>> How do these scammers get our numbers anyway when I am on a DO NOT CALL list? <<
If you ever posted your phone number on a social site, or used it when ordering online, or typed it in an insecure computer, or gave it to a friend whose computer was attacked, or filled out an entry form at a fair or a supermarket, or used it on a contest entry form, or put it on a postcard for a magazine or purchase, or were among those whose information was hacked from some organization, or obtained a "new" phone number ... your number is probably known to the scammers.
Allow me to present another possibility in a very simple fashion ... not to insult your intelligence, but to attempt to get the idea across to even those who have difficulty understanding more complicated answers. Click on the "Info" line, below, to learn about that possibility.
Info Robodialers for Dummies Can you count?
If you answered "yes", that is a good start. Try counting from 1 to 10 now. I will wait.
..........
Finished? Good.
I want you to think "0" instead of "10". Got it?
Now, get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil, and write down those ten numbers. Here, I will help you, in case your forgot:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Now get ready to write down some more numbers. I want you to write them down in the following format:
ABC-DEF-GHIJ
Yes, I know those are letters, but I want you to use numbers, instead.
Think of a number between 0 and 9 ... pick one from the list I gave above, if you wish.
Write it down, instead of the "A", above
Do that nine more times, writing it down instead of the other letters.
Now, look at the result.
Does it ring a bell?
It should, because you just wrote down a phone number!
Mr Computer is very good at making numbers.
Mr Computer can do what you just did in a fraction of a second.
In other words, Mr Computer can make and dial phone numbers VERY quickly.
Spammers and scammers who know about Mr Computer do not need to register and buy the DNC list.
Spammers and scammers who know about Mr Computer can even dial "unlisted" numbers, or "private numbers" or "brand-new numbers you just got"!
The DNC list is not a magic switch that blocks these calls from reaching your phone. It is merely a list. It is NOT a call blocker!
There, now you know all about how spammers can dial YOUR phone number, even if it is unlisted, and even if only relatives know it, and even if it is on or off the DNC list.
I hope that helps prove the DNC list DOES work! It helps prevent calls from registered / legitimate telemarketers, but it is not able to stop calls from telespammers. It is also NOT designed to stop political callers (who usually get the numbers from voter registration lists), calls from charities, or some other companies, such as debt collectors; or some companies with which you have done business in the last 18 months.
Here are two pages of links to (mostly government) sites in Canada and the USA were you can report phone scams, or learn more about them.
* First, look elsewhere on this site for an Article, entitled "Where to Report Phone Crime". (It may appear in the column to your right).
* For a more frequently updated list of complaint sites, with links to government web pages, look here:
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/complaint_sites.html
For the latest news on US government and industry efforts to stop illegal or unwanted robocalls, see:
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/initiatives.html
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Please reply to this post, to let us know you read it, or have taken suitable actions to protect yourself.
I receive the same call Six times in two days. I called back and the BS mediation services for Payday loan a big joke. The are definitely hard at work. In spoke to a lady talking about my cash now payday loan. I told ok ill let my lawyer know so he can call you.
I receive calls from 904-647-2608 every day with the following message "We attempted to deliver a parcel and it came wrong address press 1 to redeliver." I just hung up or I don't pick it up. Caller ID shows Mediation Services.
I just received call from this number stating the same message. I called back asking what it was in regards to. The woman said let me look at the "case" then proceeded to ask if my name was my maisen name( which was pronounced wrong). I have been married for 4 yrs with my married name. This is definitely a SCAM. I have no loans nor have i had one. I gave no information . If it was ligit they would've known my married name.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:
is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.
Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
Phone number started out with a 11 before the 904. They left me a voice message that spoke of some "mediation service" and then music as if I was waiting to be helped (as if I called them) then a recorded message saying "they were not available" and for me to leave a message. So strange since they left all of this on "my" voicemail.