Comments off the Lincoln Madison blog
I also got one of those messages, but they left it on my answering machine. I deleted it immediately.
And I am also on the Do Not Call List. (Why does this remind me of the US military and their illegal/immoral Don't Ask Don't Tell Don't Pursue?)
Rachel gets around. I also had a message exactly like that on my answering machine.
Since file sharing services can be held liable for people using them illegally can the phone company be held accountable for Rachel calling you?
We've been getting calls from "Rachel" for the last couple of months. We're told to use 8 to be removed, but are greeted with "That is not an option". When we hit 9 to talk to a human we get hung up on when we try to get a phone # out of them or ask to be removed from their list. They've been reported to the do-not-call compaint website 5 times by me. If anyone gets an address or phone number out of them my Attorney General's office is ancious to receive it.
I just got the Rachel from Cardholder Services call. Because I think this is the name of the company that I have a credit card from I was willing to listen if they could reduce the interest on the card that I have with them. I answered "whatever" to the perfunctory "How are you doing today?"
and the guy who said his name is Adam Garcia didn't like that. I asked if I
already do business with Cardholder Services--this, by the way explains why they would call me even though I'm on the do not call list-- and said that if I am, I may be interested in the offer and Mr Garcia wanted to talk about how "whatever" is a rude way to respond to "how are you doing today" so I reminded hin that HE called ME and said I'm under no obligation to be polite and if he would answer my question he might get his bonus or whatever for me singing up when he said he doesn't need a bonus and he makes more money than me. I asked his neme again and he said "it's MR Adam Garcia to you" so I went ballistic with lots of swearing and said I'm complaining to his supervisor. Right now I'm looking for one of the many letters I get from Cardholder Services to find a phone number to call and complain.
I was rather surprised that so many people have heard from "Rachel," so I did a little checking around the web. According to one report, "Rachel" is really American Debt Negotiators of Palm Bay and/or Coral Springs, Florida, but I have not found any corroboration. The toll-free number for ADN is 1-866-969-4236; maybe I'll call and see if that really is "Rachel."
In any case, I don't have any credit cards from any companies with names remotely similar to "Cardholder Services." I have no existing business relationship with American Debt Negotiators, under that or any of its many various names.
It appears that 'Rachel' is calling a lot of people illegally. According to whocalled.us, this seems to be a scam with positions filled by south florida temp agencies.
On March 19 my caller id picked up the number 305-821-0725 for cardholder services. They call about once a month even when I press 8 to stop the calls. This is the first time I have gotten a number on the caller id for them. They are rude.
jean
rachel called to say hi. the # i have is 941-729-7201. when you call it you get the not a working # mssg. nice.
Most reports seem to have "Rachel" located somewhere in southern Florida, which matches with area codes 305 (Miami) and 941 (Sarasota), although Palm Bay is in area code 321 (near Cape Canaveral) and Coral Springs is in area code 954 (near Fort Lauderdale).
The whole operation is 100.000% outside the law, to the extent that they are liable for civil penalties of $1,500 per call for every person "Rachel" has ever rung up, but somehow I doubt they'd even show up in court if you ever managed to file against them.
Rachel called me today. I had previously spoken with a representative and asked to be taken off the calling list. Today I once again waited to speak to a rep. I told him that I had previously asked to be removed and to continue to call me was illegal. He called me a jackass and then a liar when I told him I didn't need lower rates on my credit card because I always paid the balance. He also told me they would call again tomorrow. From now on I will just hang up as it does seem impossible to be removed.
Damn, I was afraid of this. I've been getting these calls lately, and had tried the "please put me on your Do Not Call list" approach, to no avail. Today, I asked the young lady if there was a number I could call them back on, as I wouldn't release my credit card information to someone who called me out of the blue. She claimed they didn't have a phone number(!), then tried to launch back into her sales pitch. I asked if I could get a mailing address instead, and she said she'd connect me to her assistant for that. Then there was a click. End of call.
The girl today claimed the company is based in Texas. Others here say South Florida. Perhaps notifying the Attorneys General in those two states would be a start, as they'll have tools that ordinary folks can't deploy to catch these jerks.
The conundrum is that, if you can't catch them to prosecute them, you can't do business with them, either. That leads me to wonder how on earth they ever make any money. It's clear that they're not connected with any bank or credit card issuer, so I suppose it's possible that it's just an outright identity theft scam, but it seems like an odd way to go about such a thing. You can be sure that they're getting money out of the deal somehow, though.
I'd notify the attorney general in your own state as well as Florida and/or Texas, if you want to pursue it. I didn't get the caller ID (box wasn't plugged in), so I don't have anything useful to give the authorities.
Update: I received another call from Michelle at Cardholder Services, no caller ID, pressing 8 to be taken off the list was an "invalid option."
I, too, am getting regular calls from Michelle.
The number was blocked to the call return service.
ATT refused to give me info on the incoming call with out a court order.
I would prosecute.
The NO call list is about as secure as our borders. Another government myth to placate the masses.
I'm ready for battle. Does anyone have any hope or clue how to hit them and hit them HARD?
I mentioned something in the comments on the other thread about Cardholder Services. It appears that the FCC has already cited them for violations of various telemarketing laws and regulations. If I may quote myself, "I filed a complaint on the FCC website, Form 1088, which you can file online here. IF the call was identified as 'Cardholder Services' (that exact name), be sure to reference FCC Order DA-07-977A1 (2007), which was the citation issued on 2007-03-02. Since they are continuing the illegal practices after being cited, they are liable for up to $11,000 per day in fines."
I think the only way (and therefore arguably the best way...) to "hit them hard" is to hit them in the bank account.
.
Michelle just called me. She's so perky...
When I hit 8 and got the invalid option response it cracked me up. Unbelievable. Next time I will select 9 and mess with them.
Thank you all for your comments and information.
I've had 3 calls from "cardholder services" this week, I tried option 8, which didn't work. This time, I tried 9 to ask what company it was. The guy who answered said that was the company name, then asked if I wanted to lower my interest and I said no, I wanted to know who was calling me and he slammed down the receiver.
I'm also on the Do Not Call list for both Texas and National, sometimes get recorded calls for rug cleaning, etc., but if you push the option to tell them no, doesn't that count as contacting them and make you fair game for more calls?
I've had multiple calls from them, and they hang up when questioned.
I've never wanted to do the air-horn in their ear thing, but maybe it's time.
My understanding is that pressing '8' to be taken off the list (or any analogous action) cannot be considered to be creating a business relationship. If the telemarketer claimed that as a defense in court, I think they'd be sanctioned or hit with punitive damages or something. That said, I'm not a lawyer.
As for the air horn in the ear, the problem is that it will be far more obnoxious on your own end of the line than on the other end.
I have been hit a number of calls from this "company". They are rude. The scam artist who answered my got really defensive and asked if by saying that I was on a no-call list if I was threatning her. I said with yes with any and all relief afforded to me under
Title 47, United States Code, Section 227(b)(1)et. seq. She said it did not apply because she was calling me about jury duty.
I am a resident of Kentucky and domiciled in Louisville, Kentucky. The call orinated out of Pensacola, Florida. I can see why the vote count was off in that state. Just joking. But, the number I have is 1-850-456-1207. Of course, it does not reach anyone.
I just filed a Form 1088. It felt good. I do not know if it will do any good.
I have received 4 calls from card-holder services. I waited until I got a person and asked what their names was. (Cardholder Services). Then I asked to not call again. I wanted to talk to a supervisor and they gave me a number that was a porn number. We do not have caller ID but that doesn't seem to work either.
At least once a day, 4 times a week a receive calls from these jokers. Pressing 8 to get off the calling list does squat. I'm afraid I've invited them to keep calling me by pressing 9 to speak to someone. Every time I've spoken to one of the drones, and ask them questions as to exactly who they are, they hang up on me. You all are very lucky to only receive the calls once and a while. I have two small children. Every time the phone rings I stop what ever I'm doing with them to see who it is, so just ignoring the call by not answering it does still invade my time and privacy.
Everyone, please, submit a form 1088 as the earlier poster suggested!
If the FCC suddenly gets a bunch of complaints about this specific number, they *will* (contrary to the naysayers) do something.
Don't feel too bad, we're getting these calls in Canada too. I think our system is a lot easier to get through, as we don't have a "do not call" registry yet. It's hard for the CRTC (governing body for telecommunications) to deal with American telemarketers.
Cindy
Yeah, I get 3-4 of those a week now. No caller ID, people hang up, etc etc etc.
Actually, don't hang up. Press the buttons they are requesting. Someone will answer but you should not say a word. Leave the phone off the hook. They will try to hang up but their system simply puts you on hold untill the next agent is ready. The cycle starts ll over again. I believe if we all do this, their phone bills will sky rocket.
I do believe that this outfit is a scam or a pornography ring.
FYI
Alan, that may be the best suggestion yet. I finally hit 9 today and asked the company name. "Cardholder Services." I said "That's it? 'Cardholder Services?' then why are you referring to me as a 'preferred cardholder?'" Click.
Next time I am going to string them along as far as I possibly can. I'll get them thinking they have a real opportunity. Then I will act like I'm whispering to someone else and say "is that enough, officer - do you have the trace?" lol this'll be fun!
Unfortunately, their phone bills won't exactly skyrocket. It's pretty easy to get bulk long-distance for a penny or two a minute. The only way you do them any disservice is if you can tie up a human being — the human can only talk to one person at a time, and even at minimum wage costs easily 10 times as much as the long-distance charges.
The best guess is that this is in fact a "phishing" scam, trying to get enough information about you to at least make fraudulent charges on your credit card, or perhaps even steal your identity. Someone in the other comment thread posted a link to a news item from Oklahoma that suggests it's that sort of a scam.
I have filed an update on my FCC Form 1088 each time they have called me back, documenting the dates and times that I pressed the buttons to be removed from their list. Repeatedly calling someone after your system has "confirmed" that the person has been "removed" is the sort of thing that eventually gets the FCC to pay attention, especially since it appears this is the same company the FCC cited back in March (FCC DA-07-977A1). Since they've already been cited, they will be fined $11,000 per subsequent violation, or per day in the case of an ongoing violation. Of course, since it appears that the commercial enterprise being illegally advertised is itself criminal, they probably don't care about anything that doesn't involve handcuffs and prison bars.
What company is it then that the FCC cited in March DC 07-977A1. I have been trying to find that info with the FCC, but as most things are with our Federal Gov they are pretty useless.
The citation was sent on 2007-03-02 to:
Cardholder Services, Inc.
Attn: Robert Pitsker, President
20441 Kenworth Circle
Huntington Beach, California 92646-5446
— editor
I took the call this time, pressed 9 and was connected to Nathan Hall who said that Cardholder Services (or is it Credit Card Services) represents 561 lenders, that their goal is to get me a locked in rate of 6%, that they are contracted by the corporate offices of VISA and MasterCard, etc.
I played along giving him a current debt balance of $6,320 (lie) and my real name initially. I tried to get some more info. He said that he was to pre-qualify me only and that, when he transferred me to financial services they would send me a “welcome package”. I also asked how they got my office number, and Nathan Hall apologized and said that he didn’t know, but that he was only pre-qualifying me.
I asked where he was calling from and where the company was based. He said Dallas.
Then I said that my cell was ringing off the hook and can I call him right back. I heard him ask a co-worker what the call-back number was and then after a short time, I was disconnected.
I have tried before to get to these guys but without giving personal information, I think they are insulating themselves pretty well.
Only the phone company or Feds will get through this scam I think.
It is outrageous how many times I have been called.
I'm a bit surprised that they haven't yet up and flown the coop, since their entire business model appears to be based on illegal sales tactics or worse. In order to make the $11,000/day in fines they're racking up, they must be refinancing a boatload of credit cards, or else doing a little identity theft, or maybe a bit of both. If they sit still long enough, those $11,000 fines will find them. In the mean time, document all of their activity as much as you can to the FCC.
Yet another call, this one from "Heather" of "Account Services" instead of "Cardholder Services," with a non-working number in Eau Gallie, Florida, as the caller ID.
Theses punks called me TWICE. every call i get illegally i report to the FTC it said Unavailble ---_---_---- at 12:41pm on my caller id I asked what is the phone number you are calling from in case we get disconneted and the hung up.
Corporations in CorpMERICA (formally the United States Of America) do whatever they please because Mr. Bush is in office!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think we can really blame Bush for Cardholder Services, although his administration clearly does turn as much of a blind eye as possible to corporate criminality. According to published reports, Cardholder Services appears to be just a garden-variety identity theft scam, completely unimpressed by any threats from the FCC, FTC, or anybody else.
I got the call about 30 minutes ago. On the FCC website, the rule states prerecorded advertising calls are allowed if there is an established business relationship. Even an online inquiry within 18 months or application within 3 months of the call is considered appropriate.
However, the caller must state 1)the name of the business/individual/entity initiating the call, and 2)the phone number of the entity, other than the line the prerecorded call was initiated from. I get too much of #1, and not enough of #2.
I have also heard about people receiving calls that say things like "press 9 to request no more calls", and pressing the button ends up authorizing the caller to use the called number to charge unlimited international-, 900-, and misc other charges to the account.
This I have not been able to directly confirm.
Thanks, Lincoln, for all the great tips and comments. I did file a complaint with the FCC. But then, I called my phone service provider to make sure no mysterious charges turned up on my bill, if this is any kind of scam, and he told me that since I have caller ID, all I have to do is hit *77 to activate the anonymous call rejection. I had forgotten about this feature, and hopefully it will put a stop to at least some of these types of calls! It won't work on the companies who are setting up their outgoing lines with bogus IDs, but it will help for this company which comes up completely blank.
Thanks again, Lincoln. Hope all of the complaints will finally register with these creeps and the Feds will get off their butts and do something!
As I understand the workings of the scam, they are trying to get you to give them your credit card numbers and other personal data. There used to be scams where you would receive a call and then have it show up on your bill as if you had called a 900 number, or something of that nature, but those got shut down several years ago. I haven't heard of anything along those lines since about 1998. As long as you didn't give these people your personal info, you probably won't have any fraudulent charges — at least not unless they've come up with a new angle I haven't heard of yet.
Just got my second call from them a few minutes ago, the first was on July 13, 2007. I filed a complaint with the FCC at that time and will do so again now. My caller ID shows "unknown number" when they call. "Michelle" called me this time, but I can't remember who called the first time. I held on and hit 9 to talk to a representative. When he came on the line I asked," And your name?" He said," Cardholder Services." My reply was, " No, I asked what is your name?" I was promptly disconnected. I formerly worked with MCI and learned the FCC can come down really hard on these folks, so when they call, just go to the FCC website and file online.
The # 941-729-7201 comes back to this person:
[name and address deleted –editor]
Now I don't know how current this information is. Also, when I called this # today it is now being used as a fax line.
Also, if you people really are serious about taking action against these people, then you are going about it the wrong way.
Delaing with a nameless, faceless website and hoping it will take action is ridiculous.
The steps to resolving this crime is the same as any other:
1) Gather your evidence.
2) File a police report with your local PD's and So's. Most agencies now have specific agents/divisions dedicated to internet fraud schemes.
3) Every business has to hold specific licenses within thier physical jurisdictions of commerce. Hello..??? Anyone of you bother to call the various cities licensing dpt's and asking for the information on the licenses ? It's a matter of public record. Then you have recourses with the better business bureaus, chamber's of commerce, city attorney's, state da's, investigative reporter's, your elected politicians, on and on and on....
It's not rocket science people.
Start recording these phone calls with recording devices, log the dates and times...make sure you record your own voice instructing them to not call you anymore. Then file a warrant for thier arrest for communications harrassment.
Duhhhhh..........
I deleted the name and address from a reverse search on one of the numbers, because this particular outfit has a well-established pattern of using completely bogus caller ID — something that is, unfortunately, almost trivially easy to do. It is thus unlikely that the name that comes back on a particular number they use, is anyone even connected with the scam.
As for filing a police report, there's even less point to that than filing a report on the FCC website, unless you were actually defrauded. The local police will jump right on that report of a Do Not Call violation, just as soon as they crack every last unsolved jaywalking case.
As for pursuing the licenses of the company, first of all, newspaper reports suggest that they are engaging in outright fraud and identity theft, so I really don't see losing a license as slowing them down much. There's also the murky question of what company you're looking for and in what city. I've seen reports suggesting that "Cardholder Services" is really this company or that company, but I'm not about to go after somebody's business license based on an Internet rumor, any more than I'm going to go after John Doe at 1234 Main St., just because his (former?) phone number showed up on my Caller ID.
Is one report at the FCC going to do any good? No, probably not, but a few thousand reports fed into a database will begin to get someone's attention. In any case, it is far more likely to produce results than a report languishing at the bottom of your local PD's file cabinet, if not their "circular file." We're looking to give Cardholder Services the death of a thousand paper cuts, not a single stake through the heart.
Of course, if "Cardholder Services" did get enough information out of you to put bogus charges on your credit card, or anything along similar lines, then certainly you should call your local police. Actual fraud — as opposed to attempted fraud — is something they will investigate.
.
I am not here to argue or to teach cj 101-Beginning Investigations. However, obviously my points were totally missed.
By securing the information on the business licenses gives you tangible real world people to go after, as well as the actual physical street addresses. Unless I misread all of the above posts, that is the essential information everyone wants...the exact identity of these people and the company itself and the exact street address.
You also have to have this information in order to pursue any kind of litigation...i.e. your daily fines everyone is dreaming about collecting....right....
Anyway, seems I am wasting my time here with this group. You folks are obviously fixated on a dead end that will yield nothing to any of you.
Gathering intel on a target means investing tons of man hours, researching, digging, street pounding, etc to develop postive, quality information to be used in criminal and civil proceedings.
However, y'all seem fit to trust a nameless, faceless, website that has not and never will do anything for any of you..other than grant you some feeling of accomplishing something when you fill out a complaint form..."hey look at me...I complained about them !"....
If you want serious action, then you must take serious action....
BTW, they are also calling me, being rude to me, etc..all of the above stuff everyone else is complaining about. I googled them and found this article. I thought maybe we could all help each other out. Obviously not since we arent agreeing on the steps to be taken.
So I will simply do things on my own.
No, Mind Tracker, your points were not missed at all; they were simply disconnected from the reality of the situation.
I'm under no illusion that filing FCC complaints will magically make Cardholder Services go away, but I'm under no illusion that your approach is in any way more likely to succeed. The local police, if they don't laugh you out the door, will investigate your report when all other crime in the community has completely ceased — in other words, when hell freezes over. "Do not call" violations are up there with jaywalking and public profanity for police priorities.
As to the state attorney general, they're not likely to do anything about the "Do not call" violations, either. The hope is that the mountain of FCC documentation will help when they get caught breaking a much bigger law, like wire fraud or identity theft, by making it inescapably clear that their entire business model was outside the law.
I've had lots of calls from these jerks. It's always "Rachel" on the recorded intro part, and I usually hit "1" to talk to someone. The vast majority of the time, I get disconnected before I reach a human. On the rare occasions I get a hold of a human being, I'm usually hung up on as soon as I prod for info or inform them I'm on the Do Not Call list.
Last week one of them really torqued me off. When I said, "No, I pressed "1" to find out who you are, which credit card company you represent, and to inform you that you've reached a number on the Do Not Call list." the little creep on the other end said, "I need to inform you that your breath stinks. I can smell it through the phone, buddy." Then he hung up.
They have a good masking system on their Caller ID now. Instead of "unavailable" it has popped up the last couple times as:
442074590628
442074129808
I'm forwarding the info I have, along with what's provided here on this forum (THANKS!) to my state's Atty General.
[At first I was thinking, "Area code 442 — in southern California — isn't activated yet, and hasn't even been formally announced." Then I realized that the correct parsing of the numbers is
+ 44 20 74xx-xxxx
which is to say, somewhere in London, England. (Replace the + with 011 when dialing from US/Canada.) Given that all of the domestic numbers "Cardholder Services" pass along for caller ID are bogus, I would be shocked if they had ever even been to London, but it's interesting that they chose those numbers for their bogus caller ID. —ed.]
I've been receiving these calls weekly for about 5 months now, trying to have them remove me from the list is impossible. So today I received another and I pressed #9 and acted as if I were totally lost. Then I excused myself to "Pee" and put the phone up near the faucet and ran it lightly then held the phone near the toilet and flushed. I got back on and as they pitched their sale, I had my dog bark in the phone, came back they were still talking, I turned on my shredder, they were still talking. I started brushing my teeth and babbling to them, I told them I needed to shave my armpits, they kept talking. Nothing shuts them up. Finally I said "you will sit here and take this abuse. Why dont you just hang up?" He said "your a F*&king A$$" and hung up. Im sure Ill still get another call this week.
[You definitely get points for style! Nice job. —ed.]
I just received a call from these idiots. I am here in Oklahoma, and I am assuming that these calls are happening all over the country. I tried to call my local police department and they told me "we don't have the technology to handle things like that." I have been receiving these calls for about 3-4 months and finally decided to try and do something about it.
I've been getting prerecorded calls from "Cardholder Services" since 2005 or earlier. Today, there was a prerecorded call with a voice that sounded very much like "Rachel", except she said she was "Katie" from "The Computer Center", and pushing a "name brand computer" with "no credit check".
It sounds like they're starting to try some new scams now.
OCT 4, 2007
I RECEIVED THE SAME RECORDED MESSAGE ABOUT "MY" CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT EARLIER THIS WEEK. I KNEW I DIDN'T HAVE A CARD FROM CARDHOLDER SERVICES SO I PUSHED THE BUTTON TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE. WHEN I TRIED TO GET THE REPRESENTATIVE TO TELL ME WHICH ONE OF MY CARD COMPANIES HE WAS REFERRING TO, HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS WITH CARDHOLDER SERVICES AND I WAS TO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING.
Well I think Heather and Rachel have been replaced by Steve. I received two calls this week. The first call I pressed #3 which was the don't call me on this option. Today, I selected the #1 to speak to a representative to find out what they are talking about. When I began questioning Steve about which credit card, I was told to just pay my bills. I don't own a credit card so I just wanted to see where the conversation would go. I am not the kind of person to take abuse on the phone or anywhere else for that matter, so needless to say, the call went downhill from there. So, now that I filled out the form on the FCC website and have read all the other comments here, it would seem that if Steve does call again I can go along with him (bogus info and all) until I get some real information if at all possible. I like the recording idea. I believe you have to let them know you are recording the conversation for the tape to be admissible in court. I don't know, I want to find out who these creeps are but yet I want to raise their blood pressure at the same time.
Next time I get one of these calls, I'll press 1 to speak with an operator. Once I get through to someone, I plan on discharging an air horn into the phone.
The outfit behind this scam in American Debt Negotiators of Coral Springs FL.
Just in case you'd like to give THEM a call, you can find not only their actual phone number (866-969-44236) but also a list of all the extensions associated with it:
http://episteme.arstechnica.com/....43000327831/p/
1
Just now ...
Call-bot: [recorded-message]
Me: [I press 1]
Operator: Hello?
Me: Hello?
Operator: Yes, did you press 1 to lower your rates?
Me: Yes. To which card are you referring?
*click*
Good luck figuring out who is behind this. There is just no way. Read this:
http://
www.associatedcontent.com...s_nuisance.html
I got a call from "Michelle" tonight and was she chatty. THEY WANT THE 800 NUMBER OFF OF THE BACK OF YOUR CREDIT CARD!! No, I didn't give them mine. When I told them I had to talk to my bank about their offer and I got a hesitation that clued me in. Please don't give them information as they may already have your cc info. I also found out that they "charge" for this "information". So they take your info and put a charge on your credit card....
They call me quite a bit too. I researched and found out it is an illegal scam so the do not call list doesn't matter to them. At that point I changed my tactic from yelling at them to remove my number to totally screwing with them and seeing how long I can keep them on the phone. 1 min and 51 seconds is my new record. I'm doing reverse "Jerky Boys" calls to them now whenever they call me. I almost burst out laughing when I made one moron repeat himself 3 times to me and then start shouting because I kept cutting him off and telling him to speak up. You all should try it, its a great way to get rid of stress 
Just received a "Rachel" from Cardholder Services. I pressed "1" to connect to their agent who immediately asked what my cc balance was. When I told him I wouldn't give him that information and asked him which company he was working for, I got the "click" of his hanging the phone up.
Cardholder Services is probably a "phishing" operation (thieves). They probably want you to give them a credit card number that they can use and/or resell before you catch onto it.
There is no way to prove this, but the fact that they are making calls in violation of Do Not Call, and that you can't find out where they are calling from, suggests that they are indeed thieves. Maybe the best way to shut them down is to circulate their name (so it will be picked up by Google) along with the probability that they are running a phishing scam, so no one will have anything to do with them.
I reported a similar call to law enforcement (after "successfully" initiating a Call Trace, which cost me $3.00) but was told that the caller was probably using some kind of black box or smart card that fakes (spoofs) someone else's phone number, and that they were probably calling from Nigeria.
I just got one of these calls from Cardholder Services, but unfortunately didn't get the name of the person...it was a male though. When I questioned him about the company, he hung up on me. I pushed *69 and got this number: 972-805-9653. I called it and got a recording about all the services they (Mortgage Services) offer. I pushed "2" to be put on the do not call list but "all representatives were busy" so I was asked to leave my name and phone number which I did. I'm trying to track them down. I'm really curious particularly since reading all the posts above. Also, this is about the 15th time I've received a call like this. If anyone gets more information, I'll be interesting in hearing of it.
I just got off the phone with Rachel. I talked with someone finally, and was told my numbers would be taken off the computer once I had given them the numbers. As they already had my numbers I think I had nothing to lose. We'll see. With patience you can get to speak with someone. On an earlier call when I asked for their number I was disconnected, and pressing *69 was told that the number was not available. What a way to run a business.
I definately think this is a scam. I live with 3 other girls in a dorm and we have been receiving these calls as often as twice a day. I was told once that they would not call back. Today I got their name ("Cardholder Services") and then hung up on. I may be mistaken, but I was once told that they are not allowed to hang up on you. That is not the point, however. The point is that I was told I would no longer be contacted and find myself being called at strange hours (late at night and early in the morning). This needs to stop.
My caller is "Heather" and I tried to use the selection to get them to stop. I received two in a roll. I spoke to a "Tameika" or something like that and she was extremely rude and then hung up on me and called me right back and did the same thing. Guess what! I have call tracing and when it gets to the point they call to hang up, I can turn them over to the authorities.
"Steve" has been calling me weekly his number is (586) 863-4460. Can't get him to piss off.
I have recieved weekly calls from this company on my cell phone and when I answered and pushed 1 to speak to a live person to have this stopped I got a VERY rude woman from OBVIOUSLY another country saying why did I waste her time she has other lines to answer instead of hearing me whine. She said I am being a B____ and stop wasting her time unless I am willing to purchase what she has to offer. When I asked for a phone number for my attorney, she hung up on me.
I just got this call from "Bethany" and it seems the rudeness is a trait they look for when hiring. I asked her what credit card company this call is from and she wouldn't answer, just said which one do you have with a high interest rate?'. I said 'you called me, you should know what you're calling about'. She told me she's just trying to help me with my debt and I let her know we don't have a problem with our debt, to which she replied (quite rudely) 'Yes you do!' and hung up on me. I *69'd the number and it had an 850 area code. Hmm.. we are on the do not call list as well. The authorities have got to know who these people are!
Rec'd call today from John regarding my credit card debt and was advised that in order to qualify for debt reduction program I had to have at least $ 2,500 in debt. His call was from "card holder services" and the phone number was 866-358-3544. I did not bother to call back.
I have received these calls about once a month since getting a new phone number. I also try to remove myself from the list and the line goes dead. I've tried that a couple of times. I got a call from "Card Holder Services" twice today and both times I tried to talk to the agent -- and of course they hung up on me both times.
The first time I just asked to be removed -- click!
The second time I said this, "I wanted to inform you that you are in violation of "Title 47, United States Code, Section 227(b)" -- click!
BASTARDS!
I just found a message from "Steve" on my office voicemail. After reading all these comments, I have decided that this is a scam that couldn't even realize that their recording was talking to my answering system.
You know what - if you don't know them - ignore them. Eventually they go away.
I am going to have to change my number! I'm actually in a way happy that I'm not the only one getting hassled by this "company". I press "1" to speak to a rep and tell them to take me off their calling list (I HAVE NEVER EVEN OWNED A CREDIT CARD!!!!!!!!!!!) and I am hung up on and the next day the same recording calls me from another state! I am also on the do not call list and I would like to know who is selling phone numbers!!!!
I have also received multiple calls a week from "Steve" at Cardholder Services for the last several months. I have asked three times to be put on their 'Do not call list' -- each time immediately followed with a hang-up. They are calling my cell phone -- a number which I rarely give out. It is very frustrating.
After receiving numerous calls from these creeps, I strung them along during the last call in order to get as much information that I could. Unfortunately, all I could ascertain was the name, Cardholder Services. I then told the caller, McKenzie (who had the I.Q of a gnat) that I only went along in order to garner info and I intended to file a complaint with the FCC. He actually threatened me and said that I would now have a permanent mark in my file saying that I tried to "frame" them. I just howled so hard I couldn't catch my breath and asked him what the heck he was trying to do to me all the time??? I was the one who hung up on him and I immediately surfed the internet and found this site and filed a complaint against Mr. Robert Pitsker, President of this phony, baloney outfit.
Anthony has taken over for Rachel. Please put these idiots out of business and give us some peace.
I haven't heard from Anthony or Rachel or Michelle in quite a while, but believe me, I wish I could put them out of business for permanent. Theirs is one non-violent crime that definitely deserves serious jail time.
I got a call from "Rachel" at "Cardholder Services" the other day. It sounded suspicious from the start, so I recorded the whole thing - the pre-recorded message they start out with and the two scummy con artist sounding guys that came on the line after the initial message. Same as above, they claim to be a debt management company and eventually identified themselves as CMG Financial of Newport Beach, CA. I'll be filing complaints too.
I have received several calls from these people, also with a pre-recorded voice message from a "Rachel." I decided to stay this time to inform them I am not the person they must be trying to contact as i do not own a credit card, and I am also on the do-not-call list. When I actually got a real person and told him this he hung up n me.
I just got a call from Rachel from Cardholder Services....I filled out the FCC complaint. Thank you for the above posts! They were very helpful.
So far it seems they operate under all these names:
Cardholder Services
Account Services
Consumer Services
Financial Services
any others?
I can only point to published reports I've seen as to the various names they're operating under, but yesterday I got my first call from the "extend your car's warranty" variant. They said that my car's warranty was about to expire, which is kind of almost true — if this is the fall of 2000. But hey, what's 7½ years between scam artist and intended victim?
By the way, the number on the caller ID was 011-44-20-7444-3853, which is in central London, England.
I got a call from "Rachel" at Cardholder Services about a half hour ago. I used *69 to get the number (don't have caller ID); it was 616-980 2589, 616 being a Michigan area code. I get these calls from various people about once a week and its hella annoying; these people need to be stopped!
I just received a similar message, sounding like they were my credit card company.
The live operator identified his company and Cardholder Services and said that he (Stanley) was working from a call center in Boca Rotan, Florida. He was unable/unwilling to give either a corporate address or address of where he worked, and then declined to even say what street he worked on.
I requested a supervisor and hung up after 5+ minutes of dead line.
I'll file a DNC complaint, referencing some of the above info and a link to this website.
I am not sure how they got my cell phone # but I was told that its possible that my phone service provider might have sold my # to this company. If thats the case then we have a serious problem because my phone service provider is probabily the largest provider in the country. I believe some investigation is in order. I plan to write to my representative to see if we can generate something. I feel betrayed. But I am still not sure if this is fact.
K.C., they most likely got your cell number the old fashioned way. They dialed 200-0000, then 200-0001, then 200-0002, on down to 999-9997, 999-9998, 999-9999, probably skipping prefixes they know are not in service, but otherwise "war-dialing" every possible number. In any case, it is very unlikely that they bothered to buy any lists of numbers, since that would only highlight their criminal activity in disregarding the do-not-call list.
It's like a spammer who sends out an ad for golf balls to 10 million people. Most people have no use for golf balls, but the few golfers who got the ad probably wondered, "How did they know I play golf??" They didn't know anything, they just played a numbers game. Evidently, if you call enough people at random, some small number of suckers will take the bait for car warranty or credit protection or carpet cleaning or whatever is the scam-du-jour.
Cold-calling your cellphone is illegal, even if your cell number is not on the do-not-call list, but "Cardholder Services" under its various names has shown a complete disregard for all laws and regulations, and there have been published allegations that they have added fraudulent charges to the accounts of the few people who've fallen for their pitches. In other words, it's like complaining that the guy who mugged you, jaywalked in the process.
These people who send calls from "Rachel" or "Car dealers" do not deserve to be born or even die in America. They do not understand that the Founding Fathers defended Freedom for Americans to understand what their limits are by themselves. Just like the freewill, many use it to be bad. These people who call with being solicited are bad and they are, in great part, liable for the bad names Americans many times get abroad, and inside the U.S. If only they grew up a little bit and learned to respect the people living in the United States and looked for a real jobs, something really that people need, they would be good Americans, like many others are. Their push, though, make them cause a tremendous damage on the image of the country. I hope that one day they realize that and use their imagination to do something good to society.
They call every day at about 6:20 PM. I have played along and talked to their live person a few times. they usualy hang up when asked any questions. Sunday, when time to give her my name I said "you should have it since you called me". She said that my number was provided to them by Experian. When I said I didn't believe her, she hung up. I called Experian and they are aware of these calls and their fraud dept is trying to research them. I think it is best to just hang up. If you press "2" or "3" to be removed from their list, it just confirms that they have reached a working number.
I am going to hook up my TeleZapper which gives a signal to automated recorded calls that they have reached a number that has been disconnected. Maybe that will work
next time press 9 to speak to someone tell them you have a lot of debt but you want to know if they are a real company and not just a prank call this should get them to tell you the name of the company tell them you need a web address to check and see if they are real before you disclose any info do whatever it takes to talk and get as much info on them as possible them say sorry i think i will think about it first goodbye them report them to ftc
I have got this call from Rachel and it used to be Heather. It's always urgent and almost expired...
I have pressed 9 3 times. The first I asked to be taken off the list and they hung up on me.
The second time I asked to speak to a manager and an irritated man said he was the manager. I tried to explain what happened with the first call and he hung up on me.
The third just disconnected me.
It's so annoying. We are also on the do not call list.
what would happen if you gave them the acct # from a card that had been closed out for years and they tried to make charges would i be liable and could the card co get them bobbyburns@att.net
What can I do about them they have been calling me for almost a year now and I have went throught all of the hang up just like everyone else. Sometimes they call my house 1-5 times a day.
Sadly, there isn't much you can do. You can file a complaint with the FCC, but the only hope there is that we might eventually trigger something like the Al Capone effect: he was finally busted for income tax evasion, not for anything directly related to his primary criminal activities. Likewise, these bozos are likely engaged in some form of fraud that dwarfs violations of the do-not-call list in severity, but we might give them the death of a thousand paper cuts. Their employees seem remarkably unconcerned when you tell them that they are accessories in a racketeering scam.
It seems the last few calls I've gotten from them have shown up with numbers appearing to be in Costa Rica (country code +506, shows up as 5-06x-xxx-xxxx on my Caller ID), but they also show up as being in Florida, England, or some other random location, usually with a phone number that is out of service.
By the way, if you give them a defunct or otherwise bogus card number, it would just bounce off the computer the first time they try to put an authorization against it, so you'd fool them for maybe a few seconds but no longer.
Does anyone have an 800 or toll free number for these robo calls. I get about a dozen of these calls a day for various things.... I was getting numerous calls from a car warranty center...so I managed to get their 800# and now whenever I get a call, I am able to transfer it back to them through our outside line system. woohoo...some satisfaction!
Yes, me too.... these people won't leave me alone!!!
I get the call at least 3-4 times a week. I played along yesterday and pushed the buttons to talk with someone about the service. I asked if I could get a web site or a call back number to verify they are a real company. The person assumed from the start what I was doing and replied "Why so you can call the BBB on us. I said "well, I am on the no call list" She hung up.
Rachel is still up to no good.
Yup. Rachel called four times in the span of five hours.
Not only do I receive this call every single day at work, but I did push "1" to find out exactly to whom did I owe the pleasure, and was cursed out by a guy whose favorite 4 letter word started with an F and told me he couldn't take me off the F list and he didn't give an F if I wanted off the F list and so on and so on as I sat there with my mouth open listening... Is anyone doing anything about this?
card holders services, AKA...american debt negotiators...etc... call robert pitsker, conifer, co., 303-838-1876. he'll deny everything, but his sister in-law in hunnington beach, ca. says otherwise. if you start the call with his companys name he'll turn on a tape recorder or just hang up. he's very good on the phone if you can get him to talk. just keep calling, like he does to you.
If we continue to use their "800" numbers, are we ringing up the phone bill? 1-877-354-5485
I will call their phone all day if they get charged 1-877-354-5485 just start tying up their employees with phone phone calls
to call them for free download skype.com and call all you want
This is RIDICULOUS!!! I get multiple calls a day, several days per week. And it isn't just Cardholder.... it's also about lowering my mortgage, and about auto insurance.
First, I don't believe in using credit card, so that doesn't apply. I don't drive, never have and never will, because I'm nearly blind. Now what are the chances that someone with no credit, who is nearly blind and doesn't drive will have a mortgage?
This crap has been going on for years, despite the National DO NOT CALL List. There must be someway to stop it!!
I just finsihed a tiring search of the net and found NOTHING to stop the calls, despite the fact that they may just be ID theft rings trying to get info from people.
So, I'm going to try fighting back. Everytime I get one of those annoying calls, I'll press 1 to speak to a rep. Whenever the human being answers, I'm just going to press any button and hold it, letting them hear the annoying sound or hang up. But this won't work with just me. It'll take the same action from thousands of people being harrassed by telemarketers. Sooner or later, someone will get the message. Good luck to all.
Rachel.. hmm.. sounds like for years this has been a problem. My first questions was, "I'm sorry, what was your company name", answer was Card Holder Services. My next question was, "Is there a number I can call you back at in case we get disconn...." she hung up. Clearly a scam, clearly scandalous, certainly should be the target of the brainy acts that try hacking into the Pentagon and personal email of Sarah Palin, it would be great if the computer virus guru's would focus on something worthy of their intelligence. The bad thing is that the folks answering when you press 3 don't have any conscience about how troublesome they are.
I got the following email response from VISA about this:
"From: Mirzadeh, Armin (amirzade@visa.com)
Sent: March 31, 2009 12:56:29 PM
To: [removed]@hotmail.com
Greg,
Thank you for your email. What you have experienced is a known scam that is taking place globally. Moving forward, please disregard all calls that are similar in nature to the one described below. Another option would be to hang up on the call and call your bank and verify whether the call that you received was in fact their doing.
Thank you,
Armin M.
Payment System Risk"
People,
Just start harrassing them by calling the numbers others have listed for them. It only takes less than a minute or longer.....depending on how p/o they have made you!! Be creative with it!! Hi. Is this cardholder servioes company? Is Rachel there? I need some credit. Do you sell credit? etc etc etc.
[Siteowner's note: be sure you don't cross the line into telephone harassment yourself. It would really suck if you got hit with a fine (or worse) while "Rachel" and friends go on about their merry way.]
I've just been hanging up, but I've had so many calls that I'm almost to the point of getting my referee's whistle and using it when a real person answers after I press 1.
I live in Canada and we have a DNC list here to, but companies that are based in the US with branch companies here now call from a US based number. I have stopped one company from calling back (US Fidelis, car repair insurance company), by reporting them with the Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357. Don't bother with the FCC as they really don't deal with complaints for telemarketers.
I am presently on the Canadian Do Not Call List.
Today I was called twice by this company. I am tired of their calls so I pushed 1 and when "Craig" answered and asked if I wanted to lower my interest rates I said "No, I want you to take me off your call list. You've called me twice today. " His response was to say "Shut up , shut your face" and to hang up.
Rachel is still at it. Read about her at http://blogs2.startribune.com/bl...top-calling-me/
Yup, still at it...first at my home office, then at my work site. The work call showed an 866 number but not knowing it was going to be them,I did not note the number. I pressed 2 for "no more calls" - we'll see.
Would be good to get these scammers closed down. I haven't read all the posts to see if anyone had actually dealt with them - if you do. presumably you lose money and get sucked into other scams.
Just a thought - probably better to simply delete the call (get envelope info too maybe) because I bet that if you press the no-more-calls, that just tells them "there's a live one here, keep calling."
i'm in canada, and i get them on a regular basis as well.
the best thing you can do is get yourself a copy of lou reed's "metal machine music" (check youtube for a taste, but TURN YOUR SPEAKERS DOWN FIRST) and keep it on hand for when they call.
i got a call on wednesday afternoon, and when i asked to speak to a manager, i was informed that i was already speaking to him. i asked again to speak to a manager, not some snot-nosed, pimple-faced dumbass in a room with a bunch of losers doing the same crap work.
he said "i'll get you a manager" and proceeded to blare some crappy emo-punk garbage through some crappy computer speakers at me. thinking i'd have hung up, he came back on, and i appluded him on his apparent horrible taste in music.
when he came back with something like "oh, i suppose you listen to better music, i offered up "metal machine music" at full volume with no warning and walked away from the phone for about a minute, only to find a dead line when i returned.
that is how they will get greeted everytime they call here from now on.
press "1". turn it on, and walk away.
It is a scam. I've received such calls repeatedly (even though each one is the same and says I should consider this my final notice). Just now I pressed 9, and said emphatically to the operator who answered that I did NOT press 9 because I want to lower my interest rate. I began to explain that I pressed it to see if I could get these calls to stop.
She hung up on me. This is clearly a scam. No legitimate telemarketer, much less a representative from a legitimate credit card company interested in your business, hangs up on you like that.
I was going to post a warning about this on my own blog, but since so many have already posted on this, hopefully there is no need. I just hope that the gullible google "Rachel" and "cardholder services" before they agree to anything...
I have also repeatedly received the call from Rachael at cardholder services. I pressed 9 and spoke to the telemarketer of my fear of getting scammed. He gave me a callback number of 877-debtok2. he also identified the company as DHC Financial services out of Florida. Website: http://dhcfinancial.com/
I filed a complaint with the FCC
If anyone ever finds a number for these "non-existent" people... please feel free to share it with EVERYONE! I owe them about 300 of those harassing calls myself! And I don't even have a credit card, LOL. Nice try tho!!!
I'm on the National Do Not Call Registry. I think the
company should be set up as an example. I receive calls
from "Rachel" every couple of weeks. Several times, I
asked to be removed from their list, and was told I was.
The calls continue. Now, when I ask for contact information,
they simply hang up on me. What use is a National Do Not
Call registry if there's no way to identify who's calling
illegally?
Cardholder Services made a terroristic threat today.
I have been harassed repeatedly by Cardholder Services in violation of Do Not Call. Today, I read the woman at the other end off (but no threats other than reporting them to law enforcement and for violating Do Not Call) in the hope that they might stop. A few minutes later, a man called me back and began to read me off for abusing "his girl." I told him that, as they were making harassing phone calls I would speak to her and to him in any manner I chose. At some point in this heated exchange, he said, "I am going to send somebody to your house to kill you." I replied, "You have just committed a felony," at which point he hung up.
I am going to get these guys. My CC company has a thing when I can generate a new CC number for online/over the phone purchases and set a predefined limit.
I will give them my number (limit of $1) and let them charge it. Thus obtaining their name, address, etc from the CC company (either when it gets rejected for over the limit, or processed)
I have already filed Do Not Call complain, and will likely proceed to informing the local FBI office once this has been done. Wish me luck the next time they call
"Me," that's an interesting idea about the $1-limit card number, but I'd be certain that limit is airtight before giving such a number to a known scam artist. Given how little concern they express for having a business whose entire purpose is to violate the law, it's safe to assume "bad faith" in all their dealings with you.
The last time I spoke to one of their people, I asked him if it bothered him that every one of his calls was in violation of federal law. He said, "We've been doing this since 1995." When I tried to give him the specifics of the law (47 USC 227), he dropped an "F-bomb" and hung up.
Re: "The last time I spoke to one of their people, I asked him if it bothered him that every one of his calls was in violation of federal law. He said, "We've been doing this since 1995."
This is what the woman at their end told me when I told them I intended to destroy their operation by reporting it to law enforcement and the FCC.
wow. look through all of these comments! for over two years this has been going on, and they still haven't been located or shut down yet?!
i haven't gotten any calls, but i am doing a report for school. i came across an article about this on walletpop.com through foxbusiness.com, and i decided to do some more research on the matter to see how solid the complaints really were.
this is nuts, and it actually seems sort of scary to be the person receiving calls from this company.
i saw one comment where the agent actually threatened to have them killed.
WTF?!
Yup, they're like mutant zombie sewer rats: almost impossible to kill. Law enforcement doesn't have the resources to investigate "do not call" violations, or even the fraud allegations many people have leveled against them. I've quoted them the specific federal statute that they violate with every robocall they make (47 USC 227, paragraph (b)(1)(B), enacted in 1996), but they just laugh and hang up.
Commenting by HaloScan
