3 ms·
You don't really need something that complex. You can either: 1. Just don't answer any call if it's not in your address book, as I do if I'm not at a computer.
by cballard 11y ago
You don't really need something that complex. You can either:
1. Just don't answer any call if it's not in your address book, as I do if I'm not at a computer.
2. Do a Google search for the number, if your doctor, tailor, or dry cleaner doesn't come up, don't answer. Add these to your Address Book for the future.
Usually http://800notes.com/ http://800notes.com/ or similar sites will come up for telemarketers, with many notes. If implementing #2 in software, it would make sense to go the other way, validating that a number probably is a telemarketer, instead of validating that it's something relevant to you (which would be harder).
- pavel_lishin 11y agoI always pick up the phone, because I don't want to miss a call from a friend or a family member calling from jail, or a hospital, or a stranger's phone after they got in a wreck. It's less of a concern now that nearly everyone has cellphones, but I'd rather not risk missing a call like that :/
- soared 11y agoIt is common practice to call twice in a row for emergencies. So if a random number calls twice in a row, then you should pick up.
- mandeepj 11y agoor if that call is really from your known ones then they will surely leave a voice mail
- ma2rten 11y agoAnother thing is that in the US junk calls more often than not come from out of state.
- MereInterest 11y agoExcept that cell phone numbers tend to tell you where somebody lived 5 years ago, as opposed to where they live now. This makes it quite hard to screen based on an out-of-state area code.
- pavel_lishin 11y agoThat's what I tell my friends and family, but I don't think it's all that commonly known among the people I know :/
- IgorPartola 11y agoI find that doctors offices often call from an unknown number. This is for privacy reasons: if a psych doctor calls and someone who doesn't know I am seeing one sees the caller ID, they would have violated my privacy. Also as a rule they don't leave voice mail messages beyond "this is Dr. So-and-so please call me back." Because of this I always answer all unknown numbers. If they turn out to be a telemarketer, I tell them they called the director of the FBI and ask them who they work for and how they got my number, then promise them to investigate their company because calling this secure line is a threat to national security.
- tamana 11y agoThat reminds me of the classic where a callee guy pretended to be a cop investigating a murder scene, and started interrogating the telemarketer.
- sethammons 11y agoYou are thinking of Tom Mabe. Hilarious. He had a whole album (maybe more).
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]