[Shop-talk] annoying calls

[Randall]

In some cases, even a phone number is not required!

I used to have an old dial-type phone mounted on the wall in the garage,
wired into the house phone line.  I left it there even after having the
house service disconnected.  It didn't even have a dial tone!  And our old
number was quickly reassigned to someone else.

But it would still ring every once in a great while.  If I answered, it
would be some sort of political advertisement recording.

My theory is that the political campaign had some kind of deal with the
local exchange, to place calls from their switch directly to all connected
lines, even those not provisioned with a number.

-- Randall 

> Some of the robo-dialers will just dial through an entire 
> exchange (i.e. 555-555-0001, 555-555-0002, etc.) and hope for 
> the best. But the software is sophisticated enough to know 
> that if the call is answered (even by your voicemail) that 
> they've found a live number. That number will show up on the 
> list they generate after the campaign and be sold to other 
> companies (who will of course sell it on again). No number is 
> safe anymore.
>