NORML - Reform Marijuana Laws

[ Boardview ]   [ Threadview ]   [ Quickview ]   [ Topics ]   [ Help ]

Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174379 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:35:38 ET I've received a dozen or so collection calls for people I never heard of, and I'm wondering how widespread the practice is. My calls come from a couple sources, and from what I've read on the Internet, they have purchased consumer debts to Sprint and others for pennies on the dollar that were written off long ago. I've never even had a Sprint account. Sometimes I get a call from a real person asking for someone I don't know, or a recording doing the same and requesting that I call a number. Several times I've answered, there is nothing on the line, but if I wait long enough the recording comes on, or a person actually gets on the line. I've asked them to stop calling and I'm assured they will, but the calls keep coming. I'm on the verge of going through the formal notification to cease and desist process. Apparently, some people pay the bill just to make the calls stop, which may be why the calls continue. The scam has apparently been going on for 2-3 years. Here are the two that have been calling me. Receivables Performance Management 1930 220th St S.E. Suite 101 Bothell, WA 98021 http://receivablesperformance.com/ Caller id says 866-212-7408 DEBT RECOVERY SOLUTIONS LLC Address PO Box 9001 Westbury, NY 11590 900 Merchants Concourse Ste106 WESTBURY, NY https://www.dbtsolutions.com/index.htm Caller id says 800-807-4106 Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174380 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:41:08 ET In Reply to: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:35:38 ET One stunt these a-holes have pulled is when you call the number they leave on the answering machine to call, the guy asks from what number you're calling. When I asked them to identify themselves, the guy answered, "unless you tell us your number, the calls will continue." Bastards. I'd let the answering machine screen them all, but we have it set on 6 rings so it's a hassles to listen to the damn phone ring and then taking the time to dumpt the calls. Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

mal123 Premier Member Registered on Nov-16-2002 More User Info Message #174383 posted by mal123 (Info) April 17, 2008 10:48:56 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:41:08 ET these trolls come out every spring, kinda like the scammers do on this board,freekin asshats all of them.... peace, rob

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

peace frog Premier Member Registered on Jan-08-2002 More User Info Message #174384 posted by peace frog (Info) April 17, 2008 11:53:28 ET In Reply to: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:35:38 ET when i lived in college apartments i would get this crap all the time. i never lived in one for more than a year so i put up with it, or if i got a real person on the phone i would start making REDICULOUSLY obscene comments so THEY would have to hang up. it worked pretty well, but the auto-dialer kept calling. i'm not sure there is a lot you can do but try to ignore it, or pay it. going through the formal process of cease and desist will almost surely cost more than the fake bill unless you yourself are a lawyer, which is true of many annoying things in the usa.

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174386 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 14:06:02 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by peace frog (Info) April 17, 2008 11:53:28 ET peace frog, Thanks for the suggestions. For sure I'm not going to pay someone else's bill, or pay a bogus one; that would encourage the bastards. As far as yelling obscenities, it would be like water off a duck's back. I'm sure they've heard it all, plus from what I've read, the sobs throw foul language and threats at some of the unfortunate souls they harass. The same jerk never calls twice; it's always someone different. Maybe a loud whistle by the phone might do the trick. :-) From what I've read, going through the formal cease and desist process starts with a simple certified letter to the culprit, but who wants to do that. The letter apparently is sufficient in most cases because once notified, additional calls can get costly for them through punitive fines. I haven't heard from them for a few days, so maybe they've decided that Ralph and Hector don't live at my house, or that I'm not likely to pay them off just to get rid of them. Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

Damndrugtest Registered on Sep-12-2003 More User Info Message #174387 posted by Damndrugtest (Info) April 17, 2008 14:32:05 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 14:06:02 ET Apparently, some people pay the bill just to make the calls stop, which may be why the calls continue. The scam has apparently been going on for 2-3 years That's exactly what I think. There are some people that keep horrible track of their finances and when they get a call like that they assume it's a bill they forgot to pay. Also I think it's been going on for much longer than 2-3 years. Many years ago I saw a documentary that exposed a telemarketing scam called "where's the check" These firms can actually buy list of people with alzheimers or other mental problems and call them up and convince them they owe a check for a delinquent account when in fact they don't owe them a thing. I like to think there's a special place in hell for them. It may take a call from an attorney to scare them off. Certain states would allow you to take them to court for each offense. DDT

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

forged registration Registered on Dec-17-2005 More User Info Message #174389 posted by forged registration (Info) April 17, 2008 15:11:17 ET In Reply to: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 09:35:38 ET is it possible that somebody used your identity to purchase something on credit? check your credit rating/report to see if there is anything weird on it, just in case

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174390 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 15:39:48 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by Damndrugtest (Info) April 17, 2008 14:32:05 ET DDT, "special place in hell for them" I sure agree. Now that I'm a full fledged member of AARP and on SS and Medicare, I receive all sorts of crap from unethical types. Received a solicitation yesterday in the mail from a company that designed their mailer to appear as though it was from the government, a common tactic I've seen a lot of. I'm sure a slew of older people whose facilities are failing are victimized by these vultures. FR, Thanks for the suggestion to check my credit report. I just checked it a few weeks ago and all was well, but that was my first thought after 3-4 of the calls. Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

jon104 Registered on Dec-15-2005 More User Info Message #174431 posted by jon104 (Info) April 21, 2008 12:33:40 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 17, 2008 15:39:48 ET You can demand the calls stop in writing by using the following letter, Dear Sirs, Under the Fair Debt Collection act I ask that all calls cease and desist to #XXX-XXX-XXXX , please keep in mind I am noting any further calls as they incur a $1000 fine by law per incident. Sincerely, Joesph Schmoesph

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

tiredoftheshit Registered on Apr-12-2008 More User Info Message #174440 posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 23, 2008 12:21:01 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by jon104 (Info) April 21, 2008 12:33:40 ET I recently acquired a new phone number, and unfortunately it used to belong to somebody who absconded from a huge debt and hordes of debt collectors. So I had asshats from across the country calling me demanding to speak to Jeremy Cheatum (yes that was more or less his real name) or Gollum Smeagal, another name that used this number. Now I have an ornery nature, time on my hands and a VoIP phone that will not show my name on caller ID. This line is connected to a phone with a disabled ringer. So if you call me back I will never hear it ring. I don't care to waste my time reporting these asshats. Instead let anarchy reign. I call them back. Once, twice, a thousand times. I lay the phone down next to my computer speaker, and let them listen to my "Best of the Eighties" mp3 collection. Because the 1980s was the best time for rock and roll, and I am trying to spread the gospel. Once I swear I heard a lady scream at the top of her voice. That was kind of unprofessional I thought. What do you think? Most of them however hang up after repeating "Hello, this is XXXXX Collection Agency." Is this wrong? Do I get bad karma for responding in like kind to endless unsolicited telemarketers? I kind of think it is fun... also I know full well that a telemarketer can't honestly complain about harassing phone calls...

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174441 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 23, 2008 13:07:05 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 23, 2008 12:21:01 ET tired, Funny story. You reminded me of when I did something similar a few years ago when I was running my home office business. Some travel company kept sending unsolicited faxes advertising the deal of the day. I tried politely to have them stop to no avail. The had an 800 sales line which of course they always answer and costs them 35 cents or whatever the going rate was. So I programmed my computer terminal application to dial the number every few minutes. When it detected a voice, it waited a few seconds to give them a chance to get frustrated saying hello a few times, and then disconnected. I ran it several hours for a number of days until I finally got a call from their phone company investigating. I don't recall how many times I had called but it was in the high hundreds. Trying not to laugh, I explained that my automatic fax machine had developed a glitch. I loved it. I didn't get anymore faxes. One of the few times I've actually been able to enjoy some meaningful revenge for this kind of stuff. Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

tiredoftheshit Registered on Apr-12-2008 More User Info Message #174457 posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 24, 2008 15:58:49 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 23, 2008 13:07:05 ET You and I were born on the same planet, obviously. I did the EXACT same stuff back in the 80's and 90's, programming my modem to redial asshats and then hang up after say 45 seconds, after they had a chance to scream. I programmed a Telix script to operate my modem automatically, so I could leave and watch movies or go away for a couple of hours and come back, and maybe a couple hundred or thousand calls had been made... lol... back then I had to program *67 into the dial program to disable caller ID. There was the bully at school who pushed me to the ground... he thought I was a punk (correct, but a computer hacker punk)... then a teacher who made me stand up in front of the class and apologize to Jesus for forgetting to do my homework... these types got 500 - 700 calls apiece...whenever the mood struck me. "Demon dialing" in the name of this game...look it up on the web for further info. The phone company never investigated me, I was too smart and covered my tracks. But they did investigate a friend of mine for his phone calls, and they sent him a letter warning him to cease and desist which of course he did....He was a horny str8 dude and got obsessed over some woman who rejected him. Poor fella. Poor woman, too. There are times when I'm glad I wasn't born female and have to deal with all the rude importunate horny males of the world. Basically if u demon dial, you just have to be aware that most ppl these daze have Caller ID. So if you have that base covered, basically u r ok.

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

tiredoftheshit Registered on Apr-12-2008 More User Info Message #174458 posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 24, 2008 16:04:46 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 24, 2008 15:58:49 ET Puffgeezer, Just wanted to add that, the reason I don't demon dial anymore is that I no longer own a modem. Broadband, ya know. That means no more demon dialing... *sigh* *ALAS!* but, sometimes in life we have to close the chapter on a previous stage... Actually, I bought a modem on ebay recently for $5, in order to recapture the good old daze, but it proved to be defective, and I had to send it back for a refund... $&*^%@*% , curses, foiled again, &$^*@&^@@

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

puffgeezer Premier Member Registered on Apr-19-2002 More User Info Message #174459 posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 24, 2008 16:25:46 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 24, 2008 15:58:49 ET tired, "Basically if u demon dial, you just have to be aware that most ppl these daze have Caller ID. So if you have that base covered, basically u r ok." Demon dial? Good name. :-) Seems like yesterday we were all on modems and using floppy disks. I wanted the jerks to know who was calling them so I didn't try to hide my number. My set up (Red Ryder/Mac) was auto dial also, and sometimes I enjoyed turning on the speaker while I worked so I could get my kicks listening to the frustrated people say nasty things. Very gratifying. Puff

Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls

tiredoftheshit Registered on Apr-12-2008 More User Info Message #174559 posted by tiredoftheshit (Info) April 30, 2008 08:01:20 ET In Reply to: Re: Anyone getting bogus collection calls posted by puffgeezer (Info) April 24, 2008 16:25:46 ET I had a mystery caller last night that didn't seem quite right. I almost thought it was an undercover agent, but you know, they must be hard up if they are investigating little old me. I wouldn't be posting here if I had anything to hide. It's probably entirely possible to capture the IP address of anyone who accesses this site; and what with the Patriot Act, they can probably then get personal info from your ISP. Anyways... if you ever got a call where you don't know who called you, check the number on google. There's a site where people report these telemarketers, and supply contact information and other details. As a last resort, call Ameritech (1-800-337-4194) and find out which phone company the caller's number is registered in. Ameritech is an automatic service where you just type in the number and the robot responds with the telco info. That is sometimes helpful.

[ Boardview ]   [ Threadview ]   [ Quickview ]   [ Topics ]   [ Help ]

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
This webpage and related elements are for informative purposes only and thus the use of any of this information is at your risk! The content of the message entered by the poster remains the property of the poster. However the poster has granted the owners and operators of the Marihemp Network a free, non-revocable license to post, duplicate, edit, and delete their message content as we see fit. Click here for DMCA Designated Agent information. Remainder copyright 1997 - 2005 Psychotropics Cornucopia, Inc. Message content reflects the views and opinions of the poster and not that of the owners nor operators of the Marihemp Network unless indicated otherwise. Marihemp, CANNABIS.COM, HempNation, and their associated slogans are service marks used by Psychotropics Cornucopia, Inc. Any other trademarks, trade names, service marks, or service names used on this site are the property of their respective owners. Click here to view the Marihemp Network Privacy Policy