Responding to scam/hoax/pishing calls?

[Judge]

There seems to be a new pattern of scams emerging, at least from my perspective.

Scammers who call only to allow one ring and then hang up. Presumably to coax the person being called into returning their call. I've been getting a lot of these lately. "Cut and run" scams.

Of course I never return a call from someone I don't even know. Duh....

After all, who would seriously call you only to hang up after one ring?

 

[Crossbreed]

Scammers who call only to allow one ring and then hang up. Presumably to coax the person being called into returning their call.

It would give them plausible deniability against subsequent prosecution.

Defendant: They called US!
Prosecutor: But you called them, first.
Defendant: It was a wrong number, and we initiated no dialog with them...

 

[Judge]

It would give them plausible deniability against subsequent prosecution.

Defendant: They called US!
Prosecutor: But you called them, first.
Defendant: It was a wrong number, and we initiated no dialog with them...

They also may want to record your voice simply to secure the word "yes" on a spectrogram (voiceprint) that would be your own in a court of law. Sadly most courts have determined that such evidence is admissable in court.

It's also another scam in that people with criminal intent aren't likely to litigate a grievance against you the victim. In most cases I'd think the scammer is really just counting on you to react from a perspective of a bluff and extortion. But one that may work given the court's position on spectrographic evidence.

The best scams being the ones with many lies and a layer or two of truth.