# A Very Odd Phone Call **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633 "2012-02-22T16:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/21 "2012-02-23T18:36:59Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > I told him to shut off his computer. Should have told him to buy an Etcha-Sketch. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/22 "2012-02-23T18:40:09Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I don’t mean this in an accusatory way—more curiosity—why do you (the OP and others who do it) answer the phone for numbers you don’t recognize? I stopped doing so years ago, due to the 99%+ likelihood that it’ll be telemarketer, scammer, robo-call pollster, collections agency looking for someone I’ve never heard of, or garden-variety wrong number. I answer my cell phone when it’s a number I don’t recognize on the outside chance that it’s someone wanting to hire me for freelance work. I do not answer my landline under any circumstances, though. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/23 "2012-02-23T19:25:21Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I answer my cell phone when it’s a number I don’t recognize on the outside chance that it’s someone wanting to hire me for freelance work. That makes sense. I did suspend my no-answer policy last time I was job hunting. I hate the phone, personally, and talk on it as little as possible even with friends & family. Think I had around 57 million rollover minutes accrued, last I checked. I should probably call one of my flapjaw friends and just set the phone down for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/24 "2012-02-23T19:56:42Z")
What a great business model if it were legitimate. “Hello, this is Microsoft. We have detected a virus on your computer and I’m calling to fix it for you remotely. Can we get started? I have thirteen million more calls to make today.” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/25 "2012-02-24T00:10:42Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > What a great business model if it were legitimate. “Hello, this is Microsoft. We have detected a virus on your computer and I’m calling to fix it for you remotely. Can we get started? I have thirteen million more calls to make today.” “…And because Microsoft is the cause of the gigantic security hole that made this virus possible and everyone warned us about 4 years ago, and we didn’t look into it or patch it quickly, and because we have a bundle of money that we don’t want Nigeria to get, we will fix your problem free and send you a system feature update at no cost. No need to grovel, it’s just the way we say ‘thanks’ for using our software.” I have a dream… ---
**Author:** ![Pantani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pantani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantani)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/26 "2012-02-24T00:15:24Z")
A friend tells them that they have just had the windows replaced with new aluminium ones so no thanks, they don’t need fixing. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/27 "2012-02-24T02:18:43Z")
> [@musicat](#): > > i wonder what these dudes ask for? Your ip? If so, i’d just give them another one and see how long i could waste their time. 127.0.0.1 ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/28 "2012-02-24T12:31:06Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I don’t mean this in an accusatory way—more curiosity—why do you (the OP and others who do it) answer the phone for numbers you don’t recognize? I stopped doing so years ago, due to the 99%+ likelihood that it’ll be telemarketer, scammer, robo-call pollster, collections agency looking for someone I’ve never heard of, or garden-variety wrong number. > > On the minuscule chance it’s a legit call, I figure they’ll leave a message and I’ll call right back. The other morons don’t get an opportunity to waste my time. ``` Unfortunately, my office, as well as some other family and friends numbers will come up blocked, private, or a bunch of zeros on the call display. ``` Sometimes, I am expecting calls from government agencies, corporations, etc. and assume that the 866, 877, 888, 800 calls may be them. I hate playing phone tag so I answer them. Of course other times, it may be for entertainment. They don’t really waste my time since I carry on with whatever I am doing. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/29 "2012-02-24T15:23:23Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > “…And because Microsoft is the cause of the gigantic security hole that made this virus possible and everyone warned us about 4 years ago, and we didn’t look into it or patch it quickly, and because we have a bundle of money that we don’t want Nigeria to get, we will fix your problem free and send you a system feature update at no cost. No need to grovel, it’s just the way we say ‘thanks’ for using our software.” > > I have a dream… Its called “automatic updates” 😃 No charge for the consultation. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/30 "2012-02-24T15:32:08Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I wonder what these dudes ask for? Your IP? If so, I’d just give them another one and see how long I could waste their time. > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > 127.0.0.1 I’ve thought about trying that - the person making the call probably isn’t tech-savvy, so it might work, but I think they probably just direct you to website that either installs something automatically, or where they ask you to downoad and install it manually. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/31 "2012-02-24T16:08:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve thought about trying that - the person making the call probably isn’t tech-savvy, so it might work, but I think they probably just direct you to website that either installs something automatically, or where they ask you to downoad and install it manually. I thought I read somewhere they just encourage you to grant them remote assistance access, obstensibly to “remove” the virus, after which they can do whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/32 "2012-02-24T16:22:16Z")
Basically, this was a pop-up ad via telephone! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/33 "2012-02-24T19:02:24Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Normally I answer just to tell them to put me on their internal do not call list. That is the LEGAL way to stop them from calling. If, after 24 hours, that company calls again, you can turn them into the FCC and they will get slapped with an $11,000 fine. It would be nice if that was happening more often. Despite being on the national do not call registry I still get multiple calls a day, usually with spoofed Caller ID numbers. Despite that it’s still illegal for them to do so, several calls a week go to my cell phone. And there’s no use in trying to gather the information needed to file a report because half the calls are robo calls and many of the rest are hang ups. These last happen because their predictive dialer calls me but doesn’t have an agent ready to talk to me so it hangs up a few seconds after I answer. And, if I do manage to have a person on the other end, they will hang up before I can complete the phrase “put me on your do not call list” just to make sure they have plausible deniability. B@@tards. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633/34 "2012-02-24T22:14:47Z")
> [@mangetout](#): > > i’ve thought about trying that - the person making the call probably isn’t tech-savvy, so it might work, but i think they probably just direct you to website that either installs something automatically, or where they ask you to downoad and install it manually. My IP is 192.168.1.5 - what do you meant thats not right? its what it says right here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-very-odd-phone-call/613633.md?page=1)