had a silent number since I got my first phone. Anyone important knows my number. To top that off, we haven't even had a home number connected since 2009. Is there any use these days??? Regardless, we are also on the Do Not Ring system - not that it helps in this case.
Matt is right - when they call, just say you have Apple. There ya go, good bye. All over.
Speaking of annoying scammers/canvasers - Jehovah's or Mormons. We can see who is ringing the door bell from our balcomeys. If I am feeling lazy, I will shout out something to them in Russian and ignore them. If they try again, I will say something that sounds more rude
If I am bored and feeling playful, I will usually answer the door either with "Shalom Aleichem" or "La il laha il Allah, Muhammad a rasool Allah". Interestingly, the Jewish usually throws them more than the Arabic!