Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Those 'We heard you were in a car accident' cold callers

145 replies

notwonderwoman · 14/02/2018 11:58

Not really AIBU because I don't really care but ...I've been getting so many of those strange cold callers telling me I've been in an accident I've started to have a bit of fun when they call. It's been going on for about 18 months now at least and I can't get rid of them.
This morning one called me up and I started singing 'Baby one more time' by britney down the phone to them. The sour voiced woman still kept asking me if I'd been in an accident Grin I said maybe I bumped my head? And kept singing. She hung up.

The other day another one called me, I tell them they really should get a better job and they are worth more then working for a sham company (the companies don't even exist if you google them) and she still kept asking the same questions. Poor love.

Another one called me up when I was on the toilet. I'll let you guess what I told them.

How do you deal with them? Smile

OP posts:
KitKat1985 · 14/02/2018 13:01

Caller: "Hello we understand you've had an accident in the last 5 years".
Me: "Yes. She's 3 years old now."

Grin

Disclaimer: Both DD1 and DD2 were actually planned.

IamAporcupine · 14/02/2018 13:02

I got several of these a while ago but not recently.

I used to say: Oh yes, I did have a bad accident. They would get all excited and pass me with the someone else.When They asked for details, I'd say, I am really sorry it was so bad I lost my memory! Grin

Testarossa1 · 14/02/2018 13:02

I got sick of these, so I registered both my mobile and landline with the telephone preference service (you can do it online) and I don't get any now. It does work.

Dancingfairy · 14/02/2018 13:03

*They gleam your details from the car insurance comparison sites. There's a box to tick if you don't want these calls - in very small print.

Worth noting*

I've never had a car and can't drive so can't be that for the ones that call me

RubyLennoxExists · 14/02/2018 13:05

I once told one of them yes I'd been in an accident and couldn't talk now as I was just about to go to my friend's - who'd been in the accident too - funeral. the guy said he'd call back later when it had finished, and did so a couple of hours later Hmm

Fintress · 14/02/2018 13:07

Register online with TPS (telephone preference service) its free, u can use it with landlines and mobiles.
Ive never had a cold caller since!

We are registered with TPS, are ex-directory and never give our number out and I've had bloody loads recently. I just sit the phone down and let them rattle on until they hang up.

ComedyofTerrors · 14/02/2018 13:08

I had a Microsoft one

chatterchatter etc

Him: Can you open Windows please?
Me: I don't think that's a very good idea, it's raining

Click

WinkyisbackontheButterBeer · 14/02/2018 13:11

The last one I had, I replied

‘Oh thank god you called. Was he ok? He just stepped out of nowhere, when I looked in the mirror he wasn’t moving!’

The man said. ‘Errrrrrmmmmmm’ in a very worried voice then pit the phone down.

GabsAlot · 14/02/2018 13:14

i dont even think tps works anymore im registered have had more calls this last year than ever

they have work arounds anyway as internaitonal numbers arent covered by tps

Chugalug · 14/02/2018 13:14

I got one the other day...I said.....yes I was in a crash....and I died...she said ,oh ok hang on while I get someone...ha ha ...I like a bit of fun with these calls..

KERALA1 · 14/02/2018 13:15

Surely criminals in India won't take any notice of TPS!

Andrewofgg · 14/02/2018 13:16

I'm going to sing the German National Anthem next time. The modern non-offensive version. In German.

60sname · 14/02/2018 13:19

I press the button on my mobile that says 'block caller'

WhooooAmI24601 · 14/02/2018 13:19

If the DCs are home I generally hand the phone over to the youngest; he's a lovely voice and is fond of a musical so currently his repertoire is all about "This Is Me" from the Greatest Showman. He'll sing that shit on repeat the whole day long.

NameChangeDestroyer · 14/02/2018 13:20

The best way to deal with them is just don't answer your phone and have a generic voicemail message. I stopped answering any unknown numbers, and since I stopped I very rarely received spam calls. One day, however, I cocked up and answered and it all started up again. A few weeks of not answering I'm back to a once in a blue moon call. There's no point them calling numbers which aren't being used. If someone is calling about anything important they will leave a voice mail.

LittleCandle · 14/02/2018 13:21

I had one the other day. He asked if I had had an accident and I replied that I couldn't remember having one. He insisted I had, so I told him I didn't remember and perhaps I had amnesia from it. He ignored this sally until I had done this about 4 times or so, each time acting as though this was a new thought to me. He hung up...

Oh dear, I hope I didn't hurt his feelings...

Elendon · 14/02/2018 13:21

"I'm so glad you called. I want to tell you about Jesus..."

Thank you for sharing this bluescreen
Grin

Fintress · 14/02/2018 13:24

I don't get them on my mobile as I have two call blocker apps, they work a treat. When we were in Thailand we both got local SIM cards. My husband was getting dozens of texts and calls, I got nothing. When he asked a member of hotel staff what the text messages said she laughed and told him they said he'd won the lottery Grin. So you're not even safe from them outside of the UK.

Elendon · 14/02/2018 13:26

I once put the phone next to the radio - radio 4 - it was one of the weird afternoon plays. They were paying for the phone call after all. All I could hear was hello? hello? several times - it was obvious what I was doing. Finally they put the phone down.

NoodlesLivesHere · 14/02/2018 13:26

My new tactic has been to asked them directly "Why are you lying about me?" "Why are you spreading rumours about me?" "Do you realise that's slander and I'm recording this call?"

The response was always a click but I think I've blacklisted myself because I haven't had any for a while now.

Shaddyuppayaface · 14/02/2018 13:28

My 14 year old got one the other day and passed the phone to me. I explained he was 14 and couldn't drive to which she again asked us to confirm if there had been an accident. What part of 14 year olds don't drive did she not understand???

MrsElvis · 14/02/2018 13:28

I'm an ex semi cold caller and thankfully escaped. I quit and would have rather been on benefits when I realised it was a scam company and I wasn't helping people like I believed. My old company wins lots of awards and you'd never think it was a con.

TPS is extremely limited. It's stops a small percentage. It can't help you if you're getting the foreign or withheld / hidden number / fake number calls.

If they are a scam operation, TPS can't help, they only deal with genuine registered companies. Also worth knowing they share your information with other businesses which is why people often feel they get more calls after registering.

Some scammers reverse the charges so I wouldn't keep them on the phone and some foreign companies will take revenge if you wasted their time and call you in the early hours etc.

MrsElvis · 14/02/2018 13:29

And to back up what has been said before, now before a shift the operators record generic responses and questions. You'll eventually get passed to a real live human if you trigger the right answers

MrsElvis · 14/02/2018 13:33

The people saying they block the caller with a button.... it won't work if the number has been hidden or if they're using a fake computerised number to appear on the screen

SallyCinnamon3009 · 14/02/2018 13:34

I literally just got one when reading this thread. It's the one that starts with a clearly pre recorded message from "Adele" and then I got transferred off shore. Told him I didn't think the accident was my fault at all as the person I hit clearly shouldn't have been walking in the road. He hung up!