Am I Nuts?

[boykinlp]

Am I nuts for thinking this? Just a couple of minutes ago my phone rang with a number that I didn’t recognize. I was waiting on a call from a doctor, so I answered it. I hear a young lady say “Larry?”, and I answered “Yes”, assuming it was the doctor’s office returning my call. As soon as I said “Yes”, the person on the other end hung up. I looked up the phone number and it says a possible scammer’s number.

In this time of AI, I was thinking of all the times I am on a phone call that has a machine on the other end asking me questions to which I have to answer yes or no. I found it very strange that the phone call I got was terminated after I said one word, “Yes”, and wonder if somehow this will come back to haunt me? Hopefully, I am just making a mountain out of a molehill! What do you folks think?
Larry

 

[old bear]

If you have to ask this crew if you are nuts, then you are in deep trouble

 

[Greyman50]

NEVER answer with a yes. Sadly these days a “What do you want “is better for unknown numbers. I have 3-4 times the number of blocked numbers than friends, family and MDs.

 

[boykinlp]

NEVER answer with a yes. Sadly these days a “What do you want “is better for unknown numbers. I have 3-4 times the number of blocked numbers than friends, family and MDs.

I thought the same thing AFTER the call, but it was just habit.
Larry

 

[Jimbo41]

My usual response, if I accidentally answer is “he’s not available, how can I help you.”

There was some fear mongering on the web about people capturing a recording of you speaking the word “yes” and using that to access your bank. Sounds a little crazy when you say it aloud.

 

[Onomea]

Larry, I asked ChatGPT about your situation.

ChatGPT says probably she's a secret admirer, most likely a young beautiful woman, who was able to get up enough courage to call you, but chickened out after she confirmed it was you.

 

[LVSteve]

My usual response, if I accidentally answer is “he’s not available, how can I help you.”

There was some fear mongering on the web about people capturing a recording of you speaking the word “yes” and using that to access your bank. Sounds a little crazy when you say it aloud.

Sadly, it's not crazy.

When somebody asks for me like that from an unknown number, I do the old "Depends who's asking" thing.

 

[pharman]

The very first thing you should say when this happens is : Who is calling? I learned a long time ago to NEVER say "Yes" to anyone on the phone that I do not know...

 

[ladder13]

Am I nuts for thinking this? Just a couple of minutes ago my phone rang with a number that I didn’t recognize. I was waiting on a call from a doctor, so I answered it. I hear a young lady say “Larry?”, and I answered “Yes”, assuming it was the doctor’s office returning my call. As soon as I said “Yes”, the person on the other end hung up. I looked up the phone number and it says a possible scammer’s number.

In this time of AI, I was thinking of all the times I am on a phone call that has a machine on the other end asking me questions to which I have to answer yes or no. I found it very strange that the phone call I got was terminated after I said one word, “Yes”, and wonder if somehow this will come back to haunt me? Hopefully, I am just making a mountain out of a molehill! What do you folks think?
Larry

Get out the fine China and silverware, Make sure you have candles and matches. Pop the cork when she enters your abode.

 

[Doug M.]

My usual protocols have had to be changed as I am awaiting a transplant and the nurses who do the calls (had 4 in the last few months where I was 3rd on a list of 2) are located around the country. They work for a contractor, not directly for the transplant program (I think it is to maintain distance and objectivity). Given the stakes and the time constraints (MAYBE 6 hours notice including almost 3 at the wheel from here to Spokanistan), my practice of ignoring the unknowns had to stop. I even had make a special greeting in case my phone is blocked for sleep, directing certain callers to my wife's #.

 

[quikdraw67]

I assume anything coming in on the landline that is a number I don't recognize is spam, phishing, scammer, etc. I don't answer it.
And if it is actually legit, they will leave a message.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[Greyman50]

I thought the same thing AFTER the call, but it was just habit.
Larry

Best call your bank/ credit union and give them a heads up regarding All your accounts especially credit cards.

 

[greenwellg]

I might pick up the phone but say nothing and see if they hang up.
I generally do not answer calls from unknown numbers.
Text me first then we'll see what is your request.
Generated cold calls usually require you to say something to begin the baloney.

 

[Exaviator]

Your answering the call just confirmed to the caller that your number is valid and the info just gets added to the rest of your data.

 

[Doriangray6]

I'm one of the last people on Earth that doesn't own a cell phone and my 30 year old house phone run through a simple answering machine.
This drastically cuts down on calls from scammers and folks asking for money or wanting to sell me something.

 

[rwsmith]

I got a phone number the other day for the service department of a company that sends me medical supplies. The robot at the other end said some about checking the number because it may have changed. Then I got a bunch of question about a 'voucher'. Then a real girl came on and wanted all kinds of info.. I asked, "Is this the number for 'Blank Medical supply'? "No, the number has been changed". I hung up the phone but wondered If I'd been scammed just for talking on the phone trying to get my medical supplies fixed.

 

[65-2x2]

Answering the call doesn't prove you are crazy, but it doesn't prove you aren't either... I have my doubts...

The caller now knows that the have a good line that someone will answer, it makes it worth a lot more than just a grab-bag number to scammers. I would have responded just like you, except that I ditched my land-line years ago and I only turn on my cell phone about once a month. My brother and my kids know how to reach me and that is all I care about.

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

When someone rings my telephone, I answer. I’ll say yes if I please. I’m not scared of some confounded robot.

 

[Brush2000]

If you have to ask this crew if you are nuts, then you are in deep trouble

Reassuring as a new member who is contracting the SW sickness

 

[boykinlp]

Some of these replies have been good. Remember, I was waiting for a call from my doctor’s office. I don’t know about y’all’s doctors, but sometimes around here the doctor or more than likely, their nurse will call using their cellphone. No way to recognize that number for me. It was a force of habit for me to say yes being a southern gentleman. I guess I need to break myself of that habit! My SIL sent me this:
Larry

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-...cam/?msockid=33197c33f4e2635d01f16e57f5ce6212

 

[DWalt]

On occasions when I answer a call from an unknown number, I always answer with “Who is this?” Most times, the answer will be dead silence. Or someone speaking Spanish.

A new experience today which could be a scam, but I don’t know how. We went to Sam’s Club, bought a few items, total was about $45. Came home later, and there was an email waiting from Sam’s. It acknowledged we made a purchase, but it was $86 for items we did not purchase but nothing we actually did purchase. And it showed as payment made on a Visa credit card with a different number than our Visa credit card, i.e., not on our Visa card. Anyone else had that happen? Maybe an Iranian hack?

 

[Buford57]

I have the words for "Hello" and "who is calling" in a half dozen foreign languages on a card. If I don't recognize the the number I'll answer in, for instance, Swedish or Tagalog and have some fun. Whatever they say I just keep repeating "Hello. Who is this?" One of these days I suppose I'll get a Swedish or Philippino salesperson who will try to continue the call in their native tongue. I plan to say "no hablo" and hang up. When my work cell was active I had to take all incoming calls, but answering "Investigations, Buford" weeded out the scammers.

 

[old bear]

You are welcome, Yet do stick around and have some fun with the real Nut Cases here .

 

[Krogen]

The very first thing you should say when this happens is : Who is calling? I learned a long time ago to NEVER say "Yes" to anyone on the phone that I do not know...

This! In my mind, it's bad manners to call someone and not immediately identify yourself. "Hello, this is ____ calling, may I talk with ____." If I pick up and somebody just asks for me, my response is simply "who's calling?"

 

[smithman 10]

Reception is such that I sometimes don't even recognize friends' voices on the cell phone - knowing that I always identify myself when calling anyone.

Folks are usually surprised when I occasionally have to ask who is calling me.

I believe in the old days folks were taught to do just what the previous poster says. To identify oneself is just common courtesy, an increasingly uncommon commodity.

 

[Rudi]

Even paranoids have enemies.

 

[Rubone]

Be sure and check credit card activity. there are scams that sign you up for products or services and claim you answered yes to their offer and it is on you. It happened to me some years back. The CC company reversed it but warned they saw a lot of it!

 

[Beemerguy53]

When I get a call from an unrecognized number, I pick it up and say...

Hallo, wer ruft an? Es tut mir leid, ich spreche kein Englisch. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? (Hello, who is calling? I'm sorry, I don't speak English. Do you speak German?)

At that point, they invariably hang up, and I never get a second call from that number...

 

[greenwellg]

If the phone rings they know the number is good. Silence and then they hang up means the AI activated voice never engages and they get nothing else of any value.