FTC Hangs Up On “Rachel From Cardholder Services”

"Rachel" called me tonight from 701-691-9222 and left a message.

"Good news, your insurance application has been approved.  Call 855-216-4367 to confirm your details."

Since I have premium health insurance paid by my employer (I am REALLY lucky in this regard, since I actually got cancer a couple of years ago), I know this to be a scam.  The bad news here is that the FTC says they knocked these people off the air.

My guess is that any celebration is premature.  Criminal penalties seem to be in order.  The problem is going to be that these people are off shore.  Sadly, the phone companies (I have ATT) dont seem to want to stop this.

If thieves can spend time in jail for threatening, harassing, abusing, and robbing people, then these criminals deserve to spend enough time in jail as well. If they are given the easy way out, then there's a good chance that they'd continue their cowardice in the future.

LOVE your idea of a suitable punishment

I got this message a few years ago and the phone number associated was Capitol One Credit Card.  I reported Capitol One to my state attorney general.  Capitol One had one of their headquarters customer service reps call me and asked me to ok (to my satisfaction) their response letter they were sending to the state attorney general.  They admitted they were sending out the Rachel robocall but said that they have a real person on the phone line when they call, but if no answer they leave a recorded message on voicemail.  Right!  Who believes that?  THey just said this so they wouldn't get in trouble with the no robocall laws in my state.  I have to assume since Capitol One Bank admitted making the call that they must hire these backroom telemarketing companies to call people.  So big banks are in co hoots with these scammers.

This is great news and also sad news.  You know the people who were scammed were probably the ones who could least afford it.  There really are too many of these phone scams going on and as others pointed out, it is partly because the penalty does not fit the crime.  Somebody is told to stop doing the bad and fined. They may or may not pay the fine because the profits are likely gone to who knows where.  Then the same scammers just get another phone operation and start calling people for years and years until the FBI or whoever finally figures out who they are and stops them again.

Hey, it just occurred to me.  How much do you think it cost the FBI and assorted other government agencies to find out that General P. was f**cking his little writer friend.  LOL.  And now they are after another General too. Why not let them do their job and let them have some fun?  Oh, well, they did get the Black General in charge of the Army we have in Africa, of all places.  At least he has to pay back $80.000 and lose some pay and retirement funds.  Think that will put a bite in his bank account?  I'll bet it cost a lot more to find out that he used $80,000 of government funds flying around the world.

Well, it used to be his type of crimes were the common ones in the military, so it is good to see that SEX has been discovered by our generals. ha ha.  You don't really think that is new do you?  Ahhhh wait until the FBI gets through with the Real Housewives of Tampa (Isn't that where they held the dreary Republican Convention? Where were those girls then?)

I received calls from Rachel on November 1, 5, 7 and 15th....I don't think the plug was pulled enough.  Now when they call I just chit-chat until they get annoyed and hang up.  I always pay off my credit cards so calling me is a waste of time and now I'm just wasting more of their time.

"Card Services" is still calling! 646 417 9501

Whatever the FTC did obviously didn't amount to much,  Got a call today from "Cardholder Services", 914-594-9011 again.  These crooks don't quit.  I never answer numbers I don't recognize but they don't quit trying.  Apparently the FTC is as powerless and useless as the FDA.

Well guys at least its something! I'm going to take any ray of hope I can get these days!

Apparently the FTC has more work to do, just got yet another call today from "Card Services" from
914-594-9052.  Reported it to DNC.gov, AGAIN..

I am getting so many telemarketing calls from the same numbers over and over including  Card Svcs, Financial Center, Unavailable, etc.,  that I have ceased answering my phone.  I have repeatedly reported them to the DO NOT CALL registry on line and to a live person at the FTC.  They are a joke as nothing is ever done.  We are paying for our phones and shouldn't have to put up with this - these phone calls should be illegal.  I have even temporarily disconnected my phone just to get some peace.
I am going to buy a device that will allow me to block as many phone numbers as necessary so I can enjoy some peace and quiet without abusive, intrusive and nerve-wracking phone calls from morning til night.

My suggestion to everyone is don't answer your phone ever unless you know who it is.  If you don't have Caller ID, get it.  And then buy a phone or device that allows you to block unwanted calls.

"Card Services" called my cell today from 818-420-8309.

I've received a LARGE number of calls from them -- for what seems like YEARS.    I get so fed up with such calls that I've pretty much stopped answering calls from numbers I don't recognise.  This one was one of the worst, though.

I don't know why the phone company doesn't allow us to block numbers;  you can do it on your cell phone.  All credit to the overworked FTC who finally tracked down the culprits and shut them down.

Get yourself a smartphone and install caller ID blocking application, or move your number to Google voice and forward it to wherever you want to pick it up, or purchase a caller ID blocker, costs about $100 on eBay.

Help yourself, because this will NEVER stop. It will never stop, because neither callers, nor organizers, even if caught and jailed, are NOT really the root cause.

The root cause is INVESTORS!!!
Somebody lended these crooks money or provided something to start the business, offset upfront costs and such. Did these investors get share in profits or not, are they family members or just "business angels" - it does not matter.

If FTC or whoever else would focus on fundraising and revenue streams, instead of operations, and a process would exist to FREEZE ALL ASSETS OF ALL INVESTORS AND BENEFICIARIES (regardless of what protected categories they are in), and their names  would be made PUBLIC REGARDLESS OF SETTLEMENT -  this would put the end to these "e-businesses" once and forever.

But such methods go against the culture dominating in USA, so I think nothing even remotely close to that will be even conceived.
So it will NEVER end, and we all need to learn how to fight this war ourselves. Long live e-business!!!
Such a joke...

So that's why I haven't had a call from these [***] for a while. Thank yourselfs people. We did do something to help.

Now I'm getting the  "You have won a prize in a contest you entered a while back". The guy's name is "ELVIS". So I guess Elvis isn't dead after all! LOL!