Telemarketers are required to ring at least four times, or for at least 15 seconds, before they hang up. [1] X Trustworthy Source Federal Trade Commission Website with up-to-date information for consumers from the Federal Trade Commisson Go to source
A good rule of thumb is that if you don’t recognize the area code, don’t answer. Many of these calls come from the Dominican Republic (809), Jamaica (876), British Virgin Islands (284) and Grenada (473). Don’t pick up 900 numbers, those numbers are premium-rate numbers that bill the calling party. There are also services online that allow you to look up numbers. Search for “reverse lookup” or “find out who called me. "
If they do leave a message, or the number that called is an 800 (toll-free) number, go ahead and call them back. Crammers will never leave a message, because they are operating on an extremely limited profit margin and can’t afford the international call.
If you have called back an unknown number and have found yourself listening to a recorded message, be extra vigilant with your phone bill. If you called and found yourself listening to an “adult services” recording, expect unauthorized charges. Don’t be embarrassed asking your phone carrier to reimburse you. Scam calls are an everyday problem for them.
If you have an iPhone, you can go into “Settings” and set your phone at “Do Not Disturb,” which will prevent anyone not on your contacts list from calling you. However, this could prevent new friends or colleagues from getting in touch. Contacting your carrier by phone or email to discuss your options.
Do not give your information to anyone who calls your house claiming to represent the Do Not Call List. They are a scammer: the US Government does not cold call people and volunteer to put them on the list.
Dialing *69 tends to cost between 30 and 50 cents a use, unless you subscribe to Last Call Return” through your service provider. In this case, it may cost around 2 dollars a month.
