# What is this crap with phone calls **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179 "2005-07-12T14:23:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/1 "2005-07-12T14:23:20Z")
This might be the secind or third time… The Phone rings, I answer. An Operator says you have a call. To hear it press 1. Other time I hung up. I’m a little sketchy on the details, but then i think the operaor said to learn who called you press 1. Which I did. Girls voice: “223-8412 and tell her to stop ca—” End of call. Another time I think it was from some creep with a political rant. Anyone else getting crap calls like this? If yes, why am I asked to press 1? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/2 "2005-07-12T14:25:35Z")
> [@E = mc²](#): > > This might be the secind or third time… > > The Phone rings, I answer. An Operator says you have a call. To hear it press 1. > > Other time I hung up. I’m a little sketchy on the details, but then i think the operaor said to learn who called you press 1. Which I did. > > Girls voice: “223-8412 and tell her to stop ca—” End of call. > > Another time I think it was from some creep with a political rant. > > Anyone else getting crap calls like this? If yes, why am I asked to press 1? \*\*I should have said above, “At other times I simply hung up. This time I decided to play along, and pressed 1 as invited.” \*\* ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/3 "2005-07-12T14:57:39Z")
By pressing 1, you’re certifying that you’re not an answering machine. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/4 "2005-07-12T15:25:41Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > By pressing 1, you’re certifying that you’re not an answering machine. Aha. So, today’s call was probably a setup for future calls. Before seeing your post, I called the telephone company about it and the nice gal there never heard of this ruse. She then checked out the number the caller left, which turned out to be from New Milford CT. The Op suggested I dial \*60 then the area code and the number which will block future calls. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/5 "2005-07-12T15:56:51Z")
And I came in here to tell you that you are subject to phone calls, since you obviously have a phone (this is because of your wonderful title. :p) ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/6 "2005-07-12T17:06:04Z")
We pride ourselves as being the marketing pinnacle of the universe here in Southwestern CT. In downtown Danbury, we have a telephone store run, of course by the phone company. Back in 1974 when we moved fown here, I tried to call this store to order phones, etc. The number was unlisted. Swear to God. That was under Southern New England Telephone (SNET), a stodgy, old fashioned company that didn’t want their store employees driven nuts by phones ringing off the walls. For the past few years, however, we’ve had a much more modern, more marketing savvy company running the show: SBC. The phone store’s number is still unlisted. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/7 "2005-07-12T18:45:53Z")
> [@E = mc²](#): > > This might be the secind or third time… > > The Phone rings, I answer. An Operator says you have a call. To hear it press 1. > > Other time I hung up. I’m a little sketchy on the details, but then i think the operaor said to learn who called you press 1. Which I did. > > Girls voice: “223-8412 and tell her to stop ca—” End of call. > > Another time I think it was from some creep with a political rant. > > Anyone else getting crap calls like this? If yes, why am I asked to press 1? Is there any chance you’ve got Call Intercept on your phone line? That’s a service that blocks unknown incoming calls (i.e., whose number won’t show up on caller ID). We have it, and when someone unknown calls, they are given the option to state their name before we even hear the phone ring. We hear a different-sounding ring, a canned message saying “XXX has called, press something to accept the call”. Where “XXX” is whatever the caller said. That’s what the first situation sounded like. About the creep with the political rant, sounds just like an autodialer of some sort. I’ve gotten that sort of call before and I always hang up. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/8 "2005-07-12T19:23:48Z")
Yes, **Mama Zappa** , that’s finally what a telephone lady called back and told me. Apparently, if I want to block this number, I’m supposed to dial \*60 and punch in the area code and the number. I have tried to do this a number of times. After dialing \*60 I hear an automated, **"Your call blocking service is now off. There are no entries on your list. You may dial during the announcements for faster service. When you’re finished, hang up."** So then I enter the area code and here this: **"I’m sorry. The Digits dialed are not a valid command."** Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/9 "2005-07-12T20:15:14Z")
Never mind. Got it all figured out andf have blocked the number. Hurray. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-crap-with-phone-calls/312179/10 "2005-07-13T16:50:36Z")
To block a number (here under the gentle auspices of SBC) one must: 1. Dial \*60 2. Punch 3 to turn Call Blocking on (if the automaton says it’s off) 3. Press the pound sign (#) 4. Enter the Area Code if applicable, then the number 5. Press # again. Try it yourself.