What a waste of time.

[Xenedis]

Hmmm Imagine this. If every call these people make costs them 20 minutes of time for no result how long can they financially exist? infrastructure, wages, on costs (super etc) phone charges......If you hang up they lose little. If you can afford your time to engage them for 20 mins and they get nothing..well, not long before they close.

It doesn't work that way in the real world.

I am here for photography not politics

Neither am I, but when I see people encouraging others to exhibit childish, ineffective and completely wrong behaviour, I will call it for the utter BS it is.

but my opinion is tie them up for as long as possible for no reward and they will cease to exist. IMHO.

If that had any semblance of truth, marketing call centres would already be extinct.

You're not the first person to think that annoying one caller (of many) for 20 minutes (and encouraging others to do the same) is the silver bullet that will surely put a stop to it.

And you won't be the last.

Has it occurred to you that some call centre operators might flag you as someone who wasted their time and call you more frequently?

Seriously, just say you're not interested, and hang up.

As awful a job as it is, those people are doing a job -- probably one they'd prefer not to be doing.

[Analog6]

Maybe I'm too soft but from my point of view a lot of the bottom dweller staff that make the calls aren't the ones who run the show. They are usually poor as hell and its a job in a country where jobs are hard to find. They are just trying to survive. Same reason there is a lot more street crime etc in developing countries than there is on the streets of Double Bay. Not saying its right, but put yourselves in their shoes for a minute - you'd probably be willing to make these calls too if you lived over there and the commissions you earn were going to feed your family and give them a decent future. Just hang up on them and get on with your day.

Exactly fishy, I feel very very sorry for them. These poor folk are probably lower caste Indians who live in slums and can get no other work. That said, I do let the answer machine filter mine, these callers always hang up.

[ricktas]

Neither am I, but when I see people encouraging others to exhibit childish, ineffective and completely wrong behaviour, I will call it for the utter BS it is.

My view is that when I am on the phone to one of them (whilst cooking dinner or doing something else) If I tie them up for 20-30 minutes, that person cannot be calling someone else during that time. That is one less elderly lady etc, who doesnt realise it is a scam, being called during the time I have them on the phone. So if that is childish, ineffective and completely wrong behaviour, so be it, I can live with that. You have no place telling me what to do in my own home. You do what you want to do, but how dare you tell others they are childish and it being completely wrong behaviour, simply because you disagree with our approaches.

And it might just get my number put on their 'blocking' list of people not to call, cause I just waste their time.

[peterb666]

Why waste the caller's time (and yours)?

Just tell the caller you're not interested and hang up straight away!

If you have the time to kill, waste their time because they are idiots and are probably getting paid for results. Tie them up and prevent them doing their nasty deeds and it stuffs them. BTW, anyone developed a phone robot to respond with plausable rubbish to these idiots?

[ameerat42]

If you have the time to kill, waste their time because they are idiots and are probably getting paid for results. Tie them up and prevent them doing their nasty deeds and it stuffs them. BTW, anyone developed a phone robot to respond with plausable rubbish to these idiots?

And this is just begging the question. How fortunate that we don't do that job! Or are we?
Glm

[FallingHorse]

I had one ring me back 3 times and abuse me for hanging up on him so now I either ask them to hold while I get something of the stove (half an hour) or engage them in BS as Rick said - while they are the phone to me, some little old lady isn't being screwed out of her life savings. If that's childish behaviour, I can live with it.
Maybe I am not soft at all because I really don't care who they are or what their background is when it comes to telemarketing and scams, I have zero tolerance

[Xenedis]

Rick,

If you're the sort of person who takes delight in deliberately making someone else's job difficult, then you surely won't be very surprised if some of those people decide to send more annoying calls your way.

The behaviour you encourage in this instance IS childish and ineffective. Too bad if you don't want to hear that.

If you really care about preventing others from being victims of scams, why not contact the appropriate authorities instead?

[Kym]

Maybe I'm too soft but from my point of view a lot of the bottom dweller staff that make the calls aren't the ones who run the show. They are usually poor as hell and its a job in a country where jobs are hard to find. They are just trying to survive.

Not quite correct.
Per the OP these people calling to 'fix' your computer are in fact trying to gain access to you PC for criminal activities, including finding your banking passwords etc. by installing keyloggers etc.
On that basis I don't give a toss about their circumstances.

Normal marketing calls are different, BUT the OS call centres don't honour the do not call register.
So they can go jump as well.

If you're the sort of person who takes delight in deliberately making someone else's job difficult, then you surely won't be very surprised if some of those people decide to send more annoying calls your way.

Given these turds are overseas and we are talking their illegal activity making their life difficult is no drama.

[mikew09]

Ha, I had my first call the other day. Indian acsent was so strong I could hardly understand him. He was telling me that it was possible some data or such had been placed on my computer and asked if I was on the net as part of a free service he could check my PC. I immediatley thought it was a scam and started asking about this and that, how would it get past my dual FW setup and my melware and virus software that is always up to date. Then we spot about mail security - so unintentionally I kept him going for about 10 mins and then said, no thanks mate - I reckon I am ok.

First time I have had one of these calls - very odd.

[Kym]

Just to make it clear...

WARNING: These types of calls are criminal!

They are a scam after access to your PC and your data with a view to stealing from you
and/or adding your machine to a botnet.

[old dog]

we were getting them all the time...at least 2 a week. My wife Julie answered the last couple and informed the caller that he/she should be ashamed of themselves and what would your mother think about what you were doing...trying to steal peoples money/information etc. No calls since........My tack was asking them for a call back number and where they were, what is their name etc.

[Art Vandelay]

I'm happy to put my hand up for playing childish games with telemarketers at times.

And they're not all Indian call centres either, there's plenty from right here in Aus.

[Xenedis]

Just to make it clear...

WARNING: These types of calls are criminal!

They are a scam after access to your PC and your data with a view to stealing from you
and/or adding your machine to a botnet.

Which means they need to be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Wasting the time of an individual caller isn't effective at dealing with what is a bigger problem.

[FallingHorse]

OMG - they aren't even on the phone and we are still wasting out time on them I'm going over to see if I can add any valuable CC to someones photos instead lol ... anyone care to join me

[fess67]

Neither am I, but when I see people encouraging others to exhibit childish, ineffective and completely wrong behaviour, I will call it for the utter BS it is.

That's ok, you have your opinion I have mine. We can agree on that and move on.

OMG - they aren't even on the phone and we are still wasting out time on them I'm going over to see if I can add any valuable CC to someones photos instead lol ... anyone care to join me

Now that is some sensible talking.

[Kym]

Which means they need to be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Wasting the time of an individual caller isn't effective at dealing with what is a bigger problem.

1. The Authorities can't do a lot due to jurisdictional issues etc. Plus they have limited resources and are chasing bigger fish/issues
2. But it's fun http://forum.419eater.com/forum/album.php

[ving]

anyone here ever actually been caught out by them? what were they actually after and what happened?


personally i just hang up, cheryl likes to play games with them tho.

[JohnRA]

Don't often get a call from them but a week or so ago I received two about 30 mins apart.
First was a woman & I let her get a few sentences into her spiel just to determine what it was all about, said not interested & hung up.
Next was a fellow who was difficult to understand & I let him get to the point where he was starting to ask questions & that's when I informed him I use a Mac ...... No lie as I have both ..... He lost interest immediately so that was that.
I subscribed to the No Call Register, it stops some but not all.

[geedee]

Andrew
sounds like you are a candidate for the DO NOT CALL REGISTER. that will get rid of most of these
Regards
Graham

[I @ M]

Andrew
sounds like you are a candidate for the DO NOT CALL REGISTER. that will get rid of most of these
Regards
Graham

Nah Graham, we are on the DNCR and it in no way stops people in far away lands using VOIP connections from ringing us and trying to pretend that they are more than just a scammer.

As for the DNCR, it does stop the likes of Tel$tra and the various blood sucking banks from ringing but I would really love to see it extended to stop the begging calls from 56 billion registered charities.