PA over Phone Call at Work

[whippetiggy]

I just received a phone call at work. When I picked up the phone, it made a series of clicks. The man asked for me by full name. He said his name was Tom Evans and he wanted to ask me an honest question and get an honest answer about the rising gas prices. I asked him if this was business or personal because I never get people calling here with my full name. All of a sudden, no response. I waited a few seconds, heard more clicking and then the phone went dead. I'm scared to death. I wonder if this was someone checking to make sure I was at work? My mind has raced from psycho to police to court server (I'm not in any kind of trouble that I know of, never have been). Now I'm having a PA. I'm shaking like a leaf and can't breathe. This call really struck me as odd and terrified me. What should I do? Who was this person?

[Cuchculan]

You could simply ring the police. Explain about the phone call and the noises you heard. They could get in touch with the phone company and they would be able to see who placed the call at that time to your place of work. Phone surveys and the likes are bloody annoying things. Sorts sorts can be illegal. Not sure if the company you even work for has a called ID system? To ring back and ask for the caller by the name he gave you. But if really worried phone the police. Have them look into it. Sounds like an odd call to say the least.

[whippetiggy]

I'm on hold with the phone company right now...

[whippetiggy]

Phone company can't help. No caller ID. Someone else called right after so I can't do *69. I have no way at all to find out who this person is. Meanwhile, my chest is hurting so bad right now. It's so sore to touch due to the anxiety.

[1thingeveryday]

There is no reason to call the police, and there is no reason to panic. It was just a pollster calling to get your opinion. The clicks you heard were the telemarketer or pollster being connected to the line.

If they call back, tell them that they have called a business number and to remove your name from their list. That's probably why he hung up on you - he realized he'd called a business, and they aren't supposed to do that. There's nothing here to panic about, promise.

[whippetiggy]

Thanks!  But how did he get my full name with my work number? Maybe Ebay records? Is that possible?

[1thingeveryday]

eBay records? Possible, but I really doubt it. Having worked for a telemarketer, I can tell you that your phone number was on a list that the telemarketer purchased. They may have got it from the phone book, they may have bought it from a company your company does business with, they may have got ahold of your company's internal phone listing... Yes, it's very sketchy that they do this, but it's nothing to worry about.

Chances are he'll call back, because it's really hard for the actual telemarketers to get the number out of the system (which really sucks for them - it's a horrible job that people only take if they're desperate for money, and I hope everyone remembers that when they get called by a solicitor). So if he calls back, get the name of his company, write it down, and ask him to please take your name off his list. If he doesn't, then you can go to the National Do Not Call Registry website (https://www.donotcall.gov/) and report his company.

[whippetiggy]

See, the strange part is that I don't have an extension at work. I'm part-time. I'm basically invisible. We're only a 5 person operation and we don't have phone lists or e-mails or anything like that. That's why it's so unnerving to me. My vendors and customers only know my first name. There is absolutely no outgoing correspondence. I have never typed, faxed or e-mailed a letter. That's the part that's upsetting me. If he'd called my home number and asked for me by full name, it wouldn't bother me at all.  But, if you're sure that the clicking before and after the call is telemarketer, I'll take your word for it.

I'm hurting so bad from that PA now!  Geez, one  30 second phone call can make me physically ill for hours afterward. I've got to get a grip on this panic!

[1thingeveryday]

Well, think of it this way. How many times does the phone ring and it's for one of the other people working there? It was just dumb luck that you answered the phone when it was for you. You've got your work number listed somewhere, and a number mining company grabbed it and sold it to a polling company. In fact, since they were asking about gas prices, I'd be willing to bet it was somebody calling for your local representative, trying to sway your vote by pointing to the current gas prices and blaming the opposing party.

And yeah, I'm positive that's what the clicking was. The way most telemarketing systems work is that there is a computer that dials out, automatically hanging up on answering machines and when the phone rings a certain number of times. If somebody picks up, then the computer switches the line over to a waiting operator, who has about two seconds to scan the report the computer gives them and start talking to you before you hang up. That's what the clicks are, and that's why there's a delay in speaking when you get a call from a telemarketer.

[whippetiggy]

I feel a little better now except for the residual headache and pains from the PA. I took a nap with my dogs.

I always talk to telemarketers. Gives me something to do at work. I wish he would have said something other than just hanging up on me when I asked a question! I would have answered his questions. And I would have felt a lot better afterward.