They're at it again!

[JohnN]

Could it have been a friend with whom you're not on speaking terms?
Just a thought...

[Waitabit]

Probably not John, I even speak to people I don't know at times. Friendly critter am I. Possibly an impatient 'works type returning a call.

[deeree]

In Australia, Telstra which issues the phone books, has just announced that residential phone books with numbers and addresses will no longer be delivered to every house in Melbourne and Sydney. Instead, they'll have to be ordered. That might cut down a few of the junk calls, although the directory will still be available on the web. A friend of mine went ex-directory, and noticed that her junk calls ceased.

[susan-y]

Got home today and I see there are 3 calls all with different strange long distance numbers on my call display.. No one left a message! We are on a no-call list, but as we just moved here and got this personal number a couple of years ago we get a lot of calls for the company that had the number previously, only that person retired about 4 years ago! Don't say get a new number... they only had 3 numbers in this exchange available and the first one we got was for someone who had JUST moved so we got a lot of irrate people when I wasn't the person whom they were calling so we changed that.
The latest scam here appears to be someone calling about looking after all your credit card debt... its an automated call... I left them hanging quite awhile at our office and forgot I had done that! Picked up the phone a good hour later and the line was still open, but no more voice message! Usually I can't be bothered and I just hang up before it barely starts.
Off I go to check my number status on the Do Not call list.. You do have to re-registar with it over here and also commercial numbers can be called and its only good to prevent Canadian telemarketers from calling. NOT much good at all

Sue

[Waitabit]

I've just had a repeat of the odd call from a few days ago, same little 'chink' same female voice to say 'goodbye'.
Wonder if she knows something I don't?

[mfwebb]

That same indian-sounding gentleman rang me 2 nights ago at 8.00 p.m. announcing he was from such-and-such a company and ringing about a virus on my computer. As I have had these calls at least twice before I told him to "go away" and not bother me again -- unusually for me, I was not very polite.

When I answer my phone I always give my name so the caller knows at the outset who he/she is speaking to. When they say "can I spek to Mr Vebb" I usually say "hold on I'll go and get him". By the time I have found him they have usually gone.

I do find it extremely difficult though to be rude to those cold callers who ring up with a pleasant tone of voice and, picking up on my name announced as I answer the phone, say "Hi Malcolm. How are you today?".

I then go into how grateful I am they've asked about my health and make up a story about some ailment I have and visits to the doctor etc etc and how painful it is. They usually hang up. How rude of them to ask how I am and then not listen to the answer. I suppose one day I'll learn that "How are you?" is a greeting, not a question.

[Ann Dee]

When I get a nuisance call, I say "Wait a minute, I'll just get the warden". That usually sees them off!

Ann

[Nightryder]

I got not one but two calls yesterday,neither new my name, first call was from a department of Microsoft & the second was from some global company, hard to understand with the accent, Has any one else had these & is this two different scams or the same scam with different details.

[Rove]

Dont waste your breath, These calls always come on at about 3 to 4 pm and again at about 6 to 7 pm.

I pick up the phone and say nothing. No Hello, no nothing. I just tap the handset so that they can hear a noise and wait.

If its THEM, I just put the phone down.

[Pam Downes]

I got not one but two calls yesterday,neither new my name, first call was from a department of Microsoft & the second was from some global company, hard to understand with the accent, Has any one else had these & is this two different scams or the same scam with different details.

As you gave us no clue as to what was actually said, possibly same sort of scam with different details.

However Microsoft never phone you unless you have previously contacted them and they send an email to confirm the time they will phone.

Do whatever you want to repel these people, but never do or believe anything they tell you.
They know nothing about any problems you might be having with your computer.
Lie as much as you want - I don't have a computer, it's being repaired, act stupid and say you always leave these technical things to your son, etc, etc.

Same with emails. Never give banking details, passwords, etc.

The bank are not having problems with your account.
It's not the taxman asking you for your bank details so he can send you a refund.
Your long-lost great aunt Agatha has not suddenly died in Nigeria leaving you a fortune in American dollars.

Though having said

The bank are not having problems with your account.

I did have one call from my credit card company saying that there was a problem with my card, and asking for some reference - I think it was my date of birth - and I refused to believe it was them. However, I then had a think (I seem to recall that something had gone wrong with an online payment I wanted to make), so I phoned the company (got the number from the monthly statement) and yes, they had phoned me, and yes, there was a problem with my card. I did apologise for not believing they had phoned but I think that they were pleased that I had been cautious.

Pam