Ah. We had made it over 2 years without the telemarketing scammers

And now I've got, a few times a day, a computer voice on my telephone telling me my Amazon is hacked and that I'm enrolled in Prime for £99 and to press "1" if I want to cancel that. (No, I'm not that gullible.) Followed about 20 minutes later by a caller who doesn't speak/isn't there/has hanged up, and another "nobody there" call about an hour later. Every day. Several times a day. I'm glad we have an answering machine. Come from 0160-687-1726. Or, yesterday's did.

Today already I've had a call that was a hangup. Different number. No message left. I'd chalk it up to spam calls, except that I actually am waiting for a call from any of a number of freight-forwarders about shipping the tropical fish home. One would think those would actually leave a message, though. Or, previous to living here I would have thought that, but I no longer do as I've had so many tradespeople phone without leaving a message or a return number if they DID leave a message. So it's probably the spam caller, changing their spoofed number. Which is now 0325-584-0960.

I've reported the first one to Ofcom and put us on the "do not call" registry, but I don' think that's going to stop this kind of calls. We get maybe one telephone call every few months on that line, sometimes less often, so it's just bizarre to hear that phone ringing several times a day. If I get another from 0325 I'll report them as well.

Aside from that, on a landline, there's nothing else to do, is there?

And now I've got, a few times a day, a computer voice on my telephone telling me my Amazon is hacked and that I'm enrolled in Prime for £99 and to press "1" if I want to cancel that. (No, I'm not that gullible.) Followed about 20 minutes later by a caller who doesn't speak/isn't there/has hanged up, and another "nobody there" call about an hour later. Every day. Several times a day. I'm glad we have an answering machine. Come from 0160-687-1726. Or, yesterday's did.

Today already I've had a call that was a hangup. Different number. No message left. I'd chalk it up to spam calls, except that I actually am waiting for a call from any of a number of freight-forwarders about shipping the tropical fish home. One would think those would actually leave a message, though. Or, previous to living here I would have thought that, but I no longer do as I've had so many tradespeople phone without leaving a message or a return number if they DID leave a message. So it's probably the spam caller, changing their spoofed number. Which is now 0325-584-0960.

I've reported the first one to Ofcom and put us on the "do not call" registry, but I don' think that's going to stop this kind of calls. We get maybe one telephone call every few months on that line, sometimes less often, so it's just bizarre to hear that phone ringing several times a day. If I get another from 0325 I'll report them as well.

Aside from that, on a landline, there's nothing else to do, is there?

If you have BT, they do call protect for for free. They automatically filter out some of the spam and you can apply your own filters on top of that and even block particular numbers by adding them to your blacklist.

I tend to block when there is a person at the other end and just leave it if it's computerised because I mind that less than having to deal with a live person.  Reason I don't block them all any more is because there's a limit of 100 numbers you can block at any one time and that fills up pretty quickly.


You can also report the number on sites like who called me. It does nothing more than warn other consumers but you're doing others a favour who want to find out about the number that called them.

Call protect.- https://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/phones-tablets/bt-call-protect-why-bts-free-service-can-help-you-banish-nuisance-calls-11364136279611

Who called me- https://who-called.co.uk

Yeah, we're on Sky. I'll check their website to see if they have anything. Good idea!

Edit:  Ok, there's something supposedly called SkyShield, but none of the links on their website work. I would have to phone Sky and stay on hold forever.... so I'll just let the answering machine screen our calls. The phone ringer can be set to "low" or "off". If one of the freight guys calls, I'll just have to phone them back.

Answering machine?  Landlines?  Is it 1985?
We are forced to have a landline because of our broadband.  I've never even plugged anything into it even though I pay £20 or something a month. 

I don't think either of my kids have ever had a landline phone in the house since they were born.  I bet if I plugged a phone into our landline and called it they would absolutely flip out when it started ringing. 

We stopped using our landline sometime around 2009, and like Jimbo only had one for broadband. There was a phone plugged in, but the ringer wasn't turned on. A couple of years ago a company that specializes in providing broadband in rural areas set us up with a microwave link, which increased our speed from about 5mpbs to 50mbps, and that was the last of the landline phone.

I don't think either of my kids have ever had a landline phone in the house since they were born.  I bet if I plugged a phone into our landline and called it they would absolutely flip out when it started ringing.

You should definitely do that! 

I don't use a mobile phone - I don't like them.  I do possess a very old one somewhere. 

Has everyone fainted???

I don't use a mobile phone - I don't like them.  I do possess a very old one somewhere. 

Has everyone fainted???

I knew a guy who was reluctant to get a mobile... he held out until around 2014 or so.  You're my new longest hold-out.  Congrats!

I can't argue with you.  I rarely use my mobile as a phone... it's mostly just a camera and computer that I carry around with me everywhere I go, and if you don't need those things, then don't have them.    (I "need" my computer... I'm constantly Googling things.)

Wen watched Bridgette Jones' Diary the other day and it's amazing how that film has aged.  People smoking all over the place, throwing glass bottles straight in the bin and no mobile phones.  Just a few years ago but seems like 50.

Wen watched Bridgette Jones' Diary the other day and it's amazing how that film has aged.  People smoking all over the place, throwing glass bottles straight in the bin and no mobile phones.  Just a few years ago but seems like 50.

I Googled it (on my mobile!).  Bridget Jones's Diary was released in 2001.  That was nearly 20 years ago!  19, anyway.  A baby born when that film came out would legally be an adult now.

We stopped using our landline sometime around 2009, and like Jimbo only had one for broadband. There was a phone plugged in, but the ringer wasn't turned on. A couple of years ago a company that specializes in providing broadband in rural areas set us up with a microwave link, which increased our speed from about 5mpbs to 50mbps, and that was the last of the landline phone.

Same here, we retired in 2010 and immediately moved out of State. Never had a landline since.  Our kids have never had a landline.  We also have a landline with our broadband, I think. No idea what the number is and no phone is plugged into the only landline socket in the house.

Telemarketing on mobile numbers simply doesn't happen.

Same here, we retired in 2010 and immediately moved out of State. Never had a landline since.  Our kids have never had a landline.  We also have a landline with our broadband, I think. No idea what the number is and no phone is plugged into the only landline socket in the house.

Telemarketing on mobile numbers simply doesn't happen.

Same....don't even know where to plug the landline in.....although, I can still remember my phone number growing up (274-6678), but I have my mobile number written and taped to the back of my cell phone because I can't remember it. Granted......I really don't use my phone that much. But back in the "old days".....you kept your phone number forever............

Same....don't even know where to plug the landline in.....although, I can still remember my phone number growing up (274-6678), but I have my mobile number written and taped to the back of my cell phone because I can't remember it. Granted......I really don't use my phone that much. But back in the "old days".....you kept your phone number forever............

In my old days the “phone number” was in the telephone box a couple of streets away. When I left home in 1973 my parents still didn’t have a phone in the house. Then it was 4 years of bedsits and student houses and dorms. I didn’t have a phone in the place I lived until 1977. Gosh, I’m old.

That’s me 2nd from the left.