Are solicitors' telemarketing equipment getting sophisticated?

[The Backlash Cometh]

A call came in and the caller I.D. clearly identified it as a real estate agency. I didn't pickup and let the recorder take the call. Usually, telemarketers who call to solicit hang up immediately. If they do leave a message, first they identify themselves, explain the purpose of the call, then leave their phone number last. This person identified themselves in a personal way, left a number to call, then proceeded to explain that the call was in direct relation to something that personally belonged to us and used the word, "emergency."

Of course, I picked up the phone before they hung up. Once I did, the person asked for my husband. I said he wasn't here and inquired, "didn't you say there was an emergency, so what is the emergency?" She said, "No mam," and then asked for my husband's e-mail address. I obviously didn't give her the address.

So, after I hung up, I listened to the recorder and the message was perfectly clipped right after she gave her name and number. Everything she said afterwards was gone. My recorder usually drones on, this time it didn't.

So, is the equipment for telemarketers getting sophisticated enough to bait people to pick up the phone, then hide the evidence of their deceitful bait?

[billyoc]

1. I'd say No. They have no idea what kind of recording device you're using,

there are hundreds of them available and they all work differently.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Do you have a background in electronics?

I'd generally agree with you, but if you know the wheres and whatfors, can you give us some info on how that would work?

[billyoc]

3. Software development is my background, Natural language processing

and robotics. I just don't see forcing remote recording devices to stop recording arbitrarily, seems too
difficult.

I could be wrong, though, and I walked away from computers in '00.

[MyNameGoesHere]

4. Actually yes.

i used to work for this company in the AI software department. They are integrating neural networking technology into their call centers, part of their speech analytics program. So i have to say you are incorrect about the sophistication

http://www.ser.com/

[billyoc]

6. I'll defer to your more specific experience.

I just don't see how their speech analysis can get my device to stop recording. That's the part I'm stuck on,
how to make a remote device actually stop working.

[MyNameGoesHere]

16. It goes way beyond that actually.

A lot of devices have features that can tell when a line is live or "recorded" . The really scary part of this technology is that they capture every conversation and store it into huge databases.<When they say these calls can be recorded for training,you better believe it> Then they use sophisticated software to extract pertinent word strings and phrases. these are then plugged into the predictive dialing systems for so called "sales campaigns". This software that i was a part of "GlobalBrain" has been purchased by 3 letter government agencies. NDA will not let me say more.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. This is important to know. We may need legislation to stop abuses.

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Well, when I pick up the phone in the middle of sombody leaving a message, the device stops

recording. That's what it sounds like to me.

My old (and dependable tape cassette) answering machine keeps recording. But the new digital one stops when then phone is picked up.

I seriously doubt this is some device they're using on you.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. I know my phone generally drones on.

But, I admit I haven't learned all the features. For all I know, it resets itself every time there's a blackout.

[GOTV]

7. If it's a digital recorder...

.... it might cache the conversation in memory and writes it to storage in bursts. Once you pick up the phone it stops the recording process and may discard the last few seconds of audio on the assumption that you don't really need the message if you are answering. The only part of the message that is left is the part previous to the last arbitrary write to storage.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Sounds very logical.

[rox63]

8. On some dialers, the agent making the call can prompt an automated message to play

Then they can start talking if someone picks up on the other end while the message is playing. I work for a company that sells automated dialers for call centers. The software is getting fairly sophisticated. There is also IVR (voice recognition software) technology that will reroute a call based on whether it recognizes that there is now a live voice, and if the digitial signalling on a call changes while it is progress.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

9. Glad you started this thread

I've noticed just in the last few days that telemarketers have begun "spoofing" area codes and exchanges. For instance, I got a call on a satellite TV hustle yesterday that the caller ID said came from my same exchange. It even gave a person's name. I answered and got the satelllite TV pitch. Please bear in mind that this exchange is a tiny, rural area and there AREN'T any telemarketing firms in it.

I dialed the number that showed up on the caller ID and got the "this number is not in service" message.

Pretty sleazy. Obviously, the telemarketing firms fear the penalities imposed by the Do Not Call legislation and are actively working to get around it, either legally or illegally.

[snooper2]

10. It's a feature...

If you want to make it look like your company has a presence in a market where you don't have a physical location, you can be assigned TN's (telephone numbers) from that rate center for making outbound-only calls...

Been around for years...

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Knowing how predatory business deals are getting around us, I feel

like we're under attack.

[Bitwit1234]

11. Take a piece of paper...and

write down a bogus address and email address. When they call give them that. and make sure you have the telephone number of the caller and let it ring next time.

Since the Do Not Call Registry is down I can't report some smart ass that keeps calling from Creative Innovations. It is a telemarking group. I want to report them and once I do. I am going to pick up the phone and tell them it is going to cost them 500 dollars each time they call again.