If I have time I have fun. I develop software and frequently have time on my hands while the system is running a compile. If "John" happens to call, fairly frequently, I listen and press 1. Then I leave the talker on the speaker until they finish. Then I spin a yarn. Tonight after we discussed the system and its features, I told him I thought it was a great idea. He took down my address, etc. all made up.
Then I told him I lived in a nursing home, had for years. He'd have to call the director of the home to get payment authorization. He asked me for a credit card, then a checking account number, I told him I didn't need any of those as the home took care of all my bills.
I must have kept the poor [***] on the phone for close to 30 minutes, thinking he made a sale. The I thanked him, told him to make arrangements for payment with the director, and said "Gotta go now, bye!"
If everybody, or even a few, did this every chance they get, these guys would probably give up. Anyway, at least you get a laugh. The more of their time we can waste the better it is for everyone.
On reflection to my comment above. I think the reason these people say that a family member has paid for the device is this - they think that gives them the right to contact you even if you are on the National Do Not Call list. They can say that the "family member" has now made a business transaction with them on your behalf and they are now free to contact you.
Another point is that 502-219-3395 is within my area code yet my caller ID says Out Of Area. So that tells me the number is spoofed. More evidence of a scum bag operation. There was a big article about these operations in the latest edition of AARP magazine.
The guy who owns the autodialer knows perfectly well it places illegal calls. The scripted excuses are crafted to fool *you* into believing the calls have a legit purpose. The wage slave reps may have been misled about how the call targets are qualified and simply read the crib notes they're given. It's always possible, however, that some headset jockeys are complicit in the scheme.