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Comment by laretluval | Hacker News Reader

A lot of the spam calls I get are just recordings or they just hang up once I pick up. Hard to imagine it would help to just say "please add me to your do not call list" into the void...

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I also receive a lot of those (around ~5 a day, for more than 5 months already). It is really annoying and makes me wish I could just block numbers on my phone.

Try listening to the end, there is often a number to press to have them stop calling.

The internet myth is that this marks you as someone to keep calling (because you listened), but really they will stop.

That you had some luck being removed from some legitimate call lists does not mean that you can dismiss these extremely common tactics as "Internet myths." There's a whole spectrum of spam callers that ranges from respectable businesses all the way to outright scammers. Some use illegal tactics like the ones you're trying to say are a myth and literally everyone I've ever talked to in person about the issue has had a similar experience.

The illegal tactics aren't what I am calling a myth. It's the idea that asking illegal callers to stop doesn't work that I am calling a myth. Even scammers are concerned with efficiency.

I mean, I get ~1 unwanted call a week across a couple of phone numbers (that I answer and ask to stop). Other people are saying that they get a dozen a day and giving up on their phones. My anecdotes work for me.

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