Google Voice can scare away the scammers an

A telemarketer called me on my cell phone the other day, and I chortled with delight.

Normally, even if you hang up on one immediately as I did, you know they are only going to call back repeatedly.

Not this one--or any of them. I use Google Voice, so I was able to go into my call history and block future calls from that number. From then on when they call, they get the annoying disconnected sound and so they think my phone number is no longer valid. And their call never rings my phone again.

If I felt really mean, I could make them their own message talking about the nature of their marketing and perhaps questioning the caller’s life choices. I did not, but the thought that I could is enough to make me chortle on receiving a spam call.

Google Voice is not a well-known Google service, but it is one of the most useful. You only need a free Google account. If you already have a Gmail account, you are set.

When you sign up for the actual Voice product, you are given a phone number. That number might be a local one or if no local ones are available, then from elsewhere in the country. That is not an issue since almost all cell phone and landline plans have free long distance.

At the Google Voice website you can choose what to do when your number is called. At its simplest, your call can be sent to your cell phone.

You can have Voice ask callers to say their name. Then your phone will ring and you will hear who is calling and have the option of taking the call or sending it to voicemail. You can have all callers prompted, or just those whose numbers are not in your contact list.

A call can ring your cell phone, landline, your direct office line or all of them at once.

Read the rest at www.FamilyTechOnline.com

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