TeleZapper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Telezapper is a device designed to reduce the number of telemarketing-related phone calls a household receives. It works by taking all incoming calls and playing a one or three-tone out-of-service signal. Upon receiving this, an autodialer will hang up. Telezapper is created by Privacy Technologies, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Appliance Mfg. Co.
[edit] How it works
The original TeleZapper simulates the first tone (914 Hz) of the series of standard intercept tones (SIT). The series consists of 3 tones. The telemarketer's computer (called a predictive dialer) can be programmed to listen for 1, 2, or all 3 tones before deciding the number is disconnected, and removing the number from their list.
The predictive dialer checks for three conditions:
- The standard intercept tones (SIT), as described above,
- a short response, like "hello", in which case it puts the called person through to a salesperson, and
- a long response, such as an answering machine message, in which case it hangs up and re-cues the number to call back later or leaves a sales message.
[edit] Flaws in the TeleZapper
As the TeleZapper has grown in popularity, the telemarketers have set their dialers to check for two, or all three tones, rendering the original TeleZapper useless, as it does not play all three tones. In response, the makers of the TeleZapper have now released the TZ900 or the TeleZapper II. This device plays all three tones. Some telemarketing firms have turned off the tone detector altogether in response to SIT tone defenses, depending on the operator's ability to discriminate between a recorded disconnect message and a telezapper defense.
Another flaw is that the device does not work well with voice mail systems. This is because voice mail reroutes the call from a physical line to the voice mail service without the phone ever picking up.
