Is it illegal to answer the phone with a business name that isn't yours?

Interesting question! I’m afraid I don’t know the answer, but if I don’t recognize the number on my phone I let it go to voicemail. If they don’t leave a message, I almost always block the number.

Go for it without hesitation.
Pretending to be someone you are not on the phone is not inherently a crime, the criminal offense of fraud or coercion is possible and likely depending on the actions you take.

Do it!!!

What @Dutchess_III said…Do it!!!

The old “Joe’s Pool Room, Cueball speaking”

Don’t do it with a governmental title, that maybe impersonating a government official.

There’s the old “Smith Bakery, which crumb would you like to speak to?” as well

“Larry’s pizza – - pepperoni pizza is our special. ”

It is illegal to impersonate any sort of law enforcement officer, federal employee, or representative thereof, so the police and IRS ones are out. But in general, you are free to mess with spam callers all you want.

I do it ALL the time, when I’m at my parent’s house.
They have a landline, so the phone rings ALL day with scammers.

I also used to live in several places that are in high demand, as far as real-estate. So people will text me, about if I’d be interested in selling my former addresses.

These parasites are buying up all of the housing, and making rent skyrocket. They are typically large companies, and are really terrible people.

I routinely respond with “of course you can make me an offer, I’m a business man!”

Then. I string them along for a week, or so, before telling them “I never owned that place, I was just renting. Is that a problem?”

I told one guy, to neet me at the old address. I met him there, because I wanted to know how he got my cell number. Something I keep super private.
He was a nervous little fellow. He told me what I needed to know. Apparently, there are websites that scum like him can subscribe to, and the sight tells him who former residents are, and because it was public record, it’s not illegal.

Yes. I really bent the law, with him. But. He took it as a lesson learned. I told him that I considered telling him to pay me $1,000 to talk about it. He admitted that he may have done so.

I LOVE wasting such people’s time.
I’ve definitely had fun, just lowering the quality of life, for those who are out to screw me.

I answer my parent’s phone by saying “thank you for calling Filthy Bob’s sex palace.”
I have developed a lot of details over the years. I imply that I am running an escort service. I dance around the subject, trying to sell them the “Filthy Bob EXPERIENCE,” which runs from $150/hr – $5,000/night.
Some of the men, I’m guessing from India, with the accents, actually ask questions about the “services.”

My absolute favorite people to mess with, are debt collectors.
I won’t go into the games I play with them.

If YOU call ME, in my mind you are an intruder. You get, whatever you get.