Really increased scammer activity at this time of year it seems since I've been getting lots of calls. Most calls are random digit dialling - a computer puts a series of digits together and another computer dials. This means the scammers don't know if your number is a 'real' number or not (for eg. number not assigned by the telehone company, a fax number, a security line, etc). Scammers are only interested in phone numbers assigned to people they can scam, rob...Here is the strategy that I use that gets a particular scammer out of my life very quickly. For all 800, 866 numbers, don't speak when picking the phone up - the scammer is then alerted that this is a real phone number (and they can call you repeatedly, sell your number to other scammers and other annoying stuff). Instead, press #### on the phone, which gives the scammers a signal that suggests they do not have a 'real' phone number. For all other long distance calls ... do you really know people in Maryland, Texas, Toronto....etc who would be calling you? I use a similar approach. If I pick up the phone, and don't speak - a bona fide caller will say; "Hello, hello, O'hill is that you?" A scammer will not and then I will press ####. Then bye bye scammer.