[sksksk]

There's an old scam that's been going round, where a person calls up a mark claiming to be from their bank.

They say that there are some security issues with their bank account and for security reasons, they should call the phone number on the back of their credit card.

The mark hangs the phone up, but the scammer stays on the line and plays a dial tone the line, when the mark picks the phone up, they hear a ring tone and then dial the number. The user thinks that they have got through to the bank, but really they are on the phone to the scammer.

From that point, they scammer has the mark's trust and can do all sorts of damage.

[jacquesm]

It's an interesting story but the phone system doesn't actually work that way.

[bcoates]

I haven't used a landline in years now, but when I was a kid it worked that way: one end hanging up wouldn't disconnect the circuit, and if the other end took the phone off-hook shortly afterwards it'd still be connected.

This would sometimes wind up being the deciding factor in the eternal battle of "which sibling gets to use the phone"

[lostlogin]

In my memory it never relied on both parties hanging up here in New Zealand, but on a trip to the UK as as child I noticed that the phone line disconnecting relied on both parties hanging up. I'm 31.

[manicdee]

On landlines the call isn't finished until the caller hangs up. This allows features such as "call waiting" to work: the receiver flashes the hook in a certain way to switch to the other call. If flashing the hook would disconnect the call, "call waiting" wouldn't work.

[mindcrime]

It did at one time, and could still in some places. I can recall growing up in rural North Carolina in the late 70's and early 80's, when one party staying on the line, after the other hand hung up, would keep the connection open.

[teh_klev]

In the UK it does. On a standard BT residential line the caller can hold the call open even after the callee has put down the handset. When the callee lifts the handset again they won't be able to begin a new call until the caller terminates the call.

[sksksk]

It does, at least in the UK

[ownagefool]

Are you sure about that? I live in Scotland and I think I'd have noticed not being able to hang up a call because the other side didn't.

[semanticist]

I also live in Scotland and I've had this happen to me in the past.

It almost never happens by accident - the person keeping the line open is paying for it, after all. (Or, traditionally, was, with bundles and free evening/weekend calls, I've no idea if people actually pay for landline calls any more.)

[ownagefool]

I believe it's common that T&C's will state you will be charged if you're on the call for more than an hour, regardless of free/unlimited minutes.

I've still never experienced this. I'd test it, but I haven't had a landline in a while.