Telemarketing Scam Claims to Lower Your Credit Card APR
Sadly, I'm not wired that way. I secretly harbor guilt that I haven't paid a bill somewhere, and assume it is a bill collector. And if it isn't a bill collector, it is a telemarketer, and I want to have some fun at their expense.
The call I received on this day was a new one. I answered and was greeted by a recording of a "Heather" saying she was calling from "(my) credit card company" and if I was interested in lowering my interest rate, I should "press 1".
My Spidey Sense kicked in at this point, thinking "SCAM!" So I did what any reasonable person would do. I pressed 1 on my phone. I laughed to myself as I sat on hold for five minutes. I wondered if anyone really sat on hold for five minutes thinking this was legitimate. Finally a woman answered the phone. "Hi! Did you press 1 to get a lower interest rate?"
"Yes," I replied, "but I'd like to know where you're calling from."
"I'm calling from Card Services."
"From which credit card company."
"The one that services your Mastercard, Visa or American Express."
Okay, this is where I know I'm being scammed. I press further. "Which card are you offering to lower?" I asked.
"Sir, we're offering to lower the interest rate on your Mastercard, Visa, or American Express."
"Which one and through which bank? It's a simple question?"
Click.
I called the number on my caller ID. The message said that the number had been disconnected. So the boiler room that called me spoofed the Caller ID number.
I decided to Google the number. I found a link to 800notes.com, a website that allows people to post information about the numbers that show up on their caller ID and where they are coming from. Several people there indicate that they too feel it is a scam, with people saying claiming to be from a legitimate organization phishing for information about your credit cards.
I called my phone company to report what had happened. They indicated that if I receive a call that I would like to report to law enforcement, I could dial *57 for a trace of the call to be recorded for law enforcement. Although it was $3 to do so, I decided it was worth the money and did so. I then reported the call to the Federal Trade Commission using their complaint form.
What is truly upsetting about this is that my reasonable attempts to block such calls were not enough to ensure my safety in the matter. While it is obvious that placing your name on the National Do Not Call Registry doesn't keep a criminal from attempting to call you, it would seem as though there should be a law preventing people from using special techniques to misidentify their phone number on Caller ID. There is not, but legislation has been introduced, including Senate Bill S.704 and House Bill HR251 to address this issue.
So how can you protect yourself?
The easiest way is not to answer any call that registers a caller ID number you do not recognize. Once the phone stops ringing, call the number back to see if it rings through to a legitimate place of business. You can also look the number up on 800notes.com to see the reports of other people receiving calls from the same number. If you feel that the call is a scam, contact your phone company immediately to inquire about tracing the call. Then report the call to the police, your attorney general in your state, and the Federal Trade Commission. Under no circumstances should you give personal information or financial information to someone who calls you with a solicitation. If the offer sounds like one you wish to pursue, explain that you're concerned about the legitimacy of the offer and ask the person to send you the offer via mail and to provide a call back number for further questions. If they can't do either then politely end the call and take the appropriate steps to report the call.
Published by Crutnacker
Freelance writer and business professional from Louisville, Kentucky. Husband, father of one beautiful daughter and three annoying cats. Lived in Maryland, Boston, MA, and Louisville, KY. View profile
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- Using spoofing to misidentify the number you're calling from is NOT currently illegal.
- 800notes.com is an excellent site to identify those odd numbers on your caller ID.
22 Comments
Post a CommentThe star 57 doesn't work as the local law enforcement agencies won't take a report. Reporting them to the Do Not Call Registry also does not work as with the sophisticated software that they use, they scramble the area codes and tele #'s.The FTC can't trace them when they do that. I have been getting them for at least 2 years, reporting them and logging them. Let them go is prob the best thing you can do.Do not fall into their traps. Most will not leave msgs but if you have star 69 capability on your phone service, you can do that to see if you have recd any, anyway.
Mine have died down some and hopefully by not answering will see them cease forever.Call block doesn't stop them either as they can get past that also. Remember, they have sophisticated software. It's been a losing battle for 2 years and I have called ID so I let them go.
1-567-248-4400 BEWARE there a SCAM just have some fun with them , play along give them all false info and phony card numbers thats what I do. LMFAO, at these dump chit people!
I have been called several times, and several times when I get a person who doesn't hang up (their usual modus operandi), have asked to be taken off the call list. THEN they hang up. Maybe I'll try the "stay on the line" after that next time....VERY frustrating! (no caller ID here either...
this entire operation. see this link here: http://forums.hmoob.com/showthread.php?t=71434
they are calling Canada now instead of the united states most likely to dodge any legalities. I've investigated fully and What they do is have about 60 unlicensed people to answer phones that this call center robot dials out all across the country. if you press 1 you'll get any one of these commission payed reps. pressing 2 does nothing. the reps are average nobody's that they hire off the street with no real qualifications and will talk you into giving up your credit card number and they will verify if you have debt and if you have availability on your visa or mc by calling your lender. if you have availability on your credit card they will hand over the deal sheet to a closer "financial adviser" notice the quotes, who is nothing more than some guy or girl unlicensed and has no official title or education to be an adviser. just some random people that are hired within to close the deal so
I am a private investigator and this is the new address for the call center that has been making all the illegal robo calls to you people..
1642 west airport blvd in Sanford Florida. Google that address and the map will display the location. the phone number is 1 888 356 6357. you should get a message to speak with someone in human resources. This is a huge illegal robo dialing call center that has been in business for awhile. most of the posts on this site im certain are because of this particular organization originally operating in Tampa then moved to primera blvd in lake Mary Florida now they are located in Sanford FL. Its easy to get all the info you need to these people. all you have to do is cooperate and give them your cc number. They cant charge you until you consent. Thats the only way they can for certain take your money. they will eventually give you all the info you need if you talk to a "closer" I did some digging and found out that a Blake Curtis owns and runs
^ Word - this shit's legit.
they actually helped me, and charged me $795 after reducing my rates
I've been getting these annoying calls. However, whenever I suggest that I am hesitant to give an account number, they hang up immediately. For some weird reason, I decided not to hang up. Abcabdabra! I was put on a loop, and another operator came on. I started telling them to get an honest job! This went on for over an hour. I was very pleased to be tieing up their line for an extended time. Try it! Maybe they will figure out how to fix their system, but in the mean time, we get to annoy them as much as they annoy us.
Hello everyone,
7/10 of you are correct, you were scammed... There are 3/10 companies who have their licensing and do things legally.
The ONLY way to find out if your talking to a real company or a scam is if you ask them to VERIFY THEIR LICENSING AND REGISTRATION number WITH the Deparment of Agriculture and Consumer services. The way its verified is with YOU ON THE LINE to call the state they are licensed in and VERIFY THAT THEY ARE LICENSED AND IN GOOD STANDING.
After that go all the way through, At they end they are going to explain the NO OUT OF POCKET processing fee of $995, this is a standard regulated price. If they tell you that THEY ARE GOING TO APPLY IT BEFORE THEY DO THE WORK.........SCAM...........If they DO THE WORK FIRST, THEN CHARGE..... not scam
For everyone here that was scammed its very simple to fix, call the comapny that they charged, and tell them under the "MISREPRESENTATIONS, AND SERVICES NOT RENDERED" clause of the CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT.
I ho
I got the call and asked him if he would steal my credit card number if I gave it to him. He said no. I asked him how can I be sure. He said that he would give me his to prove that he no one can steal with just the number. He gave a Visa card number with the expiration date. He eventually hung up.
The next time the same people called, I used the Visa Number that I got from first call. They ran it and told me it was a valid Visa debit card number but not a credit card.
The next thing that they ask for is the phone number for your credit card. I gave them a sex talk line and they called it.
what else can you do? :-}