I’ve stopped answering my phone

I still have a landline because some elderly friends know my number. I don't use it for making calls because I am charged for calls. BT package costs c£35 per quarter. It includes broadband. I still get spam calls but only on the landline.

A df, whose landline number I know ,has his LL and mobile numbers linked so he answers on his mobile. I must ask him about this.

Private number is usually medical but could be my DS! Always on my mobile.

Grammaretto pleased to see you posting and you ahve arrived safely!

Dickens
Individuals who are prepared to rob your bank accounts or your identity are no different to those who would break into your home - they are criminal cyber thugs.

Life feels like a minefield these days. We have to tread carefully and keep our eyes peeled the whole time to protect ourselves from being scammed. It's stressful 😒

Elegran, I think you're right. They probably haven't been given my number. Sometimes they phone my mobile and ask for someone I've never heard of.

Gundy, I'll follow your suggestion for blocking unwanted phone calls. 👍

I only get nuisance calls on my landline. I pick up, say hello, listen then ask ‘Who’s calling?’ If I don’t like the sound of the answer I say ‘No thank you’ and put the phone down. (I’m quite alive to the possibility of scams.)

It seems (from Googling) that AI needs 30 seconds of a recorded voice to clone that voice. I don’t think anyone would get that from what I do.

I also don’t think that scammers are more likely to ring again because I do that than if they get an answer machine. They know from hearing an answer machine that the number is an actual number, and they aren’t getting any further information.

This way I don’t miss any medical calls.

If it's not coming up on my mobile as someone I know I don't answer, if it's that important they can leave me a message, do the same with landline if I don't recognise STD code.

Fairycakes

Dickens
Individuals who are prepared to rob your bank accounts or your identity are no different to those who would break into your home - they are criminal cyber thugs.

Life feels like a minefield these days. We have to tread carefully and keep our eyes peeled the whole time to protect ourselves from being scammed. It's stressful 😒

Life feels like a minefield these days.

I was saying the same to my OH recently. We were discussing the 'good old days' when all we had was telephones and letters. Although that wasn't particularly convenient in terms of paying bills, etc... life felt much simpler...

.. we didn't have to keep going online to read pages and pages of guff as we are now encouraged to do by various organisations and companies. For further information, please visit our website at www.xxx etc... My heart sinks when I see that phrase, I almost lose the will to live after 'visiting' said websites!

And I don't remember many scam telephone calls either.

Although registered with TPS I get heaps of scam calls from spoofed numbers. As other gransnetters have said, they don't leave messages, except for recorded ones about "suspicious activity on your account." My doc surgery no longer withholds its number, presumably to show it's genuine. Anyone who knows me knows they have to start speaking or I won't pick up. The only snag has been that I've had to turn the ringer right down as the scammers habitually call very early in the morning and wake me up!

We answer as there are still people who have our number. Eg Specsavers, Doctor has both but sometimes I don’t hear the mobile as it is in another room or charging.

We've pretty much eliminated them except for (1) Bank Security Department; (2) 'your local energy/solar/insulation advisor'; and (3) 'your Visa/Amazon account has been debited £600'. (1) and (3) are scammers phishing for your details. (2) is just an annoyingly persistent cold caller. I just hang up.

Dickens, you sound just like me. I talk about the good old days when things were simpler, slower and quieter 😆

That's the way I play it too Tanith - no land line. And I don't answer my mobile unless I recognise the number. If they really want me they can leave a message and I will call back

JennyCee

I wish they wouldnt!! When trying to block rubbish phone calls, the NHS ones are ignored too. What on earth is wrong with the NHS NOT withholding their numbers. How many NHS calls have been ignored because of this silly habit?

The thinking behind it was privacy and confidentiality though most of that seems to have gone out of the window nowadays. We are officially expected to tell the receptionist why we need the appointment!

The receptionist are daft to accept this because they will be thrown to the wolves if they confuse a rupturing appendix for a gastric bug or similar.

One of the main reasons for NHS withholding personal information on voice mail or answering machines, is that a person may not want a family member knowing their medical information.

In the last week, I have had three text messages on my phone, reminding me I have a medical appointment tomorrow. That suits me perfectly, because it is going directly to me.

Years ago, I was waiting for an urgent appointment for the breast clinic. My sister in law with the same surname lived at no. 8 and I lived in the same street at no.48.
My SIL opened the letter, which had been incorrectly delivered and everyone knew my business. I hadn't even told my family, so as not to worry them. 😡

My GP surgery has now started leaving a message saying, this is a message for John Smith, please phone this number. In the past they said it was the surgery.