Who Called Us

No caller ID, no message. Called my work number after 6 pm on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Nice try, morons.

Telemarketer calling to offer debt consolidation at a low interest rate. Calls cell phone 2-3 times a week. Asks how much you owe on credit cards and the name of the bank.

I received the call and I think it was something from child molester or some sick-o. Heavy breathing, asked if I had a teenage daughter. I reported the call to the local police and the FCC because I'm on do not call.

Dakota: To answer points A and C, our present Great Recession is making many citizens vulnerable and desperate, ripe for the scammers to pick clean. On point B, "Government" is trying to make right, but its inherent inefficiencies are the price of our freedoms. I will elaborate with a little repeat posting, since the dope on these sham credit counselors seems to need exposure .....

"Rachel" and her best pal "Heather" are the two most famous fictional call center reps in history. This spring the FTC froze the assets of three firms running this scam: AMS, PDMI, and Rapid Reduction. They all made pretty much identical calls fronting as "Card Services" or "Financial Services" and soundalikes, using these faux female identities to vaguely promise lower credit rates. From the FTC press release, anyone biting the hook and sending these bums hundreds of dollars for "services" found later that "... the defendants sent consumers instructions to pay down their credit card debts early, thus saving money on interest."

I remember my parents and friends getting these calls from Clearwater FL, and as soon as that sham went public similar calls came from other parts of the country. It appears from the volume of similar complaints I'm reading this summer that the FTC could do some more whacking with its mole mallet.

To be fair, there are so-called credit consolidators that will negotiate better rates on a customer's behalf. They are legal, but deceptive all the same. A consolidator collects a percentage of whatever savings are yielded, for doing nothing different from what an account holder can do for herself by contacting the creditor herself by phone or mail.

The Heathers and Rachels are pulling something far more devious, selling what are possibly the nation's most costly tip sheets of common knowledge. That's assuming they don't go further to drill for personal details and commit identity theft. Please be cautious with these phantom women when they call.

Received cell phone call from this likely spoofed number on 08/26/10. No voice mail was left this time although messages (regarding lower credit card rates) were left in the past from the same or similar looking calling numbers.

It's a sad commentary on our society that a.) there are scammers like this who will take advantage of anybody, b.) government with all its money, employees, and technology hasn't succeeded in stopping this considering that its been going on for years, c.) there are enough gullible/stupid people out there that this type of thing can be profitable. Incidentally, the callers have no idea if there is, or isn't, a problem with your credit card or if you even have one.

pls never call me again

automated message which said "Hello. We are reporting that there is no problem with your credit card. But it is important that we speak to you regarding your eligibility to lower your rates to less than 5%, which expires in 2 days. To speak to... (one of our representatives?)....please press #1." I hung up

There was an automated message which said "Hello. We are reporting that there is no problem with your credit card. But it is important that we speak to you regarding your eligibility to lower your rates to less than 5%, which expires in 2 days. To speak to... (one of our representatives?)....please press #1."
Then a guy gets on and asks if you have a balance of $3000 or more...
The guy is obviously not interested in less than $3000, because when I told him I didn't have that much - he suddenly told me I was not eligible for the 5% rates.
We gotta nab this creep. Imagine how many old ladies he's scammed already!!