# How Do I Get A Dumb-ass To Stop Calling/Texting Me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502 "2012-01-14T14:27:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/1 "2012-01-14T14:27:52Z")
Some idiot we don’t know has accidentally entered our phone number into his address book and now calls and texts us regularly. No amount of explaining to the guy will penetrate his thick skull. He thinks we’re a friend of his named Dave and that our denials are just Dave playing a joke on him. This has been going on for months. Often the calls come in the middle of the night. We are in Eastern time but the guy has a 714 area code (So. Calif) and he likes to party late on weekends, so we get calls at 2 or 3 in the morning sometimes. They are not harassing calls, just some fucknuts thinking he’s calling his friend. I am looking for creative, but legal, ways to stop this. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/2 "2012-01-14T14:39:34Z")
“Dave’s not here, man.”–done in your best Tommy Chong voice. Start calling him at random times asking for Dave. Ask him if he’s accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Ask him if he’s accepted Tebow as his Lord and Savior. Tell him you think the feds are monitoring your calls, and hang up. Figure out if your phone can block specific numbers, and block his. One of the above will probably work. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/3 "2012-01-14T14:44:43Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > I am looking for creative, but legal, ways to stop this. I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/4 "2012-01-14T14:46:41Z")
It occurs to me that ‘Dave’ may not exist\*, and the dumbass is just calling to get a rise out of you. If this is so, and you can’t block the number, just pick up and hang up without saying anything. Gets really boring for the dumbass and they’ll find someone else to annoy. \*Because I did this when I was a teenager. Calling the same number over and over again asking for Ron. Then at the end of the night calling and saying “this is Ron, are there any messages for me?” Hahahaha. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/5 "2012-01-14T15:26:44Z")
Certain carriers (I know mine, Sprint) will let you blacklist certain numbers so you can’t get calls or texts from them…you could look into that with your carrier. I agree that they guy is a douchebag purposefully messing with you. At some point, even the most braindead of idiots will realize that it’s not really their friend’s number. Maybe call him back and say you’re about to start legal action and sue him. If he’s the kind of idiot who thinks prank calling is still fun, he would probably believe you. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/6 "2012-01-14T16:13:19Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’ll ask him to open the pod bay doors next time ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/7 "2012-01-14T16:17:35Z")
We did block the number, but it only lasts three months. He kept calling when the block expired. I’m on the fence as to whether he’s really that stupid or is harassing us. But I figured anyone trying to harass us that persistently would be someone known to us, so I did a reverse phone lookup. It said the number belongs to a 91-year-old lady. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/8 "2012-01-14T17:19:06Z")
If he’s calling your smart phone, then just create a contact for his number & apply a distinctive ring which is a recording of silence. Your phone still “rings”, but no noise comes out. So you aren’t disturbed. That doesn’t stop texts, but it’s better than doing nothing. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/9 "2012-01-14T17:28:58Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > We did block the number, but it only lasts three months. He kept calling when the block expired. > > I’m on the fence as to whether he’s really that stupid or is harassing us. > > But I figured anyone trying to harass us that persistently would be someone known to us, so I did a reverse phone lookup. It said the number belongs to a 91-year-old lady. if you have a phone that allows it, get [youmail](http://www.youmail.com/home/index.do). it will let you set how you want individual phone numbers answered, one of them is a disconnected outgoing message from verizon in my case, it also has at&t and sprint disconnected messages. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/10 "2012-01-14T17:36:22Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > But I figured anyone trying to harass us that persistently would be someone known to us, so I did a reverse phone lookup. It said the number belongs to a 91-year-old lady. Possibly a grandson who lives with Grandma. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/11 "2012-01-14T17:45:05Z")
Ignore it. It will go away eventually. Do not respond in any way. If you think you can creep him out, you’re wrong. You will just be raising the stakes. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/12 "2012-01-14T17:53:29Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > It said the number belongs to a 91-year-old lady. That’s no lady. I too was hoping there’s some recourse. Despite being on the DNC list I continually get calls from the same consumer research firm. Apparently they like repeatedly hearing me describe their relationship with their mothers. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/13 "2012-01-14T23:05:14Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > {snip}Despite being on the DNC list I continually get calls from the same consumer research firm… Unfortunately, firms that conduct telephone surveys are exempt from DNC requests. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/14 "2012-01-16T04:01:38Z")
Give him a taste of his own medicine. Fill out a Scientology “personality test” and put his number as the contact. It might not stop the calls, but revenge is sweet! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/15 "2012-01-16T05:01:44Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Ask him if he’s accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I’m fairly certain that this will be quite effective. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/16 "2012-01-16T05:07:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Ignore it. It will go away eventually. Do not respond in any way. If you think you can creep him out, you’re wrong. You will just be raising the stakes. This. What I did with an unwanted caller that I could not block was to set his personal ringtone to silent, so I never knew when he was calling, and let it go to voicemail. Then I erased the voicemail w/o listening to it. It really only took a couple of weeks for him to stop calling. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/17 "2012-01-16T05:26:34Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If he’s calling your smart phone, then just create a contact for his number & apply a distinctive ring which is a recording of silence. Your phone still “rings”, but no noise comes out. So you aren’t disturbed. That doesn’t stop texts, but it’s better than doing nothing. I had someone calling me all the time a while back. Always looking for the same person, but she would call from a handful of different numbers. I would tell her she had the wrong number and she would call back 10 minutes later from a different number, I would tell her the same thing and then she would do it two more times the next day. Then it would happen again the next week. My last phone had distinctive rings (different rings for each person in my phone book). One of them was “Send straight to voice mail” So I set up a contact called “Straight to VM” and each time she called I added the number to that contact and from then on the only way I would know that she called is if I happened to see “Straight to VM” in my missed calls list. This took about a year to stop. She spoke in broken English so I’m not sure if she really wasn’t getting the message, honestly had the wrong number written down or though the person was avoiding her (hence all the different numbers she called from). I also had someone calling me on a regular basis who, when I answered would say “Hi Joe, is John there” when I said “Who? I think you have the wrong number” they would say sorry and hang up. After the third or fourth time I recognized the voice as a person from my distant past who probably still had my number in their speed dial and was probably trying to call their brother, also named Joe. I also added that number to my “Straight to VM” contact. So, the TL;DR version is, see if your phone has distinctive rings and see if one of them is silent/no ring or the ability to go straight to voice mail. At least that way you won’t even know it’s ringing. Otherwise, I’d try just picking up and hanging up or if that doesn’t work just stop answering it. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/18 "2012-01-16T05:37:59Z")
I had this, just some stupid drunk who must have written the number down wrong or been given the wrong number. I rang him back and asked him politely to stop texting since I wasn’t his mate, somehow the idea that _I now had his phone number_ freaked him out and he stopped calling. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/19 "2012-01-16T09:15:07Z")
I didn’t expect to actually open this Thread, but upon skimming the preview by hovering over the Thread Title I decided I would have to open the Thread just to see how long it would take for someone to say, “Dave’s not here, man.” > [@Oakminster](#): > > “Dave’s not here, man.”–done in your best Tommy Chong voice. **Oakminster** got it in one. [If Dave has a distinctive voice like Frank, you could try pretending to be him.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwqIazaeeJc) ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502/20 "2012-01-16T18:16:15Z")
This happened to my husband, he was getting calls in the middle of the night from a phone number somewhere in Taiwan. (We’re in the US.) If he answered there would be a heavily accented female voice on the other end saying “Hello? Helloooo?” Never did get another word out of her, or any indication that she could hear him. After a week and a half of that, he started setting his phone to ‘alarm only’ overnight. She stopped calling within a week. If she’d persisted or called during the daytime (which she didn’t do more than once or twice), we would have looked at blocking the number or sending it straight to voice mail. We also considered the possibility that the phone system was screwing up and connecting the phones without either of us dialing (so she thought we were calling her), but considering that it stopped shortly after my husband stopped answering I suspect that was not the case. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-dumb-ass-to-stop-calling-texting-me/609502.md?page=2)