How To Report Do Not Call List Scofflaws To The Proper Authorities
Reader Brian says that he's getting weird scammy calls about "lowering his interest rates" and would like to know what he should do about it.
Brian says:
The recorded message said I urgently need to talk to someone about my credit card. It then assured me that there was no problem with my accounts, but I need to talk to someone about lowering my interest rates. All very serious business. It then said my options were to press 1 for a rep or 2 to be removed.
My phone number has been on the do not call registry for years. I've tried telling them that before, and they just hang up. So this time, I asked for information about the company. The rep said I had to join their services to get that. So I asked for a manager. The rep said "ok" then hung up on me. The only information I have now is the phone number, and a company name of "Card Services" or "Card Service".
Can you clarify what rules they've broken (auto-dialers, pre recorded messages, grossly misleading messages)? What can I do better to get myself removed from their call lists? Pressing 2, threatening with the do not call registry stuff, etc doesn't work.
Well, without knowing which company is calling you, its not possible for us to tell you for sure which rules they've broken. Basically the rule is this: If a company doesn't have a business relationship with you, it can't call you. If it does have a business relationship with you it can call you, unless you tell it not to -- at which point it has to stop calling or face a fine of up to $11,000 per call. It doesn't sound like this outfit is selling anything legit -- (What kind of company makes you sign up before they tell you what you've bought?) So it's definitely time to start reporting them.
First, since you're on the "Do Not Call" list, you should report them. You can do that here.
Secondly, you could contact your state's attorney general or department of consumer affairs to report a possible scam. If your attorney general has a "fraud hotline" you can call it and see if they are interested. It's possible that other consumers like yourself have reported the same company, particularly if they are as shady as you say they are.
Unfortunately, unless you're willing to take the time to figure out who exactly is calling you and file a lawsuit against them, that's about all you can do.
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Comments:
Yeah nobody will give you any information that would lead back to their company anymore.
glad to only use my GC # everywhere I go now...just 2 clicks and they're forward blocked and will hear "this # has been disconnected msg"
Thank you for this post. I've been recently getting "car warranty expired" calls (for a car I don't own anymore, natch) and could not for the life of me figure out why they just started - I switched my phone number a few months ago and no doubt forgot to list myself on DNC again.
@the_gank: That's what is really irritating about the car warranty calls - they are not going through my GC and I flat out do not give out my real number at all. Ugh.
What percentage of complaints are followed up on?
What percentage of complaints result in fines?
Does the consumer who reported even know if there's an investigation?
I assume the fines go to the government, so the consumer has very little incentive to report and the violators have very little reason to stop.
You mean I can get Chase to stop calling me, even though I have an account with them, and they have to listen? Kewl.
Our secretary reports all telesales people that harass us (a surprising number of them that repeatedly call back after she tells them to remove us).
So far, we get complaint verification back on about 50% of them (via USPS mail). The others...who knows?
@Indecent: I've never heard of anyone actually getting a reply!
What is the complaint verification look like? Is it an autogenerated "we have received your complaint" or does is it in some way specific? Does it indicate if action has been taken? Perhaps you can scan and insert into a thread reply or submit to consumerist?
I'm getting calls on my cell now and even when I tell them, (seeing how it's against the law even without being on a list) they never seem to care.
Now I just tell them that "I'm like 14, and I just got this number like a week ago." that usually takes care of them, and keeps them from calling back.
What is gc and gc #? I'm drawing a blank when I am reading the posts from above.
@SkokieGuy: Not only have I gotten replies, I even got a check for $100 from the PA A.G. as part of a settlement with a DNC violator!
The lower your interest rates and car warranty calls come from places that are spoofing their caller ID. I've been submitting complaints for months on them, and I'd suggest that anyone else getting these calls do the same.
Some info on this is here. Not my site or blog, something I found when researching these calls myself.
@Skellbasher: I've gotten a bunch of those stupid car warranty calls on my cell phone. They were downright hostile when I chose the option to talk to a human and demanded to know who they were.
GC# - GrandCentral.com
A number that can be used to route all your calls anywhere.....home, cell, or work, or all 3. You can also look at the call log and put anyone on a list that is marked SPAM, and they will recieve a messgae saying the number has been disconnected. I love my GC#. Saves me alot of time and misery.
Unfortunately, since Google took over GrandCentral....they are only taking reservations for numbers again.......good luck to thise who get one though.
I'd bet my next paycheck that the call9s) came from Versadebt, the scammiest, scummiest boileroom telemarketer around. [consumerist.com]
By all means, report them to the FCC [www.donotcall.gov] but it won't do any good. I used to get these calls all the time, until I decided to see if I could get them to stop my own way.
**** WARNING, overly long personal anecdote ahead *******
The next time they called, I played along, giving plausible sounding fake answers to the "qualifying" questions, making her repeat herself numerous times, asking lots of questions of my own (but not the kind that might make her hang up), etc. Part of their scam is to "qualify" you with a bunch of questions, then they make a 3-way conference call to your CC company to "negotiate a better rate".
At this point, they stay on the line while you give the CC company your account number. I balked, going on about security, etc. Since I'd been cooperative and nice up to that point, she continued to try to close the deal, and got extremely aggressive. After about ten minutes of letting her "convince" me, we "accidentally" got disconnected while I was giving the (fake) CC number.
She immediately calls back, I give her the runaraound for a while more, then end the call with "I'm so sorry, I can't finish this now, my wife just got home", and hang up. So, almost thirty minutes of their time wasted (mine, too, I suppose, but I wasn't doing anything more important than having a drink and surfing the net anyway, and I kept doing that while we catted), and no sale for them.
About a week later, they call back. I recognized the voice, and asked if it was her. (Note: If you ask for a name when they first call, they usually hang up. If you ask for it after looking like a good prospect, they'll tell it).
It was the same girl, and rather than play the whole game again, I started up a conversation about how she seemed so nice and it was a shame she was working for such a shady, scammy, rip-off company. I told her she could do a lot better than working for crappy commissions for a borderline criminal company, and that I suspected they probably treated her like crap, to boot. I wished her luck and said goodbye.
I haven't gotten a call back from them since.
@clementine: GC = Grand Central (see grandcentral.com)...it's a service where u forward all calls 2 ur cellphone ....free sort of and u can only register by invite only** read more on the site..basically, u have more control over ur calls...and v-mail....also check out youmail.com
@rdm: Well, if you have a Windows Mobile smart phone, there're several tools u can install on ur phone that blocks calls (more of a blacklists (DNC)) but at the phone level....and u can even opt out to give the callers busy tone which sort of irritates them..forever...BUT if u don't have a Win. Mobile phone, then I guess u can go with DNC for now.... also 800Notes.com or so is another great resource...
@rdm: We're getting car warranty calls, car warranty junk mail, everything. It seems almost impossible to find out WHO they are so we can't report them.
Not to mention we're getting about 10 calls a week from debt collectors from the previous residents of our house- who haven't lived here in 6 years.
I'm finally giving up and changing my number and re-registering for the DNC list. I don't know what else to do.
@rdm: My experience with the car warranty calls:
When I moved to another state over a year ago, I used my new home's address to register my car and obtain a driver license. I had not actually moved into the house yet, and wouldn't for a couple weeks. I had not given the new address to anybody yet, and had not done a change-of-address either.
However, when I moved in, there was already a car warranty notice in the mailbox, addressed to me, with my car's information on it. The only place that had my address was the DMV.
I called the DMV and explained it to them, making the point clear that somebody was selling DMV information to spammers and junk mailers. They insisted I was wrong. I don't think I am.
My boss gets these calls at work. He forwards the voicemails to me and says "Please Handle" and assumes the warranty on the Mercedes is up.
He also forwards emails he stating there is a problem with his bank account, and he just needs to fill out his social security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, bank account number, and a major credit card number to verify his identity so they can "protect his account from an attempted identity theft." Yep, those get forwarded to me with a "Please Handle" note as well. In fact, sometimes he doesn't even use vowels anymore. It will just say "Pls Hndl" at the top of the email.
It amazes me a man with an MBA could fall for this crap. I was surprised to learn that others in the office had already fallen for similar scams. Funny how the super-smart wealthy guys are falling for this stuff, while their lowly assistants are shielding them from it. No matter how many times I pull him aside and say "this is a scam" he forgets.
I haven't always been able to save him, however. He also forwards some of the emails to his wife, and she dutifully fills out the forms.
I've been getting these on and off for awhile. Did the same thing. I'd also *69 or do the other thing to trace their number (another number code, can't remember it offhand, but the operator told me what it was, just ask) and report them to the DNC Reg... Same MO as these people, can't remember the name they gave for the biz, I've got it down somewhere.
I have been getting these calls for over a year and they get past Call Intercept from Verizon and I can't use Call Block for some reason. It is true that when you select option 2 and then ask any question the call is terminated, but option 1 to go on their Do Not Call list is a joke and really seems to make sure you get another call since it is a "live" number.
I've submitted several complaints over the last few weeks to [esupport.fcc.gov] and have actually received confirmation via USPS with a printout confirming all the info I typed in online. I don't have any idea if any action was taken though, and probably never will.
If you are curious, you could go to [whocalled.us] and look to see if anyone has any additional information, based on the caller ID number or the callback number they give at the end of the call (for the robo-callers).
I got both the lower your interest AND car warranty calls lately. It's amazing to me that they can manage so many calls without getting shut down. What is the point in having laws on the books if there's nobody that is able or willing to enforce them? Both these places are clearly in violation of numerous state and federal regulations.
@snoop-blog: Last company that did this to me was for an "expiring auto warranty" that expired 3 years ago! I called back the number, and got a recording that this number does not exist. I remember from setting up our companies phone system that it is illegal to "spoof" your caller ID (you may make it hidden, but not use a different number that you don't own) but was unsure how to go about reporting it..
I've been getting the important credit blahblahblah call a couple times a week for a couple months, now. I've always hung up before I got to the part where the recording says to press a number to speak to a representative.
@craig9937: It won't do any good.
I kept getting calls like this with a slightly varying MO - sometimes about an "account", or "auto warranty", or "interest rate". When pressed for information they would give generic sounding company names like "Financial Services Company" and fake phone numbers. I can't force the scammer to tell me the truth about their company.
I followed up with a formal complaint to the FCC and eventually got a letter back saying that they did not have enough information to do anything about it and wouldn't bother investigating.
I usually just ignore calls with a caller ID I don't recognize. But, whenever I feel like playing I answer with "Homicide".
@ChuckECheese: I believe you are completely correct about the DMV, or in our case the city government center.
The Warranty-is-Up-scam-a-thon started less than a month after we bought a new (used) car. Suddenly we were getting "your ford focus' warranty is expiring" notices like a rainstorm. The only ones who knew about the car were the individual that we bought it from and when we registered the title -it wasn't even insured yet.
@krispykrink: Another good one is "so and so county sheriffs department..."
Or "Thank you for calling the law offices of ...."
I tried to file a complaint there and with the FTC (I think) before when I got a marketing call on my cell phone. I got a reply email saying, in so many words, that they didn't really give a rats ass. They don't have the time or ability to get involved in individual disputes, it seems.
@the_gank: I have a Windows Smart phone. What the programs to use?
I've been getting the warranty calls at both home and work, and I have no idea how they got my work number.
Unfortunately, unless you're willing to take the time to figure out who exactly is calling you and file a lawsuit against them, that's about all you can do.
What type of lawsuit can you bring?
@snoop-blog & krispykrink: My voicemail says "You've reached the Department of Defense..." since I actually *do* work for the DoD.
One time, I picked up the phone, not looking at the Caller ID. I asked them who they were, what company they represented. Then I strongly informed them to not call my number since it's a DoD line and it's a felony to solicit calls without going through contracting.
She hung up rather quickly.
@Jubilance22: check out [www.gap.com]
or if u just google for call block softwares for Win Mobile devices, u'll find tons of them... btw, use those softwares at your own risk... :-) I have used the first one and it works great...
@Jubilance22: jeez...the pls. disregard the gap link... it should be this link instead...this is what Slickdeals and browsing other blogs does to u.... it should be this instead... [www.mobiletopsoft.com]
@CaptZ: As an added benefit, if you're with TMobile you can register your GC# as one of your MyFaves numbers. Anyone calling you through GC then uses MyFaves minutes, which are free.
If you file a complaint with the FCC on the link I posted above, they do send you a USPS letter acknowledging the complaint and the start of a formal complaint process. I'm not sure where it goes from there but I've gone through this recently and will have to keep you posted.
To those having an issue with the car warranty people, I managed to get some information out of them and finally reported them to the BBB a couple weeks ago.
I just reported them to the FCC as well.
General Warranty Services Inc
282 Main Street
Salem, NH 03079
781-569-1100 Anthony Depaolo (Claimed to be Co. President)
[generalwarrantyservices.com]
At my work we get calls like that saying our auto warranty is about to expire then it ask if we want to talk to someone or get taken off the list.
No matter how many times we press take of list it still calls us. If we try to talk to someone they say they are from the warranty department and if you ask what company they hang up.
Also I stayed at a Red Roof Inn and used my cell phone as my contact and I have been getting calls saying that I filled out this and won free trips. I never filled anything out and have not gotten calls like this ever before I stayed at the Red Roof Inn.
I get these calls, and you can't really report them because they fake the caller ID to display disconnected numbers or overseas numbers.
I got the same call. When I called about it, the guy started giving me their little spiel. He was sort of wording like he was calling on behalf of one of my credit card companies. When I asked which one the call was about, he asked me which cards I had. That is when I told him to fuck off.