Years ago calling and immediately hanging up was immensely popular among teenagers/young adults as a way to ping someone. Used as a way of flirting, telling something was ready, arrived at home.
Of course this tactic wouldn’t work in places where the receiver of phone call has to pay a portion of the price.
Calling and hanging up didn’t count, so that is what we would do. We would know to call back.
Years later I ran reports for call centers. I would run data every which way.
Found an agent that would dial a disconnect number hundreds of times a day.
Went to big boss, as I couldn’t figure out the rational.
He took one look at it, and cursed “well know we know how he has top numbers.
Found so many ways agents would mess with metrics
- "You have a collect call from AtTheStationMyBusLeavesIn18Minutes. Do you wish to accept the charges?"
- "No"
For the unfamiliar, the collect call recording asked for your name and played it back to the call recipient. You had a a small window whereby you could get info across.
“You have a collect call from ‘555 4784’, would you like to accept the charges?”
Then whoever could just call you back.
The real power was unlocked with a Blue Box - a phone phreaking device that played the same tones as if money was entered into the pay phone. You could trick the phone and make your call. I remember looping the tone on a cassette tape and calling some random number in Japan for several dollars worth of tones. Good times.