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for months, we've been getting messages on our answering machine from "card services" saying that they can reduce our credit card interest rates, but this may be your final offer! press 1 now! no other identifying information, and no caller id. finally they called today while i'm working from home, so i punched through to a person to find out who the hell these people are.
scammer: hi, would you like to reduce your credit card interest rates to as low as 6.9%?"
me: mostly i'd like to find out who you people are who keep leaving messages on my answering machine.
scammer: we're card services, you'll see our name on the back of your credit cards.
uh, right. the only thing written on the back of my credit cards besides my signature and "CHECK ID" is the name of the issuing bank and their customer service phone number.
me: i see, i'm still not sure what your company is, can you give me some more information?
scammer: we're a not for profit organization that helps people lower their interest rates. let me see if you qualify.
me: uh, okay.
scammer: do you have over $4k of unsecured debt at an interest rate of more than 12%?
me: yes.
scammer: okay, let me just verify your information. this is 510-xxx-xxxx that we're calling?
me: yes.
scammer: and what is your name?
me: [my name]
scammer: okay great, i won't need to get any personal information from you, i just need you to give me the names of your debtors. what's the first credit card company?
me: i'd like some more information on who you are first.
scammer: *click*
so of course i used the power of teh intarwebs. apparently these people have been running credit scams for quite some time under a few different names, and this is just the most recent one. amusingly, about an hour later i got another call with a different message identifying the company as "card holder services." this one said i could press 9 to not be contacted again, but i'm sure that did nothing. sigh.
http://www.oag.state.ok.us/oagweb.nsf/0/6E926FA5D5E2699F862572EB00579EB5!OpenDocument
http://honeypot.net/scam-calls-%2526quot%3Bcard-services%2526quot%3B
scammer: hi, would you like to reduce your credit card interest rates to as low as 6.9%?"
me: mostly i'd like to find out who you people are who keep leaving messages on my answering machine.
scammer: we're card services, you'll see our name on the back of your credit cards.
uh, right. the only thing written on the back of my credit cards besides my signature and "CHECK ID" is the name of the issuing bank and their customer service phone number.
me: i see, i'm still not sure what your company is, can you give me some more information?
scammer: we're a not for profit organization that helps people lower their interest rates. let me see if you qualify.
me: uh, okay.
scammer: do you have over $4k of unsecured debt at an interest rate of more than 12%?
me: yes.
scammer: okay, let me just verify your information. this is 510-xxx-xxxx that we're calling?
me: yes.
scammer: and what is your name?
me: [my name]
scammer: okay great, i won't need to get any personal information from you, i just need you to give me the names of your debtors. what's the first credit card company?
me: i'd like some more information on who you are first.
scammer: *click*
so of course i used the power of teh intarwebs. apparently these people have been running credit scams for quite some time under a few different names, and this is just the most recent one. amusingly, about an hour later i got another call with a different message identifying the company as "card holder services." this one said i could press 9 to not be contacted again, but i'm sure that did nothing. sigh.
http://www.oag.state.ok.us/oagweb.nsf/0/6E926FA5D5E2699F862572EB00579EB5!OpenDocument
http://honeypot.net/scam-calls-%2526quot%3Bcard-services%2526quot%3B
