Stranger and stranger

Yes, I usually ask them which of the four accidents they are referring to, which gets them very excited. Or I tell them that it was a fatal accident and that I am playing my harp. Alternatively, depending upon my mood, I tell them to get lost - in less polite terms - or I just leave them talking.

I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard that once they introduce themselves, you say, “I’m So glad you called. I can’t wait to tell you about Jesus”. Apparently, they can’t hang up fast enough....

There’s also the telephone preference service online, sign up and they block the majority of calls.

I have had calls like that. It is intrusive and I just hang up if they are persistent.

It is tempting to annoy them especially if they start by saying "How are you today" as some do. You can spend 15 minutes telling them about all your troubles. They soon get fed up and ring off.

The only ones I have had here were from 'Microsoft' and I once had one on the phone for an hour, she was quite annoyed when I eventually passed her to DD, she builds specialist computors for gamers.

No cold callers call me any more since I bought a whistle ?

I once kept someone talking for about 10 minutes because I was feeling mean. Who did you say you were? Oh that's interesting. Remind me who you are again .... Eventually I told him I wasn't interested and he got very upset because I had wasted his time.
I never did it again as I felt guilty as he was probably on a very low income and was being paid by the successful call.

One of DDs friends did it in France during the holiday from Uni, and they were payed if they kept the caller on for 2 minutes or more.
One reason to spin it out a bit, but I do not know how it works in th UK.

Oh I ve had great fun with them Keep it going for ages and sometimes they end up swearing and banging the phone down
I don’t mind them getting paid it’s a horrible job they must get awful people on the other end I m not horrible just turn it round
Just made me think I haven’t had one for ages are they all in lockdown

I get those calls on my mobile 'phone sometimes (how do they get my number?). I usually go along with it - and the person ringing me gets quite excited that he/she has "got" me - until I say I was drunk at the time of my "accident". They always hang up when I say that

I ask them to tell me where this accident happened

It's easy enough when it's a real person on the phone. However, we seem to get lots of automated calls. Just a robotic voice. We're with TPL and use the BT call blocker but they just call back from another number. Our land-line is also our downstairs doorbell so I always have to answer it.

OP i think more likely the caller got your name/number from another contact or list.
which country are you in.

I once told my lovely daughter in Oz to " bog off " . The phone rang and registered Withheld and after I'd let it ring, I shouted down the phone so now even if it says " Withheld " I answer with caution

I miss these kind of calls as our phone screens every call now . I loved to wind them up pretending to be the maid or saying I would get my husband to sort it out once he gets out of prison for manslaughter. When they said I had computer problems with windows I would say we already had double glazing .

When asked what was the outcome of my "supposed" accident, I tell them that I died! End of convo

We’ve got Sky Talk Shield which has stopped all junk calls on the landline, but I do get them on my mobile. The last one I got I said it was amazing that they’d found out so quickly as it only happened yesterday. She went away when I said I’d driven out of a side road into a lorry ‘cos I was in a hurry.

Exactly GranMattie! They must be desperate to have to do that job!

Welbeck, I am in Belgium, I do not shop online at all, only online shop I have ever done was Ikea and we used DDs card for that, my phone number was never mentioned and the order was in her name. They do not have a landline.
My main point is that this call came from the UK, and there would be no record of me there for nearly 30 years.
I am also a Belgian citizen, no UK passport for 2 years now.

I dont answer the phone if i don’t recognise the caller. End of.

Have some fun if they call again! We had a lot of these a few years back. My DD was back living at home for a while when they rang her. She asked which accident was it? Was it the one where a tiger leapt if front of the car and forced her to mount the kerb and smash in to a plate glass window or was it ...........
I’m sure you can think of lots more!

I might mix in some Flemish words too, that should confuse them just drop them into the sentence.
I have a friend coming for tea(cold beer) in the garden this afternoon first since the 12th of March.

Have a lovely time felice.

They don't seem to like it when I ask them if their mother knows what they do for a living. They usually hang up.