The "Call 1-800" Website Detectives

Have you ever received a call from a 1-800 number? Dumb question, heh? The next time you get a call from an 1-800 try this website at http://800notes.com/ All you have to do is type in the phone number and they will not only tell you who it is from, but scroll down on the webpage and see all of the comments, in a blog form, where people can tell you just about everything there is to know about them.

We got a 1-800 call the other day and we waited before answering. We looked at the number on our caller ID and then went to http://800notes.com/ and typed in the number and bam, there it gave us the name of the company, what complaints there were, any warnings about them and what hundreds of people have said about them. This is a great way to check for schemes and phishing scams too. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.

We got an offer from a company with an 800 number and we plugged it into this website and we knew that we had better not take the bait. They said they were going to provide us with new windows for the simple exchange of letting us put up their sign in our yard. Sounded like a win-win, but when we went to the website, we found that they also have hidden cameras and people would be allowed to see our home with the new siding on it, on their website. Talk about a breach of security. When they called back, we said thanks, but no. They were stubborn, but we read the report to them and the lady could say very little in return about the 361 negative comments! Aha, busted!

You may not want to pick up and call the 1-800 numbers either because some will automatically deduct or charge your phone company for it. People who just don't want to work for an honest living have developed such intricate devices that you may be set up without even knowing. I would never return a call on an 800 number. These numbers are also 877's, 889's, and several others. Just because they have a toll free number does not mean that they are a non-profit. You might have an 800 call on your caller ID but very rarely do they leave a message. This should serve as a warning.

This 800notes website also allows you to put any business's phone number in it. It's not just for toll free calls. This like website can reveal all kinds of scams just by entering all kinds of different numbers. So the next time you get a 1-800 (or 877, etc.) call, hold the phone. Check it out first through http://800notes.com/ and you might feel a lot better about it.