“Potential Spam” is the innocuous term that Verizon classifies as one of several phone calls I get each day on my cell phone.
I immediately delete them but have had an accident or two when I’d click the wrong button and end up dialing that number. I quickly stop any further progress at that number and click on delete. I got a feeling, however, that some “son-of-a-b” got a recording of my mistake and will log it into their account, but I really don’t know.
There are some numbers that may just be telemarketers trying to sell me Medicare, life insurance, or that perpetual car or house “warranty” that may have just expired! I ditch them as soon as possible. (“Telemarketer.” When did that term actually come into being? It’s gotta be recent history, don’t you think?)
According to Wikipedia, “telemarketing has been negatively associated with various scams and frauds, such as pyramid schemes, and with deceptively overpriced products and services. Fraudulent telemarketing companies are frequently referred to as “telemarketing boiler rooms” or simply “boiler rooms“.
“Telemarketing is often criticized as an unethical business practice due to the perception of high-pressure sales techniques during unsolicited calls. Telemarketers marketing telephone companies may participate in telephone slamming, the practice of switching a customer’s telephone service without their knowledge or authorization.
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The trouble is, I won’t know if any of the phone calls I get are from telemarketers or are actually legitimate ones. I won’t know unless the caller follows through after their call is not picked up and decides to leave me a message. I got plenty of space on my message receiver. And, I try to get back to that person within minutes of noticing that call.
I am on a “no-call list. Several lists actually. One just for my state of Pennsylvania and another one just for cell phones. The photo I have on this post is taken from my cell phone for the series of calls I got the other day. I did not want to delete them until after writing this story. I never heard of some of the towns where a few of these calls originated. That includes such Pennsylvania places as Dublin, Brogue, and Riegelsville. Pittsburgh and Flourtown are familiar to me, but I won’t touch ’em with a fine-tooth comb.
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So, if you are planning to contact me, I suggest you send a message to my e-mail address at Contoveros@gmail.com. Otherwise, you will have to speak up loud and clear when you get the prompt to leave a message when I don’t pick up your unrecognized phone number.
Call again when you get the chance. I will look forward to your enlightening message and prompt discussion!
Contoveros 
The following exchange occurred just a few hours after I published this blog post at Reddit (Short for “I Already Read It!):
You have a new message from r/cellphones (Reddit Cellphones)
You’ve been permanently banned from participating in r/cellphones
You can still view and subscribe to r/cellphones, but you won’t be able to post or comment.
If you have a question regarding your ban, you can contact the moderator team for r/cellphones by replying to this message.
Reminder from the Reddit staff: If you use another account to circumvent this subreddit ban, that will be considered a violation of the Content Policy and can result in your account being suspended from the site as a whole.
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Michael J Contos to Reddit
I am sorry if I offended anyone with the story that I submitted which first appeared in my blog post. (See Contoveros.Wordpress.com.) I did not attack cell phone users or people who appreciate the use of cell phones.
I use my cell phone constantly throughout the day for checking on the news, and the weather, and to keep track of the 10,000 steps I try to take to stay healthy, not to mention to receive and make phone calls! It’s just that I had gotten fed up with the spam calls and telemarketers that have filled up my “recent” list of phone calls each day.
I just wanted to let off a little steam and did not consider how it could affect others in a negative way.
Please forgive me for this bad call.
Sincerely,
Michael J Contos
(I kinda feel like one of those books that were recently banned by some far-right activists. I guess I must be doing something right to get such attention!)
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Do you block them before deleting? Hit the i then scroll down. It seems “block caller” is deliberately hidden!
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Yes, I hit the “I” link and scroll down to block the calls. I get a small thrill in doing it and feel as if I accomplished something worthwhile with that small gesture.
Did not notice it was kind of hidden. What I don’t like is the “unblock” link that automatically appears after you block it.
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So frustrating! I also have Verizon so I know exactly what you mean (not that I’m blaming them, but I get the same calls/notices). Annoying.
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Ain’t it the truth?
You would think the government could do something about it, but I don’t think they can interfere with the private sector and the efforts to make a quick buck by those devious people accosting unsuspecting persons like you and me.
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