Author Archives: Christian Anton

This Week’s Top 3 Nuisance Callers

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Dear friends of tellows,

at the end of the month we present you another 3 numbers which have stirred your suspicions. These nuisance callers won’t take a breake and you really can’t expect any sympathy from them.  This week we have some familiar techniques for you, which you will recognise for sure. All the Jennifers, Ashley, Nicoles and Jennys are back on facebook. Maybe they weren’ t gone in the first place. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, they still send you messages like you’re long lost friends and try to make you call or text them. We also have a rather dangerous number, which can swindle your money from you before you really understand what’s going on. The frauds use Skype calls to reach the people and they pretend to offer you help with your computer or something else. Be aware that as soon as you give them access to your computer or your data, you can be in deep trouble.

1. 3059210411 with 3 comments and  tellows Score: 9
2. 2817128367   with 4 comments and  tellows Score: 8
3. 6617480240 with 3 comments and  tellows Score: 8

The first two numbers,  3059210411 and 2817128367  , have the same history and the same tactic. Although one is from Canada an the other from Miami, it really doesn’t make any difference if you’re on facebook. We already reported on this topic of Social Network Scam and it seems that this method is getting more popular and the phone numbers increase. Even girls are used as targets as Jennifer confirms:

Funny, I heard of this before but I thought that was a guys-only problem. But just a few days ago I got a friends request on facebook from another “Jennifer”, saying that we shared a friend – which we didn’t, at least not on facebook but that kind of made it appear more trustworthy to me since I have quite a few friends who don’t use facebook anymore and I figured real life-friends beat facebook friends. After I added her, she contacted me again, we wrote back and forth for like a minute before she said she’d had to log off but I should text her to 281-712-8367. That’s when it finally dawned on me that we didn’t have any mutual friends – neither on fb nor in real life. Such a scam!

The third number 6617480240 belogs to frauds, which are after your money and they do this in a rather exceptional way. Sometimes they use your computer as an excuse to gain access to your data and in others they try to make you to tell them the information they need. Some of the calls are made through skype to make it more difficult to call them back. Some of their methods were dicussed in another article of our blog
One technique which is new was discovered by the user Leger:

Got a call from this number. The person on the other line said that he was Jack Turner and that he was calling from Best Mortgage COnsultants. He also said that the company was in Florida, but as I now see that was just another one of his lies. He tried to offer fee loan modification services and wouldn’t say where he got my number from.

If you’ve also been a target of scam calls, don’t hesitate to share it with our tellows community. By sharing your own expirience, you can help those who get terrorised by these calls. Take care and have a nice weekend!

Your tellows team

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Telephone Spam Numbers: The Most Annoying Callers of the Week

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Dear friends of tellows,

another week has passed since our last update on the most wanted numbers. This week, all of the numbers that kept your phone lines busy were repeat offenders, ranging from nuisance calls to attempted telephone scams. Let’s have a look:

1. 234567890 with 4 comments and 1394 search requests. tellows Score: 8
2. 7607058888 with 3 comments and 1769 search requests. tellows Score: 8
3. +17148680120 with 8 comments and 14600 search requests. tellows Score: 5

Our first number of the week, telephone number 234567890 is no stranger to the list. According to our users, the caller claims to be phoning from the computer or tech support department of his company to fix the computer of the person called, suggesting that it has been attacked by a virus. This scam method is hardly a new one and has been reported on numerous times on our blog. Julian35 warns our other users about the number:

A man with a heavy accent claimed to call from “Computer Support Department”. He wanted to fix my computer because he has a virus. I hung up then. Be careful with this number!

Our second number for today, number +17148680120 from Los Angeles, California, is an old acquaintance and in spite of receiving a neutral rating with a tellows score of 5, the nature of the calls as well as their authenticity are highly debated. While most users felt bothered by frequent calls from this number, other users reported the number as trustworthy service hotline of a well-known software cooperation. Contrary, user wallace commented:

my family all also got this number,why u call us!?

Although our third place, number 7607058888 has had an entry on this list before, little is known about the calls that originate from Escondido, California. Tellows users have complained about receiving calls from the number at unsociable hours and were unable to call back. After answering the phone, user Danni was asked to provide personal details but was given little information in return:

I got a call a couple of days ago, the caller insisted i give him my email, then he hung up when i started asking questions.

If you do receive a call from an unknown number, don’t offer any personal information – especially if you don’t know who is calling and you can’t be sure if the call is legitimate or not. Moreover, don’t hesitate to report dubious or untrustworthy numbers on tellows to warn others about possible spam and scam calls.

Your tellows team

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Update on Facebook Scammers: New Numbers

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As we recently reported, scammers have taken to social networking sites. Seeing that more and more numbers appear to be connected to the scam committed on Facebook, we decided to give you an update on the latest telephone numbers:

  • 7145910019 from Santa Ana, Minnesota
  • 3052904905 from Miami, Florida
  • 3479604267 from New York

    • Operating under names very common in the US such as Amanda, Ashley, Jennifer, Jessica, Lisa and Nicole, the scammers attempt to get added to the contact list of Facebook members to then contact them with messages asking them to call or text to a certain number. The procedure is nearly always the same with only few details changed (such as the name and messages that ultimately lead to the request to be conacted by phone) – as demonstrated by comments such as those of tellows user Mr. Firth, who commented on the telephone number 4153668587 from San Francisco, California:

    Some girl called Lisa something contacted me on facebook – or rather sent me a friend request. I didn’t think much of it, so I added her. She then contacted me again saying that she liked my photo and that she now had to logg of but I should give her a call at this number. I’ve heard some similar story from a friend who also added someone unknown at Facebook and then tried him to get to call a certain number. I guess it’s an ongoing scam and people should beware of all Lisas, Ashleys and Jessicas who try to “befriend” them on fb.

    Using what seems to be countless name variations, accounts and phone numbers, some of our users have been contacted not only once but twice by scammers. User Robert, for instance, who had commented on a number related to the scam before, reported 9292234999 from Germany with the following statement:

    Unbelievable! This is yet another facebook scam! I just reported about one of those yesterday, a Jessica contacting me and this time it was a lisa. she asked me to call her at this address. I don’t know what that means with regards to the scammers since I figured they were a group of people – perhaps there is more than just this one group or they lost track of who they already contacted? It certainly isn’t more believable the second time around…

    So stay alert and be careful who you add to your contact list on Facebook or any other social networking site and don’t react prematuraley, especially on urgent requests by a complete stranger. If you have detected a scam, don’t hesitate to share your knowledge on tellows and help raise awareness against scammers.

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    The Most Annoying Callers of the Week

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    Dear friends of tellows,

    another week has passed since our last update on the most wanted numbers on tellows and as usual, nuisance callers have been rather busy. With numbers receiving scores from 9 to 6, this week there is not one number in our top 3 that is not somewhat of an annoyance to our users. But let’s see for yourself:

    1. 2149695489 with 2 comments and 528 search requests. tellows Score: 9
    2. 9722178347 with 2 comments and 1316 search requests. tellows Score: 8
    3. 2562617792 with 2 comments and 1271 search requests. tellows Score: 6

    Ranking on this week’s first place, the number 2149695489 from Dallas received a tellows score of 9 and is thus deemed to be completely untrustworthy. The number has been active for years and it’s mostly the caller’s odd behaviour that raised the suspicion of our users. Donna, for instance, reported:

    creepy guy said i had a sexy voice. first two calls from operator asking if I’ll accept the call..last 4 came from this creepy guy called himself frankie.

    On our second place, the number 9722178347 has kept the phone line’s of our users busy. Calling from De Soto, this is another number that has been active for several years and at a tellows score of 8, does not seem trustworthy. User Hector commented:

    972-221-8347 is Metro News Service. I am constantly getting calls with no message from them. I did find the information below as to how to contact them. HOWEVER…EVEN BETTER…I called 972-227-6170 connected to EXTENSION 202 which is the THE VP OF MARKETING (Eric Southward) AND GOT HIS CELL PHONE NUMBER! PLEASE CALL HIM AND TELL HIM YOU WANT OFF OF THEIR TELEMARKETING LIST!

    And finally, our last number for this week – 2562617792 – seems to be calling from Huntsville, Alabama and has been on this list before. While some suspect a debt collection company behind these calls based on their experiences with the number, others have been left clueless regarding the purpose of the frequent calls. User lafowl76934 complained:

    […] This number calls more than once a day and will never leave me a message…Have no clue who it is

    If you do have any information on this or any other number that seems to make suspicious or dubious calls, don’t hesitate to share it with our tellows community and caution other people against untrustworthy numbers and scammers. Other than that, have a nice and hopefully peaceful weekend without any spam or scam calls!

    Your tellows team

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    The 3 Most Wanted Numbers of the Week

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    Dear friends of tellows,

    it’s been another week and unfortunately, for some of you the telephone terror hasn’t stopped. This week, our top 3 most wanted numbers have been calling from across the country – one even garnering attention from across the pond. Let’s have a look:

    1. 5164175935 with 2 comments and 858 search requests. tellows Score: 7
    2. 6518293110 with 6 comments and 2397 search requests. tellows Score: 8
    3. 7758296407 with 3 comments and 458 search requests. tellows Score: 7

    Calling from Hempstead, New York, our first number of the week is 5164175935. Even though there is little information on the number, it has also been reported on the German tellows site. Meanwhile, user Kevin D posted on our US site:

    Fax machine calling, incoming spam fax is a one-page order form for Yellow Holding LTD., 250 Mill St., Rochester NY 14614, some sort of online yellow pages. Form is designed to look like an invoice. No mention of money in the main body. Fine print at bottom states (where normally general legal disclosures are buried) that you are ordering a listing in a ‘new’ online yellow pages at www.yellow-pages-California.net that is not affiliated with any local phone company and which will not be delivered to telephone subscribers, for $1,099 per year, for two years, and which requires 3 months written notice to cancel otherwise it will continue to be renewed automatically for one year terms, billed to a credit card. Total scam.

    Ranking on our second place, the number 6518293110 received a telling tellows score of 8 and has been reported as sweepstakes and lottery. Most of our commentators suspect a scam behind the calls as they have been asked to share personal information and/or to order a magazine subscription. User kaleka‘s comment sums up the general gist of most experiences with the calls from the number:

    they called and told me I was entered in a sweepstakes for a Ipad with case and wanted more info. when I refused to give my bank name(information) they angrily hung up on my ear..Beware never give out any bank information not even the name of the bank

    Making frequent calls at unsociable hours all day long, our third and final number, 7758296407, is from Reno, Nevada. So far, not much else is known about the number. User mizfixit commented:

    Received a call from this number at 2:30 in the morning–did not leave a message–not sure who it belongs to–no answer when I called it back at 8:45am.

    So if you do know more about this or any other number making unsolicited phone calls, don’t hesitate to share them with our community on tellows. Have a great and nuisance call-free weekend!

    Your tellows team

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    The 3 Most Annoying Numbers

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    Dear tellows friends,

    our latest update on the most searched for numbers on tellows includes some internationally active numbers as well as some of the usual suspects. So let’s have a look at the top 3 most wanted numbers of the week:

    1. 234567890 with 4 comments and 1315 search requests. tellows Score: 8
    2. 2562617792 with 2 comments and 1232 search requests. tellows Score: 6
    3. +17148680120 with 7 comments and 10835 search requests. tellows Score: 5

    Our first number, 234567890, has been active across the Atlantic: perpetuating calls both in the US as well as the UK, users of both tellows sites have reported the phone number as cost trap and marked it dubious with a tellows score of 8. User Chris Wells commented on tellows.co.uk:

    I had a call from this number today claiming there was a problem with my e-mail. I demanded the caller’s name and address. He gave me the fictitious details that he was Alan Johns of 49 Levington Gardens, Battersea, LONDON. After telling him I would report him to the Met Police he hung up!

    The second number, 2562617792, from Huntsville, Alabama seems to call our users frequently with unknown intentions. Suspecting scam calls, user Jererre wrote:

    Got several calls from this number. They never left a message and the first times I answered there was no reply. Then, a lady called me from this number. As I asked her to stop these calls, she acted very nervous, said it was the first time and that I might owe money to someone… and hung up. I don not owe any money to anyone, this can´t be legitimate.

    As for our final number from Los Angeles, the telephone number +17148680120 holds a tellows score of 5, thus being classified as “neutral”. However, most users seem to be confused at best about the frequent calls they have been receiving from the number. User Naiwan Abdel Aal‘s comment includes two of the most prevalent questions:

    i want to know why you call me by this number? what do you want from me?

    If you have any information on this or other numbers that seem suspicious or dubious, don’t hesitate to comment on tellows and share your knowledge with us. Take care and have a nice week!

    Your tellows team

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    Same matter, different week: The new Top 3

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    Just before the weekend we would like to present you our new Top 3 of the most wanted telephone numbers on tellows.com!

    1.) 5707068800 from Wayne with a tellows Score of 8
    2.) 6369251746 from an unknown place with a tellows Score of 9
    3.) 6302881777 from Hinsdale with a tellows Score of 7

    The previous weeks 2nd place is our winner today. 5707068800 from Wayne is still evaluated with a score of 8 and were searched almost 600 times now! Tellows-User Lea told us that she suspects a scam because of the following reason:

    A man on the other end of the line asked for a guy named Eugen Jacobs. I dont know someone with this name and i have had this phone number for many years! So im quite sure that this is a scam!

    Place 2 and 3 are a question of aggressive advertising. Place 2 goes to 6369251746 with a score of 9! User Jason identified the caller as the Pisa Group which is a telemarketing company:

    A woman who answered the phone said they are the Pisa Group! I told her to remove me from their list, but nevertheless they called again!

    Place 3 which goes to 6302881777 from Hinsdale has a tellows score of 7. Like place 2 we are dealing with an advertising telephone number. Erica declared:

    That is the sales department from comcast! Only advertising!

    So let’s hope that we won’t be harassed on the weekend!
    Take care, your Tellows Team!

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    The Top 3 of the most wanted US Numbers on tellows.com

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    After a short break we are glad to show you the current Top 3 of the most annoying telephone numbers of this week now.

    And the winners are:

    • 2144469818 from Dallas; tellows Score: 8
    • 6518293110 from Minnesota; tellows Score: 8
    • 6092790110 from Princeton; tellows Score: 6

    The tellows Score average of 7 shows that our users feel disturbed by these numbers. Their comments tell us why.
    Rank one goes to a number from Dallas. The user frustrated at work identified the caller and wrote about his experiences:

    This number calls our work place and wants to speak with an owner or office manager. They are calling from superpages.com regarding advertising. No matter how many times I tell them I’m not interested and to please not call they go on calling. It’s frustrating.

    He wrote this comment 2 years ago, which seems to be very interesting, because user Janine added another comment this week about the same number. Both of them voted with the Score 9, so obviously we can’t trust this number!

    Rank 2, which goes to 6518293110 from Minnestoa, was the winner of the Top 3 last October. It has been searched more than 1800 times now. Due to the comments of our users we have to warn you. The caller tries to get your money by claiming that you are selected for a $1 Million Dollars win. Don’t tell them any information about you!

    Number 6092790110 from Princeton is ranked on the 3rd place. User Beachboy complains about harassment:

    Called in the middle of the night and i screamed in the phone, still calling, why dont they give up?

    Probably they won’t give up, never! But by sharing our experiences we can try to stop them. So let’s see what will happen next week.

    Take care, your Tellows Team!

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    Neverending Spam – The US Top 3 Spam Numbers

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    Here are the most annoying spam numbers that have been harassing US citizens during the last week:

    1. 3604615083 from Port Angeles with a tellows score of 7
    2. 7574479265 from Norfolk with a tellows score of 8
    3. 07788209043 mobile phone number with a tellows score of 9

    Luckily, the phone preacher did not return so far and, of course, we hope that our work contributed to make an end to this nuisance.

    But there are other spammers and scammers only waiting for you to pick up the phone. Both numbers on rank 1 and 2 were one rank lower last week.

    There are no new reports on last week’s spam number 1. The only thing we can say for sure is that this is an automated dialer.

    We have got very useful comments on the scammer on rank 2. Everybody watch out, this is a number phishing for information!

    TH3 reported:

    Text sd Please contact 7574479265 BofA 435603XX Card Issue. I don’t have a BofA card. Sounds fishy to me.

    Mad in Dallas added:

    Scam trying to get Bank of America account information. New version of scam tried about 2 weeks ago.

    And finally mchoate had fun with this number:

    someone that is trying to get debit/credit card numbers. it is a scam. I called BOA. they took the information. when you call the number back it ask for you to put in your cc/dc. I had fun with it and just put in random numbers… about 50 times! Then I BLOCKED their text.

    Did the PPI scam wave already reach the US? So far, we have only heard of this happening in the UK. The 3rd most wanted spam number is offering clients to claim back money from their PP-insurance. Read more about this scam method on our UK blog.

    Kind regards!

    Team Tellows

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    Telemarketing In The Name Of God

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    Tellows is back again to bring you the latest news on a spam or even fraud method circulating in the US. Self-declared preachers are calling individuals who apparently are on their “prayers’ list”, claiming to know about the hardships they were going through and that they should join their so-called “prayer’s closet” to be saved. It might sound ridiculous in the first place, but not everybody is aware that this is an obvious rip-off attempt.

    We are talking namely about the following numbers:

    8003187853
    18003187853

    If you know about other numbers – report them here!

    The caller introduces himself as preacher or prophet or other religious leader. In some cases reported by users, one of these spammers’ name is “prophet Manasseh Jordan” of “Manasseh Jordan Ministry”. The calls have the following structure: first the caller says that God urged him to call you. He claims to know that the person on the other end was going through difficult times. In the end he wants the called person to press a key and give him detailed personal information.

    Here is a transcript of such a call:

    God urged me and spoke to me about praying for you, being a prayer partner,
    being someone that’s standing on the sidelines praying that every day your needs will be met.
    If you’re ready to join my prayer closet where I pray over thousands and you are the only one that’s missing.
    I want you to press 0 so you can transfer, so I can transfer this call to the Prayer Closet
    and so this way I can have your information so I can begin to start praying for you non-stop.
    If you’re really ready press 0 right now because I know that your miracle is right around the corner.
    Your struggle will be over. Press 0 now to be transferred to the Prayer Closet.

    View the video on source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaB1so4nJBc

    Phone calls of this kind have not only been reported to Tellows, but also to other blogs and websites dealing with this problem. However, the fake messiah seems to be operating only in the US so far.

    You do not have to be a genius to notice that this is a scam call. Still, here are some advices:

    * Never ever tell anybody your credit card details during a such a call, nor give any other personal information like your name or address.
    * Ask the caller where he/she got your number from.
    * Ask the caller for her/his name, job title, company and telephone number.
    * Write down the telephone number and report it to Tellows
    * Keep in mind that legitimate companies do contracts in a written way and never ask for personal details and financial matters on the phone

    Yours,

    Team Tellows

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