Exactly why you shouldn’t press the hang up button when unknown caller happens. Just mute the call and let it ring out in silence. Don’t press the voicemail button either to send them straight there. It’s like social media, any interaction is a positive for their bot system and the only way to avoid making things worse is to not interact at all.

All of them are to probe for active numbers. Calls and texts. The best thing you can do is ignore them. For calls, don't pick up, don't hang up. Even ending the call early let's them know your line is live.

Just ignore them and their system will mark your line as dead. I get maybe one or two calls a month now.

In a similar vein, there is unsolicited calls from call center that dial your number automatically. If you picked up and say "Hello?" they register the sound and connect you with an agent. So I picked up my phone and stay silent every time I got a call from a unknown number. Quite enough that ends up by being hang up after 5 or 10 seconds. Actual people say "hello?" first when we don't.

Good to know. I’ll just go back to ignoring them

Yeah this is why I don't respond. Immediately marked as spam and number blocked.

Now there was a (very brief lol) period of time where I got a few Trump fundraising texts (my guess is someone put in my number as a joke or out of malice). They stopped coming after I replied with dick pics lol

That happens mostly with phone calls, doesn't it? They call you and if you pick up, they know it's and active number. I've picket up a phone call or two that immediately hung up on me and I immediately realised I had to expect a couple scam calls or texts I'm the coming weeks.

I’ve had someone repeatedly put my email as their spouse’s email in important situations. I’ve replied multiple times asking them to stop but they keep doing it.

I have the same name as their spouse, but you’d think you’d know your spouse’s email, or at least talk to them about it when you get a reply saying it was the wrong email!

I have a fairly unusual, albeit not unheard of, first name. As far as I can tell, I'm sharing my first and last name with 5 or so people in the US. Back in 2008 or so I nabbed first.last@gmail.com (I also own www.firstlast.com haha). Every so often one of my brethren will use my email at dicks sporting goods or something. I always finish activating the account for them and sign them up for text alerts or something. Nothing evil. I figure they can just reply "stop" to opt out.

Sucks to be them lol

Oh my... I had a slightly similar incident. New phone number, had a bunch of random strangers texting me (some even calling!) asking for Ethan. My name is not Ethan, I didn't know who Ethan is

No idea what was on my mind back then, but I somehow got the contact info of this mysterious Ethan, called him (hilarity ensued since he got a call from someone on his contact list named "Me"), confirmed his up-to-date number, and promptly referred everyone looking for Ethan to the real person for over a year...

Life is strange sometimes

Somehow that's even funnier 😂

On one hand, I don't want to believe any 8 year old has a phone and has that colorful of language.

On the other hand, "chuck e cheese will eat you man" with a tenor gif of chuck e cheese is 100% a statement an 8 year old would come up with

This isn't your kid bro, this is a pretty popular internet meme

The segment was good but you fucking with them still wastes their time so they don't scam someone else who would be less diligent. It's still good to waste their time. It just sucks that late stage capitalism is forcing them to do the job.

Which segment was it? I am curious now because I always fuck with the texters that get past my spam filter.

She'll never ask for horseback riding ever again.

Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?

Wrong number scam. Which will turn into a romance or pig butchering scam.

John Oliver did a nice explanation

Basically they pretend to have the wrong number, but then start chatting with you, gain your trust over a period of months, and then ask you for money or similar.

Nay.

Everything screams if you try hard enough