First – a word about caller-id in North America. All telephone numbers consist of a three-digit areacode and a seven digit local number. The local number must start with a 2 through 9. Unfortunately, caller-ids are easy to spoof so scammer-telemarketers will often send a caller-id where the fourth digit is a 0 or 1, like 214-143-8933. And, they’ll use your areacode so when you glance at your phone you see a caller-id in your areacode and think “hey, maybe this is someone I know. I’ll go ahead and answer it!”

So when a call comes to my house with a fourth digit of a 0 or 1, it goes straight to the robot.

And please also understand how invasive and persistent these scammers are when you listen to this call. Harden your heart with the understanding that they call from fake caller-ids several times per week. No mercy.