Telemarketer Revenge By Jenn March 2004

From: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn10=US04941168

This invention relates to an automated telephone dialing system, for recognizing electronically, whether a called party is a human subject or an automated telephone answering device, and for delivery of pre-recorded messages in synchronization with the activation of the receive function of an automatic answering machine. The determination of whether a called party is human or an answering device is made based on analysis of the party's response to an audio instruction. The system delivers pre-recorded messages to a live party or to an automated answering device in the time sequence required or recording of the message by the answering device.

The other night, I pick up the ringing phone to hear prerecorded telemarketing spam. I press 2 (Since 1 was the most likely expected response) to determine if it was the type that expected a response. It responded... not by telling me the response was invalid, not by hanging up on me, but by starting the recording over.

So I recruited my husband to find a long phone wire, then to use another phone to keep the recording on the line while I connected the phone I was using into another jack closer to my computer.

I set the phone next to my computer speakers, put it on speaker phone, used Cool Edit to generate DTMF 2, set Cool Edit to loop the sound, and hit play, causing the recording to loop... on their dime.

I planned on letting it loop all night, but exactly 45 minutes later, the call was disconnected.

Yes, I know about the Do-Not-Call list, but where's the fun in that? ;-)