"Rachel" from Card Services

I've heard people suggest this in the past, but I wonder if it really works.   I was under the impression phones were only capable of a certain number of decibels no matter how loud the sound on the sender's side.   In other words it may sound loud on your end, but the equipment limits the volume on the receiving end.

How it works:
http://onthespotblog.com/on-the-spot-blog-sti ... older-services/
http://onthespotblog.com/tag/cardholder-services/

People should continually file complaints with their Attorney Generals office and also file with:
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
If enough people keep complaining then maybe something will get done.

The calls are being made from outside the US however most of the call centers (where you actually talk to someone after pressing 1) are in the US and the companies making the money from the scam are owned by people in the US.

Many of these calls are coming from Costa Rica and India and they are using spoofed (false) numbers, which in itself is illegal. They do cold calling for or sell the leads to numerous companies in this country and they know that what they are doing is illegal. Tomorrow this same number may be selling Cruises, Timeshares or Security Systems but if you follow the money it usually ends up in the hands of an American LLC. Keep complaining to the FTC and FCC, and start bugging our politicians to pass laws to make it punishable in criminal court instead of handing out fines that they don't pay. Another course of action is to contact phone companies to find out why they won't block spoofed numbers. With today's technology that should be an easy thing to do, unless they are somehow profiting from the use of their systems.

The criminals behind this operation aren't going to pay attention to you asking to be removed from their list. Their calls cost them nothing and they can make a million of them a day so they have no intention of ever removing someone. When you press a key to talk to them all that is accomplished is to verify that they have a working number.
Unfortunately blowing an air horn or whistle doesn't work either. Their headset have noise dampeners plus they are expecting it. However with that said if it makes you feel better then by all means give it a shot.

For anyone thinking of using Special Information Tones (or as they're called in the industry SIT tones) to fake a non working phone number, they won't work. Since around 2001-2002, the costs of "digital" business lines have dropped dramatically, along with Voice over IP (Internet) telephone service. Neither of these use the SIT tones as the call information is carried separate from the audio.
This separate call information tells the calling party digitally if the call was answered, busy, voice mail, forwarded, rejected, etc. This renders SIT tones useless. Also the "TeleZapper" products that used to be on the market used this method as well, and were rendered ineffective for the same reasons.
It is also through this separate call information message that the spoofed caller ID information is transmitted.

Robocalls are illegal unless you have given them prior permission in writing (not worded into some small print contract from a 3rd party) and are absolutely illegal to a cell phone.  The Telephone Consumer Protection Act permits individuals who have received certain unlawful telemarketing, such as junk faxes or telemarketing calls, to sue the violator in state courts where they may be awarded up to $1500 for each violation.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/robocalls/  
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/07/robocall.shtm
http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/policy/TCPA-Rules.pdf

Check here first to see if it is one of their phone numbers:
http://telemarketerspam.wordpress.com
Pacific Telecom Communications Group
Follow JD's recommendations in the blog and stop them at the source.

Many of the disposable numbers come from Pacific Telecom Communications Group and they are currently under investigation and in the midst of various lawsuits. (The principles involved have been part of actions by the FCC under other business names).These businesses have ripped people off for millions of dollars, yet have paid only a couple of thousand dollars in fines. The only way to stop them is to throw them in prison for a few years to make this criminal activity less attractive.

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission has revoked Pacific Telecom's certificate to provide telecom services in Oregon.

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office filed lawsuits against:
Consumer Credit Group and Proactive Planning Solutions of Arizona for violating Indiana’s Do Not Call Law and Auto-Dialer Act known as the robo-call law. Both companies violated the Credit Service Organization Act and Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by not obtaining $25,000 surety bonds with the state and collecting money upfront without performing any services.
Debt Zero of California for collecting money up front, failing to provide services or a refund and operating without a $25,000 surety bond.
Clear One Advantage of Maryland and Credit Arbitrators of Texas for violating the Credit Service Organization Act and the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by not obtaining the required surety bonds.
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/EventList.as ... ation_id=107077

Arkansas sues robocallers:
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/aug/0 ... arketing-firms/
Missouri sues robocallers:
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/236974-kost ... nies-over-calls

Proof that current laws mean nothing to these scum suckers, these same people under different companies have been sued in the past and have only paid a minimal fine. Here are just a few:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/12/roycox.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/asiapacific.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/03/asiapacific.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923193/111219roycoxcmpt.pdf
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/donotcall/mediacenter.html
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/02/afl_financial.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/02/voiceblaze.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/03/voicetouch.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/robocalls.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/robocall.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/09/twi.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/02/robocall.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/robocalls2.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/jpm.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/08/voicetouch.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/11/sonkei.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/05/ams.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/01/khalilian.shtm

Write your Congressmen and Senators. We need CRIMINAL penalties against the companies that are profiting from these calls. Follow the money, slap them in prison, no one left to outsource to overseas boiler rooms, problem solved. Since they are operating across borders it should become a federal felony and should be handled by the FBI under the RICO Act.

The bad thing about whistles and horns is that some people have had their telephone numbers to be given by the scammers,  as the number to call to opt out on future telemarketing calls.  I read of one lady who had to change her phone number because she was getting as many as 200+ call per day by people, just like you and I,  who were irate, shouting and demanding she take their number off her call list.  She had the phone company change her number and although she had the new number,  the same calls began almost immediately.  (The Robo callers just dial sequential numbers and her new number is just as vulnerable as everyone elses)   Makes one feel helpless.  I feel like I am being held hostage by these scuzbuckets...

I found an article date 9/7/12
Heather from card services gets slapped by FTC
http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/168839436.html
FTC spokesman Mitch Katz says that stopping Heather, Rachel and the like are a priority for the agency. Consumer complaints about robocalls have skyrocketed over the past six years.

At least they are trying, but there are probably hundreds of these fly by night companies doing this.

To the ones who are trying to figure out what this scam is, this is all about getting your credit card numbers by them pretending to be Home Security dealers, Carpet Cleaners, Card Services, Surveys, Charities, etc. Since they are so deceptive, here's what I think of them. They are a bunch of loons who reproduce out of control, and to pay for their child support they turn to scamming. Their accents range from perfect English to Central American Spanish to South Asian to South East Asian. The roaches were setup by rich roaches and enablers who are out to scam people. They invested in the little roaches to fund their high life.

Record their numbers and give them to the FTC, FCC, FBI your Attorney General, etc. Not all their numbers are spoofed so whoever gave them access to American numbers like the ones from Oregon and Florida are responsible for this scam. If you want sue them go ahead and sue them for harassment. Sue the owners of the phone numbers that says not in service or mailbox full when you call it back. It is in service when they make outbound calls. Some numbers will accept inbound calls as well, and the roaches are good at spoofing numbers. Kwitcher above said it best. They deserve to be locked up for a long time cause if they get out after 2 years, there's a good chance they'll continue their old ways. The slaves you can't lock them up cause they are somewhere else, but you sure can get their masters in trouble.

The number says it is not in service because it is not in service.  The number on the caller ID is not usually the number they are calling from.  Some of the numbers aren't even valid phone numbers.  One woman said the fake debt people called her from her own SSN after she called them on her scam.  All these scammers can put anything they want on the caller ID.

I don't know if it will work on voip or overseas calls (I kinda doubt it) but my phone book has instructions that say to wait a full 10 seconds after hanging up then pick up and dial *57.  I think only the police can access the data from the trace, though.

Most of their numbers aren't in service with their mailboxes full, but a few numbers do work when you call them back. Calling them back or answering them is a stupid thing to do anyways cause once they know they have a working number, they'll start their spamming. When they get desperate they start spoofing numbers of legit companies or even people. Thats how sneaky they are.

People who changed their numbers continue getting spammed. The new numbers and even the private ones are available online thanks to phone numbers being sold all over. There's a good chance that the scammers will call with the same spoofed numbers in the future. So the best thing to do is block all their numbers real or spoofed. When you block a number from another state today, and you get a call from your own state tomorrow, the loons are getting desperate with their spoofing software. They make it seem legit but even a blind person can recognize the criminals by their twisted personalities, and by the tone of their voices sweet or harsh. Screw them all.

"The new numbers and even the private ones are available online thanks to phone numbers being sold all over"

If that was true I would be getting a lot more than the 2 spams per YEAR I now get.  Much of the sharing of numbers is started when we accidentally give our number to a spammer or scammer.  I don't give my phone number when I make a purchase.  I don't post it on line.  I don't do Craigs List.  I don't sell on e-bay.  

I keep my phone number private.  The only seriously annoying junk calls I got were the 50+ over 2 weeks looking for Michael the Deadbeat.  That was several years ago.

Maybe I am wrong. I just read what people were saying about their new numbers getting spammed. Unless someone truly need to keep their phone number, changing numbers is a good option. If people are getting harassed and spammed on a daily basis, the best thing to do is change numbers. The other options are getting a good call blocker, ignore, filter numbers by looking at the caller id, etc.

In that post I was trying to say that numbers are not being SOLD.  They are being shared, often accidentally, when they are given out by the owner in less-than-secure locations. 


Changing your phone number can backfire. There's no such thing as a "new" number. Your new number is someone else's old number. It may come with the pests the previous owner was trying to get rid of. 

I have been extremely lucky in that I get very few spam calls. For those few I get my preferred blocker is the ring tone "no ring". Put the pest's number in your contacts list, assign it the ring tone "no ring" and the calls go straight to voicemail without disturbing you. The pests never leave a message.

They do start new exchanges all the time and new area codes from time to time.  It is possible to get a completely new number that no one has ever had.  I'm pretty sure, however that these new numbers will be programmed into the autodialers, as well.  Then the ones that answer will be inundated and the ones that don't answer will get a call once in a while to see if any one answers.

New exchanges are added, but not often and not everywhere.  If you change your number the odds are overwhelming that you will get a re-issued number.  

Yes, when a new area code is added that addition is public knowledge, and those numbers are programmed into illegal autodialers.

I am sure they make targeted and random calls, but it would be of no use to them if the person receiving the call on the other end never picks up the call. If they try their desperate robocalling or spoofing trick, the numbers should go into block. Just expect their calls to continue but I think we should show more patience  and show them that no matter how hard they try they will fail. I rather see them get frustrated continuously for 365 days cause nobody picks up their call. If they call 200,000 people and none of them answered the criminals, they lost. In order to beat a criminal, one must be one step ahead of him/her.