Originally Posted by
R19
I never answer my phone even if its a number I recognize. I have it set to ring 3 times and go to voice mail. My phone can ring and I don't even bother looking at it. If it beeps about 30 seconds or so later then I know someone left a message. On a rare occasion a scammer will leave a message but they always say something that gives them away.
I don't know how accurate what I am about to type next is so take what I am about to say as third party information...I met someone who use to work for a telemarketing service. They were not a scammer they were legit but trying to sell you something. Anyways I was told if you answer your phone its flagged as a working answerable number in their data base. You can hang up, curse them, tell them to put you on a do not call list or do whatever you want but its already too late regarding the privacy of your number. If you don't buy or show interest after multiple attempts they simply sell your number to another call service. Granted its pennies on the dollar but this gives call centers a list of known answerable numbers to work with. Scammers hack the system and steal the numbers so that's how they have a never ending list of answerable phone numbers. Now if you do as I and let a machine answer they also note this and will try multiple times and eventually give up. Then you number is sold as an answerable number but only voice mail. When they sell that number its far less than an answerable number.
I'm an O.G. so I still have a home number. For the above reason I done away with caller ID. Why pay X amount if I'm not going to look at it and let the machine answer it. Plus caller ID is useless when scammers can spoof the number calling making it look like a known trusted number. I don't even flinch when my home or cell rings..I let everything go to a message.