# how does the telezapper work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426 "2001-11-27T02:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bibliophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bibliophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophile)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/1 "2001-11-27T02:39:07Z")
first of all, i’m pretty new here, and if i’ve posted this in the wrong place, i’m sorry. ok, now has anybody else seen the commerical for this telezapper thing. it’s supposed to erase your phone number from the computers of those telemarketing companies. can anybody explain to me how this thing works, and if it would be worth the purchase price? and also, would you have to talk to the telemarketer to give the gizmo time to work, or could i just hang up on them like i usually do? ---
**Author:** ![spheric\_thor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@spheric\_thor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spheric_thor)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/2 "2001-11-27T02:56:58Z")
Here,s a site about it. [http://telezapper.com/aboutus.htm](http://telezapper.com/aboutus.htm) I have thought about getting it to try it out. Maybe someone here could tell us all about if it does work. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/3 "2001-11-27T05:29:59Z")
As I understand it, it just plays the 3 “invalid phone number” tones before your home’s answering machine message. I’ve heard that you can do the same thing just by recording those tones yourself at the beginning of your message. You can produce those tones on your computer with CoolEdit or some other shareware. Haven’t tried it myself, though. ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/4 "2001-11-27T05:53:59Z")
See also a recent discussion on [slashdot](http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/15/174246&mode=thread). I believe the consensus was as **rowrrbazzle** suggested. Apparently the reason it works is the computer dialer detects the signal and decides that your number has been disconnected, and does not attempt to call you again. I wonder, though, how many of my friends would hear the tones and hang up immediately - they are quite recognizeable here in the US as the “You have dialed the wrong number” sound. You can hear the sound (WAV format) [here](http://www.flash.net/~carlton2/sit.wav). ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/5 "2001-11-27T05:55:06Z")
Oh, and welcome, **bibliophile**. For a moment I had you confused with our other bookworm, **bibliophage**. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bibliophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophile)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/6 "2001-11-27T23:50:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by douglips \* > \*\*Oh, and welcome, **bibliophile**. For a moment I had you confused with our other bookworm, **bibliophage**. \*\* thanks. i didn’t mean to cause any confusion. i had no idea our names were so similar. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/7 "2001-11-27T23:58:50Z")
just a note,I see on their website they cost fifty dollars. there are a lot for sale on ebay too, some for quite a bit less. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-telezapper-work/95426/8 "2001-11-28T00:01:18Z")
Since this is already being discussed [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=92161), I’ll close this thread and ask folks to comment in the other one.