Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Best Ways To Answer A Call From A Scammer

People Share The Best Ways To Answer A Call From A Scammer
Photo by yang miao on Unsplash

How did these scam calls become such a problem.

They're an epidemic.

If I get one more robocall today, I may through a phone through a window.

I've go to start scaring these people off.

Would that even work?

Redditor vmcards17 wanted to hear about how we can get creative with those non-stop phone calls that are driving us mad!

They asked:

"What’s the funniest way to answer a scammer’s call?"

My first thought is... "LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Blood

"Don't say 'hello' just pick up the phone and say 'it's done, but there's blood everywhere. I'll need your help cleaning it up. Bring bleach, trash bags and that large saw from the garage.' and then just hang up."

FinnbarMcBride

Pretend

"Pretend to be elderly and confused. You’ll hook them immediately and can then proceed with wasting the most of their time."

Bananaman1229

"This is my go to, my record is 8min of slowing asking them to repeat it and ask about my benefits or what the package includes. If it’s the solar guys I ask about the panel type and what crew they will use. Sometime I tell them I just moved or ask about the weather."

brapo68

language by language...

"I gave the phone to my neighbor who talked to them in Pennsylvania German. My neighbor is Amish. Then the person on the phone tried to use regular German, but all they knew was 'Sprechen Sie Deutsch.' When my Amish neighbor said yeah and then rattled off in a mix of German and dutch the scammer hung up."

"Then they called back not 20 minutes later. So I spoke to them in Chinese. But they kept telling me to speak in English. They hung up after about two minutes."

elanrach

Hold Please

"In a forum online, a girl answered a call with a Caller ID that came up as fraud. She answered breathlessly, 'Can you hold on? I'm having sex.' She clicked on porn and set the phone next to the computer's speaker. The guy listened for half an hour."

SciFi_Author

HOW?!?!

Season 6 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy

"HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER?!?"

"Answer every phone call that way."

RogueNine

Why did I not think of some of these sooner?

Hey Bob

Phone Staring GIF by Robin SchulzGiphy

"Bob's orphanage, you make 'em we take 'em."

Spicy_French-Fry

Gotcha!

"Wasting time of scammers? One of the most fun activities to do. Have wasted the time of one guy who wanted to scam me with steam cards and such.. I impersonated a local I know and talked like him, acted like him and mocked the scammer in subtle ways. Was really funny, I streamed that entire sh**show to my friends."

"Me mocking a scammer and giving them useless steam-gift codes, even telling them that they are like any other guy out there trying to scam me and such. It's really hilarious when you think about that me telling to that guy that he is like any other guy who wants to scam me made them trying even harder instead of acknowledging that he was completely played by me the entire time."

"We had five hours pure fun together, the scammer lost five hours of lifetime."

ShadowLemon313

Tricks and Treats

"I once worked for a legitimate call centre where we called people who ticked boxes, on forms and stuff, saying they'd be interested in X product or service. It was a crap job and I got out of it ASAP, but it paid by the hour (not commission). People would hang up, pretend it was the wrong number, pretend not to speak English, and all kinds of stuff (even though I'd be happy to just remove their info if they asked, and I always offered)."

"But when people pulled the whole 'Just wait a minute' trick, and left the phone down, it was a welcome break. I could just doodle pictures, browse the internet, and generally relax, because the system had me down as on a call. And I was still getting paid the same."

"I once spent an hour and a half like that, before the woman picked the phone up, realized I was sill there, asked me what the hell was wrong with me, and hung up. This may well have been a similar thing."

BadgerSituation

You Win!

Winner Celebrate GIF by AwkwafinaGiphy

"In your best Announcer's Voice:"

"You've reached KSCM 99.3 The River, you're on the air and you are the seventh caller! Are you excited? ARE YOU EXCITED???"

Hysterical_Realist

I'm trying all of these. And also... "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

ICE agents at Atlanta airport
Megan Varner/Getty Images

The White House Just Tried To Rebrand ICE Agents As 'NICE Agents' With Hilariously Propagandistic Graphic

The White House was criticized for sharing an image to rebrand ICE agents as "NICE" agents, including a poster of an agent kneeling next to a child that has been condemned as blatant propaganda.

The decision came after President Donald Trump shared a post from a supporter urging him to change the name of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to National Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which would change the acronym from ICE to NICE. Trump said in a post on Truth Social it would be a "GREAT IDEA!!!"

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jimmy Failla
Fox News

Fox News Reporters Caught On Hot Mic Joking About How Lax Security Was Before Correspondents' Dinner

Fox News reporters were criticized after they were caught on a hot mic joking about the unusually lax security at the White House Correspondents Association dinner before a shooting disrupted the event.

Their commentary followed a security scare at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump and senior officials were quickly moved to safety after shots rang out outside the ballroom. Investigators believe the suspect fired one or two rounds. The Secret Service returned fire but missed, and the suspect was later apprehended near a staircase leading into the ballroom.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of King Charles shaking hands with Donald Trump
@AdamJSchwarz/X

Trump Just Totally Met His Match When He Tried His Macho Handshake On King Charles In Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was widely criticized for attempting his awkward tug-of-war-style handshake while greeting King Charles III at the White House on Monday, only for Charles to shut him down.

Charles addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, becoming only the second British monarch to do so after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who spoke in 1991. His speech came as Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s refusal to back the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pastor Calls Out Christians Who Claim 'God Protected' Trump At Correspondents' Dinner In Spot-On Tweet

Reverend Benjamin Cremer, a pastor and writer who often comments on the intersection of politics and Christianity, called out MAGA supporters' reaction to the shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and lamented the idolization of President Donald Trump.

Cremer's words followed a security scare at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and senior officials were quickly moved to safety after shots rang out outside the ballroom. Investigators believe the suspect fired one or two rounds. The Secret Service returned fire but missed, and the suspect was later apprehended near a staircase leading into the ballroom.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mara Wilson
Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Former Child Actor Mara Wilson Reveals Heartbreakingly Disturbing Reason That Led To Her Not Wanting To Act Anymore

You probably know her as Matilda or possibly as the youngest daughter, Natalie Hillard, in Mrs. Doubtfire, or maybe the inquisitive and too-smart-for-her-age Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street.

But for former child actor Mara Wilson, that's where most people's knowledge of her stops, and the reasons behind that are heartbreaking.

Keep ReadingShow less