Then, a call from a telemarketer

First, there was a pause while I said "hello a few times." I figures then that it was a telemarketer. Most likely using a predictive dialer. I work on software for telemarketers, so I know a bit about how this works. A predictive dialer dials numbers hoping to get a response, and dials based on a formula based on the number of available agents and how many will be likely available when the call gets through. When it gets a live caller it transfers the call to a live agent. This can take some time, to detect the call, to find an available agent, etc., and thus the pause.

In this instance the woman was speaking Spanish. That's a new one! She asked if I spoke Spanish and when I said no, she said someone who speaks English may try to contact me.