Tag Archives: Harassment calls

News from the Caribbean – Grenada’s Haven for Sex Scam Callers

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It’s one of those late night calls that you were not able to pick up. You called back early in the morning thinking that it was an emergency. Unfortunately, you heard obscene moaning and realized it’s a scam. Then your phone bill arrives, and there goes an extra $100 charge.

Due to the huge amount of complaints received, police departments across Utah are warning people not to answer and not to call back numbers from the 473 area code. Apparently, some residents in the area who just picked up the phone and did not even return the call were getting a $19.95 charge on their phone bill.

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Pests of the Caribbean – The Tide of Grenadian Nuisance Calls

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For some the Caribbean Sea equals paradise, for others, the sole notion of the Grenadian area code 473 forebodes only waking nights and sleepless nightmares. A new phone-fiend has arisen on the small island of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea and pesters unwitting people with dozens of silent calls a day.

Our fellow tellows users complain about an increasing number of automated calls from Grenada. Usually the calls are most numerous in the morning, yet afternoon calls and bellowing phones at night were reported as well. Yet no one actually ever talked to the caller. The tellows user thereby conclude that the callers agenda is primarily aimed at tricking people into calling back.

Danglt reported the number 4735209795:

Seems to be a ping call from grenada. Even without any fees for a service number the reaming fee will be high enough to cost you some dollars

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Tellows’ Top 3: The Week’s Gear-Grinders

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Howdy friends of tellows!

We have a mixed bag of callers for you this week; from the serious to just plain outlandish, our ‘wanted’ list always has contenders jostling for that Most Annoying award.

First up is a scam that’s becoming increasingly popular across the United States: the ‘you got served!’ call. Calling from LA on 2132609423, this fella’s not got the scam down to a fine art just yet…

User hal_t recounts:

some guy has called me literally EVERY. DAY. for the last two weeks telling me he’s bringing round legal papers and I’m getting ‘served’. not been served yet bro…

There unfortunately are more tenacious tricksters out there, who have successfully convinced US citizens that there is a warrant for their arrest out that they can buy their way out of for a couple of thousand dollars. Now, not only is it not possible to get ‘served’ over the phone, it is highly suspect that somebody would ask you to pay your way out of it without showing you any kind of documentation. Don’t let the fear surprise you out of your senses.

Second on the list, 9164698829, tries a similar tack, though much more aggressively. According to our heatmap, the perpetrators are based in Sacramento, CA, and try to accuse you, under a variety of aliases, of owing huge debts.

flynn099, who received a call from a ‘George Belowski’, was having none of it…

THREATENED US WITH A YEAR LONG PRISON SENTENCE FOR BANK ISSUES??? REAL HEAVY INDIAN ACCENT, TOLD US HE WAS FILING THE CLAIM IN AN HOUR!!!! MY FINANCES ARE TOTALLY CLEAR, THIS IS A MASSIVE SCAM!

Like flynn, you too should always be suspicious of an unprompted and unjustified phonecalls about your finances.
Last but not least is prankster and presumably Pitt-fan 8137936945, calling from Clearwater, FL. Witty user ‘monkeyingaround’ could fortunately see the funny side of the call, which cross-referenced more popular culture than your average chain-yanking caller…

‘Tyler Durden’ called me then proceeded to reference 12 Monkeys. Points for originality but stop pranking me!!!

Well, it takes all sorts folks…

Have a great week and stay cellphone-savvy!

Your tellows team

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Our Top 3 Most Annoying Phone Numbers this Week

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Dear friends of tellows,

This week’s winning entries are all-new and quite entertaining. They are experts in their field and do their work with efficiency and determination – in other words, they just don’t stop calling. We’ve got telemarketers, debt collectors and a delightful mixture of who knows who else, because the last number can be used by anyone who feels like it. Read on…

1. 6313933105 with 2 comments and 1010 search requests. tellows Score: 7
2. 5707068800 with 4 comments and 1014 search requests. tellows Score: 8
3. 2149695489 with 3 comments and 601 search requests. tellows Score: 8

The first number 6313933105 from the USA may belong, according to our users, to Cablevision, whose telemarketing department calls you if you cancelled their services, or equally, if you might be interested in them. In short, they seem to call everyone with a phone and try to flog their product.

This calls come at rate of 7 or 8 times a day! For once I know whos is calling though. Its cablevision because I canceled a few weeks back. I answered the first few calls and patiently told them that I canceled it with a reason and I’m not interested. They simply dont’t give a damn what I want though…

The second number 5707068800 is from Wayne, USA and the likely owner is Penn Foster, though we can’t quite be sure. What we do know is that these calls come from debt collectors, who might call you a) for laughs (and hang up when you answer) b) to ask you where [insert name of random stranger here] is or c) (the most likely reason) – they want you to pay off a fictional debt.

First I was called to identify some people ’cause apparently, they were all listed with my number and said honestly I don’t know them. Then they wanted to have MY information and that’s just weird. So they collect it. Then is stopped for a few weeks and then they started to call again. Now I had some debt which I had to pay. Now isn’t it convenient that I was called a few weeks back then…It really sounds like scam. when I confronted them they started to get quite rude and even when I wanted them to delete my number, they just said the same thing: give us money!

Our final number 2149695489 from Dallas, USA is not from Dallas at all. If you search this number on the internet, you can immediately see that it doesn’t actually belong to anyone and a whole lot of people, normal and crazy, trustworthy and untrustworthy, are able to use it. Next time you see this number pop up on your screen, close your eyes, make a wish and hope someone really fantastic is on the line. Who knows, you might be lucky.

This phone number is simply strange. Sometimes friends call me with this number. e.g. when they’re away or something but in between I partly get really strange calls from some creeps. They’re similar to the comments below…It seems like everyone can use it cause its a payphone number. I think it’s the ideal opportunity for frauds to get in action

Let this week’s numbers be a warning and don’t forget to keep your wits about you. Our third number just goes to show that you never know who’s on the other end of the line.

Have a nice week!

Your tellows team

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Debts, threats and a promise of 2 Million$. The recent techniques of phone scammers

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This week we are going to discuss the aggressive techniques frauds use on you. These scammers aren’t scared to threaten you and even mention that you can contact your attorney. With these methods the threat sounds even more convincing.
The basic idea is as follows: they leave you a message on your phone saying, that there is a restraining order, investigation, previous conviction or something else on you and if you or your attorney don’t answer the call in the next 4 hours, they’ll begin to take the next steps, like contacting your employer and delivering the papers. If you actually try to call them back, it doesn’t work for a few hours. Then, when you get through, no further information is given beside that you have a debt to pay. No proof will be served either.
Important and fear inducing names can be used too, like HSBC ( Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Holdings) or IRS ( Internal Revenue Service) to apply even more pressure. But sometimes the frauds don’t really try that hard, for example, all of them take on the name ‘Johnson’ or they let someone do their work, who has a thick accent The most stupid mistake though, is to actually call someone from a complete different and far far away area code.

We picked out 3 numbers which seem to practice these techniques enthusiastically.

1. The first number 2162175984 from Cleveland has got the time limit of 4 hours and won’t give you any information or a debt verification.

2. The second number 7572146785 from Virginia just leaves an automated message, not making an effort to do it personally. In return they’re quiet stubborn and will harass you for a long time.

3. And the third number 5302385813 from Shasta Lake with the thick accent claimes to be from the IRS and threatens to freeze all your accounts and credit cards if you don’t cooperate.

One of the experiences with these numbers looked like this:

Clearly an illegal scam targeting some moronic collection agency, caller threatens to call your employer in 4 hours if you don’t call them back. When you actually do get someone, they have no clue about collection law. They refuse to give you any information, will not give you a debt verification letter, nor will they send any information to you. This is ILLEGAL!! Know your rights, call the Ohio Attorney General’s office, Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau, and the FCC, then call the Cleveland Police and file a complaint, have the District Attorney file a cease an desist order, and they will be arrested if they don’t stop. THEY ARE LIARS, DO NOT COOPERATE.

But all this stories aren’t as interesting as this one. Here the people aren’t actually pestered by calls but by e-mails. You get an email from someone called Mr. Benjamin Josh Gibson and also recieve his phone number 7167774105 . In this mail you read a heartbreaking and interesting story of a bank manager, who can’t find the owner of 4 Million$ and simply decides to take it for himself. He extends an invitation to you to assist him in his plan and everything will be devided 50:50. This is like a movie come true but the catch is, that at some point you’ll have to give him your bank account number to send the money from his bank and then it will be your money that is in danger if beeing transfered.

I got an email a few days ago from the guy I mentionen above and I think he tried to make me do some pretty illegal stuff cause he told me something about a man who left behind large sum of money, 4 Mill I think, in a fixed deposit account in his bank. Yes he says he works there. In his email he describes extensively how he tried to find that man but he never succeeded(should I feel pity for him now?….), well he kind of did, but then this rich Mr. Rime Vishnuramann already died . Now he came up with the idea to make me pose as his next of kin to get hold of the money. The government wouldn’t be able to do much good with it and we, as in me and that guy, actually could. It’s all “safe and beneficial.” and “not a matter of being greedy or having ugly morals”….
Yeeeeah riiiight of course it is!!! all would go well becaue his department would be responsible for everything and we will share 50:50.
I laughed for 5 minutes when I’ver read this! I mean how much more rediculous can this situation get??! I’m sure, I’m not the only one who got that messasge an I think there won’t be enogh Millions for all of us.
I’m terribly sorry Mr. Gibson but I’ll have to decline your kind offer. I Know how this works. In our next conversation I’ll have to give you my bank account number, so that you can transfer the money from your bank and miraculously all of my money there will vanish, just like you. That’s why I can only say it again: Thanks but No!!!

These numbers teach us a proper lesson on frauds and their techniques: never give your personal information to someone you don’t know, even if he promises you 2 Million$. Beeing careful is the prime rule concerning this kind of things and we hope that through this article, we could help you to be aware of what you have to be careful of.

The Tellows Team

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Our Top 3 of the Most Wanted for you

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Dear friends of tellows,

This week you were undoubtedly harassed by numerous phone calls and sms. It’s difficult to decide whether you should leave it be or pick it up if you don’t know who is calling you. The numbers are quiet often identified as ‘unknown’ and there is this constant thought on your mind that the call could actually be important. The numbers, which we present you today, make use if that behavior and curiosity and if it doesn’t work, they make use of the fact that no one can stand annoying and harassing calls for long. This week we have numbers of debt collectors, survey and advertising companies. Inform yourself on their methods and don’t think that you are the only victim. By sharing your experience with others you can learn from them and be prepared when the phone rings once again.

1. 5159547694 with 3 comments and 1042 search requests. tellows Score: 7
2. 6068330105 with 2 comments and 626 search requests. tellows Score: 9
3. 2107363080 with 3 comments and 632 search requests. tellows Score: 7

Our first number 5159547694 is from Grinnell and may belong to the Credit Bureau Enterprises. They call people in order to remind them of their debts but in some cases, they get hold of a complete stranger and just don’t back off. Dan commented:

I get these annoying calls everyday. No messages, nothing. I don’t usually pick up calls with an unknown number but if I hadn’t done that, I would have smashed my phone against the wall. The best part is that when I did pick up they introduced themselves as CBE and asked for a person I don’t know. I’ve told them that again and again but they don’t listen. What kind of use does this behaviour have? I mean no one gains anything out of it!! I know I don’t have debts and I bet they know it too. They are just too lazy to search for the actual person (if he even exists)

On the second place, there is the number 6068330105 from Russell and it belongs to Lister, Inc which seems to be a hardcore advertising group and can’t accept a ‘No’ for an answer. It drives their clients crazy. Jenny commented:

They just call without leaving any message and then in an hour they try again. If this is important, then you leave a message, if not, well your own fault. I am on the DNC list…if that even counts. I’ll just call it harassment cause that’s what this is. I bet it has got to do something with advertising. looking it up I found out this name Lister, Inc. I think I’ll pick it up next time, just to say not to call anymore, because really there isn’t anything left for me to do.

And finally the third number 2107363080 from San Antonio belongs to the Scarborough Research. Their goal ist to carry out as many surveys as they can and for that, they don’t hesitate to call people again and again, even though they might be rejected each time. Well, actually this outcome is not really that surprising, considering the feelings of the ones who are called. Alice commented:

Calls during the day and night is nothing new when it comes to this number….I already told them I’m not interested in answering their questions but they just keep calling. I even asked them to remove my number from their database but all in vain. It seems that the National Do Not Call List doesn’t stop them. This doesn’t make me want to cooperate at all. Who in their right mind would endure that treatment and then happily comply to their demand?!

This were the numbers of the week. Keep on being careful an don’t be fooled by threats and confusing tactics. Share your expirience with others and have a nice week

Your tellows team

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