Why do scammers want you to be the one to hang up?

[hightail]

Normally I wouldn't answer any call unless I recognised the number but at the moment I am expecting calls from strangers so have to.  I've just had a reasonably entertaining exchange where I just repeated 'I don't want phone calls from you'.  Must have been about twenty times with the scammer on the other end getting increasingly irate and eventually shouting at me to hang up.  I didn't.  I know they don't want to be the one to end the call but I don't know why.  Can anyone enlighten me?

[honeybee13]

I don't know if it's the same reason, there was a bank scam which a relative of mine was caught out by. He had a call from someone who said they were his bank and that he was to ring them and check something about his bank card. He dialed out but didn't realise there was no dialling tone and the scammers were still there. A different person persuaded him to hand over his bank card later.

 

Your man does sound a bit odd though.

[hightail]

It was a woman and she was absolutely furious with me towards the end, shouting at me to hang up if I didn't want to speak to her.  I know it's a thing that they don't want to end the call.  The other thing that was obvious was that she wanted me to say 'yes' and I wouldn't.  She was saying all sorts of things to try and get me to agree with her on something - anything.  I think that is so they have you recorded and can then claim you have agreed to anything.  She was truly fizzing on that,  yelling at me that she 'expected' me to answer her questions and stop behaving like a robot. 

[borisbeaver]

I had a call from a number in germany.  I guessed it may be a scam so I answered, and yep - Amazon Prime scam.  Thought I'd have a bit of fun.  Did CSE german in the late 70's so in very bad german, spoke to the scammer, who kept saying speak english.  I managed to get in vorsprung durch technic, ich bin ein berliner and auf weidersein pet before they hung up.

[Homer67]

The 'calling party controls the call' system ended mid 1980's with the introduction of System X exchanges.

 

Since then a disconnect signal from either party releases the call route in it's entirety.

 

It's probably just an ego thing, I usually try a few well aimed insults and learning those in the appropriate language helps.

[Ethel Street]

2 hours ago, hightail said:

The other thing that was obvious was that she wanted me to say 'yes' and I wouldn't.  She was saying all sorts of things to try and get me to agree with her on something - anything.  I think that is so they have you recorded and can then claim you have agreed to anything.  She was truly fizzing on that,  yelling at me that she 'expected' me to answer her questions and stop behaving like a robot. 

 

The 'say yes if you can hear me' claim has been going around for 5 years or so, I guess it's this you have heard of:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_You_Hear_Me%3F_(telephone_scam)

 

It's not at all clear that the scam actually exists or if it would even work in the way it's claimed.

[hightail]

31 minutes ago, Ethel Street said:

It's not at all clear that the scam actually exists or if it would even work in the way it's claimed.

I'd have been right there with you until today.  The increasing desperation with which she wanted me to agree with her and answer in the affirmative was honestly comical.  She really did get very demanding to the point of shouting 'I expect you to answer my questions do you understand'.  I never just answer yes to any unsolicited call, in response to 'hello is that Hightail' I only ever ask who's calling.  Didn't realise until today how much it annoys them.

Edited April 21, 2022 by hightail

[hightail]

4 hours ago, Homer67 said:

It's probably just an ego thing

It is with me now.  I count it as a victory that I make them give up on the call and hang up.  I wondered if they got in trouble for not pressing a potential victim hard enough if they give up.

[snowdragon]

I have never given my mobile number out and registered it with TPS but I am getting several calls a day on my mobile from people I do not know! My mobile is just a bog standard  basic one, no camera or internet 

[dx100uk]

tps does not cover orgs/scam calls originating from outside the UK even if they use a number munger to fake they appear to be a UK number

 

don't ever put your mobile number anywhere on social media or forms or applications for anything esp insurance.

they get harvested.

[snowdragon]

never have DX,  I have not given my number to any organisation or anything like that, so no idea where got it from,  had same number for a long time, hate there forms/companies who ask for your number and because you do not give, get told sorry  we can not carry on without a valid  number! what a joke

[The GodMother]

Just tell the company all calls are recorded for legģ⁶6al reasons.. they dont like that and tend to hang up. 

[unclebulgaria67]

There is a YouTube channel about scams and one of their videos mentioned that US and Australia were specifically targeted by Indian scam call centres.  They appear to target mostly older people with landline telephone numbers. They have lists of the people who may have be more likely to fall for their scams.  This is sometimes because they have already been scammed previously.

 

 

[The GodMother]

There are a couple my other half and l laugh at them. One is a ethical hacker as well. 

Kitboga

Trilogy media

Scammers payback

[mantis shrimp]

Sometimes I tell them that calls to this number are being diverted to the Interpol's financial fraud centre and their location has now been traced, so it would help their case if they now cooperate, starting by giving me their full real name. Funny how often the line then goes dead.