# Your neighbor must be calling, so of course you'll answer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714 "2019-03-29T16:24:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/21 "2019-04-01T13:04:15Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > So very few get through. Pity. I haven’t been able to say nasty things about some Indian scumbag’s mother for months now. Ooh! (runs off to Babel fish to see if it has an English to Hindi selection). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/22 "2019-04-01T15:38:35Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > There may be phone apps that can block a pattern of numbers, but I haven’t found a good one. For landlines, Panasonic phones can do that. Ours is set to block two entire area codes to keep my SO’s toxic sister from calling. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/23 "2019-04-01T15:56:50Z")
there used to be bridged numbers for land lines using old equipment. Which meant that you could call xxx yyy 1001 and get the person. but you could also call xxx yyy 1002 through 1099 and get the same person. This could lead to people getting a lot more spam calls. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/24 "2019-04-01T17:03:16Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I enjoy calling random local numbers and pretend to be a telemarketer. What we need is an app that allows people who want to call as telemarketers to get matched with people who like to get telemarketing calls so they can screw around with the caller. It would be like telemarket porn. We’d be rich!! ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/25 "2019-04-01T20:20:01Z")
> [@Corner\_Case](#): > > In this day when people transfer their cell phone numbers from carrier to carrier, and the number you got when you were in Miami is still the number you use even though you live in Seattle… Cell phone numbers explained: > **[Cell Number](https://xkcd.com/1129/)** > > There's also a +1 sometimes, which is there to keep everyone on their toes. In the future, people who got to pick cool numbers by signing up for Google Voice early will be revered as wizards. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/26 "2019-04-01T20:38:25Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Plus, if I ever get curious and answer my “neighbor’s” call, there’s usually no one there. I just can’t see how scam calls can be profitable _if they never say anything!_ The name of the game is volume. Computers make more calls than clerks could ever handle, but at least none of the hourly-wage clerks are twiddling their thumbs waiting for the next call. This principle means too many calls are made, and few are answered. > [@Bootis](#): > > And the OPs experience proves this- the guy , thinking he may have missed an important call, actually called the OPs number back I call many back, since as a Realtor, I can’t afford to miss a potential client. I have found that most numbers used for CID spoofing are no longer in use, which suggests the computers are checking first. But sometimes they are legitimate, and I have to apologize for bothering them. But not everyone leaves a message – very frustrating to me when I find out I really do want to talk to them. So I don’t take the chance of missing someone. Last week, I got 11 calls one day and 9 calls the next, all from the name number, i.e., _my own number!_ Needless to say, I wasn’t calling myself on the same line. But I disproved some theories that day. One conventional theory is to never answer calls like this, because they will then know this is a live number, and call again. The other theory is to always answer, and they will write you off as a bad customer if they don’t sell you something and never call again. I proved both theories wrong. On Day #1, I didn’t answer any calls. They kept calling. On Day #2, I answered a call, didn’t buy anything, and they kept calling. My conclusion is it doesn’t matter if you answer or not – they call every possible number as many times as their asshole computer allows without regard to outcome. It’s a volume business, not a sophisticated one. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/27 "2019-04-01T23:47:46Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But I disproved some theories that day. One conventional theory is to never answer calls like this, because they will then know this is a live number, and call again. I’ve never bought this theory. Keeping track of the numbers called would complicate their dialing process too much. Given that the calls are almost free, why bother? And I gave the Windows company people enough shit so that if they had any sort of record of calls I’d have been immune forever. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Innuendo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@Textual\_Innuendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Innuendo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/28 "2019-04-02T23:54:31Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > There may be phone apps that can block a pattern of numbers, but I haven’t found a good one. The ones I’ve tried have to be on constantly in your notifications, which I found more annoying than the actual calls. I put the same amount of thought into what apps I allow on my phone as most people do into whom they will invite into their home, and I use an app called WideProtect for this, that has wildcard blocking in any pattern you want, whether area code or area code plus any amount of other numbers. I’ve been happy with it so far, and it’s really cut down on the calls (I specifically blacklist these “neighbor” calls similar to my own number, so any numbers starting (my area code ### ) - ## (my first two digits) are blocked because they’re only ever scams). Not a shill, just a happy customer who thought he’d put in a word for an app with exactly the functionality you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/29 "2019-04-03T00:07:23Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I used to always ignore those calls, then discovered that they sometimes left me a VM. Well, if someone calls & leaves a VM, maybe they _really do_ want to talk to me. I get a lot of voice mails from the IRS informing me that I’m about to be arrested unless I call them back immediately to arrange for payment of my back taxes. I figure I must be on the 10 most wanted list by now. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714/30 "2019-04-03T00:37:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **thelurkinghorror** : > > One of the benefits of having a non-native area code: any call from my old area code or nearby is spam. Any unrecognized call from the area code I live in is likely legitimate. Yup, I enjoy this, too. If I get a phone call from 406 (Montana), it’s either a scammer, a wrong number, or the alumni office: There are no other possibilities. On the other hand, if I get a call from 216 or 440 or maybe 330 (Cleveland and suburbs), then it’s almost certainly at least someone who knows who I am. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-neighbor-must-be-calling-so-of-course-youll-answer/831714.md?page=1)