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Blocking Annoying Cell Phone Callers?
RobertB-DC asks: "Twice a week, for the past several months, I receive a call on my cell phone, from a 'Restricted' number. It's always the same: 'Please hold for an important non solicitation message.' It then tells me to call 1-800-842-0640 for further instructions. When I call (from a CID-blocked work phone), all I can get from them is the company name: NCO. They won't tell me more about their company unless I tell who I am. Verizon says they can't block the caller. Short of exposing my own identity to someone I don't know, how can I get rid of these annoying calls?" Are there cell phone carriers who are progressive enough to offer call blocking services of some kind?
all I can get from them is the company name: NCO. They won't tell me more about their company unless I tell who I am.
Short of making up a social security number, I see nothing wrong with making up all the personal info you give them.
You're not alone.
That is a scam to get you to talk to them. From there they get your info and takes your money, it happened to me when they told me it was free and it wasn't free, my mama said nothing was free and she was right, now I coan't afford to post on a real message board, so I post here.
I don't have a link but I thought cold calls to cell phones were against the law.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
That could be the case if this is the "NCO" that is calling you.
They're a credit agency .
...have you tried telling them to put you on their "do not call" list? If they call you again after that, call the police and report them for harassing you over the telephone. If they continue to call you, the police should be able to trace the number.
NCO is a collections company. Odds are they're calling to collect on an outstanding bill; have you tried giving 'em your cell# (since they obviously already have it) to try and find out what the hell they're calling for?
Also, keep in mind, they already have your cell number -- it's not like it'd be all that hard for 'em to get your name anyway. After all, you gave your credit card info to your cell provider, right? Yes? Well, your info's already in the system, then, so quit worrying about what *might* happen, 'cause it already *has*.
With the FTC, you can file complaints on the web I believe. I'm not sure what the state offices you should report them too (especially since I don't know the state you live in).
What they are doing should be illegal. Essentially, since you called them, they don't have to identify themselves. However, if you got a live human on the phone who made the original call, it would be illegal for them not to tell you who they are so you can request to be taken off their call list. IMHO, this is just a scam to get around the no call list.
Kirby
Your work phone may have CID blocked, but it wouldn't work on a 1-800 number. That uses ANI, a different system and is not blockable. Depends on the outfit they can either see your number real-time or on their monthly statement.
Dont ask that they kindly block the number, but instead report it as harrassment and threaten leagal charges. Have Verizon put a trace on the calls (you'll have to work with them on that one) to figure out where they're REALLY coming from, then contact the BBB and your state's Attourney General.
As far as I know, making unsolicited calls to a cellphone is illegal since YOU are paying for them to do this to you. Next time they call you, call that 1-800 number and tell them to remove your information from the database and that if they sell it you will press charges.
I know I'd be really pissed if I were in your position.
Owners of smart phones running Symbian OS can install call-blocking software:
5 0_ software.htm
http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/software/nokia_36
There may be similar software for other phones.
Or you could install one of those Microsoft phones and be free of all incoming calls.
That said, there are a few posts in this thread that say that NCO is a collection agency, in which case just pay up. Either way, find out if they are that NCO before calling the police, because then you'd just look like an idiot and would probably have to pay a fine if you filed false charges.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
As everyone says:
.. probably 3 or 4 calls a week.
NCO is a collections agency.
This means that you owe them money (because someone else you owe money has transferred that to them).
This means that you have a business relationship with them (because your debt was transferred from a company that you did have a business relationship with) and they can call your cell phone.
Note: Verizon cannot block the call because it's not CID available. If it were to show on CID, it could quite probably be blocked at the service level - but it can't.
On the other hand: If it is NOT you that they are looking for (I got to deal with this quite a bit when I first got my new cell phone, with it's new #), such as in the case where you have just received a new cell number, then they don't have a right to call you, however, you need to identify yourself to them before they can discover that!
So, if you're not identifying yourself to them because you're trying to avoid the collections agency, you're gonna continue to get phone calls. If you're not the person that they are wanting to collect from, then you have to identify yourself to them, so that they will stop calling you.
I had every utility company in this state calling my cell phone trying to reach the guy that used to have the number.. and it took a good 3 or 4 months of sending calls to voicemail, with a message saying "This is NO LONGER THE PHONE NUMBER FOR -former owner's name-. If you are looking for him, please do not call back."
"Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
I signed up for MSN .Net alerts....with my last phone...then I switched phone (same carrier) and tried to remove the alerts.
I've tried everything I can, and STILL get alerts on my phone (via SMS) for Hotmail and eBay, and everytime someone on Messenger tries to chat.
Do you think my carrier cares? Nope. Do you think it's easy to get ahold of anyone at MSN? Nope.
Grrrr!
-psy
The problem caused by one unpaid bill is easily solved with a second unpaid bill.
Don't pay the phone bill.
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Seriously, under no circumstances should you call them back and give them your information.
Once you do that, you then have a "business relationship", and they are free to contact you any time of day, any day of the week.
Chances are, what is going on is they got your information from an old database of "outstanding claims" that they purchased from a company. Even 'tho it might be something a decade old that you've already paid off. It happens a lot.
The best advice would be to call an independant credit bureau and see what you actually have on your credit report through them. If there's nothing outstanding, then don't worry about it. If there is, contact the company and confirm if it was sent to collections, and see if they have records that it was paid off. If no record, sorry to tell you but you're screwed, even if you paid it.
Use a public fax and fax NCO, asking them to send you a copy of the bill via registered mail. That way they will not fudge the amount, something these places do a lot. Then send in a money order for that amount.
A pain in the ass. Yay capitalism!
I am betting it's NCO Graphics out of North Carolina, they're a collection agency. I have NO idea how to get rid of them but at least I know why they're hunting me...stupid mistake made by an ISP who keeps conveniently forgetting to call them and say that our collection was settled months ago. Strangely enough I just joined and this came up and it's right up my alley... Stop Industrial and Corporate Espionage
0x09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
Very good information to help you deal with collection agencies at:
Freeadvice.com
This is a link to the forums. You can find decent credit and collections-related information off the main site, as well.
I'm in the UK and just last week I asked British Telecom if there was a way to block all calls that withheld the caller ID info. I've been getting a lot of nuisance calls lately.
BT: "Yes there is sir! And it'll cost you 40 pounds per year."
That's right, 40 quid to *not* receive nuisance calls.
Always remember when dealing with phone service providers and telemarketing companies that it's in the phone service provider's best interest if the telemarketer DOES call you.
Why exactly would a telecom company want to STOP people from calling you?
#include "no_european_symbols_on_slashdot_complaint.txt"
I have a plan. How about everyone on slashdot phone them similtaniously and Slashdot their phone line?
-------
Support Indy Music. Buy
Do you think it's these guys: NCO Group? There's a Yahoo profile where they talk about:
They seem to be debt collectors. If that were the case, they would be correct in stating that they are not soliciting you.
Next time they call get the telemarketer's name (Mary). Ask Mary to tell you the nature of the call. If she refuses to specify without you first giving out personal info, let her know that as soon as you hang up, you will be contacting the FTC and the Attorney General office ( in case it is the NCO Group, contact the PA Attorney General where they are incorporated ) to file a complaint that includes her name and the date and time of the call.
If they are trying to collect debt they should specify that on the phone when you call. They obviously can't tell you what they're trying to collect on without some sort of info from you but they should tell you the nature of the call.
Perhaps you should use the following to get them to cease communication via your cell phone. I am convinced that accruing minutes on your cell phone (I know some plans are unlimited, but most aren't) would be tantamount to causing you to incur a charge. In English, that means it's your dime, not theirs. You are paying out money to accept their call. If it was a landline and you were not limited on minutes of usage, it would be an entirely different story. Perhaps you should return their call and insist on alternate means of communication. If it is a collection agency for a debt that you do owe, then you should communicate with them. If you do not owe the debt, then you should notify them verbally and in writing of a dispute.
Here's what the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act has to say about it.
808. Unfair practices [15 USC 1692f]
(5) Causing charges to be made to any person for communications by concealment of the true propose of the communication. Such charges include, but are not limited to, collect telephone calls and telegram fees.
Sounds suspiciously like the Consumer Recreation Services (CRS) in The Game
Maybe you should give them a call!
A) Accounts receivable are an asset. And, like any asset, they can be sold.
B) When you are legally obligated to render payment to another party, that party is neither harassing you nor subject too the do not call list when they telephone you about your payment. They are simply trying to recoup what is owed in the least expensive manner - and in the long run, it is cheaper for you to pay them than to avoid your problems.
tl,dr: Parent is a tard, ignore his advice.
Unless you're using your cell phone to field work calls, I strongly recommend you set your phone to block calls with restricted caller information. (Sometimes this can be set right in the phone's menu; if not, you can call your provider and ask them to turn it on.) If someone wants to talk with you badly enough, let 'em *82 and tell you who's calling.
These people are a collection agency, and as such they're exempt from telemarketing call rules. I had a situation with these same people at one point in the past - they were calling my cell phone daily, but with a live person instead of a recording. After telling them to "fuck off" for two weeks, and still getting the calls, I explained that if they continued to call I would start deducting $10 per call from my debt for my phone use and work time, but if they'd stop calling my cell then I might consider starting to pay the debt they were trying to collect. The calls stopped immediately.
BTW - it's exceptionally likely that you phoned them from your cell at some point - that's almost always how they acquire cell numbers. The problem is that they can now propogate that phone number along with all their other records of you. Unless I'm mistaken, that means they can include your cell # when reporting to credit reporting groups... Which would mean that every company with access to your credit record (all current debts and credit sources, etc) will have your cell #.
j
If it's NCO the collections agency, and *YOU* are the debtor they're after, you've probably got them nailed.
Third-Party collections agencies (professional debt collectors) are bound by federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This stipulates that they cannot disclose any debt to anyone but the debtor and the creditor; hence, the stonewalling until they find out who you are. Even telling somebody that they know who you are can be a violation, since how would they know you if you didn't have a debt in collections?
This is, however, beside the point. The kicker is that the FDCPA prohibits a collector from incurring expenses to the debtor in attempt to collect the debt -- more to the point, they cannot call collect or on a cell phone. I've done work for collection agencies before and they're very careful to make sure they never contact a debtor on a cellular phone, since that allows a debtor who knows "the act" to create a legal morass that's more trouble than its worth.
You might as well tell them who you are. If you're not the one they're looking for, they'll take your number off the account and leave you alone. If you *are* the one they're looking for, you can make a stink and they may write off the debt as uncollectable.
I called the number and some guy calling himself McBride said I owed him $699.
I understand these folks are just doing their jobs, but the strange BS they pull is mind boggling. Like those lame pre-recorded messages they leave on your answering machine. "This is Mister Shapiro. I have to make a decision on your behalf, and I want to make an informed decision..." Lame the first time you get it. The hundredth time you get it, there's just no word.
Yeah, I know, time to declare bankruptcy.
-FB
Ligaguinggligagiggagoogoogwillgo
A) Accounts receivable are an asset. And, like any asset, they can be sold.
Sure, they can sell them. And that has absolutely no bearing on why *I* owe money to. Unless the real debtor has given the collection agency a power of attorney its perfectly save to ignore them until you pay back the original debt. I have done it hundreds of times. They dont have a leg to stand on.
Same problem here. Credit Card company called at least once a day. After two weeks I called my cell phone company and they gladly changed my number(no charge). Problem Solved.
There is a national Do-Not-Call-List now. It works for cell phones as well as land lines. Find the link on Slashdot here(I'm too lazy just now) and sign up. If they call you get $500. Sound good?
"Engineers do the work of man, Physicists do the work of God"
Emmitt Smith.
hanging up, and not calling the 800 number back ?!?
but when I had lots of harrassing calls for another person at my new home phone number, I set up a voicemail tree which said, "Press 1 for [other person], press 2 for [me]". They usually end up pressing 1 b/c they aren't interested in me, and 1 gives them a message explaining that the person they are calling is no longer at this number but does not allow them to leave a message.
When I did get messages from them, I called the phone number, explained that I am not who they think, and threatened to sue them under the TCPA if they called again. This pissed them off, but the calls stopped.
Lie AND call from:
a) A payphone
b) A caller-ID-blocked phone (which the original author said he did)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
The previous guy could have owed a LOT of people money.
i.e. each of those calls could have been from a different company.
Which sucks, but isn't harassment.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
fucking paranoid tweaker, just anser the the phone and pay your fucking bill dork. ok, im dunk, i hope i remember to make this anonymouse ;-)
::i visited slashdot and all i got was this lousy sig::
when they ask who you are.. LIE!!!!! Just bullshit them. If I get a call from someone I don't know on my cell phone I completely bullshit it. Make them pay a price for cost me money.
Then you can ask them who they are...
"Your having a bad day when the voices in your head put you on hold"
So far, a great discussion about debt collection but what about the "other" recorded calls people get. My home number gets 3-4 spam calls a day, with at least one being an autorecording (typically offering me satellite service that I already have...).
I was just dealing with this yesterday from a cold call to my cell phone (first one). It was a recording and I was unable to take notes about the number and name of whom to call.
According to the link above to the TCPA, it says:
A prohibition against the use of artificial or prerecorded voice messages to call a residence except in cases of emergency or if the caller has received prior express consent. (Such calls to businesses are not prohibited.)
Thus, these calls are illegal?
What if the former owner of the number gave their "permission"?
I don't do this for karma, I do it for cash. It's much better.
I get calls on a land line that sound like a computer generated female voice (a pretty good one, I might add) which goes like this:
"Please call Mrs. Ungar at (phone no.)".
Since the person does not identify herself or company she might represent, I ignore the call outright. This has been going on for several months now.
To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
--Keeping the flame wars alive, one post at a time
Calling an 800 number bypasses the caller-id-blocking system. An 800 number can always see your phone number via a system called "ANI" (automatic number identification?)
The theory that I've heard for this is: since the callee is paying for the call, they get to know your phone number.
Anyway, you have no privacy protection when you call an 800 (or 888, or 877, or any of its friends) number.
you're a fucking retard.
DTMF is the technology that makes touch tones work. ANI is Automatic Number Identification, functionally very similar to Caller ID (but implemented very differently). It is commonly used for 911 calls, and may be used by calltakers in telemarketing firms.
And the required relevant link:
http://info-center.ccit.arizona.edu/~telcosvc/call eridfaq.shtml
I'm really not trying to be difficult here, but I'm still astounded by the lengths people will go to simply to answer the phone. I've witnessed a 73 year old man regularly race through the hall to catch his phone calls. The guy is going to give himself a heart attack.
Why do people think they are obligated to pick up the phone just because it rings? Let it go to voicemail- especially if the caller ID reports an 'unknown' or 'restricted' number calling.
Just my two cents.
Create a system much like the email spam prevention methods which require someone to do something special the first time they email you. After that first time they can email you at will.
1) turn off the default ringer&buzzer on your phone
2) set up the feature on your phone which makes calls from friends/family/expected callers ring using a specified ring, not the default one.
now, when people who you would like to call (ie are already in your phone book), the phone will ring.
if someone you don't expect to call calls, they will get routed to your voicemail. if you really want to talk to them in future, just put them in your phone book.
Is there a hole in this method?
Are you sure that it's not SCO that's calling you?
To understand recursion,
you must first understand recursion.
Thank you to all for your help! Here's my action plan:
:)
* I know I didn't have any unknown outstanding debts on my record in April, but there are some medical bills that may have been added since then. I'll get a new credit report and see what's been going on lately. I used myFICO once before, but their price seems to have gone up... I'll have to look for an alternative. Fortunately, I've been turned down enough times while looking for new home financing, that I should be able to get a free report.
* If nothing shows up there, I'll follow up on the company name that this AC managed to get out of the 800 number. NCO Credit Services has three numbers and several emails listed on their "Contacts" page... someone should be able to tell me if they have a gruff-voiced robot that calls and leaves "non solicitation messages".
* Once I feel like I have a clue who's calling, I'll be more comfortable telling them who I am. Your information has been very valuable, especially the part about collection agencies in the US being barred from costing me money when they collect. That implies that these folks *will* care that they're calling on a cell phone.
Thanks again, everyone, for your help. Good luck, and God bless!
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
I got a voice mail left on my cell phone the other day at 4:30am! Some company selling DirecTV install services. They said I had "asked" them to contact me when it was available. As far as I know only about 10 people in the entire world know my cell phone number and all of them I trust.
When I moved from Georgia to Indiana 2 years ago I moved my Sprint PCS service with me. When I got here, I realized that Sprint's service sucks in my area so I cancelled the service and switched to Cingular. The guy w/ Sprint told me I was paid up and to ignore any more bills, their system would catch up in a month or two. So I ignored the bills.
6 months later I get a letter from NCO saying I owe $130+ (like 4 months of service). BS. I call Sprint and ask em what the deal is, they can't help, account has been written off. Ask NCO what the deal is, all they know is that I owe em $130. So I sent em a letter asking for verification of the debt, and I never hear from them again.
Fast forward to June of this year.. another collection agency, same amount. Send them a letter asking for verification of the debt. Never hear from them.
I think that's one of the stipulations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.. The collection agency has to be able to verify the validity of the debt if you ask, or they aren't allowed to try to collect on it -- put up or shut up. You are limited in the amount of time you have to send that request for verification, and they have a time limit on responding to, read the law to find out more. I haven't checked my credit report; hopefully both agencies didn't ding me. And I don't know what I'm going to do if Sprint keeps sending collection agencies after me, it's getting pretty annoying.
The collection agencies haven't called my current cell phone, and I have no idea if they call my home phone since I leave the ringer off all the time.
while i am somewhat hearing-impaired (and i ain't pc ;), i do hear the phone most of the time when it rings.
but i've learned to ignore calls from "unknowns" and such, even numbers i don't recognize - i let 'em go to my voice mail and if they care to identify themselves, then i can maybe call... or since practically all people i know have mobiles, they'll send me sms messages a lot of times to get over the hassle of not getting the guy when you call him.
why is that so hard?
--v
Oh yes they can call you.
Read that law again. Third party collectors can call (communicate with you, which is why they hang up if they don't get you) you once per day. You have to inform them in writing (postal mail, folks) to stop.
First party collectors are not bound by the postal "do not call" rule.
Also, they can call your cell phone all they want if they don't "know" it's a cell phone. The "do not incurr charges for the debtor" rule only refers to intentional charges.
It's been two weeks, and the story is about to be archived, so I wanted to give an update to anyone interested.
The solution to the problem appears to be simple: get the Slashdot community involved! I haven't received a single call from the gruff-voiced robot -- not one in two weeks. I can only conclude that the story here (as well as the posting on usenet referenced in another thread) caused the company to rethink their strategy.
Did we Slashdot their 800 number? 'Scuse me while I shed a bitter tear.
I've only received two unsolicited calls since then. One was an actual person -- she was selling something, so I emphatically pointed out that she was making an unsolicited call to a cell phone. She replied, "You should blame your phone company for selling us the number, honey," and hung up before I could see if she was just blowing smoke.
The other was a female-voiced robot who asked me rather politely to call a local number. I've written down the number, and I'll call it *after* the Do-Not-Call list issue is resolved. I don't want to take any chance of starting a "business relationship" with any telemarketer before the list goes into effect -- even though I didn't sign up any of my numbers for the list. I don't trust US telemarketers to keep the list to themselves -- I think they'll sell them on the sly to offshore scumbags.
Again, thanks to all for your help!
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.