Well, I got hit a few days ago by a new telephone scam by a company I have found out is Ringplanet. They called up + let it be known that they represented AT+T + since AT+T has gone digital instead of analog then I would have to change my phone system (requiring their phones) + also need an additional line for my fax. I didn't understand anything this guy said but since he was (I thought) from AT+T then what do we have to do to keep my phone online? Famous last words, "Click here". I had a bad feeling about the whole thing but then I called my son, the techno-wizard + he says He'll straighten it out but it will be a pain in the ass as my clicking instead of updating my AT+T acct. actually authorized them to terminate my AT+T lines + get stuck with them. In addition to adding a separate fax line now I would only have phone service in my home + none in my shop. HMMM, running a business without a phone? My son is at a conference in NYC for the next 3 days but should get things worked out when he gets home. I was not born last night + I am always leery of cons but this one hit me broadside. Just passing it along to everyone to be aware.

I was just reading this morning about an app that is set up to enable you to sue telemarketers. From what i was reading, the hardest part is to get the telemarketer to tell you the company name before you complete a transaction (try it)
This app creates a phoney but valid credit card number for you and creates a record of the attempted transaction identifying the company in the process. It also prepares some of the documentation you need to initiate a suit.

I read this while screwing off at work and was unable to save the article, and now I can't find it..

But from what I'm seeing, there are several apps out there like this..

If I find the original article, I'll post a link

I think the name of the app or program is called RoboRevenge... but I'm still looking for the original article.

That would be nice to know. Thank God for caller I.D. so I never answer them but I would venture to say that 90% of my daily calls are telemarketers. I don't get it. Do they ever really sell anything? Everyone hates them. Never mind, I just answered that one; they sold me a bill of goods. But those robocalls I can't figure out. Where is the profit margin?

Norman,
Once upon a time in a past role at work, I had to handle the returned mail for undelivered credit card solicitations.. Literally tons. For a large national mailing, I could easily fill 2 semi's with undeliverable mail.. And that out of maybe a 100 million piece mailing..
From what I was told at the time, and this was in the days of all paper, was that if they got a 2% response rate, that was outstanding and well worth the expense of the mailing. If memory serves me correctly I think 1.3% response was the break even point.

Fast forward to today... emails and robocalls cost only a small fraction of a paper solicitation so I'm gonna guess that the acceptable response rate is significantly lower..

Also note that caller ID is easily faked so don't rely on it.

Norman
I had something quite similar happen to me several years ago.
Thankfully my wife can be a pit bull when necessary and got it reversed.
If my memory serves me correctly, all I did was say yes when he asked me to verify my address & that allowed them to change my phone service.
Now I just hang up.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
That would be nice to know. Thank God for caller I.D. so I never answer them but I would venture to say that 90% of my daily calls are telemarketers. I don't get it. Do they ever really sell anything? Everyone hates them. Never mind, I just answered that one; they sold me a bill of goods. But those robocalls I can't figure out. Where is the profit margin?

The obvious answer is for the phone companies to charge a tenth-of-a-cent for every call.
It would be an insignificant increase in the average household phone bill but an insurmountable obstacle to robocallers.

my wife would still justify it as only a quarter a day.

Tom, why not? We all see all those itemized charges on the back + don't have a clue what they mean. How about the "Universal Fee"? That one is you are being charged to give free cell phones to the welfare recipients. I got that info from National Revue. In the article, they had interviewed one Twanda Jackson that said, " shore, every month when I goes down to gets my entitlements I just grabs me a new one. I must have 30 sitting around here."