Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for December 05, 2024

And you gave them a good sample.

I block any number I don’t know. I rarely say anything.

Best to not even answer.

They want to record you saying “yes.”

I like to mess with them in a funny voice! “Donald Duck here”

I just say SPEAK! No reply I block number.

It’s a reminder of scammers who want to record a “yes” in the victim’s voice.

I wasn’t aware scammers might try to record my voice. I avoid scammers by letting unknown numbers go to voicemail, but it’s good to know their tricks.

FYI, the “recording your yes so they can get access to your accounts” thing is a myth, for two reasons: one, giving them just “yes” is inadequate (the longer spiel she gives them would be more useful), and two, banks don’t actually use a recorded “yes” to tell it’s you calling them. They verify your identity based on stuff you know. Name, address, account number, that kind of stuff. Which is why scammers do those phishing attacks — that’s the information they’re after. And they target chatty old folks who maybe don’t have anyone to talk to because they’re easier targets for that kind social engineering attack.

I don’t pick up the phone if I don’t recognize the caller.

I read an article on the internet yesterday that warns readers about area codes to beware of. They are: 232, 473, 809, 829, 849, 868 and 876.

As you can tell from my post I am very “chatty”. Let this be a lesson to scammers:

Last week I got a call from my pharmacy asking if I wanted to schedule my flu shot. Normally I do it in October, but I have been too sick to go anywhere. I told him I couldn’t schedule anything that far in advance since I don’t know if I will be able to do anything that day. That shot and getting my car inspected are 2 of , at most, 6 times a year that I leave the house. I must have everything delivered.

Anyway, back to the story. A few days later the phone rang. I had had a medical issue during the night and hadn’t noticed that the cordless phone that sits where I can read who is calling had fallen onto the floor. The one on my desk that I answer is an old, corded phone, and that is what I use to talk since it can go in the crick of my neck. The one on the floor still said who was calling, but I misheard. I thought it said it was the pharmacy again. I interrupted the guy (because I need to pay closer attention when I cannot see the person, I truly had no clue what he was saying) and said that they just called me a few days ago and that I had told them then that I would call when I was ready. I then went on to talk about the event that had happened the night before. I told him that I had already made an appointment with my doctor, and I felt I should not do anything until I found out what happened to me. The guy apologized. I told him it was OK, said goodbye, and hung up. I then was able to pick up the phone on the floor. That is when I saw that the number only showed the county and state. It does that for cellphones. My pharmacist uses a dedicated line. Their people would NEVER call from a cell. That is when I realized it was a scammer. So, take note. Telling them your medical problems will at least hasten them wanting to leave you alone or shame them. I promised I would never turn into my mother. I failed.

Don’t say yes! I also say you have 3 seconds to say something! Then blocked!

My standard answer is “What is this call about?” regardless of greeting. If they go on, I just hang up. Some of them hang up as soon as I ask about the call.

My brother used to pretend to be the world’s loneliest guy and would just ramble on and on to any phone solicitor. They usually hung up pretty quickly.

I never say hello. The machines are voice activated. A person will always say hello first. Saves a lot of junk time.

I never answer a single call that is unknown to me. Sure it means things like today when the electrician called to say she is on her way got my voicemail, but now at least I can add her to contacts.

I remember when I first heard this phone scam. I always responded with “Are you real?” This threw a wrinkle into the system that the scammer couldn’t smoothly get out of, causing it to say “This is a real person, but I will move onto other callers. Goodbye.” Fortunately, I never answered with a plain “Yes.” When I later read about how these scammers can mess with you by recording your “Yes” and using it as a form of consent to things you don’t want, I remember thinking “I dodged a bullet!”

We have an answering machine on our home line all the time. My parents did/mom does this also. Anyone who calls gets the machine. They can leave a message or not. If it someone I want to/need to talk to I pick up, if not I don’t. No name on our outgoing message either.

When my baby sister was young something happened (I forget what and I almost older enough to be her mom) and she had the school nurse or whoever call me. I was home and I heard the woman saying to her “There’s no one there.” and my sister saying “just tell them that you are calling about me and the phone will answer”. ) And, yes, I grabbed up the phone to find out what was happening and then drove to her school to pick her up as she was not feeling well.

With my cell phone or my husband’s – if it rings it is not answered unless we know who is calling. Anyone else can leave a message.