From the edge of reason…and sanity…

“Illegal” marketing calls from “Out of Area” – phone spam

They seemed to go away for a bit, but they are back…its those phone calls you get at home, to let you know that your auto warranty is expiring (yeah, in 2 more years), or its your “credit card company” that wants to tell you something, or some other jazz like that. It’s a pre-recorded message, which at the end it tells you to press 1 to talk to someone, or press 2 to stop receiving calls. Amazingly, pressing 2 seems to have no effect. So, how do you stop them from calling?

First off, I’m on the national Do Not Call list. So these calls are in violation of that. However, most of the time the calls are coming from “Out Of Area”, and no number displayed, so I can’t report them.

Even if you hang up on them, the line isn’t freed immediately. Pick up the line again, and its still there, still giving its spiel. I believe systems that do not disconnect immediately are illegal, as it prevents me from being able to make a phone call in an emergency.

And I love how the call is from my “credit card company”. They don’t say which one, and they are definitely not one of mine. But if I press 1, guess what? I’ve now created a business relationship with whatever telemarketer is on the other end, and you can be you’ll still be getting those calls.

How do you stop these? Does anyone know how to get the number that’s calling? Perhaps some harrassment lawsuits might slow them down.