Actually picked up phone and answered this number despite CID listing as 'Unknown.' Middle aged lady identified herself as from Southern California Telephone and Energy Co. I googled it as we spoke and it IS apparently a legit company. She said she 'works with' Verizon to lower my bill which numbers and particulars she quoted to me! So they have some access to Verizon. Told her I was on DNC List. Then I called the number on the company website (800-840-6673) and spoke with a real person from Cust Service. He sounded surprised to be getting my call and directed me to an Edgar Aguilar (800 481 4999) a supervisor at Cust Svc. Told them to take me off their list and change policy so they follow the law.
951-719-8700. Called me, my reaction was that it was a scam, because of the way they represented themselves. Read complaints about them others feel the same way. So I decided to look into the number. I researched the company: Southern California Telephone & Energy is a private phone company competing with Verizon, AT&T, etc. It was founded in 1994. Formally known as Wholesale Airtime Inc. Address is 27515 Enterprise Circle West, Temecula, CA 92590. Phone 951-693-1880 Fax 951-693-1550.
Repeat calls using fake caller IDs are on the rise. Calls come in with a city/state ID but very little info. Legit businesses & gov/legal reps do not call and hang up on you, robo-dial you (excessively-some political calls may be legit but will not request anything but your ear), harass and threaten you with legal/financial ramifications, list false caller IDs, etc. There are multiple scammers out there who are buying leads for both their target victims and leads for numbers that are not working or incorrect to use for fake IDs. It is important to report these calls to online reverse-dials like these because the less info there is about a number online, the more likely someone may believe it is legitimate, and that is exactly what scammers want-your doubt. Do not give out any info over the phone or online when approached about legal matters, ever. Legit businesses & gov use hardcopy/paperwork to address legal matters. Anyone can call and make false offers or say they are legal reps. Do not confirm any personal info. In fact, if you do not know the caller ID do not answer at all as even when the line is just picked up it confirms contact and you will be targeted again and again, even if you give a few choice words to try to steer them off. Any legitimate contact info for legal matters should be easily accessed & confirmed through public records.
I had a message on my land line to call 800-481-4999 ext - Michele. I did, because she mentioned Verizon California and said that I qualified for a rate reduction. Once I had her on the phone, though, it was obvious that she wasn't from Verizon. She said that she was from Southern California Telephone Company and that they worked with Verizon California customer who are seniors (easier to dupe I'll bet) and can reduce their phone bill substantially. Had scam written all over it. I politely told her I would get back to her (yeah, I'll get right on that) and called Verizon who confirmed my suspicions. I've since read horror stories from folks who fell for the scam. Prior to receiving that message, I had been getting loads of hang up calls from the 915 number. The whole thing is annoying and probably illegal.
Actually picked up phone and answered this number despite CID listing as 'Unknown.' Middle aged lady identified herself as from Southern California Telephone and Energy Co. I googled it as we spoke and it IS apparently a legit company. She said she 'works with' Verizon to lower my bill which numbers and particulars she quoted to me! So they have some access to Verizon. Told her I was on DNC List. Then I called the number on the company website (800-840-6673) and spoke with a real person from Cust Service. He sounded surprised to be getting my call and directed me to an Edgar Aguilar (800 481 4999) a supervisor at Cust Svc. Told them to take me off their list and change policy so they follow the law.