21 Times These People Have Outsmarted Phone Scammers And Their Strategies Are Hilariously Brilliant

Phone scammers keep finding new ways to reach people, whether it is through a landline, a mobile phone, or a text message that looks harmless at first glance. The result is usually the same, wasted time, frustration, and sometimes a costly mistake.

The FTC says the median loss in scams that start with a phone call is $1,200, which makes these calls more than just annoying. In this roundup, Redditors share the ridiculous, clever, and sometimes brutally simple ways they handled scammers who would not take no for an answer.

Some of these responses are pure chaos, and that is exactly why they work. Read on.

Need some tips on how to handle phone scammers? This thread is for you!

Reddit/ChipForClicks

#1 Go on until the scammer gets tired.

Reddit/orange_cuse

#2 Is this a family business?

Reddit/sdb1977

That one probably caught them off guard.

#3 That pause also means, "I might be the one next if I go on; I should give this to the manager."

Reddit/Smashing_stuff

#4 She probably was not expecting that. Hopefully, she didn't have nightmares thinking about who's dead.

Reddit/About_Yeah_High

#5 Have a peaceful day ahead.

Reddit/alexandicity

Sometimes the fastest way out is to make the call feel pointless.

#6 Rick rolled, but phone scammer version.

Reddit/imSkippinIt

#7 One of the best ways to shut them off.

Reddit/Wildfires

#8 This is hilarious and brilliant at the same time!

Reddit/anusthrasher96

They really committed to the bit there.

It’s similar to the situation in when someone considered refusing to lend money to a friend after reckless spending.

#9 Now, who is the better scammer?

Reddit/J-Sixhoej

#10 Is this heaven calling?

Reddit/Roaming_Pie

#11 The burning witches part would definitely scare them off.

Reddit/aaronbentley

#12 Well, let us find out how long they can speak with a dumb guy.

Reddit/Loud_Application5176

#13 Well played!

Reddit/Lakanooky

That is one way to waste their whole afternoon.

#14 Good luck with that.

Reddit/Odin_Allfathir

#15 This is a nice way to get back at them for wasting your time.

Reddit/special-spork

#16 Scammer calling this person be like: "This is not in the script!"

Reddit/hitforhelp

That call probably went completely off the rails.

#17 At least this person is doing the scammer a favor by letting him take a break.

Reddit/blaedmon

#18 And then you will say: "It's a praaaank!"

Reddit/d_hens

#19 Who would resist that?

Reddit/ismekatie

#20 Doubt they can keep up with the first one.

Reddit/DasMess

#21 Free eardrum breaker for you. Thank me later.

Reddit/tantalizingGarbage

May every scam call meet this much resistance.

Regardless of how difficult life is, it is never okay to scam people. These individuals might need money, but their way of earning it is unjust.

It's a good thing that people nowadays are becoming more aware of how these scams work and are able to save themselves and their loved ones from fraud. You can also share your experience in the comments below about your encounter with these phone scammers.

After you outsmart scammers, see how one person handled a friend who never repays borrowed money.