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Depends if it’s a robocall.

Even if it is, when I press 1 and string their human along for a minute, that’s gotta be catastrophic to their ROI.

“Don’t hang up!!!” is my advice (and the opposite of various anti-fraud groups)

Even letting the line sit open for an extra 30s until the robocaller hangs up can multiply their costs.

I do this. Often they hang up when they hear my voice, so I’ve found speaking slowly and like I was confused person but taking them seriously seems to be the sweet spot. From there, continuing to act confused and get their instructions wrong constantly keeps them on the line. If you mention the word “scam” or any implication they are criminals they hang up immediately and move on. They also don’t have patience for “not being able to hear/understand them.”

I think if I can take as much of their time as possible that’s less time they have to scam vulnerable people. And it’s often good for a lark and quick break from the day.

One of my favorites is "hold on one second i need to grab something from the oven, be right back!" then mute the phone and forget about it.

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