Before,I told them I don't have a computer. Now, I have Spectrum Voice. I have a list of all phone numbers I will accept calls from, all others go straight to voice mail. Works great. Anyone not on the list can leave a message so I don't miss any ligit calls. There are more scammers & telemarketers than ever & each company has dozens of numbers, can't block them all. It's finally become easier to list the numbers you do want to accept than the ones you don't--much shorter list. I also use their generic greeting so it's impersonal rather than a personalized greeting. That way the pests can't be certain who they have reached. The more info they get & the more they are antagonized, the more they will bother you. After all, they're low-life scam artists who get off on messing with & conning people. Don't validate them, give them info or a reaction. Treat them as if they have no value, because they don't. They aren't worth one minute of your time.
Our phone talks and tells who is calling. The dogs go crazy when they hear the voice telling us who is calling, so I just pick up the phone and let them do their thing. All they hear is two shrill dogs howling and barking. Don't know if they respond, as I just hang up after 30 seconds.
Now they are calling from this number saying they are from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, says there is a legal case against me, to call him back at 917-285-7821. Has called twice now and left a message. I have gotten numerous calls for the computer thing, too, and yes they do keep calling back and get rude and cuss at you. What a waste of time! Why would they do that? These calls need to be outlawed! It is pure harrassment and invasion of privacy!!! My phone rings incessantly all day long, I am not kidding you, every half hour another call from these jerks. They can't be serious - they are not selling anything this way!!!
Several months back, I received a call from Thor, IA. Since I know no one from that area and I did not do any business with any company in that city, I let go to voicemail. My home phone allows me to block calls with the manipulation of a few keys. Now when they call, the telephone will ring one time and stop. The Caller ID shows Thor, IS, and the symbol for blocked caller. If AT&T is your carrier, you can go to att.com and set up an account. You can then visit the area which allows you to set your telephone to do all sorts of things. For example, I can set certain numbers to "Follow Me" on my cellular telephone. All other numbers will go to voicemail.
Incidentally, if you answer numbers from scammers or telemarketers, they will know that your telephone number is a working number and they will sell your number to others in the same business.