If You Hear Silence When You Pick Up, Never Say This Word

You pick up the phone, you say hello, and nothing comes back. One second. Two. Three. Then a click and a voice. Most people think that was a bad connection. It wasn't. It was a machine deciding whether you were worth a criminal's time, and what you said into that silence just got written down and sold. In this video I walk you through what actually happens on the other end of the line during those three seconds, how a predictive dialer decides you're a live number, what your file looks like on the lists these operations buy and sell, and the one ordinary word that moves you to the top of that list. It isn't "yes." You've almost certainly said it today. Then I give you the protocol I use on my own phone and set up on my mother in law's. It fits on an index card: Hello, once. Silence means hang up. Unknown means voicemail. Never press a key. Guard the word "yes." You call them. I also cover the one phone setting that stops most of these calls from ever ringing (iPhone: Settings, Phone, Silence Unknown Callers. Android: Phone app, Settings, Caller ID and spam), and what to do if you realize you've been answering these calls the wrong way for years.