At my wits end with telemarketers, I finally came up with a plan.

[Cleita]

Although, I'm on the no-call list, these vermin pay no attention to it because it has no teeth and is practically unenforceable. Then I hooked caller ID to my TV set but many of them block their ID and since some of my friends do the same, I found myself answering the phone and getting one of them instead on the line. I stopped answering the phone hoping my friends would leave messages but some don't. One company is so persistent that it calls me several times a week several times a day even on Sunday.

So I finally changed the message on my answering machine. I say that due to harassment from telemarketers, I no longer answer the telephone. If anyone has legitimate business or needs to talk to me they need to leave me a message and I will get back to them as soon as possible.

So far no messages from the telemarketers. Maybe this will make them stop. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I can't disconnect my land line because as an old woman, I may need it for an emergency as my cell phone is often unreliable. If anyone else has figured out a way to deal with these pests, please post. I'm also wondering if you can sue them for harassment.

[deaniac21]

1. If you don't recognize the number don't answer.

Doesn't take much energy.

[Cleita]

2. That's what I've been doing but it doesn't stop them from calling.

I thought if I announced that the phone would never be answered, it might discourage them.

[deaniac21]

16. They have autodialers and I assure you they don't take the time to

listen to your message.

[EFerrari]

17. Turn off your ringer, Cleita.

I never pick up the landline unless I know who it is. People learn to leave messages or contact me a different way, like email or Facebook.

[badtoworse]

35. That's the way I deal with it as well.

[guardian]

88. I turned off my ringer too.

Got tired of the telemarketing, political, and spam fax calls at 4:00 a.m. I just check messages when convenient for me now.

[EFerrari]

90. It's different but liberating, imho.

[marybourg]

34. This may shock you, but not everyone

chooses to pay for caller ID.

[EFerrari]

39. Aren't there little units that can be bought at Radio Shack

in lieu of paying a monthly fee to a telco?

I don't think we pay for caller ID any more but we still have it. Ours isn't a landline but voice from the satellite we need up here in the hills to get internet.

[marybourg]

63. No. You need to pay monthly for the service

and you need a display, either in your phone or in a separate "little box." I'm sure some providers are hiding the charge, but you're still paying for it. My monthly phone bill is $22.10 and my cable bill is 0, so I'd notice the fee, which is about $6 for my phone co. I simply have an answering machine message which requires callers to ID themselves before I pick up. That's free.

[RebelOne]

44. I have Comcast cable and I get the call flashed on my TV

and that service is free.

[marybourg]

65. Free, huh. What are you paying monthly

for cable and phone? I pay $22.10 for phone and 0 for cable, so I don't get "free" caller ID. Like the poster above, I screen my calls with an answering machine, requiring them to ID themselves before I'll pick up. That's as close to "free" as I can get.

[PatSeg]

89. Caller ID is included with my phone service

Also I can go online and block up to twelve phone numbers at a time.

[MindMover]

3. This guy really was pissed off.....

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/man-sick-of-cold-callers-changes-name-to-pppppppppprice-16166328.html

[Cleita]

6. Weird, but how did it discourage callers? eom

[MindMover]

9. ok, you say his name out loud.....

[spanone]

4. we have a repetitive call 'out of area' with no number

we have answered, asked them to quit calling.

some days they call 7, 8 times a day.

i sometimes blow a horn into the phone.

i'm on all the 'do not call' lists....worthless

if i knew where they were i would drive there.......

[Cleita]

8. Must be the same one calling me.

They are relentless. There really ought to be a law against it. Why can businesses get a law passed for them but we can't?

[RebelOne]

42. I get those calls and do not answer because I know it is a telemarketer. n/t

[Swede Atlanta]

5. I like to toy with them.........

If they call and ask to speak to Mr. whoever or Mrs. whoever, I say "oh no, they passed on a few months ago". They always try to apologize and make me feel better. I always say, "oh that's okay, they were such a b**ch or *as****e and I laugh.

There is dead silence on the end of the phone. I never hear from them again.

[Cleita]

10. I have chided them, but often they call when one of my

favorite programs is on so I don't want to play with them at those times.

[Maraya1969]

69. That is an excellent idea! Especially the dead part. Might just get you off some

lists. Maybe not all as I'm sure there are companies that will try and sell to dead people.

[Fuddnik]

87. That finally worked with callers from the Florida State Troopers Association.

I told them my wife was shot and killed by a state trooper.

[The empressof all]

7. The ones that drive me insane are the recordings

"Rachel from Card Services" calls me at least twice a day. When I stay on the line and request they remove me from the list they hang up on me. I update my do not call list monthly. It doesn't help.

When I do get a call with a person I let them know that I am logging and recording the call and that in the event they call me back I will be following up with a law claim.

It's also important that when ever you enter or request something online or through the mail that you try not to give your number. Oftentimes that entry or inquiry negates the do not call list for you with that company. The number is sold to multiple callers and you are at square one again.

I never answer my land line unless I know who is calling or if I'm feeling feisty and want to mess with a solicitor. I feel for them....they are just trying to make a living but not enough for me to not enjoy givng them a hard time.

Also you can frequently google the number and see which company is calling and read all the other complaints about their calls.

[Cleita]

11. I used to get Rachel on a regular basis but haven't heard from

her for awhile. I really was never able to trace her down.

[Liberal Gramma]

32. Rachel calls me too

I have reported her to the FCC three or four times, nothing happens. Like you, I've asked to be removed. I think I'm going to buy a police whistle.....

[PotatoChip]

82. I get 'Rachel' from Card Services alot too.

'She' robotically urges me to call her regarding my credit card account. Cracks me up because I don't use credit cards.

[laundry_queen]

12. I keep them on the line

Every time one calls I keep them on the line for as long as possible and make sure I am explicit when I say no at the end. The longer they are on the line without the ability to make a sale, the less money they make, the less likely they are to use telemarketing as their sales tactic. If everyone did that, and each telemarketer had to stay on the line for 15-20 min a person without making a sale, it would become unprofitable quickly.

That said, once I know that the number calling is a telemarketing number, I block the number. My cordless phone has a block number feature. It helps immensely, the phone doesn't even ring and I never know some telemarketer has called.

[Cleita]

18. I never thought of that. Good idea.

I have to check my phone to see if I have a block feature.

[rateyes]

36. ive done that. Asked questions. act like I am interested.

Make them think they are ready to close, and then say that I have changed my mind. tTicks them off royally. But, they do not call back.

[lindysalsagal]

43. "Just a minute, I'll get her, "..put the phone down, walk away.

That way, I waste their time.

Funny, how they're never there when I come back 3 minutes later......

[Warpy]

13. I have caller ID. If I don't recognize the name or number, they can suck it

I don't like abusing telemarketers, often people who are desperate enough to take a rotten job because there's literally nothing else available. However, back before Caller ID when one would get me out of the shower, I have been known to burp and hang up.

[Cleita]

21. I'm with you on not abusing them.

I was once an "0" operator and took a lot of abuse from callers so I know what it's like. But I really would like to sue the companies they work for to make them stop.

[silverweb]

86. Same here.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]My voice mail message clearly states, "Calls from unrecognized and withheld numbers are not answered. If you would like a return call, please leave a message."

Calls have dropped off considerably, and I've only missed one that I would have taken if the number had been properly in my database (which it now is).

[Siwsan]

14. My trick was to say "I'm sorry. I'd love to listen to you, but I don't speak a word of English."

Confusion would set in, on their side of the line. Then I'd set the receiver down on the desk and walk away. After a few minutes, I'd hang up.

But ever since I signed on the DO Not Call list, well, they don't. Sometimes I kind of miss the fun.

[Cleita]

23. I used to do that. I would speak Spanish and say

that "la Senora no esta en casa". However, I don't have the patience for that anymore.

[mike_c]

15. telemarketing has completely changed my approach to using telephones....

First and foremost, it has changed a useful tool into a tiresome burden. I simply don't answer the phone any longer if I don't recognize the caller's number or if it is identified as belonging to anyone that I do not know AND WANT TO TALK TO. Telemarketing has taught me that I have no obligation to answer the phone at all-- just the opposite, in fact. Callers bear the burden of convincing me that I want to talk to them, and I won't pick up the phone unless I'm already convinced.

I disconnected my regular land line several years ago because it was so inundated with unsolicited calls. When I connected to Vonage VOIP six or seven years ago, those went away entirely, and stayed blissfully away for years, but now that line exists ONLY to trap unsolicited calls. I don't answer it, I don't listen to the messages, and I keep telling myself to get around to simply disconnecting it.

For years I resisted buying a cell phone, because I do NOT want to be generally reachable, but my GF convinced me that one would be useful and it has been-- we even got ourselves rescued when lost/stuck in the desert several years ago by making a cell phone connection. For the first several years she was the ONLY person who had the number, so it was no burden at all, and sometimes a great convenience.

Now however, because the Vonage line has been taken over by TOLL FREE NUMBER and the like, I've begun using the cell phone routinely, and lately it's been getting calls from numbers that I don't recognize. AARRGGHHHH! I've come to hate telephones! When I retire I'm gonna drop the cell phone in a river, and that's that. Or get a new one and never turn it on unless it's to call out.

[Cleita]

24. Really, it has for me too.

However, I still find it necessary to have a land line. The last earthquake we had, everything shut down, internet, cell phones and any other way of communicating but the land lines held up so I'm hesitant to throw away what may be a life line.

[robinlynne]

70. report each call to the do not call registry!!!!!!!!!!! They will stop calling. It works!

[HopeHoops]

19. I like to yell "FUCK YOU!" at them. They still call back (different person from India).

[Cleita]

27. They never give up because you can't

do anything to them over the line.

[Politicalboi]

20. Put them on hold

With a 5 year old.

[Cleita]

26. I wish I had a five year old. I would do it. n/t

[Cleita]

25. I wish I knew.

Many of them are pretty clever about hiding who they are unless you buy something from them.

[TlalocW]

28. A friendo f mine gives them the Tom Mabe treatment

Best one was when he was called by someone asking him to switch his long distance service. He kept asking the telemarketer whether they had this service or that service, conditioning her to say, "We offer that," over and over. Finally after asking about cheaper weekend rates, internet bundling, etc., keeping on the line for over 10 minutes, he asks:

Friend: What about the 25 cents a minute phone sex?
Telemarketer: We have th--- Excuse me?
Friend: The 25 cents a minute phone sex. So... what are you wearing?
*Click*

TlalocW

[Cleita]

29. LOL!

I never thought of doing the sex talk.

[liberalhistorian]

72. My favorite one of his was when

he pretended to be a police detective at a murder scene to a real telemarketer, and then started demanding to know how the guy knew the murdered person (the guy the telemarketer thought he was calling) and it just spiraled from there, the poor telemarketer thought he was serious and had no idea what to do. Hilarious!

[JoePhilly]

79. Wasn't there another where a carpet cleaning service called ...

and he acted thrilled to get the call ... and then started to ask question about whether they could get blood stains out of a carpet?

And then he goes on to ask questions which start to suggest that he probably killed some one and needs to clean up their blood.

[TlalocW]

80. I liked the one where he got a telemarketer call around Christmas

He played a tape that sounded like carolers coming to his door, his opening a screen door and yelling at them, "What did I tell y'all 'bout comin' 'round here? Now get!" followed by multiple gunshots and screams. Then he picked up the phone again and tried to continue the call, but the telemarketer quickly hung up.

TlalocW

[Octafish]

30. You are not old, in any way, Cleita.

Those telemarketers are fortunate, indeed, to have crossed paths with you -- like us on DU.

[2on2u]

31. I always try to sell them some imaginary stuff of mine.... they really don't

know how to take it.

[IDemo]

38. An idea of mine that I never used back in my landline days

Using a voice-over tone: "Hi there. If you're a telemarketer, you can't afford those no sale calls, now can you? That's why you need my latest volume guaranteed to make your sales go through the roof immediately! Please stay on the line for the first available operator." (set the phone down)

[crunch60]

50. I say in an extremely loud voice, (shout) "I'm hearing impaired" and

hang up. They usually don't call back.

[HooptieWagon]

74. Yes, I used to do that when I had a landline.

My two favorites were aluminum siding and burial plots. Id give them the hard sell, even demand their name, phone number and credit card number. Drove them insane.

[LiberalArkie]

33. I generally treat them with respect and tell them I am not interested.

Generally they are poor people, just trying to make a living.

But then then there seems to be that most people just want to curse the people out and treat them like people treat homeless people.

[Savannahmann]

45. No, I try and make it funny, most of the time.

An example. AT&T tried to get me to switch long distance. I was excited about saving money. We got to the end and I told him I was paying 4.7 cents per minute. More than five cents less than he could possibly offer. "Wait a minute. You said you could save me money."

He hung up on me. If he had offered a better deal, I might have taken it. But I knew he couldn't when I started.

Have fun with them. Have fun with everyone around you. Argue with the people in the toll booths. "Look this is a used road, I'm looking for a bargain here." Or "I'm not buying the road, I'm just renting a small portion of the left lane for a bit."

I argued with one toll booth attendant for five minutes that it was too Free Ford day.

Now I know you think I'm giving them a hard time. But imagine the dicussions in the break room with the people who come across me.

[Mariana]

73. I had a car salesman call from the dealership

my husband had bought his car from. We'd already paid the car off, ahead of schedule, but the salesman obviously hadn't bothered to look that information up. The salesman said we could trade in the old car for a new one and said, I quote, "We can finance it so your monthly payment will be less than the one you have now!". I acted all excited and told him we'd come down to the dealership right away, because I'd love to have a brand new car with payments less than zero dollars a month. I asked him how exactly were they going to do that.

He stammered and stuttered and then hung up on me.

[Ilsa]

37. I like telling them

that I am having a really bad period and the cramps are horrible. Then I moan alot.

[Ikonoklast]

81. See Post #28.

You might make some money with that.

[Savannahmann]

40. First always enjoy the call.

I don't get as many but I still enjoy those I do get. Because I torment them. An example call is listed below.

TM: May I speak to the head of the house?

ME: That would be me this week.

TM: Great I wanted to take a minute to tell you.. Wait, this week?

ME: Yes, you see we live in a commune with rotating periods of responsibility. This week it's my week to be in charge. Then each decision of a head must be confirmed in a bi weekly meeting of the whole with a simple majority for internal matters and a two thirds majority for anything that affects the house from external decisions.

TM: What?

ME: Of course, the final say goes to Mister Wiggles the house cat. We print the decision of the group and if he defecates on it that qualifies as a veto.

Run with that one for a while. You'll enjoy it believe me.

Wait, there are more ideas.

Answer the phone with this. "Give me a Large with the works, but for the love of God hold the black olives."

They inevitably say. "Sorry this isn't a pizza place."

"Oh I'm sorry, wrong number." Then hang up.

One of my favorites a couple years ago was to just pick up the phone and say nothing. My record for silence was seven minutes and twenty three seconds. Seriously. We both just sat listening. I told him it was a science experiment on human behavior, thanked him for participating, and hung up.

Enjoy and have fun with these, or create your own. Remember, the point is just to have fun.

[rateyes]

41. When they ask for my name, I spell it for them...

Geauxphuc Youssef.

[lindysalsagal]

46. ROFL

[lindysalsagal]

49. and I can't stop!!!

make it stop!!

[rateyes]

83. sorry bout that

[2on2u]

54. Oh rateyes, always the gentleman.... (gender guess) I wonder how many

telemarketer keyboards you have ruined with coffee/coke/beer spew.

[rateyes]

84. good guess.

i try.

[msongs]

47. tell them about jesus nt

[ZombieHorde]

48. I usually just hang up without saying anything if a telemarketer calls, but sometimes I

politely ask if they could hang on for one moment, and then I just set the phone down and go do something else for a while. I wonder how long they wait before hanging up.

[spiderpig]

51. They like to call between 6 and 9pm - dinner time

It's also when Mike Malloy is on live. I just put the receiver next to the laptop speaker and ignore.

[GoCubsGo]

52. File a complaint with the FCC.

http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

They have helped me a couple of times.

[jeff47]

55. Most of them aren't calling from the US. So the FCC can't help.

Canada shares the phone system with the US. So their numbers come through on caller ID just like a US number. Making it quite popular with telemarketers.

[freshwest]

53. Cleita, nothing does much good as it's robocalls, almost all of it, so my ringer's off.

Plus my cellphone is also set on silent. Only people I know have a ringtone assigned, the rest can't get through. I had to disable texting to stop spam that way.

It's really a shame we can't use what we are paying for the way it was intended. Someone posted something about that in Europe (on cellphones at least) the caller pays for the call. That would end a lot of this if these people had the added cost of the call and never got an answer.

So keep the ringers off, keep the caller ID on and if the message works, good. If not you may just have to adopt that fortress mentality and not let anyone through, just make all your calls to people you need to talk to.

[Mopar151]

56. "Our house has a strict policy"

"We NEVER give to organizations who solicit by phone. Who did you say you were with?"

We get a few robocalls - but the Do Not Call list has gotten rid of a lot. "Our strict policy" has cut down charity calls to nearly zero.
Business relationship calls can often be discouraged by immediate hangups, or complaining to a supervisor - I feel for the worker ants, but if I can get a call center manager into a state of apoplexy, it's fine by me.

[dickthegrouch]

57. I wrote my phone company and told them they were complicit in the harassment

Since they are providing service to the telemarketers.

That has worked better than I could possibly believe.

If you have a *57 capability on your phone to save the harassing call details in the phone company's switch, use it and tell the phone company the dates and times. If they say the caller is not on their network, doesn't matter, they now know you're being harassed and they have billing information they can track down from the first provider. Your phone company is still legally complicit and they hate that.

may be useful:
http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Voice-Service-and-Equipment/Comcast-Digital-Voice-Features-Quick-Reference-Guide/td-p/473634

[mysuzuki2]

58. I have several strategies depending on my mood.

sometimes I just don't answer the phone. Sometimes I interupt the spiel and say "have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior". Sometimes I pretend I speak only German and do my Hitler interpression. Once in awhile I make sex sounds or ask "what are you wearing". There are infinite possibilities for fun and games.

[Speck Tater]

59. Use a cell phone for incoming and the land line for outgoing.

Never answer the land line. Ever. Turn the ringer off. It's there only for outgoing calls.

Give your cell phone number only to your friends and people with a legitimate need to know like your doctor/dentist/eye doctor/bank.

The cell phone will always show you who the call is from. Only answer it if you recognize the number, but if you don't give it out you shouldn't get any telemarketing calls on the cell phone.

On Edit: BTW my cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone has a blocking feature that lets me block any number just in case a telemarketer does get through once and a while. Once I block it I never see it again.

[Blue_In_AK]

60. I don't get telemarketers, but I get bombarded by charities.

Now I just tell them that I'm on social security and that I only donate to Special Olympics, Amnesty International, the ACLU, and Planned Parenthood (which is all true). If they try to persist, I hang up on them.

[DirkGently]

61. Anyone blocking their caller ID can leave a message.

I have trouble imagining why non-telemarketers would block their caller ID, but if someone I knew did, I think they'd understand they need to be willing to leave a message.

[Rochester]

62. Get "Phone Tray Free"

It's a program that uses the dial modem in your computer to detect the caller ID information, and you can set it to automatically hang up on numbers you find undesirable. (It will not use the modem to place calls.) If you have the right kind of modem configured the right way, you can even set it to play a recorded message over the phone at the caller before hanging up. It comes with a few simple ones such as busy signals, line out of service tones, verbal directions to remove the number from their call list, even "YOU....SHALL NOT....PASS!!!" (my favorite!) Or you can make your own.

[Skip Intro]

64. Two cheap and easy solutions: Change your number, or use Google Voice.

You can change your landline number, and at the same time, ask the landline provider to make your new number unlisted. Ask them to give you a new number that has not been recently recycled. Then call your friends and give it to them, and give it to no one else.

Alternatively, you could keep your landline number and use Google Voice.

My main number has been a cell phone number for years. Long story short, my income took a big hit a couple of years ago and I have very persistent debt collectors calling me over and over. It had to stop, but I didn't want to change my number.

So I ported (transferred) my number to Google Voice for a one-time charge of $20. There is no monthly fee. Now callers to that number are routed through Google Voice, either forwarded to any phone I designate or straight to one of many custom voice mails I've created for specific callers. For example, the number I've had for so long now rings my current cell phone number, and my home landline number, if I chose to have callers put through, or if they are telemarketers or debt collectors, they can be sent straight to special voice mails made by me just for them.

Google Voice shows all calls coming in, and for each caller, you can set up an individual, or group, voicemail - you can have different voice mails for different callers - or you can block the caller. Blocking the caller results in the caller hearing, "this line has been disconnected."

If the caller hides his number and it shows anonymous or private caller, etc, you can designate all such callers to be handled in a particular way - blocked, sent to special voice mail you've created for them, etc.

It took a little playing around with, but I went from having my phone ringing every ten minutes from debt collectors to now only receiving calls from people I know. There is a slight learning curve to get it set to deliver the results you want, but once you do, wow, what a difference.

Couple of things - calling out to have your current number show on other people's caller id, if you need that to happen, requires you to either call into your Google Voice account by calling your long time number and typing in the number you want to call, or either logging onto your Google Voice account on your PC, clicking the "call" button, and typing the number you want to call. GV will call your active phone, home or cell, whichever you choose, and once you answer, you will be connected to the person you were calling and he/she will see your long-time number (now housed at Google Voice) on his/her caller id.

You can also text from Google Voice on your computer, and the person you are texting will see the text as coming from your long-time number. Plus you get to use a full keyboard and monitor to text with, vs a tiny cell phone keypad and screen.

One thing you'll have to do first though, if you want to use GV for your current landline number - GV does not port-in landline numbers, so you'll have to port your current landline number out to a cell phone carrier. If you do this, use a prepaid carrier, sign up for their smallest possible plan with the cheapest possible phone - you just need to get that number active on a cell carrier for like a week. After you do that, and the number has been successfully transferred to the new cell phone, create your GV account, and when asked if you want a new number or use your existing number, click existing number, fill out the info needed and submit. I think it takes like a week to port in with GV (maybe less, my memory is fuzzy on that). Once that completes, you have control of your number like you never had before.

One other thing I'll mention. One of the callers I was trying to avoid used a lot of different numbers to call me. For some reason, those numbers never showed in GV until I went into GV after having received the call on my phone, and entered that number into my GV address book, then set that number to go straight to a specific voice mail I created in GV for those types of callers. Once I'd added the number, it showed up and was treated as I'd specified. These were only numbers from one company which is relentless in calling. But now, their calls never ring my phone - instead they go straight to that special voice mail I created for them. Sweet!

Didn't mean to write a novel here, but this service has really made a difference for me. If you're attached to your current number and want to keep it, this is the best way I know to do that. If you really don't care about getting a new number, though, you could just change your number and get it unlisted.

[robinlynne]

66. ahh. but it certainly is enforcable. All you have to do is go online and report the phone number, e

exact date and time. After 2 or 3 calls, they disappear. it may be the 1500 dollar fine per call!

Or so many people complain about one number that they get put out of business. All I know is there is an online direct complaint form.
It works!!! And it feels good too.

(google do not call registry, then find the complaint form. it takes less than a minute. )

[Cleita]

75. Thanks robinlynne. I didn't know that's how you do it. n/t

[robinlynne]

85. it looks like nobody knows. I just found it, one day in a rage and started using

it, and it worked!

[robinlynne]

67. link to file a complaint against telemarketers with the do not call registry:

https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

[robinlynne]

68. P.S. you have to click on the continue button, not the other buttons.

[robinlynne]

71. People, everyone, DUERs, countrymen, file compaints with the do not call registry!!!!!!! They stop

calling quickly.

[DearAbby]

76. I was so fed up

Phone rang, I picked it up and said, "Sorry I am not interested!" And the person on the other end was taken aback, silent for a couple seconds then asked "Was our name on your caller ID?" in a shocked hushed voice, it was then I hung up.

I have no caller ID, just got tired of the goddamed calls. But it does prove they do block their ID

[SoCalDem]

77. I just changed my phone number & got a cheapo cell that lives in my kitchen drawer

That's the only number I give out when pressed for a number. I take the battery out

On my regular phone I turn the ringer off and disable the answering machine

[Javaman]

78. Okay, I had a friend who was a telemarketer...

there is a way to make them stop calling you but it requires you to answer the phone. By law, if you say to what ever telemarketer, "do not call me again. Please remove me from your call list" They are required by law to do this, but you must use that exact phrase. Any variation and they are off the hook. You might want to add, that the call is being recorded for proof. It's up to you if you want to actually record it.

I have done it and my telemarketer calls have virtually vanished.

There will be some odd ball company that gets your phone number from a list they have bought.