If you receive a call from a Telemarketer, there are a few ways that you can keep the Telemarketer from calling right back. Try these ideas provided to you by a former Telemarketer.
- Don't immediately hang up. If you do, you are added to the list of "no answer" on the Telemarketer's end. Then, he or she will keep calling until they have a conversation with you.
- Don't hang up in mid-conversation. The Telemarketer is likely to call you back and claim that the call must have been disconnected.
- Hang up immediately if you hear the words, "Can you hear me?" The person on the other end will most likely be recording you and if you answer, "yes", your recording may be used to confirm account changes, security settings, etc. Very dangerous!
- Don't engage the Telemarketer in any way. You will be giving her or him false hope.
- Stay cool. Getting angry doesn't help. You may end up in something called a "lead pool" which means that you will be relentlessly called by all kinds of Telemarketers.
- Say the "magic words". If you don't want to receive calls from Telemarketers in the future, simply say, "Please put me on your do-not-call list." If pressured, repeat those words.
- Sign up on the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov). This makes it illegal for companies to contact you more than once per week.
Erica Olson, "Lifehacker.com"