just need to verify some information.." call.� Uh huh.� And you got my name from where, exactly?� No, you misunderstood me.... WHERE did you get my number?� From a credit card company?� I don't have a credit card company.� Wait...don't I get the free vacation??

I have heard second hand about people receiving calls from companies claiming to have purchased the investment companies from which we sell products.� Little old ladies receiving a call telling them that their annuity has been sold to X company in New York (or Pennsylvania or Connecticut...) is definitely what I'd call a scam.

I� used to work in a print shop. I never got called for the copier except by the copier company at the end of the month wanting the copy totals. I've never heard of a scam involving the copier. What would that accomplish? A double billing scam?

If they have the copier number or model make, they will then send a supply of toner/ribbons/other to your place of business.� These products are "cheaper" than your usual ones, or so they claim.� They want to get a phone confirmation to send the supplies.� THEN the bills come rolling in.� Pretty common scam.� Most businesses already have an agreement with their local business machine place that services and supplies their needs.� In which case, you are paying the contracted service and then being billed for products you did not need/want.� They like to find unsuspecting people to give them authorization.� (Not to mention that the supplies are sometimes defective or cheaper for a reason.� Such as, half the toner for half the price....)

kath, I got one of those too!

They said "This is a survey..."

I said: "Okay..."

Asked one question and then "How many times per day do you masturbate?"

I told him, "Wait! My friend got a call like this!"

him: "really?"

me: "yes! yes she did! And I'm not going to answer that question."

him: "Okay, thanks for your time bye."

Or something like that.

The other big one was the "collect call" scam you accept the collect call from a certain company and then you are charged hundreds of dollars for this call.

They tried about 5 times in a row one day and I kept rejecting it.

Finally they gave up and I found the company online involved in a massive scam.

Amen.
Just because something isn't illegal doesn't mean it's not immoral.

I would work at a micky-d's before I'd agree to harass people in their own homes.

What if Micky-d's doesn't hire you?

Heh.
Then, considering some of the people I've seen working there.... you've got bigger issues.
;)

That's exactly my point.� Trust me, if somebody's so bad off that they're working for a telemarketing company, then they don't need to be stepped on anymore.�

No, I mean, if you can't get hired by mcdonalds, you should be institutionalized for whatever major psychiatric disorder you possess.

So, in addition to being broke, I'm immoral and I have a major psychiatric disorder.� Wow, Nate, you just really brightened my day.� But, I'll bet you talk that way to all the girls ;-)

Heh.
Well, it was nothing personal.... but I do believe that it's immoral to do that job... just as I believe it is immoral to send spam email about penis enlargements and such.

So basically "Nothing personal, but you're immoral".� No offense taken, of course.�

No,in all seriousness, �I agree it's an awful way to make a living.� Unfortunately, there are people out there who just can't afford to be quite so judgemental.� If there were any other option, nobody would do it.

I'm not entirely sure I agree.
I mean, there are plenty of immoral people in the world... otherwise, we wouldn't HAVE telemarketing... or spam...

And... I apologize for going off... but... this sort of thing is a VERY big anger point for me.

I didn't intend it personally.

As a side note... how on EARTH did you not get hired by mcdonalds? They hire people who can't talk and can't use a color-coded keypad with pictures of the items being ordered. Heh.
For the record, I'm never rude to them.. I just hang up.

My theory about the not being hired at McDonalds was that my�application got to the bottom of the pile O'applications.� From what I gather, a *lot* of people apply there, they hire whoever happens to be at the top�of the pile and keep digging down while people quit and the revolving door of crappy employment goes round and round.� It's really just the luck of the draw.� Or....as lucky as a McDonalds employee can be be...

Thought this was appropriate.