I am so fed up!

[Willowy]

There's a scam that's been going around locally: A guy calls and says he's a sheriff's deputy, that you didn't show up for scheduled jury duty, so now you're in trouble and you need to call him back. When the call is returned, you get a message with the standard kind of answering message a sheriff's deputy would have---"if this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911. If you are trying to reach Deputy *his name*, please leave your name and number and he'll get back to you". Then he calls back and says that you need to go to Walmart and put a large amount of money on one of their refillable prepaid credit cards and mail it to him or he'll issue a warrant for your arrest.

I really hope nobody fell for that. It's so obviously a scam. I mean, AT BEST, it sounds like a crooked deputy. There's no way an offical government entity is going to make you send them money on a Walmart card.

 

[stewball]

I have been getting DAILY cell phone calls from telemarketers and other annoying people. I am on the Do Not Call list, but it does not stop them. I usually do not answer the calls, but I have looked up some of the various numbers on whitepages.com.

One of the culprits is Verizon wireless. This company calls me from various cities all over Texas. I am on an AT&
plan, so I guess they want me to switch--not going to happen, bottom feeders.

There is another company called NCO Financial (I think) that calls me occasionally and leaves voicemails trying to collect on a debt for someone named Jennifer Settler. I have no clue who that person is. I tried to call to gripe at them but just got a recorded message.

There are other various unknown phone numbers that I have not looked up yet that come from all over the country and it will usually just have a state abbreviation followed by USA. I have gotten calls from "FL, USA," "AL, USA," "RI, USA," and a few others. There have also been a couple of calls from Natesville, Ohio.

The most annoying call is the one I get from Los, Angeles, CA at least once a day, sometimes 2-3 times per day. I looked up the number (213-833-2538), and the company is Teleport Communications America. I have tried answering a couple of times to tell them to stop calling, but there is no one on the line-just noise.
Has anyone else dealt with harassing cell phone calls, and how did you handle it?

I gave mail order companies calling. I say 'good bye' I have nothing to say to you' 'stop phoning' and I have felt like using bad language but so far I've controlled myself.

 

[tabbysia]

I got another call from a debt collector yesterday, wanting to talk to yet another person that is not me--someone named Terry McDaniels. I told this person--Andrew--that I did not know who that is and to stop calling my cell phone. He apparently did not believe me and said "I really need to speak with Terry." I just hung up on him. Today I had a missed call from a different number. When I listened to the voicemail, it sounded like the same person that called me yesterday, and he was asking to speak to Terry or Elizabeth McDaniels. I did some reading on how the Do Not Call registry works, and apparently, it only prevents sales calls. Debt collectors are still allowed to call. So these debt collectors that keep calling me looking for random people could keep harassing me indefinitely.

 

[Willowy]

Technically, if you tell a debt collecter to stop calling you, they're supposed to stop. Not that they do. I have heard of people who got a phone that used to belong to someone with a lot of debt.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I don't believe debt collectors are subject to the DNC registry because technically; you have business with whoever you owe debt to.  You can bet people lie to them ALL the time saying it's a wrong number, so and so isn't here, etc; when they are talking to the person with the debt.

DH's old room mate had a lot of debts.  We got calls in waves for him until we moved.  And even since then we had a call for him on our new number!  At one point I had gotten in contact with his ex-wife who gave me his current info; but of course they didn't call me at all while I had that on hand!  I practically shouted in one person's ear because they called and instead of hello they just said "Mrs. Ex-roommate ...yada yada yada."  I was like NOOOOO no no no no nooooooooo!  No.  

Now I'm familiar with the name of who had our current number last.  I know he shopped in the Motherhood maternity store in the mall and a few other places I shop. 

 

 

[Willowy]

I don't believe debt collectors are subject to the DNC registry because technically; you have business with whoever you owe debt to.

They aren't subject to DNC---they're considered private citizens, who have no more rights than you and I have, so if you say clearly "stop calling me", technically they can be charged with harrassment if they keep calling. Some debt collectors do a lot of things that are technically illegal.

 

[stewball]

LOL, love it.

That's very clever. Especially the bible.

 

[raysmyheart]

Some years ago when I had the house phone, I would often get messages on the answering machine saying that I could receive one or two (I can't remember which) thousand dollars in groceries for free.  Finally I called the number they left because I was aggravated and said I wanted information on claiming my groceries.  They said oh yes, but started to talk about something else and I asked them again about the groceries and they hung up.  I stopped receiving these calls.  Does anyone get this solicitation?