Today I got spoofed.  No, it’s not like being on Candid Camera.  Or being ghosted by someone.  It’s where a scammy telemarketer disguises their phone number to look like it’s your name and phone number.

And it happened to me every 20 minutes for hours.

I’ve gotten calls that looked local (and weren’t) for ages.  This was the first time I got calls that pretended to be me.  As if I’d be that stupid to think I was calling myself!  Sigh.

I tried ignoring it.  I put the ringer on mute.  I even tried answering it and yelling into it, thinking that if I hurt their ears they might stop.  Then I remembered that of course there wouldn’t be a real person at the other end.  It would be an obnoxious robotic-sounding recording.

I never actually listened to it to see what it was meant to be about.  I was too annoyed by the whole experience to even listen for 1 second.

Next, I tried contacting the phone company.  This is my land line, and they should have technology to combat this.  I mean, it’s not like it’s anything new.  In fact, Consumer Reports’ cover article for May, 2019 is on this topic.  According to that article, there were 48 Billion robocalls in 2018 in the United States alone.  That’s 1,500 per second, and 57% greater than 2017.

All thanks to – improved technology.  Instead of finding a cure for cancer or Alzheimer's, we're finding easier ways to annoy people in their own homes.  Sigh again.

Anyway, when I complained, they said, “It’s not our responsibility.  You have to complain to the FCC.  Here’s the phone number and website.”

Just last week I heard Erwin McManus’ podcast about owning defeat. In that episode, he talked about things that really aren’t our fault.  Situations where others have done us wrong.  Abused us, done violence against us, and the like.  Then he said this, “You aren’t at fault, but you are responsible.”

Woah.  Then he explained what he meant.  We can’t always help the hand we’re dealt.  We can’t always control the circumstances.  Sometimes bad things do happen to good people.  And then what?  We’re responsible for how we respond.  What we do after that.  Whether we let it define us and hold us back, or use it for growth.

And that’s how case of the Killer Robocalls feels to me.  It’s not the phone company’s fault that nefarious scammers make it their business to try and get around the law and the technological restrictions that have been set up to protect us.  And yet, they’re still responsible.  Because we’re their customers.  They owe to us to hold that relationship as sacred and protect us as best they can.  Not wash their hands of it and tell us we’re on our own.

Now that I’ve complained about my not-so-local phone company, what about me?  What about you?  Is there a situation where you or I are saying “Not me.  It’s not my responsibility.”  When it actually is?  Even where it’s not our fault?

That hits a little closer to home.

I’m using this experience to practice a little laughter.  And examine my own life to see where I might be improperly absolving myself of responsibility.  You might want to do that too.

And you better believe I reported the problem to the FCC.

Would you like to share how taking responsibility for your response to something that wasn’t your fault actually gave you more agency in your own life?  Leave a comment.