I’m in the unfortunate position to be job hunting, so I have to answer unknown numbers. For years, I’ve gotten “I’d like to buy your house” spam calls. I’ve never been in a situation where I’d sell to a random caller. I can’t imagine one, either. I can imagine needing to sell my house, but I’d call a realtor or something. I wouldn’t engage a random cold-caller.
Does that ever work? Is it legit? I assume it must be profitable, because they keep doing it.
The biggest victims of phone scams are the elderly. Typically very socially isolated, lonely, and sometimes suffering from cognitive decline. Does anyone ever fall for it? You’ve got to ask yourself why the scammers would go through so much trouble if it never worked.
I’m not so sure this logic holds with how out of hand things have gotten. I’ve got automated spam calls that ask if I’m interested, I said yes, and they hung up on me.
It’s like the spam machine got left on over the weekend or something.
In that case they’re probably fishing for active numbers, seeing which ones are real out of the list they bought online. You should never say the word “yes,” when you’re on the phone with someone you don’t trust. Scammers will record that, clip it, and use it to cause all kinds of harm impersonating you
I just tell them whoever they’re calling for died. I let them bask in the awkwardness for a bit before they hang up.
Nonsense.
If a voice recording could be used with nefarious intent you wouldn’t be able to eat a meal in a restaurant without being recorded.