My landline rang at 8:45 this morning. I answered quickly wondering who was calling so early? There was static, which is unusual nowadays – even on a landline. The voice was foreign and male. He attempted to say my name correctly but fumbled a couple of times. I cut in to ask who is calling. In a very thick Indian accent the man answered, “This is Medicare. We are sending out new healthcare cards and we need to verify some information.” Oh yes, I can just imagine how much personal information he was going to attempt to extract from me. I quickly reacted by saying, “I’m sorry but I’m expecting a call from a doctor momentarily. I need to leave my phone free. What’s your number? I’ll call you back soon.” The man snapped back, “I call you back in two hours.” Then I asked what Medicare office he was calling from. He claimed he was in Florida. The conversation continued back and forth and became more and more bizarre. I finally hung up and checked my caller ID. I tried calling back but got a computer voice telling me the number is not in service. I wondered to myself what part of Florida he was calling from? Bombay or New Delhi?
Later that morning I answered another call. This one was a medical alert company with a computer voice saying that a medical device had been ordered and paid for – they needed to get shipping information from me (shipping had been paid for as well). I was told to “press 1” to continue. Once more I hung up and began to wonder about caller ID and listing on the “Do Not Call’ list. What a waste of time. There’s nothing more frustrating than having telemarketers spoof their numbers or answering robo calls all day. Another annoying call comes through frequently and starts with an alarmed-sounding male voice that says, “If you’re a senior citizen, listen carefully!” How is it that we are the most technologically advanced civilization in the world but we cannot find the operating system or program to give us a little privacy. You can avoid Facebook, twitter, email, cell phones but it doesn’t matter. Our government spies on us, our mail and our cars are tracked. The TSA is now searching care parked at our airports. How can we become anonymous so we can have our lives back and live in peace?
