Best comeback to scam callers?

[Losingthewilltolive999]

I’ve been called four times today by the ‘National Crime Agency’ to be told that my national insurance number is about to be revoked.

The number is a normal mobile number. I rang it back once out of curiosity and a lady answered whose elderly mother has also been on the receiving end of this stuff - it seems they’re mimicking other peoples numbers so it doesn’t just show as ‘unknown caller’

It makes me so annoyed. Is there anyway to inconvenience these CFs? If I don’t hang up will it hold the line and waste their phone bill? Or should I just come up with a good comeback?

@winteroversummer

I say 'I'm really sorry but I'm just not interested, please would you take my number off your list' and they're always very polite and I tend not to get a call for a few months.

They're just people doing their jobs

Just people doing their jobs . What now ? They are scammers and are breaking the law. Do you also think serial killers and rapists should just be allowed to get on with it ?

I had one yesterday who claimed to be my local energy advisor. I only spoke to them because the area code was that of an elderly relative and I thought it might be a neighbour and a problem. Her dialling code is one digit different to the adjacent area code. I usually remain silent if I don't recognise the number. So after he had prattled on, I asked him how he was my local advisor if he was ringing from an Xtown number 150 miles away.he really wasn't happy.

Last year I had the people from 'windows computers' on for about 20 minutes. I said I tried switching on my pc but it was slow to load...its really old you see. Then, of course, it started an update, can they hold on whilst it updates. I tried to make small talk. Where do you work? What is your office like? Does you office have air con? Do you have to wear a work uniform? Do you have work friends? He kept asking if my windows computer had loaded up yet? No, it hasn't, it's just so slow. I had to hang up in the end because I needed to get on my my work and I was laughing too much. But as others have said, if I'm wasting their time, it's less time for them to actually scam somebody else. And it was entertaining during lockdown pt1 😂.

Tell them you also work for whatever institution they claim to work. Ask for their staff number and building, say you will look them up on the intranet! They always freak out at this and hang-up!

It depends what mood I’m in, but I usually spend 20 minutes waste their time. Or I tell them hang on one minute, then leave them on the end of the line till they hang up themselves.

I had one of those accident injury ones. I told the guy a long story about how I was in a near fatal car accident, I lost one leg, three toes on the other, an arm, by the time I got to my left eye, I was laughing so hard, the guy caught on and started laughing too. I then kindly told him never to call me again.

On the very odd occasion I’ve answered an unknown number, I hang up. I have neither the time nor inclination to engage with them

I tell them they are filthy scum and hit the block button. They are scum - at least drug dealers sell to people who know what they are getting.

My uncle used to give the phone to my three year old nephew who told them all about his day at nursery etc 😂

Any tips on how to wind up the ones who call saying they're doing a survey? I've had a few of those lately and want to waste their time a bit

Have a look at the better-known Scammer Payback channels on YouTube. These guys are real heroes- keeping the scammers busy for hours (so they aren’t targeting vulnerable folk) and deleting the scammer’s files remotely. It’s illuminating and shocking how much money these scammers take and the methods they use. Some more popular youtubers include: Jim Browning, Pierogi (scammer payback) and Kitboga.

It’s true that in the cultures that these scammer phone centres are often based (where they can pay off the police), it is a powerful thing to ask scammers ‘Are your parents and grandparents proud of what you do? You must give them such grief with your criminal thieving.’

I often hear a gasp when I say it (in my best ‘mum’ voice). Hopefully one day I’ll motivate someone into better life choices, in the meantime I’m happy to ruin their day in a far more benign way than they are ruining people’s entire lives.

Ex managed to keep one of the "Microsoft" scammers on the phone for about 1/2 hour before telling him he had a Mac.

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba

when I see a number I don't recognise I pick up but don't say a wonder. I stay silent. it fries their brain🤣 and call gets disconnected automatically. then I block the number so the same one can't call me again

I used to take the absolute piss.
random fucker: have you been involved in a car accident?
me: when?
rf: recently
me: which car are we talking about?
rf: registered under your name
me: in which country?
rf: same as your residence
me: was I pregnant?
rf: were you injured?
me: so when was this? was the dog in the car? what was I wearing? mum is that you?
rf: -----

I did something similar Caller: We are ringing as you have had an accident recently Me: Who's had an accident? Is it my husband? Is he ok? Etc etc

It ended up with the Call centre person putting the phone down on me (result!) after saying I was wasting his time then another call a few minutes later - it was his manager shouting at me !

They're just people doing their jobs

Wtf? Scammers? People that try to hack your computer/tell you your tv licence is due/that you owe tax? No , they're scammers. You'll likely get scammed with your attitude.

"We're being made bankrupt ' is my favourite.

I keep getting calls telling me I'm going to be sent to jail for non payment of taxes.

To be honest I'm gutted it's a recorded message as I'm dying to say " send the rozzers round, a spell in jail sounds like bliss"

( DD being a noisy 5 yr old, DH clomping about decorating)

I had Amazon prime yesterday about my account auto renewing. It was automated so I hung up, shame as I could have played along. I have never had an Amazon account, and DH hasn't used his for years and is very much pre this number. We don't use Amazon.

@winteroversummer

I say 'I'm really sorry but I'm just not interested, please would you take my number off your list' and they're always very polite and I tend not to get a call for a few months.

They're just people doing their jobs

Jesus, how can you be so naive? You wouldn’t be saying that if you had a vulnerable relative picking up the phone getting scammed out of their life savings.

I just say 'fuck off and leave me alone'.

Makes me feel a lot better.

I once had great fun discussing my car accident they told me I had in great detail.

Ending with

Caller: so what injuries did you receive
Me: I was decapitated

Caller: derrrrrrrrrrrrr (yeah they hung up) 🤣🤣

I just don't answer the phone if I don't recognise the number 🤣

If they want me they can leave a message. They never do.

@PixieDust28

I don't think it's possible to mimic someone else's phone number? I could be wrong though.

If you have an iPhone you can set it up to ignore potential scam calls.

If not, just block them.

They can spoof your number. There was a scam around DH’s large multi National company and they managed to clone the company’s head office number. Worse still they had managed to get DH’s name (as he’s the area manager) and were pretending to be him! Luckily one of the clients was savvy enough to ask ‘DH’ a question that only he would know the answer to and obviously fake DH didn’t know 😵.

Microsoft scammers: I put on my little old lady voice and ramble on about the integral coffee cup holder (disk drive) being broken and how can I fix it. When I get bored I tell them my computer uses Linux.

Car accident scammers: I go into huge detail about a fake crash, they get excited and ask if they can represent me and I say unfortunately not because I died in the crash. Cue much swearing and crashing down of their phone.

If I can't be bothered to do the above I just tell them to fuck off.

I like to do the “Father Ted” nun switch board thing and sing “Ave Maria” at them till they hang up.

I just say "no thank you" and hang up.

I had one a couple of weeks ago telling me the police were coming because i used my national insurance for taxation frauds. What was i going to do to stop the police coming? I replied that I would go on the naughty step then come over and give him a big cuddle to say sorry. He asked if i was taking this seriously and i said that i don't usually take phone scammers who can't even be bothered to learn the correct grammar to scam effectively very seriously (using my very best English teacher voice). He swore and hung up.