All day long today I keep having to hang up on the automated operator requesting me to accept a collect call from some unknown source. Aren't collect calls supposed to be handled by a live operator, and the identity of the caller identified by the call receiver? Besides, we haven't had long distant phone service for at least 5 years. Has the procedure changed?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2009 01:39AM by kap.

If you have to ask!!!












Use Snopes.

oh boy... do not accept it

Call your phone company. I'd hazard a guess that you are being charged while you are on hold.

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Mr. Curmudgeon, on Snow Leopard.

I treat all collect calls and relay calls as scams.


Collect call from << someone I know who might actually be calling collect>> , might be different.

And don't accept collect calls from anyone in jail/prison. They charge the heck out of you.

I had a teenage friend who was in the local county jail for a few months and he would call just to talk. I took the 1st one and he talked about nothing for 5 minutes and it cost me $17.50 on my phone bill. I refused all others after that. And it was a local call - he was 10 miles away.

It's a rip off. Some company has the concession on inmate phones at the jail and they are raking in the money.

Fred Also

We have an acquaintance who regularly calls collect. I have stopped accepting them because the fees are outrageous ($25 for a short call). There is no operator involved, it's all automated. With all the cheap ways to call, the collect call industry seems to work mostly as a scam. It's a shame, because it is the poorest portion of the population who need this kind of service the most. (Collect calls must be run by the same people who make payday loans.)

- Winston

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Be seeing you.

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Fred_Also
And don't accept collect calls from anyone in jail/prison. They charge the heck out of you.

I had a teenage friend who was in the local county jail for a few months and he would call just to talk. I took the 1st one and he talked about nothing for 5 minutes and it cost me $17.50 on my phone bill. I refused all others after that. And it was a local call - he was 10 miles away.

It's a rip off. Some company has the concession on inmate phones at the jail and they are raking in the money.

Fred Also

Heck, he would have to email me

There are some area codes that appear to be American, but are in fact foreign. These area codes are often used by scammers.

[www.bennetyee.org]

Quote
kap

Quote
Fred_Also
And don't accept collect calls from anyone in jail/prison. They charge the heck out of you.

I had a teenage friend who was in the local county jail for a few months and he would call just to talk. I took the 1st one and he talked about nothing for 5 minutes and it cost me $17.50 on my phone bill. I refused all others after that. And it was a local call - he was 10 miles away.

It's a rip off. Some company has the concession on inmate phones at the jail and they are raking in the money.

Fred Also

Heck, he would have to email me

[voiceforinmates.com]