to think that cold callers are cheating to withhold their numbers?

It is easy to say just don't answer it but when we know that it may be someone we should be accessible to at the other end we lift the receiver to check. Some of the people we are most likely to want to hear from - the old and vulnerable - don't like answerphones and will just ring off. It could be something important that should be attended to right away, but without listening we would never know and could regret it for ever.

When we had three teenagers out living it up and four elderly parents, one of them in poor health, there was once an evening when one of DD1's "friends" rang while she was out and asked to speak to her. She was told that she was out, but continued to ring at five or ten minute intervals for the rest of the evening, with sounds of merriment in the background, and increasing amusement from her and her companions as we tried to get her to stop. We could not just leave the phone off the hook, we were home base for the older and the younger generations, and we had no answerphone.

By the time DD1 came home we were stressed out. Apparently this was a "friend" with whom there had been a falling-out, and she had only phonerd in the first place to abuse DD1. Failing that she went on to harrass us.

I never answer them either, even though it is usually my bf. She gets annoyed with me for not picking up, she hates leaving messages but it just isn't worth the hassle. I tell her it's her fault for being paranoid and ex-directory, and actually she gets cold calls too despite being ex-directory!

Not all of them Lona. DN is very vulnerable at the moment, mum's friend won't and my brother just leaves rude messages! [grin[

If you have an answer phone and the message is important, they will leave a message. That way, if you're at home, you can listen and pick up the phone!
Simples.

I treat 'Number Withheld' calls as I would an anonymous letter - I ignore them. I certainly wouldn't answer them.

I am like kittylester I also get number withheld coming up on the screen and some of my friends withold their numbers. Also a call from Ireland for some strange reason always has number witheld s oI feel I must answer as I have an elderly aunt in a nursing home in Co. Louth.

I have been offered a lot of commercial property to buy recently, naturally totally risk free.

Most of my cold calls/scam calls etc. come from 01234 numbers or No Number. I very rarely get a 'number withheld' call.