Ineffective methods to stop scam/spam calls.

I'll add two more that I see from time to time---"I am going to find them and (action to be done is  usually censored by Admin)."  or "If I find them, I'll ----".   and
"I pressed number 9 (or any number) to be on their do not call list so they won't call again."

Good list!!

How about posting something in all caps? Is that another ineffective method of stopping calls???
(Note: I posted that in all caps but apparently 800notes now automatically fixes all-caps posts. A victory for programming but a loss for humor...)

Sadly no it doesn't because I still see posts all in caps. A case is point is seen in Jojo on the 'fighting back' thread.

*using a call blocker
*posting spoofed numbers with the following :  "Called and didn't leave a message..."
*thumbs downing proactive people's posts.
*posting on an internet forum while saying you don't have time to engage scammers themselves.
*cut and pasting the SAME irrelevant arguments over and over repeatedly while ignoring logical rebuttals.
*using this forum as a social club.

I think we had a list like this before, also add 'using site as pick-up place' and 'vendetta posts' to the list

~ Central NY ~
  >Slim & Badge714
I have to agree with you guys 100%! Great post! NOW, if we can just get the rest of the population to READ this information, we'll be getting somewhere.
  I swear that some people should not be left alone because they are not smart enough to survive on their own. Remember "The Flying Fickle Finger Of Fate" (Laugh-In era), or the "Stella Awards" more recently? Some of the people who get these calls shouldn't be allowed to even be Near a phone, much less own one, and they should never be allowed to handle or be in charge of ANY money that does not have "MONOPOLY" printed on it. ("A fool and his money ..... ")
  On the brighter side though, Many people who come to this site really Do read what we post here, and they Do put this info to proper use. Many of them are truly naive, trusting people. They are just looking for answers. That's why this site is SO important. It brings those of us who have experience in these matters together to help those who need that education.
  There are so many things that we CAN do to fight these low-lifes, but we need to work together. It obvious that our government can't, or won't, do anything to stop or at least curtail these criminals from stealing from our population, so it's up to us to do this by ourselves again, .... as usual.
  Along with a list of things that do Not work, as you guys have listed so well, we need to compile a list of things that DO work.
  For example; In our home and our home/office we have been using our 'puter to filter out unwanted calls using a program called "PhoneTray Free" from TraySoft, and NO, I do Not work for them. Along with Caller ID (CID) and "Private Call Blocking" from Time Warner, we have been able to use the last FREE version (1.39) to block over 20 Billion (yes, with a "B") phone #'s by adding those unwanted callers #'s to our 'puters $hit Li$t of blocked #'s. They get 1 ring and our 'puter "handles"  the call the way WE decide. We do not have to make any monthly payments to use it and we can add as many #'s as we need (as you can already see). This version of the program does not spy on us either.
  We get a LOT of unwanted callers trying to sell us everything from pain relief cream (Rub some on yourself. ... You're still here? Now I KNOW it does NOT work. It's a scam!!) to "The F.B.I./I.R.S./D.E.C./Homeland Security/Secret Service/(whatever else) is calling and we're in trouble, but give us the # from a $500 green-dot card from Wally-World and we'll close your case" to "You've just won a $250,000 vacation trip for answering our survey questions. All we need now is $500 to process your winnings to your bank account. Just give us the account # and your password and we'll take care of it all for you (READ AS: "We'll suck your account drier than the Sahara Desert, and we'll leave you broke flatter than Twiggy in the 70's")".
  We still get calls, but the repeat calls never get through. That in itself has cut down the ones we have to deal with a LOT. Many are now calling our FAX machine line. The voice callers can't get anywhere with a machine and the robo-dialers have no one to deliver a message to. Awww, Geee, to bad. Must suck to be them. A 'puter with the PhoneTray program and a FAX program works really well in our case. Don't ya just Love technology that we can use against these tele-scum? I sure do.
  I have even been known to come to this site hunting for new #'s to add to our $hit Li$t as a preemptive solution.
Happy Hunting all and thanx for supporting this site with all your input.

I write this tongue-in-cheek, but sometimes I think a banner should be placed on the top of each and every page of this site, and it should read: "Stop and check caller ID before you pick up a call. If you see a name and/or number you don't recognize, don't pick up the call."

I've gotten too many real emergency calls from numbers I don't recognize to just ignore them. Sometimes people's cell phones are out of range or their batteries are dead or it's a third party calling. When my husband had a heart attack near his work, one of his coworkers called me from her phone so I could talk to him before the ambulance got there. That sort of thing doesn't happen often, but it's happened to me enough times that I'm not going to just let unknown numbers ring through.

It's fine if you choose not to answer unknown numbers, but I'm not going to let a bunch of petty con artists keep me from using a service that I pay for.

Lisa, people will announce themselves to the answering machine or voice mail if you aren't able to answer the phone when the phone begins ringing. I have begun the habit of announcing myself a few seconds after my father picks up his landline phone, because he never says anything. He doesn't have Caller ID on his landline.

It might help to say "Please leave a message after the beep .... BEEP" in your phone to trick scammers into thinking they have hit an answering machine or voice mail, those will most likely hang up, while the people you really want to talk to will begin to leave a message.

I didn't ask for advice. I know perfectly well what I'm doing, and I have decided that I'm not going to let telemarketers and scammers change the way people get in contact with me. I answer the phone, and when I can and I have the time, I identify and report telemarketers. They're not all traceable, but a lot of them are. I just sent a TCPA demand letter to a local mortgage broker last week, in fact.

I don't have a problem if you choose not to answer, but it's really kind of ridiculous how people here get all condescending and hostile about people who choose to handle it differently.

You do realize that they don't take you off those call lists just because you let it go to voicemail, right? I'm pretty sure they won't even take you off if you play a disconnect tone. They are selling those lists back and forth among each other based on volume. They have no motivation to remove numbers that go to voicemail.

And as far as ineffective goes, it's pretty annoying when you look up a number here and all the posts are just "This number called me but I didn't answer." If you don't answer and can't identify them, you can't report it and you're not providing any useful information by posting about it.

Keep doing that if you choose to, but stop acting as though it's the only way to address the problem. You not answering your phone doesn't really do anything about the overall problem. And stop acting like people are stupid for answering their phones. That is just absurd.

Ok, you didn't ask for advice but you DID make a post on a public website.  Hence you should reasonably expect responses. Why are you so snippy?
Nowhere was William "condescending and hostile" in his response to you.  By accusing him of responding this way, you are doing the very thing you are complaining about.
As for you being annoyed at posts that don't identify the caller,  too bad.  Those people either weren't home or choose not to engage with any of the scammers and crooks that call them.  They have a right to post the information they have.  Who are you to criticize posters for this? At least the posts help establish a pattern and frequency of calls.

I am "snippy" because I'm really getting tired of seeing smug posts all over this site assuming people who answer their phones are stupid. The blanket advice that I was responding to was  "Stop and check caller ID before you pick up a call. If you see a name and/or number you don't recognize, don't pick up the call." William just totally ignored what I was saying and repeating the same misguided advice I was responding to. If you get a call from the police, a hospital, a school, or a payphone, you cannot always call it back directly.

People are perfectly aware that they are not legally required to pick up calls from unknown numbers, so those who see fit to tell people that over and over again are being condescending. Yes, I have seen the posts on here from people who are confused and inchoate, and think this site or Obama or someone is calling them, but does anyone really think that they're going to listen? They're not. The only people who could possibly use that advice probably aren't even going to see it, so you're just admonishing people who know what they're doing.

It's no real skin off my nose when people post that they got a call from a number and don't know what it is. It's just mildly annoying to look up a number and see nothing but that. But it is also no skin off your noses when people actually pick up the phone and gather useful information about the callers, either. Instead of finger-wagging about it, you should be thanking people who are sharing information with you.

And you know why it bugs me? Because that is a lazy approach. Yes, not answering your phone prevents you from, um, answering your phone. It does no other good. It does not starve the telemarketers, particularly not those who make money on CID scams. It doesn't get your number off their lists. It doesn't even inconvenience them.

If you want to actually do something about the problem, you answer the phone, you identify the callers you can, you report them, and you do something. You don't just ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

It's actually kind of funny how invested some people on this site are to that flawed logic, and how hurt your feelings seem to be that I'm pointing out that it doesn't work.

We all have our own methods of handling calls from telemaggoters. For me it is just not worth picking up the phone to string along a complete stranger and run the risk of getting even more calls from the same source.
We can sit here and argue with each other or simply accept the fact there will never be 100% agreement on this very issue. Personally I do not see what arguing with each other is going to accomplish.
Simply put: Live and let live.

ROFLMAO! And your assuming that the telemarketers are gonna be dumb enough to tell you the truth of who they are and where they are really! That in and of itself is most hilarious..

Feeling's hurt? Nope, not gonna happen. Laughing at the big dream - definitely!  SMHLMAO.. Get over yourself on that part!  You should have been a comedian!

Now it seems to me you are doing exactly what you are accusing others of doing.
If YOU choose to engage with the unknown phone calls, more power to you but don't accuse us of being lazy, we are far from it.
My phone, my choice.