I’ve stopped answering my phone

Germanshepherdsmum
Clone my voice ? What new hell is this ? I had no idea. I think it's time I paid more attention to AI.

GrannyRose15

I quite like to chat to some of those who call me from unknown numbers. I ask about the weather and how their day is going. We can have quite a long chat about what they want me to buy but I always say no in the end. If they want to waste my time, I’ll waste theirs.

Don’t speak to them! They can clone your voice - AI.

I'm another one who has ditched the landline. It had become completely redundant except for scammers. My voicemail msg on my mobile says to send a text instead of leaving a msg. I don't answer calls I don't recognise and block any unsolicited calls so they can't call back. I'll often check the number out on Google to see if it's from anywhere that might be relevant.

I'm fed up answering the phone .
My father used to yell PHONE at me all day long - phone being my mobile as well as the landline .
Or DOOR .
He stopped eventually .

I've got rid of the landline and block the cold calls on my mobile .

I've asked my friends to text or WhatsApp me .
We rarely chat on the phone .

The elderly ladies , that I visit still phone me on their landlines and I always call them back immediately I case there is an emergency .
Usually , they are bored and lonely .
They like pretty cards and letters especially when accompanied by flowers and / or chocolates !

GrannyRose15

I quite like to chat to some of those who call me from unknown numbers. I ask about the weather and how their day is going. We can have quite a long chat about what they want me to buy but I always say no in the end. If they want to waste my time, I’ll waste theirs.

What if they are scamners and the pleasant chat is to make you drop your guard?
A few years ago, my neighbour foolishly gave her pin number and access to her bank account.

I quite like to chat to some of those who call me from unknown numbers. I ask about the weather and how their day is going. We can have quite a long chat about what they want me to buy but I always say no in the end. If they want to waste my time, I’ll waste theirs.

I have a blocking mechanism on my landline with a "white" list and only number on that can come straight through. I do google missed calls but its usually a scam of some kind. If its a genuine business I can call them back.

EE does block a fair amound of calls to my mobile as potential spam.

I had a call earlier today from a number I didn’t recognise. I didn’t answer, and no message was left. I then put it into
“Who called me?” and it was shown to be a number used for fraudulent purposes.

Thanks welbeck. I was actually meaning mobiles because no one rings our handset except our daughters. What I am now doing is listing the calls and then pressing the ‘block this call’ button if it is the same number. They do change numbers- who do I know in Karratha? There must be some individual there paid to make such calls. Im not even sure where it is - WA?

www.telstra.com.au/accessories/home-phone-handsets/telstra/call-guardian-gen3

here you go, OP.
i'm guessing other makes are also available down under.

We have call guardian from BT they screen all calls and people havew to say who is calling and I can accept deny or ask them to leave a message .Never havew unwanted calls . DH would love to get rid of the landline but I hate using my mobile and often leave it off .

We have no mobile reception unless we go to the bottom of the garden so a landline is essential.

Snap.
I only have a mobile, don't need landline too. 😃

I never get any of these 'crap' phone calls on my mobile phone and very few on my landline.

I do not have anything activated on my mobile or landline phone to limit them or block them.

The more you answer the more you will get, you will be known as somebody that answers the phone and your details will be sold on.

Any time your number is added to applications, social media, online shopping etc it will get sold on.

I do answer the no number calls as it’s usually my doctors surgery. I ignore numbers I don’t recognise but check if there’s a voicemail. I forgot and answered absentmindedly this morning and just had to say no thank you , it wasn’t anyone I wanted to talk to

We’ve been mobile only for over fifteen years, if it’s a number I don’t recognise and I’m not expecting a call I ignore it. My answerphone message clearly states my name, I don’t often get random calls.

I now have the generic NHS no. saved to my phone, I then know it is a medical call. However, sometimes that doesn't work, e.g during Lockdown, when people were working from home.
I realised it was the National Heart Hospital, when I searched on, Who called me?.

We have systems we can use here, as I said. I’m surprised that you don’t have them in Oz and that you think this is something any government can control.

I always answer those who leave a message, even if I don’t actually know them but spam calls never bother to leave them. I don’t get calls from hospitals so no worries there. I actually spoke to our local MP about it, particularly the spam calls and they actually are looking at some ways to at least cut them down. Obviously, from Germanshepherdsmum’s comment
,your MPs have different agendas from ours. I think ours are more approachable by all accounts.

As an NHS employee, I run Pacemaker clinic remotely. If I need to phone a patient the phone I'm using will have the number withheld. All Hospital numbers are.
We are not to leave messages on Answerphone unless the person has clearly said their name.
If we see a Landline we always go for that first as it gets answered more than a mobile.

Marydoll

In the past I have ignored numbers I don't recognise, until I ignored persistant calls from the same number, while on holiday abroad.
It turned out to be an appointment for an angiogram at the National Heart Hospital, which did not use the generic NHS number, which I was familiar with.
Not always a good idea to ignore.

Good point.
Over the last month or so I have had several calls from numbers that I didn't recognise, and most of those have turned out to be from various hospital departments regarding appointments.

The TPS has worked well for me for years now. I still get the occasional one from abroad but that's all.
Do you have a similar service there?

I'm the same, don't usually answer unknown numbers, occasionally I do, which proves our point, dont answer them, from what the lady, usually sat in her house, trying to tell me I've had a whiplash injury, or an accident. "Did I survive", usually gets the phone put down their end, then it's blocked. Very rare to get them now.

I leave the answer machine on all the time. Nuisance callers hang up as soon as they hear the recording telling them we're not here.