Unwanted spam, phone calls and texts

Thanks for that Gally. I'll have a look at that.

Thank you Gally, we get a call about 5 every evening, it has got so bad that I just swear at the recording. Not very ladylike.

But watch out after you go on Silentguard. A few days after we went on it we had a call from an African chap who said he was from them, and he could put our names onto it permanently if we sent him £29.99 online. We did not fall for that one.

Unwanted Spam? You mean like the three Starbucks/Costa threads?

I have reported two of them but I forget which two, so one might get by, unless someone else is also reporting.

I've reported the illiterate african chap already and am about to report teallover. Must be the day for spam or something. My latest ploy for the phone is to pretend that I am the personal assistant and act out that role, can be as OTT as I like! The recorded messages are more annoying as there is no scope for my acting abilities and no one to hear my choice language.

I must have really upset the last caller we had when out of frustration because of the continued calling I told him to "Go forth and Multiply" in not so many words.(not very ladylike I must confess).

When my phone rings and doesn't display a number or name I know or that is in my usual calling areas, I say nothing until the person or machine on the other end speaks. Then I put the phone down if it is a cold call. If I want a rest, I mute the phone so as not to be disturbed. If it's important, they'll leave a message.

I don't answer the house phone, it's more often than not someone cold calling. I really wish we didn't have to have to have a land line in this day and age when everyone has a mobile, but it's a requirement for internet access. Everyone I want to talk to is programmed into my mobile phone, for me the land line is at best superfluous and worst annoying.

Can you mute your landline phone? I would if I were you.

No because my husband gives the land line to his golfing cronies but I lump their occasional calls in with all the other "nuisance calls"!

On my phone you can give different ringtones to different categories of caller. I know whether it is family, friends, business and so on by the ring. Everyone else is on the default ring tone so I know not to rush to answer.

The exceptions are ones like my GP. You can book a telephone appointment where he rings you from his mobile - which has the number concealed so that he does not get endless phone calls when he is off-duty from people who could have phoned the surgery. His calls have the same ring as any other unrecognised numbers - he nearly got the bums rush on one occasion.

For silent calls, I check the number on google and keep a list by the phone of those that have been registered as nuisance calls..avoid these
01519091965
01793433757
01792211846

I usually just hang up once I have ascertained who it is. The other night there was a call and the person the other end had just start talking when my work mobile rang. I said to the caller 'hold on a moment while I take this call' My mobile call went on for a while and during that time I heard the other caller hang up - Result!!

I must try that ploy again.