“Hi there. We’ve been trying to reach you to discuss your car’s extended warranty.” Now, anyone who has ever heard that message on their cell phone most likely hung up immediately, blocked the number and hoped that they wouldn’t have to hear it again any time soon.
Spam calls are an epidemic, and it can be extremely frustrating trying to eradicate them from your call log. So after being harassed for an entire year, one man finally decided to take matters into his own hands and call the company back. Below, you’ll find his story of petty revenge that was recently posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.
Being bombarded by spam calls can be incredibly frustrating
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So this man decided to give his dedicated spammers a taste of their own medicine
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Spam calls aren’t just annoying, they can be dangerous
Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)
We can all agree that spam calls are obnoxious. But the solution isn’t as simple as rejecting all phone calls that you don’t recognize the number to. It might be your doctor’s office calling or a courier attempting to deliver a package to you. It might even be a loved one or relative trying to reach out from a new number or a stranger’s phone if their phone has run out of battery.
But what’s the point of these spam calls anyway? Do they actually accomplish anything? According to Keeper Security, these calls may seem like harmless nuisances, but they are often more insidious. Now, these calls might simply be from a business trying to sell you something.
Other spam calls, however, can also be scam calls claiming to be from a person or company that they don’t actually represent. Typically, the caller will feed their victims stories of a fake scenario in an attempt to trick them into providing personal information. To determine whether or not you’re dealing with a spam call, Keeper recommends watching to see if your phone displays a “spam likely” warning before you answer the call.
It’s also a red flag if the caller uses a pre-recorded message, asks for your personal information or uses a sense of urgency. They might even offer a deal that sounds too good to be true or ask you for payment.
It’s important to keep in mind that these scam callers can exploit you, even if you don’t think you’ve provided them with any valuable information. If you answer the call at all, you’ve already proven that your number is real and active, which might make you a target for even more calls.
If you provide any information about yourself during the phone call, scammers might be able to use that info to steal your identity. And even talking on the phone can be dangerous, as some companies might record your voice for vishing attacks.
It’s wise to take action to protect yourself from scam calls
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So what can we do to protect ourselves against spam calls? First, Community Phone recommends adding your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. This is a list that allows consumers to opt out of most telemarking calls.
It’s also a good idea to take advantage of any call blocking features your phone, or phone company, has to offer. There are even some third-party apps you can install on your phone to block spam calls. But if the calls do manage to get through, the best course of action is to not answer them at all.
Don’t allow whoever is on the other end of the call to record your voice, especially if they’re asking you to answer questions with “Yes.” And if you’re really not sure if the call is coming from an official government agency or someone trying to scam you, err on the side of caution.
Never provide personal information, and do some research online to see if the phone call could have been legitimate. Even if the number appears to be official, it could have been scammers spoofing.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How do you think this man handled the harassment he had been receiving from spam callers? Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing a similar topic, look no further than right here!
Later, the author replied to a couple of comments and provided some more information
Many readers applauded the man for his petty revenge
Some even shared stories of their own experiences with spam callers
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