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FTC Bombs Massive Robocall Operation

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the take-that-robots dept.

coondoggie writes "The Federal Trade Commission today had a federal court in Chicago halt a major telemarketing operation that made at least 370 million illegal phone calls pitching worthless extended auto warranties and credit card interest rate-reduction programs. According to the FTC, one telephone service provider told the FTC that during a single day in April 2009 the defendants — SBN Peripherals — sent 2.4 million calls to consumers — more than 27 calls per second."

44 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. It's One of Those Days by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FTC Bombs Massive Robocall Operation

    It's one of those days when you wish the headlines were literal in meaning. I mean, surely the FTC could pull some strings and a few cluster bombs could go "missing" en route to Iraq ...

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:It's One of Those Days by somaTh · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think most of the American public would be okay with labeling them "enemy combatants"

      --
      Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
    2. Re:It's One of Those Days by negRo_slim · · Score: 5, Informative

      FTC Bombs Massive Robocall Operation

      It's one of those days when you wish the headlines were literal in meaning. I mean, surely the FTC could pull some strings and a few cluster bombs could go "missing" en route to Iraq ...

      You know that's not such a bad idea as I actually worked for an telemarketing outfit that operated outside FTC regulations. I only lasted a few weeks but eventually I was put in charge web based control of the auto-dialer.

      It started with 'debt consolidation' but during my few weeks there it shifted into Auto Warranties and DirectTV as well.

      During orientation we were told how they reset the internal do not call list every few weeks, and they justified it by stating by then they might need whatever shady wares were being pedaled.

      Either way there were very savy about what they were up to, they were aware of every rule and regulation and loophole as well as the effort required to track down responsible parties. Calling cell phones, people on the DNC list, people in states where you weren't legally allowed to make automated calls too.

      The web based cpanel for the autodialer was out of new zealand (where the actual lines making the calls were, I'll never know), the actual companies responsible for implementation for whatever was sold never had much more than a TX phone number most of the time and here we were in Idaho. The best part is the place is right down the street from where I live now, debated on contacting the state AG but this was two years ago by now they're probably selling star names or some other inane shit by now.

      --
      On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
    3. Re:It's One of Those Days by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think most of the American public would be okay with labeling them "enemy combatants"

      Is it wrong to hope that I someday see a black and white combat video on Wikileaks of an Apache gunship pointed at the blown out wall of some skyscraper with a wounded telemarketer or auto-dialer operator laying next to a headset and the gunners voice come over saying, "Just pick up the #%&$ing headset, just give me a reason, motha$%#@er!"

      Seriously, if these are the jerks that harass my poor grandmother then I hope for nothing else for these people. I know it should be directed at the people running the operations but right now everyone involved should be held accountable because they know what they're doing. Why is it that you get in trouble for distributing marijuana for a bigger fish but you don't get in trouble for working as a call operator at some telemarketer who is making illegal telephone calls?

      --
      My work here is dung.
    4. Re:It's One of Those Days by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, actually, you should bring it up.

      There's apparently good money in selling telemarketers. Or so I've heard.

    5. Re:It's One of Those Days by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 2, Funny

      What a Freudan slip... SUING. I meant SUING.

    6. Re:It's One of Those Days by somaTh · · Score: 4, Funny

      Is it wrong to hope that I someday see a black and white combat video on Wikileaks of an Apache gunship pointed at the blown out wall of some skyscraper with a wounded telemarketer or auto-dialer operator laying next to a headset and the gunners voice come over saying, "Just pick up the #%&$ing headset, just give me a reason, motha$%#@er!"

      Not even a little.

      --
      Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
    7. Re:It's One of Those Days by TheLink · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I saw this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4EPcOpSy8 (How to torment telemarketers with one word ).

      Didn't seem to torment the telemarketer much. Plus the telemarketer has him on the record as being a moron :D. and I think that was one experienced telemarketer (might have dealt with speaking to bots before - I'm sure someone must have set up a telemarketer handling bot ;) ).

      FWIW, I think automated "Hold on, the baby's ...", and similar "please wait" type responses would waste more time.

      But if you don't want to tie up your line maybe something like this would help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tones

      Three tones, then "The number you have dialed is not for telemarketing, please wait if you are someone I would like to speak to".

      --
    8. Re:It's One of Those Days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sure, sue them. But only if:

      - You can find them (nobody to sue if you don't know who the are)
      - You have proof of the contents of the call (their word against yours)
      - Your time is free (or at least cheaper than the $500 you might get)

      There is a better solution: Just Hang Up On Them.

    9. Re:It's One of Those Days by dkleinsc · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The trouble is that the poor saps who work at these sorts of places are rarely the people really responsible for the scuzzy business practices. As a general rule, the grunts in those sorts of organizations are people desperate for work, any kind of work, and are aware that what they're doing is scuzzy but at the same time need to feed themselves and their families. Now, if you could drop a bomb that only hit the upper management who's making the big bucks off of these scuzzy business practices, I'd be all for it. But otherwise, you're mostly punishing decent folks trying to make a living.

      That's also the reason I generally don't hate on telemarketers. If they could find other work, most of 'em would take it.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    10. Re:It's One of Those Days by berzerke · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think the following quote sums it up nicely.

      I would be more embarrassed to admit to someone that I worked as a telemarketer than I would be to admit that I was a drug dealer. There are some people who LIKE drugs. Nobody likes a telemarketer. -- Mike Helan

    11. Re:It's One of Those Days by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I worked for our local Telecommunications company a few summers ago. Just a temp job, between semesters.

      I applied for call center work, and they basically had 2 options: Sales and 411. In Sales, you'd be calling various customers with offers the telecom had available, and in 411 you'd be recieving calls requesting phone number or address info. While sales isn't as bad* as regular telemarketting, I still didn't and still don't think I could do it, knowing that I'd be basically harassing people. I chose 411, which was definately one of the most interesting jobs I've had. The Drunks on Fridays and Saturdays looking for a Cab are usually very social and hilarious. Anyways. What were we talking about again?

      Right. People operating as telemarketers. Should they be strung up along with the big fish? I don't know. Often times it's the only "job" people can get that isn't in the restaurant business. I mean should the cook at McDonalds be put in Jail because he knows he's poisoning civilians with fatty food and giving them diabetes? Should the Factory worker @ Intel be fined x amount of dollars if the CEO's collude and price fix the processors?

      I mean, in all those cases, the small fish pretty much knows whats going on but can't really do anything about it.

      If anything, its the Marijuana situation that needs to change. They should just make it like hash bars in Amsterdam, or at least how they define them in Pulp Fiction. Legal to own, Legal to buy. If you are the proprieter of a bar, it's legal to sell. But you can only light it up in those bars.

      *They're the biggest Telecom in the country so they probably adhere to federal guidelines pretty well.

    12. Re:It's One of Those Days by mysidia · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This kind of changes the meaning of...

      Nato warns of strike against cyber attackers

      I suppose telemarketing and attempting to sell fake products is now considered an attack

      Makes sense, since the whole notion of "cyber war" is really kind of fuzzy.

      Including the definition of what "an attack" is or means.

      By bombing them in the physical world, they avoid any ambiguity... the US is obviously at war with telemarketers.

      Now, my next question is.... since when did the FTC's duties include use of munitions, and since when did they have authority to go out on their own and start bombing companie headquarters?

      I guess the law that provides for it must be hidden somewhere deep in the pages of the health care bill, or some other secret law congress passed some time ago..

    13. Re:It's One of Those Days by frosty_tsm · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Right. People operating as telemarketers. Should they be strung up along with the big fish? I don't know. Often times it's the only "job" people can get that isn't in the restaurant business. I mean should the cook at McDonalds be put in Jail because he knows he's poisoning civilians with fatty food and giving them diabetes? Should the Factory worker @ Intel be fined x amount of dollars if the CEO's collude and price fix the processors?

      You cover this pretty well. There is a quote that sums it up pretty well:

      "These are tough times. If a man can get a job, he might not look too close at what that job is."

      I know it has applied to me personally, although I haven't done telemarketing (instead, a job promoting products I don't completely agree with). Would someone pick working as a telemarketer over starving? Welfare? The real problem is people who chose to create a shady telemarketing business rather than a more constructive business.

    14. Re:It's One of Those Days by interkin3tic · · Score: 3, Funny

      Why is it that you get in trouble for distributing marijuana for a bigger fish but you don't get in trouble for working as a call operator at some telemarketer who is making illegal telephone calls?

      Maybe it's a matter of who is enforcing those laws. Maybe if we put it on the police to track down telemarketers instead of the FTC, we'd start seeing headlines like "Suspected telemarketers accuse Chicago cops of brutality."

      Perhaps law enforcement has been less successful at the task of making sure you can't smoke pot. Sure, I'm just saying, I've never had a pot dealer wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me "This is your second notice that your stash of pot is about to expire..."

    15. Re:It's One of Those Days by Pharmboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      I liked it better when you said selling. You can grind them into a fine pink powder to make Torgo's Executive Powder, it has a thousand uses!

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
    16. Re:It's One of Those Days by Jeprey · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I was thinking instead: "We'll nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

    17. Re:It's One of Those Days by Mydnight · · Score: 3, Funny

      Even better solution -- a guy on one of the forums I frequent had a collection agency that kept on harassing him because of someone else who previously had that number. He also had a home asterisk setup. He routed the collection agency's number back to their own front desk, and recorded the calls -- apparently there was about a week of the secretary and the collections agent swearing at each other several times a day, and then they mysteriously stopped calling...

    18. Re:It's One of Those Days by bit01 · · Score: 2, Informative

      But otherwise, you're mostly punishing decent folks trying to make a living.

      It's not "a living". Every minute of their "work" is stealing a minute of another person's time. They "work" a 40 hour week? They've stolen 40 hours of other people's time. And the time of our life is the most important thing we have. And that's ignoring the scams they're trying to sell. Almost universally massive ripoffs.

      These are not decent people, just petty thieves typically trying to rationalize theft. Being paid doesn't justify theft.

      ---

      Marketing = information pollution.

  2. I got several of these calls by MyLongNickName · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I returned one of them (they give you a number to call) and asked why my cell was getting spammed. The "professional" got very abusive.

    I immediately filed a report. I am glad something actually happens after that. Restores a smidgen of faith in government.

    It will restore more if they castrate everyone involved in this scheme.

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    1. Re:I got several of these calls by geekoid · · Score: 4, Informative

      I love it when people who have no idea on what has to be involved in these investigations assume everyone moves slow~

      Arrogance of ignorance at it's best.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  3. I remember them by MBCook · · Score: 5, Informative

    I remember them. They called me quite a bit last year. It got to the point I started trying to figure out who they were.

    They would call and tell me my car warranty was about to expire. I thanked one of them and asked which of my two cars had the warranty problem... and the guy couldn't answer and hung up.

    The answer, of course, is that I don't have any cars/warranties in my name. Whatever he said would have been wrong, but I knew that.

    I reported them a couple of times to the FCC.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    1. Re: I remember them by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They would call and tell me my car warranty was about to expire. I thanked one of them and asked which of my two cars had the warranty problem... and the guy couldn't answer and hung up.

      When robocalls get a hit there is a 2-3 second delay while they connect you to a salesjerk. You almost never get this delay when it's a human caller; they respond to your hello at normal conversational reaction time.

      So when I'm feeling surly I just lie the (landline) phone down when I hear the pause, rather than hanging up. I figure if they're willing to waste my time I might as well waste theirs.

      I also read somewhere that robocalling software remembers useless numbers and skips over them, so I turned off my answering machine when I was going to be away from the phone for a couple of weeks, and sure 'nough, I get a lot less telespam than I used to.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    2. Re: I remember them by asdf7890 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      http://www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html can be fun to try if you have some time to waste.

      A trick I've used with "success" is to be very interested but need to nip out for a second. Something like "ooh yes, I've been looking for a new mobile phone deal, could you hold while I go turn the pans off in the kitchen?". Don't be too eager or they'll smell a rat. Once you have them waiting, nip off and do something else for a while. I've had cold callers wait for my return (according to my phone's call log) for ten minutes or more before now.

      Want to get rid of them a little more quickly? Try answering with something like "Hello, you are through to the North Yorkshire Emergency Response Centre, what is your current location?" and role-play from there as much as is needed. They usually appologise and ring off in short order. If tey don't ramp it up with "this is an emergency number, you could be endangering lives by holding it open". Obviously don't do this on a line you get business calls on as you have to jump in before knowing who is calling for it to be convincing - my home landline only exists so I can get ADSL based internet down the line, so I know that any call I get down there is a junk call (everyone else calls my mobile).

    3. Re:I remember them by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Funny

      I made a game of it...see how long I could keep them on the line. Ficticious name, correct street/fake number, fake car. Go through 3 levels of sales people..."And who should I write down for my records for the electronic check?" they give methe company name (supposedly).
      "Of course, you know that you will never ever get any money from me, and the only reason I'm still talking to you is because I'm bored, and so you don't bother someone else at dinnertime."

      35 minutes was my record.

  4. Simple solution by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have one phone (mobile) and I use Google Voice for all calls.

    If I get a call and don't recognize the number or if caller ID is blocked then I don't answer.

    If they leave a voicemail I will decide if it is someone I want to talk to or not. If the answer is yes I add them to the address book and call them back. If the answer is no I mark the number as spam and never get bother by it ever again.

    1. Re:Simple solution by gstoddart · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wow, Epic fail on my behalf.

      I actually quoted text from a different poster (the one I intended to respond to) and replied to you.

      Today, I am apparently stupider than usual. :-P

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re: Simple solution by Black+Parrot · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I have one phone (mobile) and I use Google Voice for all calls.

      If I get a call and don't recognize the number or if caller ID is blocked then I don't answer.

      If they leave a voicemail I will decide if it is someone I want to talk to or not. If the answer is yes I add them to the address book and call them back. If the answer is no I mark the number as spam and never get bother by it ever again.

      I got a cell phone for emergency use, have never given out the phone number or made a call on it, but I get calls and texts all the time.

      Now I just delete off the phone and let the stuff in the voice box rot - the UI makes it too much trouble to delete messages.

      Back when I first got it and listened to some of the messages in the voice box, about half of them were prefixed with a recording saying that the call was coming from the state pen. (Especially on holidays - do they get extra phone time or something?) So I wonder if I got a number that formerly belonged to a delivery boy, or if inmates just call random numbers hoping to start some sh*t with someone.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  5. sad news by tverbeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now I won't have anybody calling me.... :-(

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  6. What About the RespOrgs? by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The system for toll-free numbers (which are usually the source and return numbers for this crap) is based on "Responsible Organizations" selling toll-free numbers and service to people or companies. The RespOrgs are in no way required to share information on who is paying for what number with anyone, anytime, anywhere, for any reason (the only exception if a warrant is issued). By the time any kind of interest is expressed in the identity behind a toll-free number, the RespOrg who sold it has already told the owner - who responds by moving the same number to a different RespOrg. From there the game of whack-a-mole continues, in a way not all that different from how spammers move their domains from one bad registrar to another to avoid revealing their identifying information.

    In short, its great that the FTC shut down a robocalling enterprise. However in the grand scheme of robocalling and spam-calling, the action is a knee-jerk reaction that isn't worth much of anything - at least as long as there is no way for consumers to find out who is really harrassing them.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  7. Death, not just for infidels anymore... by DarthVain · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously can these people be executed already? I am not talking about the poor jerk getting paid minimum wage to do these soul sucking jobs, but the evil bastards behind these types of things.

    Good for the FTC actually doing something about it, most times these guys are so adept at being wriggling bottom feeders that they can slip through every loophole and just keep on doing what they are doing, or once they get shut down, they just start up another one.

    I know I have gotten to the point that even on my cell phone, it really just limits my phone usage, as I refuse to answer 1-800, 1-866, or any "unknown" callers. I figure if it is a legit call, and it is important, they can leave a message, and I can decide to return the call or not.

    I say line them all up against a wall with all the "businessmen" who have stolen over a million bucks in ponzi schemes and have them all shot. No club fed for you. That goes for all those lying TV infomercials as well. It disgusts me that these people prey on others seemingly without any punishment.

    Just thinking about this stuff fills me with rage.

  8. i've been screwing with these people.... by Michael+Kristopeit · · Score: 4, Funny
    i just got my first home phone in a long time through a package deal with time warner (cheaper to get it than not get it...), anyways, i hadn't been exposed to telemarketing in a while, so it's a fun new thing for me.

    every call they made showed on the caller id as "SBN Peripherals", so at least they weren't trying to spoof that. i usually got the credit card rate reduction, or claims that i won a cruise. the funny part is i have no credit card debt.... i have no debt of any kind.... so i just talk in the crank yankers voice and demand "i want the lowest rate, lady".... over and over. they'll read their script for 4 responses and then hang up. i'm pretty sure that's where things get illegal... you can't just call me and hang up. I WANT THE LOWEST RATE!#^!&#)!

    screw you, SBN. you call me = i waste your time.

    1. Re:i've been screwing with these people.... by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My favorite are the automated messages that give you an opportunity to leave your name and number if you are interested. I always leave a fake name that is just plausible enough not to catch their attention, but strange enough for me to remember it when I hear it. Then when they call back and ask for that name, I say, "Oh you just missed him. He stepped out and should be back in 15 minutes." The second time I use some excuse as to why he won't be available for about half an hour. If they call a third time, I give some reason why he won't be able to talk to them until the following day. I've never gotten a fourth call, but if I did I would probably start overat number one.
      If they are going to take up my time by autocalling me, I'm going to take up their time as much as I can.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    2. Re:i've been screwing with these people.... by dr_dank · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sometimes I'll answer these calls by saying "911, what's your emergency?".

      Nothing will get you on their do not call list faster than if they think that they direct dialed an emergency serices center. Don't be afraid to chastise them for doing so and threaten fines and jailtime for added effect.

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    3. Re:i've been screwing with these people.... by Michael+Kristopeit · · Score: 2, Interesting
      i just looked it up... WHERE I LIVE it is illegal to: (all felonies)

      impersonate a 911 dispatcher
      impersonate a firefighter
      impersonate a journalist

  9. UGH! by Xacid · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I actually got one of those damned calls today. I went ahead and pressed 9 to talk to a real human about "Lowing my Credit Card Rates". My first question "What is the name of your company?" "Asdfsdlkfsd and sdfsdlkjfls working for Visa and Mastercard" is pretty much all I heard. I ask her to repeat it and she simply says "Have a nice day" then hangs up! The goal was to get them to remove me from their list.

    Looked up the number and it sounds like it might be a number Skype is using to route calls. (615-724-7999). Talked to ATT (my carrier) and asked if there was any way to trace the origin of that call but that was a fruitless search.

    Anyone out there having better luck about being proactive towards putting an end to this nonsense? I don't want their services or their good and I sure as hell don't want to give them any of my time.

    1. Re:UGH! by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Informative

      Wait, what?!? You reached a human being at AT&T?

      OK, now you've got 0 credibility.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  10. Owner of the operation by crow_t_robot · · Score: 5, Informative
    Apparently, the owner of the operation here in the US ( Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian ) is not just a sleezebag in business but in real life too:

    http://www.persianhub.org/off-topic-free-talk-published/143955-video-fereidoun-khalilian-accused-sexual-abuse.html

    "Paris Hilton's former business partner in Orlando's Club Paris has a history of accusations of sexual misconduct or rape. The Orlando Sentinel has uncovered at least three other incidents in which women claim that Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian sexually abused them. In 2005, a passerby called police to report that Khalilian tried to rape a woman outside the club. The alleged victim turned out to be Khalilian's girlfriend at the time, Heather Dodt. The entrepreneur was not arrested at the scene, after he claimed he had diplomatic immunity. "I'm a diplomat. You can't arrest me. I own Club Paris," the police report states. After investigating, police discovered he didn't have immunity and filed a misdemeanor battery charge. The case has not yet gone to trial. Meanwhile, TMZ dug up some video showing "Fred" at work in the club. Fred Khalilian Also in 2005, a 21-year-old employee of the club told police that Khalilian invited her to his home, where he allegedly pulled down her pants and had sex with her. The victim says she didn't immediately call cops because she was fearful of losing her job. Weeks later, she says Khalilian punched her in the face, twice, after keeping her at the nightclub after closing. She then filed a police report against him. It's not yet known how this case was resolved. In another incident, a female patron at Club Paris attacked Khalilian after thinking he sexually fondled her from behind while she was dancing on the stage, but an investigation failed to pinpoint Khalilian as the molester. The club owner was arrested yesterday on charges of battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment, stemming from allegations made by a 20-something woman, who says that he raped her at his home last Friday. "Fred" was released last night after posting a $6,000 bond. Video: TMZ: Video Player"

  11. After only 370 million! by Ichijo · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm glad to see it takes only 370 million illegal phone calls to get the FTC interested. The Do Not Call list works!

    --
    Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
  12. Anathema by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The "it's the only job around" is a complete cop-out. People are responsible for their own actions. Even if you feel you have no choice but to work as a telemarketer, the truth is that you do in fact have choices. You mentally preclude them as "too tough" or unappealing, but they do exist; telemarketers are just lazy.

    People who choose to make a career out of preying upon the elderly and unfit are not only cruel and unethical, but sociopaths as well. There is no sane person who thinks that scamming someone is an acceptable thing to do. We can bring it down to a matter of sanity and insanity, where a sane person would reject becoming a telemarketer in favor of other, less harmful options, and an insane person would see no harm to what they are doing.

    At the end of the day, there is no ethical excuse for harassing and scamming people.

  13. Re:what I hate most by southpolesammy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You're describing the recent trend of Debt Collection Scam. Two of the worst are Allied Interstate and NCO Financial. Now truth be told, those two companies probably do have some legitimate business in collections, but just do a Google search on their company names. Their track record is horrible, and abuse of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is rampant. It doesn't matter if you owe or not to them, as they're not interested in playing fair -- they are scammers through and through. Got your number on "Do Not Call" registry? They don't care. They're just like spammers looking for that one sucker out of thousands that will pay something they don't owe, and thus, validate their raison d'etre.

    In my case, somehow both have gotten a hold of my cell phone number, and are calling at least 1-2x per week. It's always an automated dialer, leaving me a message to call them back at so-and-so number. Never, ever is there a live person, either if I pick up right away, or let it go to voicemail.

    Here's the kicker though -- when they first started, I got worried that I might have been the victim of identity theft, so I pulled all 3 of my credit reports. All 3 are clean as a whistle and have been for years, and there are no unexpected accounts or credit inquiries. So, as mentioned above, they're trolling for suckers, and seeing who will return the call and then will harass the caller into paying something they don't owe.

    The scambusters website has a lot more good information on this growing scam. Go here --> http://www.scambusters.org/debt.html

    FWIW -- I've recently filed complaints with the FTC. We'll see where that goes.

    --
    Rule #1 -- Politics always trumps technology.
  14. It's One of Those RoboDays by TiggertheMad · · Score: 4, Funny

    "These are tough times. If a man can get a job, he might not look too close at what that job is."

    true, but aren't we talking about robo-calling? Is the job slump so bad that robots have to accept these crappy jobs in call centers?

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  15. The FTC really needs to see the other side of this by miserere+nobis · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't think the FTC gets it. There are people out there whose auto warranties really are about to expire, and the robo-callers have no choice-- they are not allowed to, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

  16. Re:I waste the marketers time by DavidTC · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Heh. As the other guy pointed out, your #3 is dependent on #3 being finished, and unless you have some sort of time machine, that ain't going to work.

    I just have a simpler rule: Don't buy shit over the phone.

    Seriously, who still does that? That's what the interwebs are for.

    Of course, the idea of purchasing from someone who contacted you and you have no evidence they are who they say they are or have any legitimate business at all is rather nonsensical to start with.

    Look, when I want to buy shit, I'll go find someone who sells it. You want to be that person, feel free to run ads in legitimate places I might see, and maybe when I need one I'll go 'Hey, I need a new dryer...I think Sears sells dryers, I saw an ad about that, I'll go there.'. Or you can run an ad in the place I look up business information, and I might go for that one. Or maybe you can get me via word-of-mouth. Who knows? The point is, when I want to purchase something, I purchase it by tracking it down, and buying it.

    I'm not going to buy a damn dryer from someone who walks up to me on the street and tries to sell me a dryer and wants a check from me, and promises to deliver it next week. 99.999% of the time because I'm not wandering around without ownership of a fucking dryer, and in need of one, you morons. And the other 0.001% of the time because, while I do happen coincidentally to need to buy a dryer at that exact instant, I have no idea who you are.

    --
    If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?