IDT Employees Stalking The Streets Of Queens Today
Lock your doors, Queens residents! IDT zombies are on the prowl in your borough, and if they catch you they'll try to eat your ConEd account and replace it with their more expensive offer. Jeff says there's one outside his building right now, trying to buzz its way in.
Jeff writes, probably in the dark from under his desk, trembling in fear,
I'm working from home today and an IDT rep saw me through my ground floor window. He circled back and tapped on the window with his pen. He said "Excuse me" I looked at him, saw his IDT id tag around his neck, and said "No thank you." He stuttered slightly and said "Have a good day." Now he's trying to buzz into my building. So far no one has obliged, but is there some way to report this guy before he gains access? My apartment building is mostly old people or people who don't speak English very well, so I'm concerned about the big scam potential. If he comes by my window again I'm gonna get a picture of him for you.
A few minutes later, Jeff emailed us again. This time he was probably locked inside a cabinet, trying very hard to type quietly.
So I read some of your past articles about IDT, and called the attorney general's office. The first guy who answered said he had heard about IDT, and thanked me for calling, and said he'd transfer me to "Investigations." But when I got connected there, the woman had no idea what IDT was, and didn't really seem to care about my explanation. I even told her to go to your website. She ended up just taking my address and said she'd send a form so I could file a report. Unfortunately, there's not much to report, as I didn't let the guy give me his pitch. In hindsight maybe I should have let him in, but I have two kittens, and I read what they do to pets! [They kidnap them. -Ed.] So for now, I'm posting a note in my building lobby warning people about IDT and suggesting they visit your site for more info.
Jeff brings up a good point, which is that in NYC there are a lot of people who maybe don't speak or read English that well. In an attempt to spread the word about IDT, we've written a short Spanish version of a warning. Unfortunately, we don't know Spanish very well. Please improve upon this in the comments (maybe take out the zombie references), and we'll post a downloadable PDF warning in English and Spanish next week.
Peligroso!
No abiertes la puerta por zombis de IDT. [Something here like, "They will try to get your account information for ConEd, and then will switch you to a more expensive service without your permission."]
Si tu lee un IDT zombi, email detalles a escocomplaint@gmail.com, o llame 718-766-8828
You can also copy or print out this statement to get the word out.
RELATED
"New York Asks You To Report IDT Energy"
(Photo: atp_tyreseus)
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Comments:
IDT se comen a sus hijos, la causa de su coche a la corrosión de la tierra y hacer girar hacia atrás, haciendo que el sol en el Oeste y el conjunto en el Este.
Ohh, y se llevarán su dinero.
Is this the Kirby salesperson of the 21st century or what?
lol Blueskylaw...
¡Ojo!
No abran la puerta para los de IDT! Son LADRONES que quieren la informacion sobre sus cuentas con ConEd (Consolidated Edison). Luego, intentarán a cambiarles a uds. a su servicio de IDT, ¡¡que es inferior y cuesta mas!!
Si ven algun representante de IDT, por favor llamen a 718-766-8828, o escriban a escocomplaint@gmail.com, describiendo lo que pasó. Otra vez, ¡IDT Son LADRONES!
-------
Warning!
Don't open the door for IDT. They are THIEVES that want information about your account with ConEd. Then they'll try to change your service to IDT, which is inferior and costs more!!
If you see a representative of IDT, please call 718-766-8828, or email to escocomplaint@gmail.com, describing what happened. Again, IDT are THIEVES!
How about, very simply:
IDT es el diablo.
I hope Jeff is successful in keeping them out of the building. How creepy that they looked in and knocked on his window. Isn't that potentially illegal in itself? Consumerist did a good thing by helping him provide notice en espanol.
So, they're really more like chupacabras than zombies, no?
Here Spanish Translation:
ATTENCION!PELIGROSO!
No Abre la puerta par los hijo putaz de IDT. Estan estafando la gente, NO ABRA LA PUERTA LLAME LA POLICIA!!SON RATEROS HIJO PUTAS!! SI LE TOCAN LA PUERTA LLAME AL 718-766-8828 0 MANDE CORELLO ELECTRONICO AL escocomplaint@gmail.com.
GRACIAS.
@Blueskylaw: LOL. I was thinking of something like:
IDT considera que los perros y las vacas son sexualmente atractivo. Pondrán su mano en la garganta y saca su corazón palpitante.
It's probably not well translated :)
Look at us pulling out all of our 10th grade Spanish class lessons!
I guess i speak it better than i write it....
The translation is not the best, but it's supposed to say:
IDT will eat your children, cause your car to rust and make the earth spin backwards, causing the sun to rise in the West and set in the East.
Ohh, and they will take your money.
I see that Google Translator is getting a workout right now. :)
@pecan 3.14159265: Heh yeah, i knew I nailed that part, it was the "reach down your throat and pull out your beating heart" that I'm pretty sure didn't translate well.
@pecan 3.14159265: Oh god, please not the fast-moving kind! It'll be like the first time I tested out Left 4 Dead and got hit by a Boomer... the hordes!!!
You tend to learn Spanish after spending a couple years in a latin country... ;)
@cpt.snerd: So we're talking the Resident Evil kind that just kind of amble toward you, and give you ample time to reload and aim properly for a headshot.
It might be a good idea to post this in Russian. I know in my apartment, we have a lot of Russian immigrants who speak very little English.
Then again, I speak NO Russian, so I couldn't help you out...
@Jordan Leventhal: Опасно!
Не открывайте дверь для зомби IDT. [-То здесь, как "Они будут пытаться получить информацию об учетной записи для CONED, а затем переходит к более дорогой услугой без вашего разрешения".]
Если вы видите зомби IDT, адрес электронной почты escocomplaint@gmail.com подробности, или позвоните по телефону 718-766-8828
My Spanish is a little rusty but here goes:
¡Advertencia! No deje de IDT hablar con usted! Ellos a su vez a sus hijos muertos en el caminar que, a su vez, comer fuera de sus caras en su sueño! Hace años esto sucedió en Somalia, donde ahora son! Una vez más no con tornillo tostadora bombillas!
Sure firse way to make the IDT sales person run away.
IDT: "I'd like you to think about switching to IDT..."
Me: "Sure, come on in, I have the Jehovas Witness and the Mormon tied up still downstairs from last month! You all should get along famously!"
@axiomatic: +1. You'd be able to have a bridge match at that point. But since you'd have them tied up, you'd have to hold their cards and ask them what to do.
@humphrmi: google translates your spanish to "IDT believes that dogs and cows are sexually attractive. Put his hand on the throat and pull out your beating heart."
put his hand on the throat!
Las Plagas is coming! Shoot them in the head! They can't bite you without a head!
Was there any followup to that missing dog story? I couldn't find anything. The facebook page hasn't been updated.
@humphrmi: I saw "palpitane" and thought (before translating) that you name dropped Emperor Palpatine
Warning! Be sure to talk to you RTD! They turn their children into walking dead, which, in turn, eat out of their faces in their sleep! Years ago this happened in Somalia, where they are now! Again not screw lightbulbs toaster!
It's private property. Politely escort them off. I've done it to solicitors lots of times when I lived in secured apartment buildings. They love it!
I'd say spencerg83's was the best so far; Georgee Pez's definitely won't fly, way too vulgar.
What I can read of the Russian (know the letters, vocab's not very good) seems to be pretty on.
@SPENCERG: As a Spanish speaker this is the best so far here. The translation and the message are perfect.
5 or more IDT employees or contractors were in my building on Wednesday. Apparently they all know about Consumerists Article and they are claiming that it's "Lies and Opinion".
When I threatened to call the cops and tried to take their photos they quickly blocked their faces and one of them even got violent and tried to kick my door in. Though that was after I cursed at him.
I considered emailing Consumerist but since I didn't get their pictures I didn't bother.
How's this?
No abra la puerta a la IDT. Ellos tratarán de obtener información de la cuenta para ConEd (Consolidated Edison) y, a continuación, proceder a cambiar su cuenta a un servicio más caro, sin su permiso.
Si usted ve un empleado IDT va puerta a puerta, por favor llame al 718-766-8828
/Google Language Tools
¡Atención!
¡Empleados de la compañia IDT necesitan su ayuda!
Si ud. ve a representantes de IDT que desean hablar con residentes de este edificio, siga los instrucciones siguientes:
- Vienen a recoger su comida podrida y los desechos de sus mascotas.
- Por favor, hágale un favor al representante de IDT y dele su comida podrida y otra basura casera.
- NO ABRA la puerta; Abra su ventana y lance sus basuras directamente a la cabeza del representante. Asi, la transaccion entre ud. y IDT se completará de la manera más eficaz.
Recuerde: ¡lance duro y rápido!
Favor de pasar esta informacion a sus amigos, vecinos y familiares.
¡Juntos, todos podremos darle a IDT lo que se merece!
"зомби IDT" - IDT Zombies! I love it! :)
Ask the IDT rep for a sexual favor. Figure anybody working for IDT would do just about anything for a buck.
Ok, seriously, can somebody put a bullet into this company?
@Mobius:
I ask them if they can read, and if so what is their excuse for ignoring the farking NO Solicitation sign?
A couple nice tricks to help our friends from IDT.
(None legal, but oh what fun)
A) Photograph the SOB and then photoshop his/her picture into one of the sexual deviant posters. This way everybody knows what kind of slime the person might be, and one of your neighbors might be willing to call the police with the report of a known rapist/child molester/dog farker in her building.
B) Go ahead and call the police as you buzz IDT into the building. Your complaint? Somebody is trying door handles in your building. You think they are trying to gain illegal entry to steal/rape/murder a tenent.
C) When you see the IDT rep, give out a nice scream. Scream, REAL LOUD. Doesn't matter what you scream, or why you scream, your neighbors will call the police.
The goal? Maybe an overzealous cop will use the IDT rep for target practice. The IDT rep might just get a pair of handcuffs and an hour or so detention while the police figure out what to do with a case of mistaken rapist identity. OR might just suck up some precious IDT time.... hard to scam people when all of your time is consumed with other issues.
The Picture Featured Here is Of ME.
I was NOT Notified that It was goin to be used in regards to this Article. Im not trying to be a douche about this. I would have liked to know that it was goin to be used.
I Dont want it Removed Or Anything, I Still Think Is Super Kool that MY pic is featured, Just a heads up would have been nice.
Picture Details - Toronto Zombie Walk Oct 2008.
@Maddy N: Sorry, Maddy N. I follow all Creative Commons rules and only use Flickr images that are licensed for public use. I did follow the license you stipulated (see [creativecommons.org] ) to the letter. A credit to you and a link to your page is at the bottom of the post.
I've noticed that many people who want to be made aware of when their CC-licensed images are used add a note to the image--something like, "If you use this anywhere, please leave a comment below with the link. Thanks!" That, in my opinion, would be an example of the rights holder stipulating the terms under which he will allow use of his image. You could also request that anyone who uses it please email you with a link and a heads up. If you had anything like that on your page, I would have been more than happy to contact you.
In the absence of that sort of instruction, I intentionally don't contact image owners who CC-license their images. I firmly believe in Creative Commons, but while I have noticed that some people informally practice a policy of always letting someone know when they use their image, I don't condone the practice because I don't want CC to be seen as some sort of informal network of politeness. I think Creative Commons is best served by following the license to the letter, as strictly as one does with traditional copyright--which means if you assign a certain CC license that gives others the right to use your image under specific conditions, then you're not holding the person to any other unstated requirements.
I sincerely hope you're not offended. To avoid any further controversy I'm going to go ahead and replace it.
Btw, it *is* a great photo. I envy anyone on Flickr who has participated in a zombie walk and lived to tell about it.
Let's hope so, because in your 4th sentence you're calling the people reading the letter ... well, you know ... instead of IDT.
Could Jeff get into trouble for printing off a few fliers with this information in very simple words and tack one or two up on the door to the apartment complex, on the inside so whoever opens the door knows? Or near the stairs? If someone is going to walk into the apartments and let the IDT guy in, I guess there's nothing Jeff can do about it, but maybe he can warn residents from leaving their homes to open the door for the IDT guy.
This is somewhat of a generalization, but from my experience with immigrants, they tend to know their limitations, and while are not distrustful of every human being on the planet, are generally more wary when they know they can't speak much English, even if you look "official" (like you're wearing a uniform). So perhaps Jeff has that on his side too.