[garyreno]

Originally Posted by kmarc

Uh, I hope you all realize you have to renew your status on the Do Not Call list every so often?

I've read that is where the crooks get your phone number from.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by garyreno

I've read that is where the crooks get your phone number from.

Heh, they get a lot of information from the census and also from the DMV.

[kmarc]

I mean, think about it, what a scam. Government sells your info to the telemarketers and then passes laws to "protect" you from them.

Is this a great country, or what?

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by kmarc

I mean, think about it, what a scam. Government sells your info to the telemarketers and then passes laws to "protect" you from them.

Is this a great country, or what?

Well, it worked just fine for me for 10 years, until I moved to Florida. So maybe your government conspiracy theories are completely fabricated. I don't just hate my nation unnecessarily. There are things that work - and those that don't, we the citizens should be more involved in until they work as expected for all of us. I have lived in multiple states, and have not had this problem elsewhere. Why that is exactly, I don't know. But I know that Florida feels in general to me like a state that supports corporations and scam artists more than the common people, so perhaps it is those practices at work and I'm just unfamiliar with what is causing it.

I have never in my life had a listed number, and I do go out of my way to eliminate these calls and junk mail.

By the way, I have received 10 different mailings from the local Republican candidate in the last month alone, and 4 from Rick Scott. (And still not a single Democratic mailing.) Can you say "Spam"? These people can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned, but they should know, if someone was on the fence before, spamming their mailbox and phone line and TV is pretty likely to get them to hate you. Spend all the money you want, waste as many trees and as much of my personal time as you can, but I am NOT INTERESTED! I don't know who tells these idiots spamming makes you popular... but it does not.

[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

Is that the gal that calls and states that she's "calling about your (unnamed) credit card?" Obviously a fishing expedition, since she doesn't know which card she's calling about, apparently, and calls people (like us) who have no issues with our credit cards.

Yep, that's the one. I actually made the mistake of pressing the key to get a live person. I was pissed because they were calling by cell phone so I asked her where she got my number and to remove me from her list and she just hung up on me. Then I kept getting calls every day- since they knew they had a live one. I ended up putting the number on my blocked list.

[smarino]

Yesterday I got one of those calls that said "unknown name" on my caller id, but at least it did show their phone number. It was a robocall asking me if I wanted to renew my google listing (which, of course, I never had). It gave me the option to press 1 to talk to a representative, and I got Bert, from some company or other. I told him we were on the do not call registry (you only have to renew that every 5 years by the way), and that we had his phone number and were going to report him, then hung up. So, I did. Just turning the phone off is not a good solution (may as well not have a phone), and I'm not going to listen to every message when it comes in just to see who it is. That's a little crazy.

It was very simple to file a complaint online, and only took a minute or so. But I have no illusions it will help. The problem I suspect is that the law has no teeth in it. I haven't heard of anyone being prosecuted and fined for violating it. A few years ago, yes, but no more. So I guess we're going to change our phone number and get the call blocking that at least goes up to 50 numbers. That should give us some peace. When those 50 numbers get filled up, I'll change it again. Other than getting Skype or going to cell phones only, that's about it I guess. These telemarketing companies obviously don't care whether it's against the law, and the law isn't being enforced, at least not that I can tell.

Not a perfect solution, but it should work better than what we have going on now.

[Restrain]

"Rachel from card services", "This is the Google Maps...", etc uses phone number spoofers. Takes your Area Code, generates a false number with either the same or an area code from the same metro area, and if you try to call it back, it is a bad number.

Most of these numbers are from overseas, often India. "Hello, I am George from Windows Services...". Sure you are.

If they are out of the US or using spoofers, it is virtually impossible to trace or sue. Even in the US, if spoofing the number and engaging in fraud, by the time they figure out who and where, the people are gone and starting someplace else.

Laws cannot keep ahead of the bad guys, and the telecommunications companies either havent developed systems to determine if a number the call system is reporting is valid or not, or are not using them.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by smarino

We've been getting a lot of telemarketing calls to our home recently here in Florida, even though we've been registered on the National Do Not Call list for quite a while. They block their numbers so you cannot report them. Is anyone else having this problem? It's beyond aggravating, especially as we have a sick family member, and we're always on the alert for doctors, medical labs, pharmacists, etc calling.

Is anyone else having this problem? I wish there were a better solution, because the Do Not Call Registry is just not working at all for us. If anyone has any good ideas to keep these creeps away, I'm open to suggestions. I also registered us on the Florida Do Not Call list recently too (didn't even know there was such a thing until I researched it), but it's too early to get any effect from that, assuming there will even be any. Probably a good reason to go to Skype?

They are ignoring it everywhere not just in Florida but their defense is "our computers dial random numbers".
Well that is poo, program your computers not to dial the numbers on the no call list.

Another thing though is that you have to renew your phone numbers every year or two on the National No Call List.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by Restrain

"Rachel from card services", "This is the Google Maps...", etc uses phone number spoofers. Takes your Area Code, generates a false number with either the same or an area code from the same metro area, and if you try to call it back, it is a bad number.

Most of these numbers are from overseas, often India. "Hello, I am George from Windows Services...". Sure you are.

If they are out of the US or using spoofers, it is virtually impossible to trace or sue. Even in the US, if spoofing the number and engaging in fraud, by the time they figure out who and where, the people are gone and starting someplace else.

Laws cannot keep ahead of the bad guys, and the telecommunications companies either havent developed systems to determine if a number the call system is reporting is valid or not, or are not using them.

I had "Ramon" twice yesterday, yup, I believe ya Rajeesh, I do and I do enjoy the "Texas" accent as well, uh-huh, yeppers, I truly believe you are sitting in Texas.

[MikeJaquish]

I despair of ever being free from Cardholder Services calls, so now I just tell them I am in debt $80,000 on 7 credit cards.
Interest rates between 14% and 29%.
Making the minimum payment, and delinquent on none.

They start to hyperventilate because they think they have another victim. When they ask for my information, I tell them I won't give it to them.
Them: "We must have your information to help you."
Me: "No. Just cut my rate, please."
Them: "We cannot do that without your information."
Me: "The recording said you could help me, and now you are saying you can't? What a scam. Crooks!"

Usually, somewhere in there they decide to hunt for another pigeon...