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NewsThe One Sentence to Get Telemarketers Off the Phone
The One Sentence to Get Telemarketers Off the Phone

The One Sentence to Get Telemarketers Off the Phone

Tags: Scam Safety
Last updated by The FiftyUp Team on

Having a phone automatically means receiving calls from telemarketers. Registering on the Do Not Call list helps a little but what about the ones who call anyway?

Is there a way to get them off the phone and stopping them from contacting you in the future?

The answer is yes.

Ask them this question:

“CAN YOU MAIL ME OUT YOUR PRIVACY AND OPT-OUT POLICIES, PLEASE?”

The very simple question indicates you are serious about not being contacted and now that you have requested it, the company is under obligation to send it to you. If they don’t send it to you, they are liable for further action.

Your request of their privacy and opt-out policy also means you have a hard copy of your request to not be contacted, a record of the date you requested the policy, when you were called, and when you requested to be taken off the list.

If the calls still continue after your request, you can take further action against them.

WHILE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PHONE CALLS, if you are getting a lot of phone calls from an unknown number in a foreign country, think twice before picking up or calling back.

If you don’t know anyone in Latvia or Africa, don’t answer the phone or call back.

The scam is called “wangiri”, loosely translated from a Japanese word that means “one ring and cut”.

The scammer hopes you call them back because you’ll rack up a hefty bill as the number you are calling is a premium line similar to the psychic hotlines and sex lines that cost you a small fortune.

PROTECT YOURSELF

  • Ignore any unexpected missed or received call from an international number you don’t recognise
  • Block the number of any repeated missed calls
  • Block international calls on mobiles used by children so they don’t accidentally call

Scammers prey on the vulnerable, so when in doubt, don’t answer the phone.
 

Read more on Scams & Privacy
My Identity Has Been Stolen
5 Ways to Safeguard Your Bank Accounts
Protect Yourself Against this US Visa Scam
Protect Yourself Against Harvesting Scams
Protect Yourself Against Email Scams
Protect Yourself Against Phone Scams
How to Have Privacy on Facebook

Originally posted on .

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The One Sentence to Get Telemarketers Off the Phone

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PAUL
PAUL from QLD commented:

Although there are some telemarketing places out there that can be annoying, there are also some that can be of benefit to the consumer. And you need to remember that these are people too holding down a good job to put food on the tables of their families. Better that than being a burden on the taxpayer, they are taxpayers themselves. If you don't want to be communicated with on the phone, don't have one, problem solved. 

William
William from NSW commented:

GOOD INFORMATION THANK YOU. REGARDS, Billco 

Alfred
Alfred from QLD commented:

They are nearly all calls from overseas, trying to sell Solar Panels, or telling me my computer has been hacked, or they are supposedly from Microsoft, and I have had them say they are from the Department of Telstra, which we all know is rubbish, as they are not a Department. I just put them off, with a couple of words. 

Janelle
Janelle from QLD commented:

So with the telemarketers, asking for the privacy and opt out policies, if they don't post them, who do you contact if the haven't sent them and keep calling? 

Kevin
Kevin from QLD commented:

I purchased a home guardian phone from Telstra for my landline and you can programme it to only accept calls from the numbers you want all other calls can be blocked it was around $50 but I consider it value as now all telemarketers are blocked. 

Tony E
Tony E from NSW commented:

Last one that called me,I told them to hang on,I have to turn the tele down.Then I placed the phone on the table and immediately went to the pub.I should have checked to see how long they waited,when I got back,but i'd forgotten by the time I returned home,was a few hours later........lol 

Anita
Anita from QLD commented:

It isn't only on the phone, as email's we get them all the time. Sometimes you can unsubscribe but it can take up to 10 days to be applied. Some emails there are nowhere that you can unsubscribe. When applying (Junk Mail) Stop Sender that doesn't work at all , still keep getting emails from same sender forever. What can we do to stop them????? 

Terri
Terri from NSW commented:

except numbers I know, all calls go to message bank, with the recording being "due to scammers, unknown calls will not be answered, please leave a message" 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

if you have solar panels, and they ring, ask them if they can come out, when they get there, and see that you have panels, just tell them you wasted my time by ringing me, now I am wasting your time by coming out, maybe they will get the message 

PAUL
PAUL from QLD commented:

Won't always work. There are such programmes as Nearmap where one gets an up to date image of the roof and can therefore see if you have panels or not. So long as they have the address of course which most do. 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

A friend and I have `Missed Calls` from a +37 prefix number. He checked and it`s Latvia`. Both our missed calls came from similar numbers - with the +37 prefix. 

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