Depends I suppose. I used to get an automated message on my voicemail and then when I called it it was some collection agency. After a couple times they stopped calling.
In college, they would call five times a day. We would entertain ourselves for hours messing with them. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t live here anymore.” “BULLSHIT! I just talked to him yesterday!” [TURKISH ACCENT]Oh did he sound a little like this? BAHAHAHAHAH!!![/TURKISH ACCENT]
For almost a year after I moved into my new place here, I had all kinds of people–debt collectors, lawyers, insurance companies, even investment fund managers–calling my number looking for an “Anthony (X)*”. It was a pain in the freakin’ neck trying to stop them, mainly because it wasn’t just one collector, but several folks all trying to get to him. Eventually one of the lawyers’ secretaries who called and I got to the bottom of the problem: Mr. X’s business phone number had been printed wrongly in an online company directory. One call to the company later, and the calls slowed down…I still got them for six months, but they eventually petered out to nothing.
So, if you’re getting calls for someone consistently, and you think it’s a wrong number, ask them “how did you get this number?” There might be a way to get that number fixed.
msmith: Damn, that’s funny–I was often tempted to answer for “Tony.” “Yeah, dis is Tony. I brings you the money already! Meets me at 123 3rd Street in da Falls! I brings you the money in a big paper bag!”
*I never did figure out exactly what the last name was. It seemed to change slightly with every call.