Nuisance calls

[Will]

Like many of us I'm sure, we seem to be receiving more and more unwanted calls on our landline phone, from people conducting surveys, to foreign sounding gentleman telling me my internet will be shut down imminently, to just silence before being hung up on!
I pay my service provider for Anonymous Caller Rejection and my number is registered with the TPS (Telephone Preference Service), but I still receive maybe 3 calls per day on average.
I am looking at call blocker gadgets but can't find any difinitive evidence that they work.
Does anybody else have this problem or can offer any advice?

 

[AmericanThunder]

Get one of these and play it down the phone to them!

 

[TransAmDan]

Not that this will help you, but I understand where you are coming from. We have unplugged the house phone. We never used it but its part of a package. I have had a couple of nuisance calls on my mobile. One of then was to do with life insurance, he knew my name address and said he was from Aviva. So that all appeard to be correct, was going on about having extra cover and would I like to update it and may save me money. He didn't know how much I currently pay which was odd. He then said if I take out this cover. I need to phone Aviva to cancel my current one. Then alarm bells started going off, he wasn't from Aviva at all, just a middle man trying to make commission. Since then I have had 2 similar calls. I just tell them if they are not Aviva then there is nothing to discuss.
Soo many people out there cold calling, impersonating other companies. I keep blocking the numbers, but many of these places have multiple outgoing lines. Hard to block them all.

 

[Will]

Get one of these and play it down the phone to them!

Very good! .
Someone we know blows a loud whistle into the phone! Lol. Another strings them along for as long as possible before saying "f*ck off"
What I was after was a way to stop the phone ringing in the first place lol

 

[AmericanThunder]

I think BT offer a screening service if you are with them?

 

[Will]

Not that this will help you, but I understand where you are coming from. We have unplugged the house phone. We never used it but its part of a package. I have had a couple of nuisance calls on my mobile. One of then was to do with life insurance, he knew my name address and said he was from Aviva. So that all appeard to be correct, was going on about having extra cover and would I like to update it and may save me money. He didn't know how much I currently pay which was odd. He then said if I take out this cover. I need to phone Aviva to cancel my current one. Then alarm bells started going off, he wasn't from Aviva at all, just a middle man trying to make commission. Since then I have had 2 similar calls. I just tell them if they are not Aviva then there is nothing to discuss.
Soo many people out there cold calling, impersonating other companies. I keep blocking the numbers, but many of these places have multiple outgoing lines. Hard to block them all.

That was a cheeky company! I had one the other day claiming to be my local energy inspector, who then said their records showed my loft insulation was inadequate. He tried to get me to book an inspection with his company. I told him I'd re done my own loft insulation a few years back and asked where he got his information...he hung up!
Trouble is, some UK companies simply ignore TPS registrations and others call from overseas where it doesn't apply. And apparently, you can buy a device which blocks some calls but not others.

 

[Will]

I think BT offer a screening service if you are with them?

Funny you should say that, I am with Virgin as it goes, but am thinking of changing back to BT for that reason. They used to do something called Family And Friends, not sure is they still do?

 

[AmericanThunder]

Don’t know. We have a BT landline but it’s never used. Mobile or broadband for everything.

 

[an88fiero]

BT do in fact have a screen calling facility - my parents have it - the person calling in has to press a number and then say your name before it rings their end

 

[an88fiero]

The common one is “ I hear you’ve been in an accident ......”. I know someone that spent ages on the phone giving phoney details and then after about 10 mins stating laughing and finished off saying something like “gotcha - thought you’d made a packet outta someone today didn’t you?” Line went dead!!

 

[chris68coupe]

My land line has an answer machine on all the time. If I get an unknown number come up I just wait, if it's important they will leave a message. 90% of the time they hang up before the message ends.

 

[Will]

Don’t know. We have a BT landline but it’s never used. Mobile or broadband for everything.

We only use the landline for a few family members and a couple of other contacts, so there's probably no reason why it couldn't all be done on mobiles really. And unwanted calls to mobiles can be policed by an app if needed, I have one which seems to work well.

 

[Will]

BT do in fact have a screen calling facility - my parents have it - the person calling in has to press a number and then say your name before it rings their end

Thanks for the info. I'll investigate that.

 

[Will]

My land line has an answer machine on all the time. If I get an unknown number come up I just wait, if it's important they will leave a message. 90% of the time they hang up before the message ends.

Good point Chris. We already have an answering machine and could try doing the same.

 

[Will]

The common one is “ I hear you’ve been in an accident ......”. I know someone that spent ages on the phone giving phoney details and then after about 10 mins stating laughing and finished off saying something like “gotcha - thought you’d made a packet outta someone today didn’t you?” Line went dead!!

Yeah, that's the ones!! Really annoying They are actually lying by saying "we have been informed you've been involved in an accident"...no they haven't!! lol.
I usually ask where they got that information and they hang up!
Lol a woman where my other half works does that. She strings them along for ages and is so chuffed she has wasted their time

 

[AmericanThunder]

I did something similar. They asked about my recent car accident and I spun some BS about atrocious it had been. How I had hit a bus stop packed with children on their way to school. Several fatalities but also several who would be crippled for life. You could hear that they could smell blood thinking of their lifetime liabilities and multiple claims.
I think something in my voice gave it away as they suddenly realised they were being had and hung up.

 

[Will]

Great!
I think it's always a bonus if you chew up some of their time. I reckon if most people were able to do that there might be less calls as many would give up trying.