This scammer from yesterday. Norton refund. I had 3 or 4 numbers put on hold by these guys once they thought I was trolling.
Toll free numbers cost around .02-.08 a minute. (Cost of an 800 Number - Small Business - CostHelper)
So having me on hold for 8 hours cost them about $9.60 to $38.40 depending PER #. I had 3-4 numbers stuck on hold. (So maybe $40-$100?) This is why scammers often call you back “on a better line” once they have you on the hook. It’s to save money, usually.
Of course, for most successful scammers it’s the cost of doing business. Paying a bunch of Benchodes to answer calls is their biggest cost.
Edit: Also you might notice scammers often use “fake” 800 numbers, like 808 or 818–it’s because they don’t have to pay toll free charges which do add up.
808 is the area code for Hawaii, when you see that ask the scammer if their headquarters is based in Hawaii or not…