Don't phone me from Victoria

[old man emu]

If you live in Victoria, or Tasmania don't bother to phone me out of the blue. I won't answer 03 numbers.

 

Why? Because bloody Indian telemarketers are connecting to the Australian phone system through a server located in the 03 area code. I'm sick of umpteen calls a day from people speaking English with unintelligible accents trying to convince me that they are calling from Telstra or the NBN and both services are about to be cut off.

 

By coming in on a 03 area code number, these annoying curry munchers have killed off any chance that there can be voice telephonic communication with other States. And what is Telstra doing? < >

 

OME

 

 

[nomadpete]

Unfortunately neither Telstra nor any other carriers can stop this harassment.

 

They could opt to block all incoming calls from India - but apart from it being an illegal act there would be public uproar from all our taxi drivers. The calls are possibly coming in to Australia on the net.anyway.

 

 

[red750]

We were getting a lot of calls late at night supposedly from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, because my wife had a very small holding of CBA shares from when she worked for them. We complained to Telstra and they said all they could do was block all overseas calls, but could not stop calls made via the internet. As we have no-one overseas to call us, we had the block put in place, but still some calls came through for a while. We have also been receiving calls with an 08 std code from telemarketers from Energy Saver, offering to change our outside lights for LED's. They call on my wife's Vodaphone mobile - how they got the number we don't know. It's not random dialling, because they ask for her by name, but mis-pronounce it badly.

 

 

[old man emu]

How can you mispronounce "Yes, Dear"?

 

 

[red750]

Our surname is spelt like, and rhymes with, rough, but a telemarketer pronounced it Hoog.

 

 

[facthunter]

Hoog owes there? Nev

 

 

[David2ayo]

Oh, the joys of calling number display. I have my home phone diverted to my mobile, so I get the called number displayed. I have had all sorts of numbers - 08, 03, mobile, even one which was only 7 digits. Unfortunately the rotten little snots have the ability to put any number they want up, and sometimes they use somebody else's real number (mentioned on ABC news a while ago). My coping method. 1, start the stopwatch. 2, while on the phone to the crim, ring the number on another phone, just to verify. 3, keep them strung along as long as you can. 5 minutes is relatively easy, if you claim more than 10 minutes I will demand proof (Youtube posting adequate).4, when they finally realise they have been had and hang up, block the number on your phone.

 

If you haven't got the time to give them personal attention, sound very enthusiastic, apologise that you have to put the cat out, then just continue with your life. I managed about 6 minutes on that technique.I now almost look forward to the spam calls!

 

David

 

 

[old man emu]

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[gareth lacey]

and then they ring both of our mobiles , Larry,peter ,colin all with sing song Indian accents LOL

 

 

[octave]

My wife gets scam calls from India at her work. When she is not busy she engages the caller. Last week she received a call from someone wanting her to give them information (serial codes etc.) from her work's computer network. She immediately knew it was a scam so whilst he was talking she googled and actually found the exact text of what he wanted her to do and even the exact words. She started to read along with him until he started to panic a little. She put it to him that it was a scam. "no Mam, why do you say it is a scam" he said. Being a slow day she actually talked to him for some time. She asked him if he knew what he was doing was wrong, he eventually said he was sorry but he needed the job. My wife told him he sounded intelligent and certainly was persistent, she told him "he was better than that" and should try to use his skills to find an honest job. After about 15 minutes he said he had to go now, he thanked her and said "god bless you"

 

At home, we have not had a fixed line phone for about 7 years now and for most of that time, we have not been subject to these kinds of calls or sales pitches. In recent years I have noticed more of these calls coming to my mobile. I pretty much never answer my phone, my wife and I pretty much only text. If a call is important the caller will leave a message. I usually look up any numbers I don't recognize on the net and mostly they are from numbers that have complaints against them. The most interesting one I have received a couple of times is a call which I do not answer but they leave a message and when I listen to the message it is in Chinese, not sure what the point of that is.

 

 

[red750]

I've also had a couple of calls with a Chinese or Japanese female voice - which I can't understand. All our phones, land line and mobile, are on the Do Not Call Register, but that doesn't stop overseas operators. Some local callers don't seem to care either. I'm sure some real estate agents have never heard of it.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

My wife gets scam calls from India at her work. When she is not busy she engages the caller. Last week she received a call from someone wanting her to give them information (serial codes etc.) from her work's computer network. She immediately knew it was a scam so whilst he was talking she googled and actually found the exact text of what he wanted her to do and even the exact words. She started to read along with him until he started to panic a little. She put it to him that it was a scam. "no Mam, why do you say it is a scam" he said. Being a slow day she actually talked to him for some time. She asked him if he knew what he was doing was wrong, he eventually said he was sorry but he needed the job. My wife told him he sounded intelligent and certainly was persistent, she told him "he was better than that" and should try to use his skills to find an honest job. After about 15 minutes he said he had to go now, he thanked her and said "god bless you"...

Wot a great lady you've landed yourself, Octave. Plenty of others might have abused the poor bugger and spoiled his day and theirs.

 

 

[facthunter]

Back a while I would sometimes just not make a sound and a chinese accented lady would say "Bye Bye". Exactly like the Cathay Hosties when you get off the B 747 in Hong Kong. Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

I just hang up. I don't have the time or energy to engage with them.

 

 

[Bruce]

Hanging up is the natural thing to do, but it is better to just put the phone down and walk away. This costs them much more in time.

 

A friend we call doesn't answer the phone until she hears your voice leaving a message.

 

I liked Octave's story... and I agree, if you have free time, it can be fun to try getting to know them.

 

I wonder how many people they take in? there must be quite a few or they would go extinct. Nobody I know.

 

 

[facthunter]

It's still happening. My wife took a call an hour ago and suggested they take us off the list . Hope it happens. These are the little things that erode a quality of life, significantly. Everyone just expects you to drop everything and take the call. and listen to their spiel.. Nev

 

 

[old man emu]

I'm trying to arrange a class reunion. I bet that many of the people I am phoning are not picking up because they don't recognise the phone number.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Or maybe they do?

 

 

(Sorry - had a couple of glasses of white from a Victorian winery)...

 

 

[facthunter]

There's not enough class about to have a "class" re union. and the name "union" is frowned on.. Nev

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Norm Gallagher comes to mind! Defo no class and [edit for FH's benefit] no [/edit ;-)] part of a union... Eek!

 

 

[facthunter]

BLF. "F' is Federation. Nev

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

BLF. "F' is Federation. Nev

OK - you got me there.. or so you thought.. My point was.. well.. Federation ain't union, is it, guv? (check the edit of my last post)

 

 

[spacesailor]

BLF

 

Bacon, Lettuce, F? (Fries).

 

Chip Butty.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[facthunter]

Dunno if it's the same. I've never heard of a sexual federation. . Nev