Will changing phone number stop them?

Luckyred

Since we have been with TPS the UK cold phone calls have more or less stopped and its been great. The foreign calls however are getting more frequent..... not to mention the very inconvenient times that they call (they are all inconvenient times but some more than others). Their favourite time is about six or seven in the evening when I am cooking or we are eating our evening meal. :mad:
We are ex directory.... where on earth do they get the number from?
The latest one was from "The UK Television Company" or some such thing wanting to know what make of TV we have. I asked him where he had got our number from and why did he want to know what make of TV we have. He was very difficult to understand and wasnt very forthcoming about why he wanted to know about the TV. I told him I wasnt interested and put the phone down. The same thing happened again an hour or so later. They make so so angry!
Does anyone know whether its worth changing our number or will they get hold of a new number somehow? I suspect they will being as they have got our existing number.

TadleyBaggie

I suspect that initially your number was dialled at random, however once you answered this got you onto a list of "live" numbers.

At home I have a caller ID display, and International and Withheld numbers simply are not answered for this very reason.

cajef

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

At home I have a caller ID display, and International and Withheld numbers simply are not answered for this very reason.

Same as me I also leave the answerphone switched on, if it is anyone that is genuine when they start to leave a message I pick the handset up, the scammers just ring off as soon as it cuts in.

Luckyred

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

I suspect that initially your number was dialled at random, however once you answered this got you onto a list of "live" numbers.

At home I have a caller ID display, and International and Withheld numbers simply are not answered for this very reason.

Thank you.
I did think of caller display....I might try that. The reason I mentioned changing the number was to stop the phone ringing so much.

cajef

Luckyred wrote: »

The reason I mentioned changing the number was to stop the phone ringing so much.

If you use caller display/answerphone and do not answer they eventually give up and the calls become less frequent as they move on to another victim.

Luckyred

I wonder what they could possibly be trying to sell by asking what make of TV people have. I must admit that I am a little bit curious but not curious enough to get into a conversation with them. Does anyone know?

amibovvered

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

At home I have a caller ID display, and International and Withheld numbers simply are not answered for this very reason.

I too have Caller ID but the problem is that not all withheld numbers are cold callers. On the odd occasion I used to phone home from work, my works phone number was withheld.

Also I'm currently trying to sell a few items through the local paper classified ads. I got a withheld number the other day and nearly didn't answer it but fortunately did because an elderly lady wanted to buy one of my items and had withheld her number for security - I would have missed out on a sale if I hadn't decided to answer!

I do know of a few other people who automatically include the 141 prefix with all their stored numbers which I find annoying.

I do ignore the international calls when I can but not all my hand sets have a display, and sometimes if I hear the phone ringing when I've just walked in the door I grab it and answer it quick in case it is urgent, so I don't have time to check the display.

I know TPS doesn't work for international calls but I registered with them years ago and still get UK based calls which annoy me. I'm deaf so sometimes it takes me a while to work out that it is just a cold call.

cajef

Luckyred wrote: »

I wonder what they could possibly be trying to sell by asking what make of TV people have. I must admit that I am a little bit curious but not curious enough to get into a conversation with them. Does anyone know?

I must admit that occasionally I will answer them and string them along for as long as possible, I sometimes end up by saying I investigate internet fraud and scams, it is amazing how soon they ring off.:D

Tangible

I have an answerphone and I find it works brilliantly. If I'm not there it enables people to leave messages and, if I'm in, I can monitor the call and cut in if necessary.

Important contacts and friends get my mobile number so I usually have a comic answerphone message awaiting anyone calling my landline, and instead of cold callers annoying me I can listen to them getting a self-delivered custard pie without moving a muscle.

Never had a cold caller call twice.

amibovvered

cajef wrote: »

I must admit that occasionally I will answer them and string them along for as long as possible, I sometimes end up by saying I investigate internet fraud and scams, it is amazing how soon they ring off.:D

Must remember that one! :rotfl:

Abbafan1972

We have caller display and our doctors surgery used to come up as "number unavailable", but they have changed their number and it now displays. Like the previous poster said, a withheld number doesn't necessary mean it's a cold call.

"International" ones I ignore though, as they are always those silly automated calls about competitions and crap like that.