Another call from Rachel at Cardholder Services just came in(01/23/2013 2:18PM Central time) to my cell phone. I'm on both the federal and my state's DNC list in addition, telemarketing to cell phones is illegal in my state(Louisiana). I've complained multiple times to both the federal and state DNC programs but it has not helped. Since there's no way to track them down, I doubt anything can be done.
I got a call from this number but it was dead air. I see comments about card holder services. I get numerous calls from all different numbers from that company. If you press 1, it will take you to a customer service rep and if you mention taking your number off their list they hang up before you can even finish your sentence. What I've been trying to do now is stringing them along wasting their time without giving them any of my information. They are very quick to hang up though so I try to see how long I can keep them on the phone before they hang up. I haven't gotten to 5 minutes yet but I did get someone to put their manager on the phone. I tried to say I was busy and to give me a number to call them back. They wanted to call me back 15 minutes later but I said I wasn't sure when I would be available and it would be easier if they gave me their number. No dice...she put her manager on the phone who hung up on me when I asked for their number. I've been trying to subtly figure out where their office is located but I'm beginning to think these people answering the phones are trapped against their will and fear for their lives because they are like Fort Knox.
Nothing that you do will stop them from calling you. The calls will continue since the major money is being made with what is called a CNAM revenue-sharing program through companies like http://www.telephonemanagement.net and http://www.CallerID4U.com.
If you want to stop these calls then you need to dry up their revenue source. These scum are making money by sending bogus Caller ID information to your phone company. Telephone numbers are Calling Name (CNAM) provisioned and stored in a special database accessible to other telecom utilities. This means that for any outbound call that transmits a special code corresponding to one of their phone numbers, these criminals collect a fee for transmitting the caller ID information to the Local Exchange Carrier receiving the call. When you see a phone number in your caller ID (along with some name like Card Services), your phone company has to reimburse the caller for downloading that info from the database where it’s stored.
They are making money even if you don't answer the phone. If someone does make the mistake of answering the phone and falling for their con then it is just icing on the cake for them.
What To Do When You Get an Illegal Robocall; http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/robocalls
1. Hang Up. Do not press 1 or any other numbers to get off the list.
2. Consider blocking the number
3. Report it at http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
4. Report it at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
5. People should continually file complaints with their Attorney Generals office.
Register your phone numbers online at http://www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222 (must call from # you want removed).
Here is an excellent blog site that I found that explains how these companies are getting away with this activity. http://telemarketerspam.wordpress.com
They called my cell phone twice today but I didn't answer. I received two calls from another number three days ago. If I don't recognize the area code I don't answer and they give up. Another benefit is no wasted minutes. The biggest aggravation is the rude timing of these calls. Blocking won't help because they use a lot of different numbers.
I've wondered if they buy cell phones in many states then operate off-shore.