Me too, got the same call, message left on my cell, the roads are going to be sporting a lot of New Navigators! So sad that people have resorted to trying to feel innocent people. Think I will just keep my little old Matrix SUV wannabee!
I have been getting daily on my home phone from a company called Prize
Distribution Center (caller ID says Trent Brooks 312-488-1853). They
leave a pre-recorded message saying "Hi, this is Bill with the Prize
Distribution Center. Calling in regards to the contest that you
entered sometime back in hopes of winning a brand new Lincoln
Navigator. Contest is officially over, we are looking at your entry
form, so we do have very good news for you. Give me a call at the
office as soon as possible at 1-800-301-3436, again that's
1-800-301-3436. And again, congratulations." They keep leaving the
same message every time they call.
I called the number they keep leaving on my answering machine to try
to get off of their call list. The people who answered the phone got
my father's name off of the caller ID (I was using my cell phone
registered under his name), yelled at me that I am too young (I'm 25) to win
the contest and hung up on me. I haven't entered any contest to win a
Lincoln Navigator. I called back asking to speak to a manager and they
hung up. I called back a few minutes later thinking I would get
someone else on the phone and they told me that there isn't a call
list and that they were going to keep me from winning the contest.
We have received two hang up calls from "Trent Brooks." WOW, maybe we won a Lincoln Navigator, too!!! This guy is better than Oprah!!!! I hope someone finally cracks down on this idiot!!! Maybe because I pick up the phone, they won't talk to me. A message like winning a Lincoln Navigator for certain needs to be left on my answering machine instead of talking to me in person. That way I will be stupid enough to call back his 1-800 number. Thanks for the "heads up" and the complaints. At least I know what this is all about!!!
we have received two calls from 312 488 1853 on our cell phone but by the time we answer they've hung up. also got a call from 312 377 0165 - same result -nobody on the line.
18 Nov 2008
When we started 800Notes.com we had no idea that telemarketing fraud comes in so many flavors. The variations include 'cramming', 'slamming', credit card scams, calls from telemarketers pretending to be IRS, sweepstakes and lotteries scams, advance fee loan scams, phone toner scams, fat finger dialing scams, and area code phone scams.
Typically the goal is to get you to reveal personal, bank account information, or to make you do something that will result in unwanted charges on your account. Individuals and businesses are equally affected by these scams although the schemes might be different.
In this article I will outline the 16 most popular phone scams. I am sure there are more, so if you have been a victim of a phone scam, or you know of a phone scam not mentioned here, please share it with me and the readers in the comments.
Send this article to your family members, co-workers, and employees. Give it to your teenage kids and elderly parents (studies show they are the most vulnerable to the scams). As the old saying goes, "Forewarned is Forearmed".
2. Another phone scam involves calls from “Prize Distribution Centers” that claim that you are the winner in sweepstakes or a lottery. Of course, you are not the only “winner” in the lottery and tens of thousands of people received the same call. The goal of the scheme is to entice you to make a relatively small payment (for example, shipping and handling fee, a sales tax) promising that a much bigger prize will be sent your way. Once the payment is sent, you will most likely not hear from the company again, and a promised “Lincoln Navigator” will not find its way to your driveway.
FROM FTC WEBSITE
Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel17.shtm (FULL CONSUMER ALERT)
A Dozen Ways to Protect Yourself
The next time you get a "personal" letter or telephone call telling you "it’s your lucky day," the Federal Trade Commission encourages you to remember that:
1. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to pay or buy something to enter or improve your chances of winning, or to pay "taxes" or "shipping and handling charges" to get your prize. If you have to pay to receive your "prize," it’s not a prize at all.
2. Sponsors of legitimate contests identify themselves prominently; fraudulent promoters are more likely to downplay their identities. Legitimate promoters also provide you with an address or toll-free phone numbers so you can ask that your name be removed from their mailing list.
3. Bona fide offers clearly disclose the terms and conditions of the promotion in plain English, including rules, entry procedures, and usually, the odds of winning.
4. It’s highly unlikely that you’ve won a "big" prize if your notification was mailed by bulk rate. Check the postmark on the envelope or postcard. Also be suspicious of telemarketers who say you’ve won a contest you can’t remember entering.
5. Fraudulent promoters might instruct you to send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier to enter a contest or claim your "prize." This is a favorite ploy for con artists because it lets them take your money fast, before you realize you’ve been cheated.
6. Disreputable companies sometimes use a variation of an official or nationally recognized name to give you confidence in their offers. Don’t be deceived by these "look-alikes." It’s illegal for a promoter to misrepresent an affiliation with — or an endorsement by — a government agency or other well-known organization.
7. It’s important to read any written solicitation you receive carefully. Pay particularly close attention to the fine print. Remember the old adage that "the devil is in the details."
8. Agreeing to attend a sales meeting just to win an "expensive" prize is likely to subject you to a high-pressure sales pitch.
9. Signing up for a sweepstakes at a public location or event, through a publication or online might subject you to unscrupulous prize promotion tactics. You also might run the risk of having your personal information sold or shared with other marketers who later deluge you with offers and advertising.
10. Some contest promoters use a toll-free "800" number that directs you to dial a pay-per-call "900" number. Charges for calls to "900" numbers may be very high.
11. Disclosing your checking account or credit card account number over the phone in response to a sweepstakes promotion — or for any reason other than to buy the product or service being sold — is a sure-fire way to get scammed in the future.
12. Your local Better Business Bureau and your state or local consumer protection office can help you check out a sweepstakes promoter’s reputation. Be aware, however, that many questionable prize promotion companies don’t stay in one place long enough to establish a track record, and the absence of complaints doesn’t necessarily mean the offer is legitimate.