I believe you are correct. The only legitimate charity I ever hear from is Habitat for Humanity, and they don’t phone - they write letters.
Yes, years ago I asked an officer about those calls. He said they get a very small percentage.
Better get our death rays ready…
When telemarketers call, they always claim to have had a problem with their headset, even when there’s no delay they have to explain. I figure it must be written into their script. They also claim that I’ve stayed at their resort previously, which must also be part of the script, since it’s a bald-faced lie.
Among the phrases used in scripts, all of which are lies are:[ul][]I am not a computer, I just use one for quality control purposes[]We have been unable to contact you[]We are [Microsoft, Visa, Mastercard, etc.][]Your computer is sending us error reports[]We can reduce your interest rates[]Your computer is infected with a virus and we can fix it[*]This is Steve and I’m calling from Florida[/ul]
When that telemarketer claims to have had a problem with her headset, she’s not doing so because it’s in the script. She’s doing so because you’re listening to a recording. The bit about the headset is just to explain the delay at the beginning of the call, where the computer is waiting to hear if they’ve reached a live person before they begin to play the message.
Both my phone and my dad’s are suddenly actually getting these calls. Before, it was always only on a landline. I’m not sure what’s changed. Dad may give out his number, but I never do.
For some reason my cell phone has been overwhelmed with telemarketing calls for the last several months. This is a new thing, and I’m not sure why it’s happening now. I check the Do Not Call registry and the number is still listed.
I recently got a “landline” phone for the first time in years, it was part of a cable package. Within an hour it began ringing off the hook so I disconnected it. I dont really have much use for another phone but I’m tempted just because it has an awesome phone number. Original area code ( very rare for new numbers ), and it starts with 3 repeating digits and ends with 75. And I’ll never use it. Oh well.
Telemarketing is changing, and much has moved overseas, where the US govt has no jurisdiction and the FTC seems to turn a blind eye. The cost of a phone call has dropped to near-zero and with automated systems, the labor cost has dropped, too.
Which means that most crooked telemarketers, since their success rate is extremely low, must make numerous calls just to make a single dollar or rupee. Quantity, not quality. No longer are unlisted numbers, Do Not Call List numbers, fax numbers and cellphone numbers treated any differently from any other. They now dial every possible digit sequence from the zeros to the nines, in all possible area codes, and I have evidence that suggests that at least one company dials all possible North American numbers every business day. (that would be 10 billion)
If you want to use ANY phone number and not be bothered by these calls, you might look into nomorobo or other services/gadgets designed to alleviate the problem. None are perfect but some provide a little relief.
Not to mention that the calls start with a recording and the mark is meant to indicate at the end if they’re interested. So you don’t need to have an actual person start the spiel hundreds of times before they get a live one.
Definitely get nomorobo for your cable package. We did and now all robocalls give a very short ring, not even long enough to trigger the caller ID.
Some are more clever than that, and fool many people into believing they are talking to a live person. Supposedly, a computer-assisted clerk can handle 3 phone calls at once without speaking a word, just by pressing buttons on a console to play back canned phrases.
Since I never let a telemarketer get so far as to needing a credit card number from me, I’m not sure about this, but I think a well-written program should be able to automate the entire “donation” process without any human intervention whatsoever. Certainly if my local electric power or cable company can accept a phone payment without a human clerk intervening, a fake charity can do the same thing.
Can’t be that bad. I am in North America (Canada, to be specific), and I don’t get a telemarketer every single working day. I get them often enough that they can be a nuisance at times (so my phone has a call blocking feature - however I can still see a list of who tried), but I can occasionally go a few days without garbage calls.