Think this is a scam :(

[Firebottle]

Just had a call '(female voice) Hello - (me) Hello - Hello - (me) Yes? - This is XYZ we understand you have been involved in an accident - (me) I'm a bit short of time just now, give me your home phone number and I'll call you back later - I'm sorry can you repeat that - (me) <repeated> - click.

Bummer I didn't even get to the point of telling them to F off

[alphaGT]

If you treat the telephone as a nuisance as I do, it needs a giant caller display where only approved numbers ring. This could be set with a filtering system of anti telesales warning messages so genuine callers can leave a message and then get through when cleared. Point is you can check and skip those messages at your convenience so as not be disturbed

All home phones should be like this with minimal cost from the phone companies. There is no reason for anyone else to be ringing anyway. I cant think of many reasons for strangers to legitimately call.

So I would preset it with the girlfriends number, a couple of friends and my parents.

For anyone else it just doesnt ring because there is nothing strange I want to know about by telephone.....Nothing!

There seems plenty of people that want to chat with anybody that rings up...Thats their lookout and I thought they would have had more sense in this cynical world. If a ringing telephone is the highlight of your day, youve got real problems

The problem with caller ID is it doesn’t work! Anyone who doesn’t want their number posted can become an “unknown caller”, but now there are web sites you can call through, and they allow you to put anything you like on the caller ID, they fake a number that’s local to you, but they’re really out of the country. A real waste of a great technology. The phone company should allow no exceptions, if you call someone, your actual ID must appear on their caller ID screen! But, they are the ones who actually allow people to skirt around the system, now, the way it is, the caller ID is nearly worthless.

Russell

[Minstrel SE]

No its not brilliant but one would set it to reject everything unless the number has been green lighted previously. No number or an unrecognised number would not even ring

A message would then play saying telesales, unusual or unwanted calls are not welcome here and to leave a message or press a series of buttons if need to get through now. They have then got seconds to be recognised/considered important or my phone goes straight back down.

Like with my mobile. If I see an unrecognised number I dont answer it. I dont care if its the prime minister...I dont answer it

So I am saying people can protect themselves but many people are too lazy or wont pay for a blocking system.

I have no idea how we protect the elderly and vunerable unless a family member is helping....That said my parents would never want that help even if they were going senile.

[Gaz]

I frequently receive calls from "you were involved in an accident recently". I answer......was I ...oh my lord.....was I injured am I going to recover ok. Mostly they hang up by now, but a couple have gone on for a while and I start asking how much compensation am I going to receive and what shall I spend it on. I do pretty much the same with the PPI cold callers. Don't get mad with them, have a bit fun, and if you are in company, put it on speaker phone.

The personal injury claim people are getting clever by browsing Gumtree for sale ads for cars with minor accident damage then calling the seller, they can then quote the make and model of the car they were driving when they had the accident along with a description of the damage.

[Marco]

I usually tell them (when I'm feeling polite), that yes, I was recently involved in an accident, which was fatal, and so they're now talking to a ghost.

Marco.

[Roy S]

I used to play along for fun with the scammers, the indian gentleman from Microsoft (of course you are) once rang to tell me there was 'junk' on my computer, I told him I don't have any chinese boats.

These days if I don't recognise the number calling or it's withheld I just let it go to the answering machine, if it's a genuine caller they'll leave a message.

[willbewill]

I use 'should I answer' app on my mobile, on landline if I don't recognize number I pick up but don't say anything, of it's a dodgy one then usually it just times out.

[Pigmy Pony]

When I get a nuisance caller on my mobile, there is always 2 or 3 seconds of 'dead air' before I get the office background noise, followed by 'hello is this Mr Stevan Calligan'. I no longer get to that point, I hang up when I hear the dead air.

[Marco]

Dead air? If that similar to what's between your ears? Or is that stale air?

Marco.

[Primalsea]

Usually I know if its a nuisance call as for some reason they as me if I am Eleanor Laing. That usually gives it away...