Google Voice already puts calls like this into spam, and they never make it to your phone. Then you can go one step further, and BLOCK the call via Google Voice, then, when that number calls back, they get a pre-recorded tone/verbal "this numbers no longer in service" Loop recording played at them until they hangup. Either way, if the caller is going to your spam folder, or is full on blocked, they never ring your phone, and the only way you'll even see activity from them is if you go searching for them in your Spam/Blocked folder. Everyone who can should get Google Voice and use it, it's sooo nice, and it's great for more than just spam/blocked calls...you can always disable/uninstall it if you decide it's not for you, and it costs you nothing to check it out.
I give up! I've reported these people to the National No Call folks, and we still are getting call after call after call after call, day after day.
I've had people call me back to tell me they're not a scammer, we've been cussed at, harassed and harangued. I used to put the phone down next to the little tele--with a judge show on LOUD. But alas, this is a useless practice, as is any kind of response to these people. And I just don't have time to deal with the thieves.
I've finally started letting the answering machine pick up any phone numbers I don't recognize. These people usually call between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., then between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m.
I have had my phone numbers on the do not call registry for years. I have also reported calls for years and am getting ready to do so again for this number. I have resorted to setting my ring tone default to No Ring and rings only for my contact list. If a call is important the sender will leave a message. I find that just assigning the offending number a no ring status does no good as the crooks come up with new numbers. You just end up with a lot of numbers in your phone that will not call again. As far as the DNC list is concerned, I keep reporting though it is just another government scam exercise in futility.
Advance fee fraud, also called upfront fee fraud, is any scam that, in exchange for a fee,
Promises to send you money, products, or services;
Offers you the opportunity to participate in a special deal;
Asks for your assistance in removing funds from a country in political turmoil; or
Asks for your assistance to help law enforcement catch thieves.
Whatever the scammers call the upfront fees (membership fee, participation fee, administrative or handling fee, taxes) all have one thing in common: the victims never see their money, or the scammers, again. Advance fee schemes come in many forms. We have provided some examples here. For more information, you can also visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site http://www.ftc.gov/ and perform a key word search.
Debt Elimination Fraud
Unlike legitimate companies who work with debtors to help them responsibly repay their debts, debt elimination scammers promise to make you debt free in exchange for a modest upfront or membership fee that they simply pocket. Victims pulled in by these schemes will certainly lose that fee, but they may also lose property, incur additional debt, damage their credit rating, risk identity theft, or face legal action. To learn more, read Answers about Debt Elimination and Fraudulent Schemes http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/get-answers/cre ... e-quesindx.html or visit the Bureau of Consumer Protection on the Federal Trade Commission Web site http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml.
Nigerian Fraud
This fraud combines identify theft and advance fee fraud. Scammers posing as government officials contact victims asking for help in transferring millions of dollars out of Nigeria in exchange for a percentage of the funds. They convince victims to provide their bank name and account numbers and other identifying information and to send checks to pay for bribes or legal fees. Perpetrators may also use the personal information received to drain victims' accounts and credit cards. The Nigerian government is not sympathetic to victims who, by participating in this scheme, violate both Nigerian and U.S. law. Read more about this and other common fraud schemes on the Federal Bureau of Investigation Web site http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm#nigerian#nigerian.
Mass Marketing Fraud
General Overview
Mass marketing fraud is a general term for frauds which exploit mass-communication media, such as telemarketing, mass mailings, and the Internet. Since the 1930s, mass marketing has been a widely accepted and exercised practice. Advances in telecommunications and financial services technologies have further served to spur growth in mass marketing, both for legitimate business purposes as well as for the perpetration of consumer frauds. They share a common theme: the use of false and/or deceptive representations to induce potential victims to make advance fee-type payments to fraud perpetrators. Although there are no comprehensive statistics on the subject, it is estimated mass marketing frauds victimize millions of Americans each year and generate losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The following is a brief description of some of the key concepts and schemes associated with the mass marketing/advance fee fraud crime problem.
Advance Fee Fraud: This category of fraud encompasses a broad variety of schemes which are designed to induce their victims into remitting upfront payments in exchange for the promise of goods, services, and/or prizes.
The predominantly transnational nature of the mass marketing fraud crime problem presents significant impediments to effective investigation by any single agency or national jurisdiction. Typically, victims will reside in one or more countries, perpetrators will operate from another, and the financial/money services infrastructure of numerous additional countries are utilized for the rapid movement and laundering of funds. For these reasons, the FBI is uniquely positioned to assist in the investigation of these frauds through its network of legal attaché (legat) offices located in over 60 U.S. Embassies around the world. By leveraging its global presence and network of liaison contacts, the FBI has successfully cooperated with other domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies to combat, disrupt, and dismantle international mass marketing fraud groups. The FBI participates in the International Mass Marketing Fraud Working Group (IMMFWG), a multi-agency working group established to facilitate the multi-national exchange of information and intelligence, the coordination of cross-border operational matters, and the enhancement of public awareness of international mass marketing fraud schemes. The current membership of the IMMFWG consists of law enforcement, regulatory, and consumer protection agencies from seven countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Despite the best interagency enforcement efforts to combat mass marketing fraud, the FBI remains cognizant of the fact that the only enduring remedy for this crime problem lies in consumer education and fraud prevention programs. Toward this end, the FBI has not only produced its own mass marketing fraud prevention materials, but coordinates on other public information efforts with the DOJ, FTC, and the USPIS, among others. The FBI also supports a consumer fraud prevention website in conjunction with the USPIS which can be located on the web at: Additionally, further information on mass marketing fraud schemes can be found at www.fbi.gov, www.ftc.gov, www.ic3.gov, and www.stopfraud.gov.
Any criminal activity can be reported to the FBI here: https://tips.fbi.gov
Report it at http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
Report it at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
People should continually file complaints with their Attorney Generals office.
Thank you for this response. I suppose that enough people respond to the crooks to make it profitable to operate. If no one fell for these scams I suppose it would change the economics pretty quickly and the crooks would have to find more honorable work - like pimping.
If you got a call from this number or frequently get these types of calls I would suggest asking yourself if there is anyone who has a grudge against you. I've been cyber stalked, hacked and harassed by a Georgia based con artist and serial cyber stalker named Mike Smeth for nearly 2 years now. Prior to him defrauding me out of thousands of dollars I had never recieved a call like this. Since then I've received well over 100. I strongly believe he may have submitted my number to scammers or may be running the scams himself. It wouldn't surprise me, the guy is a former meth addict who appears on mugshotsonline and makes a living by defrauding people out of money and then terrorizing his victim's lives through a computer. He additionally lives on my home network and launches attacks at anything with an electronic pulse. He's also hacked, cyber stalked and harassed family members, friends and business partners. We unaffectionatly call him the "Jeffrey Dahmer" of hackers. Just a thought that I thought was worth mentioning. You can never be to safe when it comes to technology in the year 2013. Criminals have ditched the real world for cyber space. Good luck and I hope your situation isn't as bad as mine :)