Please spread the word about this. Feel free to repost this anywhere you can with a link back to me. I’m still getting spam phone calls from “Heather” at “Account Services” who wants to lower my credit card interest rates. It’s an automated message. If you want to speak to someone you press 1, at which point a man answers. The clues that this is not legitimate:
- They don’t say what credit card they’re with. A legitimate business would. You just know they’re going to ask for your account number, and suddenly you’re going to be overdrawn.
- It comes up “unknown caller” on CallerID with no phone number. Legitimate businesses don’t block their name and number. Individuals may, but not businesses.
- When you tell them you know they’re a scam and to stop calling or you’ll call the authorities, they say they’ll “talk to you tomorrow”. More on my call to the authorities in a moment. Obviously, a real business would be concerned if you mistakenly thought they were a scam, and would say something like, “I assure you we’re not, but I’ll be happy to take you off our list.”
- My number is unpublished and I’m on the Do Not Call list. I don’t get telemarketing calls, so it’s a safe bet unsolicited calls that come through to me are on auto-dialers.
- My creditors don’t have my landline, where these calls are coming in. I use my cell phone.
The problem is: not everyone will have all these clues. Some people may be so desperate to lower their interest rates in this challenging economy that they won’t be as careful as they should be.
Today I called the police and spoke to a detective. Unfortunately, there’s not much they can do because the caller has masked his identity. They can’t trace the call because a crime needs to have been committed before they can get a warrant and all that.
Then I called the phone company (Verizon). They can’t do anything to stop him either, but they do offer a service that blocks calls from unidentified callers. This does not block callers whose numbers come up without a name. If it does block a legitimate caller, it plays a message that tells him to hang up and dial a combination of numbers, then redial you so his number will show on Caller ID. Legitimate callers should have no problem with this.
Again, spread the word. If you get one of these calls, please comment here. It may be that it’s just someone local to me doing it rarely, but it could be a nationwide racket. If so, then we need to collect enough complaints for police to be able to match up the cases of identity theft that will happen when someone falls for this scam.
Find more in Money
Updated: November 17, 2010
Copyright: November 17, 2010
{ 925 comments… read them below or add one }
Unfortunately this has been going on for quite awhile (I’ve been getting calls for about two years once or twice a month. Here are a few more sites about the same people, or possibly copycats. Either way, happy reading, there’s various contact information and other assorted things (including an mp3 of one person’s call)
http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/archives/2007/07/02/cardholder-services/ http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/34709834/m/443000327831
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-487-2273
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/lincmad/6500520568862720776/
File a COMPLAINT at the above listed web site, OR if applicable, click here:
https://tips.fbi.gov/
Since this involves “Out of State” Fraud complaints, it falls in the Feds Jurisdiction.
I also read on one post, whereas this might also fall under Internal Revenue Jurisdiction, being that a past employee did NOT receive a W-2 from this particular employer. Tax Fraud committed?
This company is up the creek when the owners are caught!
I just got this call and asked which card company they were working for. All they would say was “member account services”. I aksed several times for the name of the company with no valid results. When he tried to ask me my address and my name as it appears on the card, I said “Which card? Aren’t you covering all my cards. Do you intend to ask me for all credit card information over the phone? i don’t know who you are or who you work for…etc. He hung up on me after several persistent lines of questioning. I only answered because my caller ID wa out. I thought I was on a Do Not Call List but it might be time to renew.
Ha, crooks who are trying to scam your credit card numbers are not going to be worried about breaking the don not call rules. Heck the DNC list would provide them an easy list to start calling.
503-457-1976
This no. was from Oregon — dialed #1 — asked how they got my number — immediate hangup
Numbers originating from 503 and 360 (Oregon and Washington State) belong to PacificTel. Not the phone company but the telemarketing scam company. The owner of the company is Mr. Stephen Hamilton the following is Mr. Hamilton’s contact information. I suggest calling Mr. Hamilton on HIS # and see how he likes getting harrassed back.
His direct phone #: 310-895-0574
Addresses:
12228 Venice Blfd. #559 Los Angeles CA 90066
More info on his home address
3721 Ocean View Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Owner: STEVE ANDELA HAMILTON FAMILY TRUST HAMILTON TRS EST
Total land value: $365,218
Total building value: $241,978
Total value for property: $607,196
Recording date: 07/30/2008
Year built: 1940
Effective year built: 1943
Area of property: 1,159 square feet
Assessment for fiscal year: 2008/2009
Just got such a call. Their number was not blocked. It was 720-878-7704. They kept saying they are not from the bank, they are from “Visa and MasterCard.” But Visa and MasterCard don’t control the rates — the issuing banks do. Never give out your account number or other identifying info.
I just got another call……..about once a week now, and I keep asking them to take me off their list………..the female said she could not. 800-847-2900 came up. Hope that helps. She hung up on me after I wasted a few minutes of her valuable time.
This Business is not BBB Accredited
All In One Services
(888) 654-2988
Card Services. They called my home for too long. Got lucky to find this..
If you’ve been getting harassing telephone calls with spoofed caller ID’s (the most recent being much too long phone numbers starting with “1506″), I’ve tracked the company down.
I haven’t verified their actual name yet, but they operate out of Tampa Florida, in Suite 100 of an office building at 8413 Laurel Fair Circle. There is a company called “Corporate Sales Leads” in Suite 101 there, so they may have their offices in one suite and their call center in another.
The number I called to finally speak to someone was 813-418-5811, which was answered by “Naomi from Human Services.” She apologized and took my information to supposedly take my number out of their computers. Especially after I warned that I’m on the DNC list.
She asked how I had managed to trace the calls to her company? I said “lots and lots of research.” She said “oh,” and promised to process the information by the end of the day.
Well, now you don’t need to do “lots and lots of research” (even a quick Google search which will eventually find them). Next time you get a call from “Heather from Account Services,” hang up and call Naomi. Then file a complaint with the FTC
i’ve been getting up to 5 calls a day from these people. when i try to get info from them they hang up on me. these come in on my cell phone. i’m on the ftc’s cell pone no call list. i reported them the other day. the calls come from different area codes. some of them are 407, 303, 402, 360, 401, 760, 313, 573, 503, & 785. they always say the are with account services and can lower the interest rate on my credit cards if i have at least $3000 in credit card balances. i don’t even have any credit card balances.
I’ve been dealing with this scam weekly for 14 months now and would really like to know if there is equipment I can use to back trace this clown for a little party I have planned for him and his friends.
Does anyone know the originating location of this in Northern California?
March 4, 2008 at 9:15 P.M.
My story is the same as Ben posted on March 1st above.
I rcvd the last call from Heather at about 9:00 A.M. CST this morning.
I value my privacy, and would love to find the key to stopping such trash.
– willperk
I get so mad I could reach through the phone and punch the guy out.
I have tried also to find out about these spammers (crooks) but can’t.
Thanks
Bob
I get these calls at least once a month. This time a man answered when I pressed “1″. I told him I had asked several times previously to be removed from their telephone list and that I’m on the DNC list also. I asked the name of his company and he said “Account Services”. And I asked to speak to his supervisor and he said there is none. The only thing he said to me was, “You ty’in up my money ma’m, I gotta get off this call” . The only other information he would impart was that he is calling from a call center and works there for 4 hours a day, and that’s all he knows.
@Ben, thanks for posting those links! Very good stuff!
@John, there’s got to be technology that would trace the call, but I guess the issue is that it’s not legal to do that without a warrant, which law enforcement can’t get until a crime has been committed.
What I wish is that law enforcement or phone companies and ISPs would set up report centers where we can report scam phone calls, email, mail, etc. They could maintain a database so that when a crime IS committed, they can search for similar scams and perhaps have a few more helpful clues. If I win the lottery, I might set something like that up.
@Will, the blocking of “unknown” callers has not completely done the job. Upon further discussion, Verizon admits it only blocks some callers, not all. Glad I didn’t have to pay for the service!
@Chef Bob, I know how you feel.
@Diane, I think the “call center” is his basement.
We can easily solve the “no crime committed” part of the problem – if one of us all is kind enough to give them real credit card info, then the crime will surely follow:)
I get these call several times a week. Caller Id shows different numbers each time and differt names.The last two I hit the ’1′ and when James answered, I asked who they were and he hung up. The second I asked who and got “James” “Consumer Servise, VA”. Asked which card and they hung up.
Obviously a scam. Next time I will try to waste as much of his time as I can.
Last call;
Hollywood 954-733-7981 Tried to call back – disconnected.
Information is posted about these guys all over the web. You can call them directly and ask for your number removed from the call list.
American Credit Counselors, Inc.
23123 State Road 7, Ste. 215 Boca Raton FL 33428
561/886-1150 Paul I. Rakitin
http://www.consumerguidebooks.com/us/fl/bbb+west+palm+beach/Credit+Debt+Consolidation+Services
http://www.sos.ne.gov/business/pdf/debt_list.pdf
http://www.ct.gov/dob/cwp/view.asp?a=2233&q=297874
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/411350/cardholder_services_nuisance.html
http://bohemianrevolution.com/scam-notices/scam-alert-account-services-wants-to-lower-your-interest-rate/
http://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=22000308
Mike- got the same number(954-733-7981), and the dude hung up on me when I asked his name. I am now on the warpath. I love a good challenge like this. A few weeks ago I talked at length (it wasn’t “Heather”, I can promise you) with some lady who told me that in all honesty she could put in my number for removal, but it wouldn’t get any results. She said she had just started working there and I guess she still had a little wisp of a conscience left, because she said many other people had tried to do the same but her company wouldn’t stop making the calls no matter what she tried to do herself. I told her I was not like “many other people” because I would not ever quit until I eliminated these calls from my life forever. I then grilled the poor woman on various topics, and found she either couldn’t tell me or didn’t know about:
-what my name was or anything about me(shouldn’t she already have that info?)
-her company’s website(she didn’t know if they had one)
-her company’s name (she claimed she didn’t know it!)
-the name or number of her immediate supervisor(she actually said she didn’t want to get fired)
-Anything whatsoever about the nature of her company that would let me know anything about them
So I called her on all this, told her I was on a no-call list and that these calls were illegal (and that meant she was working for a criminal company) and I would get the authorities involved if I ever found out who they were. Then I dropped the bomb on her: I DON’T HAVE A CREDIT CARD!
She said she heard a lot of anger in my voice, and I told her that it was focus she was hearing. I almost(but not quite) felt sorry for raking her over the coals, and when she said she needed to end the call because I was getting “belligerent”, I said I hoped she got a legitimate job someday before she hung up on me.
I’ll post anything pertinent I find on this forum. A hilarious side note: when you call the number above, you’ll hear a home-made “this number is disconnected” message, and some guy is actually talking in the background when they made the recording!
update:
check this junk out- it’s got some info on the company:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-442-074-2550
a quote from that page:
“I learned the company was Americare Software Solutions (web address: http://www.americaresoftwaresolutions.com), registered address is PO Box 105603, Atlanta, GA 30348-5603. A John Stevens, who was the floor supervisor at Americare hung up on me when I asked to speak with his supervisor.”
For what it’s worth I live just north of Atlanta. Think I’ma give them a little visit next time I’m downtown…
Keep fighting the good fight!
Regzim
It’s my understanding that these crooks are SPOOFING the phone numbers of various companies, so if you think you’ve tracked down their identity, you may have tracked down a legitimate business who is as much a victim as anyone.
Hey All,
I recently started a website to help people like us deal with annoying callers and spamers. Unfortunatly, the FTC doesn’t get enough funding really go after all people who break the law.
We’ve got a lot of complaints about this number 954-733-7981 too.
Re: Jennifer, you’re right about caller ID spoofing being a big problem. Honestly, I don’t see why it’s still legal (though there are some steps being taken).
http://callercomplaints.com/articles/swatting.aspx
I have received a call from “Heather” every few weeks for the last six months or so. At first it was a number from Maine on the caller ID and just now it said Ft Lauderdale with the number mentioned above.
I just got the same call as the others from (954) 733-7981, I pushed #1 just to try to find out which credit card company was calling me during duty hours on my cell phone, when the guy finally answered he immediately asked me what my credit card balance was, I asked him which card company he worked for and why were they calling my cell phone? He said “of course we called your cell phone, everbody has a cell phone these days, now what is your balance?” I said “I want to know what company you work for because you’re not supposed to be calling my cell phone” he replied “Here you go again with the stupid cell phone, get off the cell phone thing because everyone has one, now what is your balance?” I said “Look you called me and I’m not going to tolerate you being rude, what company do you work for?” at which time he finally hung up. I did a reverse number search and couldn’t find a company at first, so I called Verizon and explained the conversation. Verizon stated that it was illegal (because they use an automated message first and then transfer you), but that Verizon couldn’t do anything. Verizon did however provide me with 3 ways to nails these guys through the FCC. The first is go to the website, http://www.fcc.gov , the second is to FAX the info at 1-866-418-0232 and the third is to contact Consumer & Mediation Specialist at 1-888-225-5322. Hope this helps, let’s try to nail these jerks!!
I am getting the calls daily. Today I got 2. One hung up on me as soon as I started questioning. The second one was rude when I told him I knew it was a scam.
I have reported this to the FCC at least twice. It just keeps getting worse.
Same here! I start to tell them to take me off their list, etc…and they HUNG UP! Does anyone know the address of this credit card services? I am filing a complaint with the Attorney General.
Cari, great info! It looks like this is the link we need if you want to complain to the FCC:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_tcpa.html
I just wrote them and described the situation, and also referred them to this post for links and more stories. I may try the Consumer & Mediation Specialist you mention later, too. Thanks!
I have called the FCC 3 times on these spammers and gave them a list of over twenty numbers used by Account Services (crooks) all the want is your cc no. and info…Fcc only takes five numbers and the last time I called them–I was irate after 8 calls in one week, they finially admitted they could do nothing…..they also were somewhat agitated that I had called them so many times (3) over a year–Verizon is a waste of time also—bet you if you gave the spammers, Verizon’s chairman of the board cell phone number, there would be a way to block them—while I am on my soap box, why do not the politicians have to abide with thw DNC list/law????
ABOUT POLITICAL CALLS — Your question holds th answer — the politicians made the laws — so are they really going to block themselves? Especially the ones who have been in power for the past 50 years — Republicans (take a look at Wikipedia — the House and/or the Senate have been Replublican majorities for the past 50 years). So then ask also — when WAS the last law passed that REALLY helped the average person? — When the Democrats won out AND had a Democtratic president in charge who would NOT veto the consumer-law just passed. So at least for now seniors don’t have donut-hole gaps in meds to worry about & won’t be dropping dead by not being able to afford the meds they need!
I just ordered a referee’s whistle on amazon. These a——- have been harassing me for over a year. Next time these f—— call to ‘lower my credit card rate’, I’m gonna blow their f—— eardrums out.
(Edited for language – please keep the swearing to a minimum. But I couldn’t resist posting the comment because the idea with the whistle is awesome!)
Awesome idea with the referree whistle. I would think if this idea would catch on, this idea alone could stop this nonsense!
Not only should you use the whistle (or an airhorn), but when you talk to them speak softly or hold the mouthpiece away from your mouth – not so much so they can’t hear you at all, but enough that they turn up the volume on the headsets they all wear… THEN, let ‘er rip!
I thought about the whistle but lately they don’t even answer the phone when I select “1″ and it is becoming more common that the recorded message does not even finish. They are now using cell phone #’s with local exchanges.
I did get one message when I called back and the woman said in a recorded message “I earn my living making illegal telemarketing calls. If you are lucky, by this time next year I will be in jail.” She then laughed and the call ended.
number was 561-793-8708 this time btw
Today I got the automated lower your credit card interest call from Heather as well. The message stated she was from “Account Services” but not what organization/business. I pressed “1″ in an attempt to find out what this was about and spoke to Kathy. When asked about the vague “account services”, she stated she was from Visa/MasterCard and that she could lower my credit card interest rate. She did know my name, how I do not know. I tried to get more information and she tried to turn it around that since I pressed “1″ that I must have wanted to lower my rates and what credit cards I had. I asked her for a website I could go to. I asked her for a phone number where I could call her organization back. She stated she would call me back and got off the phone. The whole thing was fishy, but troubling. She was very polished, persistent and smooth. Someone desperate or not as cynical as myself could have easily been taken in by this apparent scam. Legitimate businesses will not be vague about who they are, will tell you where they are located, and will supply website/phone numbers when asked.
I have been receiving these calls too. The number I got was 561-793-8708. I did a reverse search and it was from a land line in West Palm Beach. When I called back, the number was disconnected. I am sick and tired of these calls. I am on the national do not call list. What else can I do?
Just got the call from these guys. No caller ID. They’re getting smarter. When I said I was interested but needed a number to call back to, they gave me Visa’s customer support number! What makes me sick here is that they ARE breaking the law, with a potential for a $10k per call penalty. There is something that can be done by the phone companies to do a search on the number, but for whatever reason, they won’t do it. The fact that the police won’t help isn’t surprising, not because no law has been broken, it has, but that it’s hard work, crosses state lines (federal stuff), and will chew up tons of resources. Probably better to write Oprah than to expect help from the phone companies or law enforcement. Andy Roony has a suggestion as well. Hook up with the service by pressing one, say that you’ll get your information and be right back. And leave them hanging. They make money via calls processed, and taking time will eat into thier profits….
Next time they call I’ll do that one…..
Matt
Since so many people are getting these calls I’ve created a blog at: http://heatherwithaccountservices.wordpress.com/
I want this to be a big info source for people being harassed by these criminals. With luck we can work together to take them down. So please visit http://heatherwithaccountservices.wordpress.com/ and tell other people about it as well
I got these calls EVERY F INFG DAY!
I have resorted to using a phony accent and telling them that I am $200,000.00 in debt and beg for help. I wonder if there is a way to scam the scammers and actually get to the next level to see what actually happens. Maybe one of those investigative shows or something.
My guess is that it is an ATT, Verizon etc. employee or ex employee with an ax to grind and access to massive lists and equipment.
I’ll visit that blog… I get these all the time as well. They used to have the ID blocked but they have now resorted to showing a fake phone number; my caller ID said: “Orlando, FL 407-207-0820″. Of course, that number is “unpublished” according to the reverse phone look-up directories, and is out of order if you dial it.
The second I start questioning them they hang up on me. I’m seriously considering getting an air horn or something to blast them next time they call. Maybe we can all do this, then when some company starts getting lots of Workers Comp cases of deafened telemarketers the company can be identified!
I always press one, at least it wastes their time. I would love to follow this further, give them a false credit card number or something, or work with one of my real credit cards to trap them. I might try to bait them again just to see what happens and post it here or on the blog that “James” listed.
Too bad this is low on the AG’s problem list. Just annoys the heck out of me.
As I understand it, the whistle/air horn/other obnoxious noise, won’t work. I’m told that the phone companies have filters that prevent transmitting noises that could injure someone’s hearing.
Donna, I’d love to hear what happens if you try that!
I know how you people feel about this whole thing. I am now getting called by “Heather at acct services” 2-3 times a day 7 days a week. This is now getting totally out of control. I just E-mailed the FCC, and asked if there is anything that can be done. Our caller ID is not working right now, because it is located on the Phone headset itself, so I have no idea on whom is calling me.
Thanks for letting me put my opinon on this site. If I hear anything at all, I will put it on this site for all to see.
I tried *69 on the caller after they hit me the second time in a week…(305) 654-1842…it is a land line in North Miami with no additional information on the reverse phone look up sites.
I wish there was more that could be done legally to stop this abuse.
I’ve given up trying to get rid of them… now I just play dumb and play with them for a while, then I put an air horn (you know, the kind you take to football games) to the mouthpiece and do my best to deafen the SOB on the other end of the line. They, along with Iteleus, the service that helps them scam their caller ID info, should be stood up to a wall and shot.
I am going to shop for an air horn today. Thanks Mark.
I have been receiving these calls from “Heather” and “Duane Smith”. I told him to stop calling me and that I knew it was a scam. He yelled I would be in debt for the rest of my life. He gave me the following address 502 E. John St. Carson City, NV. There are three businesses with that address. One is an insurance company. The other is a “call center” operating out of Kentucky (according to the woman I spoke to) when I asked to speak to a manager she put me on hold. I only waited a short time. There must be some legal remedy.
I’ve been getting these calls on my office line for about a year but they just started coming to my cell. Number was 305-758-9297 this most recent time. Annoying, to say the least.
We have been getting calls from “Heather” for about a month. One day we received two calls! I tried talking to someone and asked the name of the company and its address. They hung up. On another call, I asked the company’s name and was told “Financial Services.” I asked to speak to a supervisor and was cut off.
This probably is a “phone phishing” scam designed to capture personal information and maybe enable someone to assume your identity. I’ve notified a local TV station about it, and I sent a letter to the Ohio Attorney General. So far, I haven’t heard back.
I just wanted to let you all know I contacted the FCC i put in my complaint and i have not heard back from heather now for about 10 days.
Kim
Just got another call from these jerks at 9:30 a.m. today. This has to be the 10th time in the last 6 months they call my landline. They claim you can press #2 to have your number removed from their list. What B.S! Did that on the last three calls with no success. I intend to file a complant with the FCC and perhaps the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), but I understand that they need to receive many thousand complaints before they will investigate. Thanks for persuing this matter.
Dennis – To be SURE, the FTC/FCC HAS received thousands of complaints, but it does not seem they are investigating at all, ever.
I finally got an email back from the FCC recently and they instructed me to fill out a more detailed web form, listing dates of the calls and so on.
Go bankrupt the telemarketing company by filing a complaint with FCC. ($10,000 penalty per each spam call) Here’s the link:
https://esupport.fcc.gov/form1088/consumer.do
Automated recording says, “Hi this is Heather from Account services…” Heather proceeds to tell me that there is a problem with my credit card and I can fix it via her limited time offer. The recording ends by saying, “Press 1 to be connected to an agent, or press 2 to be removed from the call list.” I pressed 2 and got a confirmation message that I was now on the do not call list. This is the SAME recording I have been receiving calls from all year – at least twice a month. Each time, I press the number to be removed from the call list, yet the call continued.
If you live in Texas, file a complaint with the PUC – it only takes a couple of minutes. You can file the complating here:
http://www.puc.state.tx.us/ocp/complaints/secure/nocallform.cfm
Davy, what in the world are you talking about?
I wrote a little program to mimic what you hear when you call the number of the back of your credit card.. which is what heather wants to hear when they call you… I am also using a tollfree number which they can not spoof
or hide caller id on.. I am not giving out the tollfree except to the callers..
Try it 214 751 2736
Enter 5414 2343 7820 7330 as account number
7290 as ssn
55010 as zip
1233 as pin
1972 as birth year..
it will readback your balance, limit and interest rate..
Everything about this service is fake.. if you try to press 3 for an agent
you will set on hold forever.. there is no agent.
I love this, but I called it and it said 1972 is not a valid birth year. This is greath though, as it will potentially waste their time before they get to the automated message saying it is not correct.
Can you give the updated birth year so that I can give it out to these scammers? They call me daily.
I get these calls all the time. This problem has obviously progressed beyond something that can be solved by filing standard-form complaints with the FCC. We need to write directly to higher-ranking officials in the federal agencies that could actually do something about this. You can send an email to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on the following page:
http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/martin/mail.html
You can email the Department of Justice at:
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
Here is a form letter you can use:
To whom it may concern,
I have received repeated telephone calls from an electronic device promulgating a scam offering to lower interest rates on credit card debt. The individual on the recording purports to be “Heather” from “Account Services.” I am on the do-not-call registry, and I have also made repeated requests to this particular scam artist to stop calling me. The perpetrator of the scam uses phony telephone numbers (both through caller ID, and when asked for a call-back number), and refuses to provide any identifying information. I have repeatedly reported this caller to FCC by filing 1088 forms, but the calls persist undeterred.
This scam is an annoyance to me and to many other consumers, and much more than an annoyance to those who are unfortunate or desperate enough to fall for it. As a victim of this calls, and as a tax-paying citizen, I respectfully request that all possible action be taken to bring the criminals behind this scam to justice. I will update you regularly on any further developments, namely, on any further calls received.
Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
X
If we send enough of these–and I suggest sending them one follow-up email for each call that you get–maybe something will be done.
I live down by Corpus Christi, TX and have been receiving the calls sporadically over the past few months, but it has been twice each week for the last three weeks. Today, I pushed 1 thinking I could get off the list. The guy didn’t identify himself and when I said I wanted to be taken off their list he hung up on me.
I’m going to start pushing 1 from now on, just to waste his time. If he is going to waste mine, I’m going to waste his.
I just got a call from them tonight (Financial Services). The caller ID brings up the ph#772-664-4005 Phone Company Information Found:
Sebastian, FL Brevard County Bellsouth Telecomm Inc Dba Southern Bell Tel & Tel LandLine.
The girls told me they work with all the different credit card companies and that I qualified for a lower interest rate because I owed more that $4000 and had no late payments in the last 6 mos. She told me that it was illegal for me to give my information over the phone, that I would need to enter some information through the phone touch tone buttons. That put up the red flag and I said that you could still get the info with the tones. She gave me a speech about if she was that capable she wouldn’t have a 9-5 job (it’s 8:45pm in MA). I started asking why would the credit cards just lower my rate and what did they get out of it. She assured me I would still be paying the credit card company but that they did get paid (she still didn’t say how). Still didn’t make sense to me, how they or the credit card company were benefiting. She passed me to her supervisor to help answer my questions. When I pressed on for answers with him, he kept trying to refocus my attention on the real absurdity, the high credit card interest rates. His answers seemed “canned” and I was annoyed that instead of just answering me he was trying to feed of my emotional connectin to my debt…still wondering what he’s trying to sell. I said that I would like to get the name of the company and the phone number and then contact my credit card company to verify that they do work with them. He tells me that it’s ok if I’m not interested. I tell him it’s not ok. That I want to know the name (he gives me Financial Service) and the state they’re in (he says that’s a secret and he cant’ tell me) and then since I”m not interested he finishes the call.
We recieve these calls all the tiem . And it has gotten to be very annoying. They call 3-4 times a month and sometiems we recieve the message on our machien Heather from account services… well we thought it was kinda strange when there was no number left to call them back . If this was a legit company wojudltn they have left a number fior us to cnatact them? Anothere thing we dont even have a credit card. So where did they get our info? Numberous times we told them we are on the do not call list and we dont have a credit card btu they still continue to call…if we ask to many questions or yell at them to stop callign they hang up.
Well tongiht when I recieved a call I played along with their bs. They said because of my great credit they wanted to lower my interest rates…( my credit is far from great) So I told her yeha I know you guys call here alot and we are very interested in lowerign our rates but we can never call you back . Can you please give me a number so we can call you back ..she said no we will call you backl .I said I need the number casue I am on my way out the door to go to work . She said ok and gives me this number 1-800-841-2211. I tell her off and tell her I know they are not a legit company and so on. I hang up and call the number its a talk line. Nice huh. So I decide to do a search to see if others have had this problem with heather from accoutn services. And here I am .I am sure I will be recieveign more calls in the future. So I would definaltey like to here the results of this. Hopefully someone will finally catch them . Feel free to email me and keep updated.
Tammyannny@aol.com
What can I do to help?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I was stupid enough to work for these people for a few hours. I might have information enough to get them investigated. Any ideas?
If you have any information on this company , names addresses contact phone numbers and or emails. Please forward them to the attached email. The FTC & FCC will be in contact with you for further information. Please provide your contact info on this email. DO NOT POST HERE! Let’s work together to close them down…
Sincerely Mike
I’d notify the FCC and DoJ. See this comment for details:
http://bohemianrevolution.com/scam-alert-account-services-wants-to-lower-your-interest-rate/#comment-4578
I’ve been getting calls from good ‘ol “Heather” for about the last few months. I’d say I get at least 2-3 calls per week. I’ve started tracking the calls and filing complaints with the National Do Not Call Registry site. Most of the calls I receive do actually have a number attached. There are some that don’t and just say “Out of Area”. The call I just received today, I pressed “1″ to speak to someone instead of my usual “2″ to be removed from the list (which obviously doesn’t work.) I spoke to Latarsha (?) and she told me the name of the company was Account Services and they aren’t affiliated with any particular bank or Mastercard/Visa specifically but that they work with those companies to lower interest rates. I asked how I could be removed from the list and she asked for my phone number – which I thought was strange because quite obviously, they already have that. When I explained I wanted to be removed from their calling list, she hung up on me. This appears to be the trend whenever I try to talk to someone. If you mention the words “Do Not Call”, they hang up on you instantly. I’m going to start the process to press charges. I’ve heard of people in California doing this and getting paid. If you want to report the calls and you are on the National Do Not Call list, you can go to their site and you don’t have to have a phone number. Just put in the name of the company (which we know now) and the time of the call and your information.
Best of luck to everyone…
I get these calls too – Financial Services – Amanda, not Heather, and the number, which of course is no longer in service was 1-850-648-6744. I’m gonna use the whistle or air horn next time – concerned the air horn might damage my phone.
Sorrytosay – if you really worked for them, what is the company name, location? Address? Name of your supervisor, boss and/or co-workers? and hey, I’d love to have their phone number! I’d give ‘em a call – with my air horn handy – again and again and again!!!
The chick I talked to was smooth and new what she was doing – so losing her hearing would be a small price to pay for all the people they scam – and it must be a lot, cause heck I’m still deluged with junk email from Nigeria – it would stop if there was no money in it.
I need a drink…
I used a personal alarm that I have the last phone call I got. I haven’t had a call since! I have been getting these calls 2-3 a day for about 2 years! Hopefully that was the last time I’ll hear from them!
I am in Maine, they call my business number all the time. Thanks for the info on this site. I now know I am not alone. It’s amazing nothing can be done about this!!! The only way to stop it is to change my number, but since it is my business they are calling – it is complicated. I will resort to blowing their ears out like Michele, great idea!
I have been getting these for several months. Always hung right away until yesterday I decided to hang on and get them to take me off their list. the guy was nice and took my phone number and said he would get me off the list. Didn’t work, three more calls after that in two days. I tried to hang on again the try to get some info, got hung up quickly when I asked what the name of their company. Next time am going to tell the person, that you are working for a criminal organization and you should leave immediately and save your butt, legally and morally. The number on my phone ID was 954-424-9037.
Everytime they call, I’m just gonna press “1″ and play along. I posted the latest calls up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stopcallingmyphone
Heather strikes again! Despite my demands for “Account Services” to cease and desist, I have been harassed over the past months by Heather and her gang of henchmen. Today, after hitting #1, I was connected to a male representative. Per ususal, I asked for the name of the company, phone number, address, etc. No answer, not even good dancing around the issue. I asked for a website, he hesitated and in the background I heard a female voice say “tell him it’s http://www.accountservices.com.”
He didn’t. He did say “Hah! Got you sucka” and hung up on me!
The business at http://www.accountservices.com appears legitimate and has a telemarketing alert on their site saying that they have had reports from people getting calls from someone claiming to work for Account Services. They state that Account Services, Inc., is not a debt consolidation or collection business, but an accounting business that serves businesses, not consumers.
I just got a call about the same thing but the number that showed up was 850-433-1850. I called it back and it was someone’s cell phone #.
I appreciate this blog……. I too just got a call from Heather, and I too pressed 1. It sounded really phishy. I finally asked them what company they are. The man seemed frustrated, and left me with “Account Services.” I told the man it wasn’t a good time, and that he could call me back. So, I gave him my number and a good time to call back. I wanted a moment to go online an check this out for myself……………..glad I did, but honestly, never ever ever give your credit card info out over the phone unless you are purchasing something, or paying a bill………and even then try to find a diferent way. Scamming jerks!!!
Me too. 4 calls in the last week. Now, I always hit 1 to waste some of their time.
I’m in Nebraska and get at least one phone call a day, every day of the week. It used to be once or twice a week, but now it’s every day. We’ve been getting calls from “Account Services” for well over a year. If I hang up without pressing 1, I get called again in a few hours. I’ve talked to at least 10 of these people and requested very nicely to please stop getting phone calls, but they hang up on me. Every time I get hung up on I get all worked up and my blood pressure goes sky high. I’ve contacted our phone company (Windstream), and they won’t do anything for us except offer a service (that I have to pay for) to block certain numbers. When I hit *69, it’s a private number, so no number to give them. I told Windstream that it was a scam and it’s driving me crazy, but they won’t help me. We bought a new phone set with a “do not disturb” button that sends all calls straight to voicemail, but I forget to use it sometimes and they wake my daughter up from her naps.
I think I’ll be investing in caller id and an air horn.
I just got a call today from “Angela.” She asked for my number to verify it. Before I told her anything, I asked what credit card she was calling from. She hung up on me! I knew right away that it was a scam. I tried calling the number back, but the operator that came on said that that number did not exist.
The number was: 506-222-26707.
If they ever try calling me again, I’m going to play it out as long as possible.
My sister made the mistake of speaking with them. Now she’s disputing a $990 charge on her credit card. The credit card company investigated and sent us a statement from Americare saying that they had recorded verbal contracts with my sister. I listened to both. One recording is 2 years old, client’s name is different and client is obviously very elderly. Second recording is my sister, but it’s very brief and does not reference any charges from Americare or services. Just says that someone will call her back.
I just received my first call today. As soon as I asked what card they were from, the girl hung up on me. I don’t have Caller ID.
We need to bring this to the attention of a Congressman. There needs to be a law that allows phone traces for suspected instances of fraud. We can put a man on the moon and we can’t find out who is obviously out to steal money from people.
I just received a call with the exact info as originally called. Same thing and when I told them that they were calling a cell phone and it is a violation of the FTC they hung up.
I just got a phone call earlier today from “Account Services” offering to lower all credit card interest rates. It was an automated message that tells you to press 1 if you have either a Visa or Mastercard with an interest rate over 10.9% or press 2 if you have already recieved this phone message and wish to be removed from their calling list. I pressed 1, because I thought it was very interesting that I was recieving this call, considering we just lowered our interest rates within the last two months, so I wanted to see who it was. A woman picked up the line, (there was a lot of telemarketing background noise) and she asked if I have a Visa or Mastercard with a higher interest rate, and rattled on about the interest rates will be spiking again after July 1st. I told her that I have one Visa – with a very low credit line, and it is maxed, and she said “One minute, I’ll make note of that” – She then asked if I have any other cards, I said I do, but they are both department store cards – I told her they are a Home Depot store card, and a Radio Shack – - Then I added that my Home Depot is not a combo Visa/MC/Home Depot – She no longer seemed to be interested in me. Then she quickly asked about my husband – “What about your spouse, does he have any Visa or MC’s?” I said “Nope – He only has an American Express…and I’m sorry what company are you calling from?” …Very quickly it became silent, and then I heard her hanging up the phone.
As a lot of you guys did, I am going to use the link that is posted above to report this to the FCC.
They used to call us here in Nebraska as much as twice a week! Now, it’s down to twice a month. I looked up one of the phone #’s by entering it into Google and it said that it was a residential number (in Idaho). So, I tried calling it just to see, and sure enough, I get some people’s answering machine. They are definitely spoofing other people’s numbers!
Keep in mind these scammers and the lovely “Heather” read these posts just like we do. Anyhow… Heather from “Account Services” called me 4 times prior to today – indeed, asking to not be called didn’t work, nor did asking who they were, as they hang up each time. So did the supervisor when I managed to get that far last time. Well, today was a little different. The predictive dialer once again caused my phone to ring, and todays script was revised. Today the script said this was the last time, the final chance to lower my interest rates. I pressed 1 to try again. By the way, for all you readers, I have NO debt, zero, zip. I went ahead & pretended to be very interested in the offer, made up some balances and interest rates, and after being on hold a couple different times, the supervisor hopped on the phone ready to help me get those rates lowered. He asked for my credit card number so he could “verify” my credit worthiness. Now I was able to stall and finally ask for a call back number so I could get the information to him – and he gave me a toll-free number!!! During the past calls they have insisted they have no call back number they are outbound only (of course) and they have always insisted they were in Atlanta. I will wait to share the number in this posting as I am in the process of verifying more information and filing a couple different complaints and I don’t want to do anything that might hurt the complaint or an innocent business, in case these clowns were “posing” too. I just wanted to share this with you because you can really catch more flies with honey. Next time they call you, drop the horns and whistles and be ready to really want their help…. be who they are looking for and find a way to get them to give you their info, it worked to act totally credit-stupid. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!! What was on your Caller ID, time, date, duration of call, take every note you can, perhaps one of us can be the David that breaks Golliath. Good Luck. As soon as I verify the information I have, I will share it. Thanks to everyone for the posts. It really helped me form a very passive attack.
These people call me every couple of days or so, and then they ALWAYS hang up as soon as I say anything.
Surely there is someone who has quit working for these jerks who would be willing to blow the whistle on them. Please, someone, tell us how to contact these idiots!
I have been getting this calls for about 6 months. I finally picked it up yesterday, and the lady on the phone said she was calling from dallas ( number showed 123.456.7890). She did the same talk saying she could lower my interest to 2.9%. Since I knew this was a scam- I played along with it for some time and finally said not to call me. She got upset at me said I was a stupid man to be paying high interest etc.
I said to her to Never “F—” call me again.
I’ve been getting these calls about once every couple of weeks for at least a year. Today, I asked to speak to a supervisor and said that it was very important. They just hung up. I, too, am on a do not call list. i’ve informed them of this on several occassions. They have an option to press 2 if you don’t want their calls. That doesn’t work either. When they answer the phone (if you decide to press 1 and try to get to the bottom of it all) they say, “Financial Services”. They won’t tell you what credit card company they’re with or how they got your number.
Found this website in frustration. I’ve been getting calls for at least a year.
Now… people are calling us. Apparently they’re now using *our* phone number when they make calls.
Please don’t assume the numbers you see on your caller are these crooks. In all likelyhood, it’s another victim.
7-22-2008: Call says”last day to lower your interest rates. No intro or company name. After you press”1″, a lady comes on (with a radio playing in the background) who says she needs your information to locate you account! SHE REFUSES TO ID HER ORGANIZATION OTHER THAN “FINANCIAL SERVICES”. I REFUSED AND SHE SAID “HAVE A NICE DAY”. SIGNED OFF.
B DOVE
We’ve been getting these periodically for the last several months. Ask them to call you back at a different number & give them the local sheriff’s dept. phone #. I’m sure that the local’s finest may get tired of taking their calls and at that point something may get done about the turds on the other end. If you can’t beat them, help them beat themselves. Kill ‘em with a smile!
I’m in Los Angeles and have been getting these calls for over a year at least. It’s not always “Heather” but I’ve gotten that tape too. I got the girl (sorry to anyone offended at “girl”) today to tell me the company was “Account Services with Visa and MasterCard”. I think we all know they are two different companies. I asked to be taken off their list and was yet again immediately hung up on. No ‘f u” no ‘sorry to bother you” nothing. Just, click. I think that bothers me as much as the call itself and the fact they are scamming. They are just rude.
I really like the whistle and blowhorn ideas. Hate to do it to “employees” but if they can’t choose employment with ethical behavior, then screw ‘em. I’m sick of this. I wonder how many people get hooked in and what actually occurs. I imagine it’s elderly and poor folks who end up giving their account numbers and those numbers are then used.
“Rachel” – the automated voice – called about lowering credit rates. I pressed 1 and “John” asked if I was interested in lowering my credit rates. I asked his name and company name he said “john at account services”. When I asked for his last name he hung up. These people know what they are doing, and doing it deliberately. They’re not unknowing employees of some company scamming people, these “operators” know what they are doing is wrong, criminal, and unethical yet they do it anyway.
I received a recorded call just like this today. After pressing “1″, a “Sherry” told me that she could lower my interest rate. After I asked her company name, she said “Account Services.” Then I told her that my phone number is listed under the “Don Not Call” list and I will press charge against her company for violating the law. She said “have a good day” and hang up. I googled for “Account Services” and found this page. So it’s more like a scam than soliciting. But I wonder how they got my real name. These crimals should be locked up.
I have received NUMEROUS calls from this company. I have tried “pressing 2 if you do not want to receive these calls any longer” and I’ve tried pressing 1 and speaking to someone. As soon as I ask the bank/company name I get “Account Services. We provide lower cost credit for all banks.” Ya. Right. I spoke to a person three different times. One time the person simply hung up on me when I said I was on the no call list. The second got angry with me and said “press 2 then!!!” and hung up. The third (just now) said “press 2 next time” and hung up.
Like others I googled the “company name” and got this blog. I think I’m going to contact the Attorney General of my state. Actually, I have a friend who is an assistant AG – so maybe I can get past some red tape.
The display today on my phone was:
UKNOWN CALLER
062-261-5311
I don’t know how they got “062″ to show as an area code, but it’s obvously bogus.
Caller ID today was 239-437-4835. When I called the number, there was a poor quality recording that said “The number you have called is not in service” This repeated twice, then hung up on me.
I asked Denise (the woman who answered when I pressed 1 on the original call the company name): “Account Services”
I asked her for the website address, she said “Account Services”
Then she asked some guy in the background, he told her to hang up.
Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t cost me anything to hang up on the recording, but it sure is annoying. Thanks for posting this to try and keep people from getting scammed by these theives — though I am afraid if you are clever enough to search on the internet for info, you probably spotted it as a scam right from the start.
I faxed the FCC my complaint. They responded via email one week later saying this is the best place to complain:
https://esupport.fcc.gov/form1088/consumer.do?form_page=1088C
I referenced this blog post in the forms so they will have more info hopefully.
I’ve been receiving these calls once or twice a day for months now. And yes, they call my cell phone, too which is especially annoying since I use Go-Phone. Cheers to those of you who are fighting this with the FCC and other authorities. Maybe once my youngest is in kindergarten I can join you. No time for htat right now.
I’d like to share some thoughts, though. One: Are all these calls coming from the same place? Maybe there are multiple companies using the same scam. Scary but know your enemy and all that… Two: I think they are using some sort of random number generator to populate what shows in your caller ID. That gets them past all of the ‘block the blocker’ technology. As for the reports of innocent people’s phone numbers and legit credit card companies numbers showing up, yes maybe they are doing that intentionally and maybe it’s like monkeys, typewriters and Shakespeare. Three: Does anyone else wonder if this is what you wind up doing if you respond to those “I made $200,000 working from part time at home last month” ads on TV? Lastly, these people are obviously very clever criminals. Petty harassment means nothing to them. It may cost them a few employees (which is all to the good) but they will just hire more. I know the legal avenues may be frustrating and time consuming to follow but they are much more likely to bear fruit in the long run. Keep in mind, though that not only are government agencies more likely to listen to you if you follow procedures correctly but attempts to ‘trap’ these criminals by providing false information may put YOU at risk for criminal prosecution for fraud.
Thanks again to all of you who are fighting this. I will join you soon.
Got a call this morning from an “out of area” caller. It was Account Services. I questioned again what the company was, told him I had no such credit card, and that I was on the do not call list. He said you aren’t on the do not call list jackoff, if you answered this call and he hung up. Nice.
See:heatherwithaccountservices.com
I got a call from 506-220-30785. It had the prerecorded message that it was my last chance to lower my credit card interest rate and to hit 1 to speak with a representative. It did not say who it was that was calling.
I can’t block the number because it is too long, and even if I could, Verizon says it would only last for 30 days and I would have to block it again…oh, yeah, also costs $4.99/month for that feature that is only good for domestic calls.
And, they say that this past February the FCC reversed it’s DO NOT CALL immunity for cell phones…so we are totally unprotected from telemarketers now. Take this to your Congressman! I know I’m going to take it to mine! It’s like the FCC is protecting these opportunists who are breaking the federal communication rules in the first place.
Just thought that I would give this a bump. I hopped on trying to find some info about thise thing and to see it’s happening to other people, kind of sucks.
Anyway, I will be following up with it locally and if I continue to get calls will try to figure something out. Just to post something that might help someone out there, the call that I received came through a number of 234-567-8900 and I hit “1″ to tell them not to call again. I had a man named “Randy” answer who told me when I explained that this was my cell and not to call again that, “he was listening to me, really, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.” When I heard that I tried to ask him who I should talk to and he hung up on me.
If I get harrassed again and again, I will have someone’s head for it.
I received a call and pressed 1 for lower rates.
Said they were from Account Services.
Call came from 954-425-8545 Deerfield be FL.
Spoke with Dean who wanted my credit card number. I asked for something in writing before giving my credit card number. He kept trying to convince me to give him the number so he could call the bank and reduce my interest rate.
I told him I looked them up on the net and there is a Scam Alert on them.
He put his “supervisor” Cody on the line.
I told Cody I will not give my credit card number without something in writing.
He hung up.
The company is “Dynamic Financial PO box 7775
San Fran, Calf
94102
Customer service number given me was 888 933 2841
I received a call today from account services. The phone number was 954 4258545 which is a Deerfield Beach Florida number. When I asked where they were located they told me Maryland. When I asked a name, they hung up. I zm on the Do Not Call List, and I have reported people, but I am not sure if this is enough information to report them. I asked what interest rate they were going to decrease — we have no interest — house, two cars, everything is totally owned and we do not run a balance on credit cards, o we pay no interest.
I’m with Sue. I’m disgusted Verizon charges to block numbers. Any idiot can see that a number with 506 and one too many digits is bogus and should be blocked. the last call I got was from 506-225-72563 and it DID sound like someone from New Brunswick Canada. I recently gave my info to them and someone is probably using it now for a SCAM!! I suggest contacting them at melissa.bochar@gnb.ca or 1800-561-0123 and telling them how you feel about these calls coming out of New Brunswick!! One good thing is you can put them on when they ask for your VIN or credit card # you can waste their time, then finally tell them…OH, I DONT even have a car, Or don’t even have a card just to frustrate them. I gave them a bad time and told them I was looking for them last time and haven’t been called since…Texas Dan
i’m very gullible & i am trying to pre-approve for a house, so i thought maybe i had been checked & someone found a reason to lower my interest rates, so i gave in & gave my numbers….i feel so stupid….i am so glad i checked this site right after…i called imediately & closed my accounts before anything could happen, so hopefully that worked….they just tried to call me again from the “verification” part & i told them to “eff off” because I know you’re not real and i don’t know how you sleep at night…she said “no…no…no…..you don’t deserve our help” and hung up on me!
oh my gosh this is fricken insane!!!i don’t understand how these people sleep at night?!!! we need to get laws that screw these people into the ground!!!!
I just started getting these calls a couple of months ago. Pretty sure it was a scam, came in from Phone # 305-464-9429, I pushed “1″ to see who they were. He claimed to be able to lower any Visa or MC interest rate. I asked what company he was calling from, He said, “Account Services”. I said I didn’t have an account with him. He said they are the world’s leader in something.. I cut him of, said I was on the Natl and TX no call lists, and why are they calling me. He had the balls to say, ” Then why are you wasting my time by pressing “1″”??!!!! Wasting HIS time, that’s precious!!!
Details on the phone number that called me:
(I’m not going to pay the reverse directory fee to get the other “available” info:)
Phone Number #: (305) 464-9429
Owner Information: (305) 464-9429
1 address in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Name:
Available
Address:
Available
Carrier:
NETWORK SERVICES LLC (TSR)
Phone Type:
Rate Center:
MIAMI
I filed an e-complaint with the FCC using the link above – Thanks. Now I am taking it to the wireless provider:
NETWORK SERVICESUpdate your details
1649 BOBALI DR, HARRISBURG, PA 17104-3210
p: 999-2006
http://www.NETWORKSERVICES.NET
About NETWORK SERVICES
Network Services LLC, which recently acquired TSR Wireless, is an innovative national service provider of wide-area paging, voice mail, advanced call processing, prepaid calling and other high-value communication services.
Surprise!! Network Services link does not work, phone number is invalid in 717 Harrisburg.
Sept 19 2008
just got scam call on my cell phone with the — last day for better rates.. display was 502 2272 3605 –yes an extra digit
and they mumbled the Credit card account name ( slick huh?)No i didnt follow ther phone tree press 1 to talk to someone press 2 to stop getting phone calls.
My cell phone and home phone are BOTH on the do not call list
what part of DO NOT CALL LIST fosters a challendge to these scammers? Can someone find these low lives.. and fine the heck out of them NOW.. ( havent they heard credit/economu is in the dumper.. like I would extend myself to another credit card dept.. get real ) THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCAM who would want to deal with a scammer ? get real
KA
San Diego CA/ Verizon cell
I got this call again today (have been getting them for months in spite of asking them repeatedly to remove me from their list) and asked the guy I talked to for some more information. He said they’re local, and I asked him to define local. He said Minneapolis, which is not real local to someone who lives in Portland. I asked him if Minneapolis was where headquarters was, or just where his call center was, and he said they had call centers all over the nation.
I called * 69 and found out the call actually came from 503-207-0634, a land line in Portland, Oregon. So, I’m not sure whether I actually found out anything or not, but this is what I have, and it’s the same scam, the same words, as others have gotten.
Can you give us the physical address of the company your working for. How can I get hired there? I would turn them in as soon as I had all the evidence to screw these people into the ground!
Tonight was my first night on the job and just found out all this information about it being a scam! If you could PLEASE provide me a number for the Tampa Bay area to which I can report them (seeing as I’m working on the inside here) I would greatly appreciate it! I don’t think I can stand going back there for another day knowing they steal people’s credit card information. I’m not a crook and will have no part it doing this. I have obtained about 4 people’s credit card information, oblivious to the fact it’s a fraudulent company, and will call them back tomorrow warning them about “Account Services” and to immediately call their banks or cancel their cards
Hi, has anyone REALLY found the REAL name of this company because most all those listed have denied that it’s them. If we can find what city they are really in, and all I’ve found out so far is one of them told me he was in Florida, we could talk to telephone service providers in that city, and you can bet with this many calls going out they’ll know who this is, and ask them to stop this criminal use of their systems.
I’m very shocked to see some people have gotten so many calls. Some people talk about changing numbers but they’ll just call your new number, too.
Complaining to the FTC might work if you actually had a correct phone number. But with all these complaints I’ll bet someone at the FTC knows more about this, I’ll call them soon and try and find out.
If you try to complain to the police or the phone company, don’t let them tell you laws are not being broken, because if they call you after you’ve asked them to stop, that is harassment, and most police officers will take an harassment complaint if you are firm in wanting to file a complaint. But again unless you have the REAL phone number it is coming from, there isn’t anything they can do.
There are procedures in most states, that of course vary from state to state, where you can go before a judge, explain the situation, and he/she can order the phone company to actually put a trace on your phone, I’ve done that and it worked in a previous situation.
If I can’t find out who these people really are from you folks, I’m going to give them one of my real CC numbers (on a card I never use etc.) and then I’ll know exactly who they are. And if they are in the US, when I find out who they really are and where they are, one way or another they will be put out of business. If they are outside the US then there is almost nothing you can do.
But the key is does anyone really know exactly who these people are? If you give me their fake phone number from your caller ID, that’s not going to work. I’ll check back here often, thanks.
Alan, we don’t know – they’re disguising themselves very well. Several of us have filed complaints with the FCC, but the FTC might be a better way to go. Please let us know what you find out. As the economy worsens, people are likely to get so desperate they’ll fall for this more and more.
Jen, thank you, well if anyone has fallen for this they should be able to tell from the CC company exactly who charged their CC. I have contested many charges over the years on my CC and as a last resort I’ll give them one of my CC’s, if they call again, and then we should know who they are.
If we can find out where they are another thing that can be done is find their “help wanted” ads for telemarketers, and then complain to the newspaper to stop running their ads.
I found this that I’m pasting below at this source: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/362/RipOff0362841.htm
To anyone being harasses by a company that keeps calling you and claiming to lower your credit card interest rate. There message starts off with–this is heather with account services, or hello don’t be alarmed this is your final offer to lower your credit card rate.
Well these people have been calling me at least twice a month for the last year and could not find out who they were they are a rip off. they claim to show you how to save it least 4000.00 in credit card debt over next few years, and want to charge your card 600 dollars to do it. Anyone that can do some simple math can figure that out.
I managed to get a phone number and address of one of these companies. So i waited for them to call me again. Well they did today. so i called them at they’re real number. All the man wanted to know is where i got this number and who gave me this number. he was very worried on how i got there number. He also said it is not possible to get this number it is not listed. Well i said ‘sir, i am talking to you aren’t i. I just called this number. well he got someone else on the pohone and they said they would take me off there list as soon as the owner came in. I said well let me ask you this why won’t your representatives give out your phone number. they said ‘ well we don’t want people calling here all the time’ i said exactly now you know how i feel.–well to anyone that has had it with these companies call and harass them now but better do it soon i imagine they will change number soon or if your to the point of pressing charges against them here is there info–Liberty money management sevices 2202 curry ford rd orlando, fl 32806 1-866 211 1277—
one more thing if ypu would really like to get back at these people go to florida secretary of state dept. and find out the owners name and lets start calling him too. I really hope i am not the only one fed up with these companies harassing me.
Harassed by credit card rate reduction companies
dillon, South Carolina
U.S.A.
Account Services,card Holder Services,mershant Service, Credit Card Services
Phone: 866-2111277
Fax:
2202 Curry Ford Rd
Orlando, Florida, 32806
U.S.A.
I am still dazed that me of all people who is a stickler about everything let one of the million calls get through. I was over tired, stressed, and distracted so when I heard the pre-recorded message I pressed “1″ and a guy answered who said his name was Brian Harris with Credit Card Services. I immediately felt like I should hang up and continue to ignore these calls but NO I fumbled through the call feeling suspicious the whole time. None the less when I asked for a number he gave me 800-436-7927 which is legit BUT the caller id stated 850-237-2674 from Blountstown, FL. Of course the number didn’t work and when I reverse searched the number it only said it was a land line either private or unavailable. Still feeling like the world’s biggest idiot I immediately called my creditors and cancelled the accounts. I am praying that will be all that comes from this other than me reconfirming I don’t trust anyone and will continue to just hangup right away if I even answer.
They tell you to say you are in a call center based out of a different state. (They told us to say San Francisco, Calif.) but the base is in Tampa, Florida. If you guys want to get them back and harass them, their number is 813-418-5811. “Naomi in Human Resources” will answer, IT IS THE DIRECT LINE, not human resources. She’s a scammer too so feel free to unload on her or for the ring leader, ask for Jason. Also, their address is 8413 Laurel Fair Circle suite 100 Tampa, Florida. I have called the The bay news team, florida attorney general, and a complaint line since last night, they all told me the same thing: File a complaint online. What is this world coming to?
*Warning they do have caller ID so if you do not want any call backs block your number!xt
># sorrytosay said:
>May 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
>What can I do to help?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
>I was stupid enough to work for these people for a few hours. I might have information enough >to get them investigated. Any ideas?
SORRYTOSAY; if you have any info on these people whatsoever you should or should have posted it so that others would know more and be able to choose a course of direction.
I am from Winnipeg, Canada and have been receiving similar automated messages with varying frequencies for the past eight months. However, these calls are different as the message is from “Megan”. I was able to put a call trace (*57) and informed the national police force in Canada (RCMP) through their web site “Phonebusters”. Unfortunately, I an still receiving these automated messages. My recent attempts to connect with a live operator have met with an immediate hang up and the name “Dynamic Financial”.
what we have here are a bunch of businesses who don’t know their ass from their head. One company known as a “Lead Provider” sells your phone number and a automated system calls you then a person weads out the unqualified calls and “live transfers” (patch’s) the qualified calls to an debt agent. The problem is the “Lead Providers” system is fucked and broken calling anyone and everyone.
here are a few companies that provide leads.
http://www.ammgroup.com
http://www.debtleads.net/livetransfers.html
it seems that most of the calls are coming from Florida debit reduction companies.
It’s the Lead Provider and Live Call Transfer people who are hanging up on us.
I am getting annoying calls from Jonathan in Account Services / Card Services too. Filed a complaint to FCC in the url
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_tcpa.html
Thanks guys.
I just received a call from them as well. I let the woman explain their whole proposition to me. She said they work with all the major credit card companies, they get better interest rates than I can, though didn’t say on what. I asked some follow up questions about their services, just generic stuff to find out more info. After 5 minutes of this, I told her was not interested and please remove me from her list. As soon as I said that she called me an ‘idiot’ and a ‘bitch’ for ME wasting HER time! I said look lady, YOU CALLED ME! The fucking nerve. I tried doing a *57 but got a message saying that service is not enabled from my line. I’m sure this isn’t the last I’ll be hearing from them.
When I told Katie that I was supposed to be on their do-not-call list, she asked if I hit ’2′ on the automated menu. I said, yes, I had already done that previously and “You’re still calling me.” She said “Then there is more than one company calling you.” Could have pointed out that her company is the one calling me, not her client! I asked for a phone number. She said she has one for HR and for Finance. She wouldn’t give them to me because “they’re not for the general public.”
One possibility to try is to say you are out of work and really interested in working for them — after telling them your credit card balance is $0. Maybe you can get a “real” phone number and ask the authorities to look into it.
Unfortunately, the more often I take these calls live, the more frequently they come. I guess it’s back to using the answering machine as a screener again!
ALERT: NEW NUMBER–(305)445-8932
Heather with Account Services (auto-call) called to offer lower interest rate on my credit card. “There is nothing wrong with your account”, press 1. I did, spoke to a woman and asked what company was calling, she said, “Account Services”. I asked if it was an existing account, “yes”. I asked what card, “Visa”. I asked what bank was backing the card, she hung up. Caller ID listed “Unknown Name” with the number (305) 445-8932. Called it back, disconnected.
Anyone know who to report this to (for all the good it will do)? Thanks.
I got a phone call from 386-985-5500, which was listed as a Florida call, and according to another web site is listed as Jewel Weber. The man on the line offered to lower my credit card interest rates. After confirming/finding out some information I was passed on to Jordan Harrison who claimed that he was in San Francisco. He said he was from Dynamic Financial and that the company could negotiate with my credit card companies, using the message that they wanted to record, to lower my interest rates. They would make their money from the difference on the lower rates. What he really meant was that they would make $990 from the charge that they wanted me to authorize to my card. The 386 number had been changed to another number and that number had been disconnected. “Jordan” also gave me a toll-free number to call 888-933-2841 at which there is a recorded message or hang on for customer service. I did not.
I just got the automated call today, and when I pressed one, I asked which financial institution they represented. He said “Bank of America”. I asked him for his toll free number, and he gave me 1-800-858-0561. When I called that number, I was routed directly to an agent. No automated message or anything like they. She requested my account number. I asked her what credit card company she worked for and she said Visa.
The originating number was 909-650-9162.
I knew it was a scam immediately because I have no credit cards.
I just received a call from ACCOUNT SERVICES stating they can lower my interest rates but would first have to verify my account. They are NOT with any cc company so beware. The number came across my caller id as JEWELL WEBER 386-985-5500.
Be carfull of these people wanting to steal your finances!!!!!!!
I also just received such a call from 506-221-8847 from Account Services claiming that they can reduce my rates. Once I started questioning the agent on the phone on how they got my information, they hung-up on me. I attempted to call the number back and got a message that the number was not assigned. It appears that this scam ring is hijacking phone numbers to mask their identify.
We are getting unknown calls from 850-237-2674 also. My policy is: never answer an unknown call – they can leave a message if it’s legitimate. That saves me from dealing with untrustworthy individuals or companies.
Hi guys, I am hoping someone here can answer my question. I keep getting these calls,too, and today I pressed “one” to speak to their representative. They picked up the phone and said, “are you inquiring about the lower interest rates?” I said yes. They said, “Are you Mrs. ____?” I said yes. And they hung up.
I wanted to be taken off their list! By what I said, is it possible I authorized something to be charged to one of my accounts? They did not ask me for, or seem to know my credit card info. But they did know my name, which disturbed me.
What do you all think? I called Experian and had a freeze put on my credit, so no one can open a card in my name or anything like that, just to be on the safe side.
But what was the purpose of talking to me briefly and then hanging up? Did I just get scammed?
I just got the same type of call from 50622873421. Interesting…She actually thought I would give her that information? This is nuts!
I actually just received a call from them too and she asked if i was interested in lowering rates. I knew this is a scam because I have been getting so many calls from them about lowering interest rates and final notice on auto warranties. I asked where shes from and all she kept saying was account services and wouldnt give me more info.
My husband fell for it – gave the gal his cc number and can’t remember if he gave her his SSN or not. I just found this thread, told him to call his cc company & tell them about it. Does anyone know what “account services” does with the info? Charges to the card? Maybe id scam getting a card in his name? Any advice on how to protect ourselves? Thanks.
Laura, I’d call the fraud dept of the card he gave out and get them to cancel and replace that card/account number. You might also call your district attorney for advice, and in hopes they can find enough out to prosecute these guys (some DAs are trying). You should monitor your credit and financial accounts closely – all the ID thieves I’ve heard of go to work REAL quick, so if you don’t see any fraudulent activity within a few weeks, you might be safe. Again, the DA’s office might have better advice.
I just got this damn cell phone call from “Heather” at “Account Services” and HERE IS THEIR DAMN NUMBER! CALL THEM AND TELL THEM WE ARE SICK OF IT! IF IT’S NOT SPAM IN MY EMAIL IT’S THIS CRAP ON MY CELL PHONE!
HERE IS “HEATHERS” NUMBER AT “ACCOUNT SERVICES”: 760-204-8410
(don’t worry there is a typo in the phone number either, I have triple checked I posted the correct number)
Thanks Tim. I just got a call from them too. I will be calling the number to give them a piece of my mind.
They have called my business number for years. I have tried to get them to stop and finally chose to blow a whistle into the phone. I thought this would work, however, the low life on the other end called me back immediately (caller ID showed as “out of area”). I picked up and hung up; this went on several times until I let it go to voice mail. She left a message saying, “…if I could I would fucking strangle you through the phone line.” Unbelievable! I have finally changed my business phone number (I did NOT want to do this). And, it is now NO LONGER posted on my web site.
I’m not certain, but I think that a legitimate (and by legitimae I mean legal, not necessarily not shady) credit counseling firm is being imitated by, and confused with, some fly-by-night scam outfits. For months I’ve been receiving automated calls about lowering the interest rates on my credit cards and each time it’s supposedly my ‘last day’ to do so. Tonight for the first time I actually picked up the phone and pressed ’1′. I was immediately connected to a woman who identified herself as Chantell Vasquez and she said she was with Dynamic Financial. She explained how the company had been founded by three lawyers to help negotiate lower interest rates on credit cards, car loans and mortgages. She asked about the rates on my credit cards and after getting a bit of personal info fromm me (not my cc numbers), she put me on hold to see if I qualified for lower rates. She came back on after a minute and told me that I did qualify and how much I could save over the next three years. I had told her that I owed just under $24,000 on one card and when she came back, she stated the exact amount that I owed, so I assume she was able to access my credit rating or cc account somehow. At any rate, she told me about the 3 guarantees that her company makes, and said she would send me out a package that included an analysis of my debt and a payment plan that would be created specifically for me. She then gave me her customer service number (1-888-933-2841) before connecting me to the verification department. A woman named Naomi then asked for my address and phone number, etc. She also asked for the cc number on my highest interest cc which I thought was odd, but she already knew the first number and said, “the one that begins with ’5′. She explained that one of their financial specialists would contact me within a few days, and together we would speak, conference style, on the phone to my cc companies and he would negotiate a lower rate. The fee for this would be $990 which would be put on the cc. She then said that she was going to start a recording verifying the information and guarantees the company had given me, and that if I had any questions, to ask them before the recording started, as the recording was timed and if I asked questions, they would have to stop and start all over again. I had no questions so she began, but her second question was if I gave permission for Dynamic Financial to place a charge of $990 on my cc. I said that I wasn’t told it would be charged now, and the first woman came on the line and was a bit upset, saying that she had told me about the fee. I pointed out that she had indeed told me about the fee, but not that it would be charged to my account before the company did anything for me. I told her that I was expecting to receive the information and analysis packet she had said would be mailed to me and I would have to sign for, and that I wanted to look at that first before agreeing to anything. She told me that they used to do it that way, but the company had difficulty collecting its money, so now they deduct the fee right away. I told her that I wasn’t interested at this time, that I wanted to find out more about it first. She told me to go to their website (www.dynamicexperts.com) and also to check them out at http://www.bbb.org. In checking out their website, it appears that they do credit counseling, but it didn’t say anything about negotiating lower interest rates for you, only that they would give you the info and knowledge to help your finances. At any rate, I did call back the 1-888 number I was given, and a recording stated that I had reached the offices of Dynamic Financial, so it seems to be a legit company, but shady in that I, like anyone else, can re-negotiate lower rates directly with my cc companies myself, without having to pay anyone almost a grand to do it! However, I suspect that some scam artists are now mimicking this companies tactics in order to obtain cc info so they can use your cc. Just to be on the safe side, I closed my account and am opening one with a different number. By the way, Dynamic Financial is not regulated by BBB, but they do have them listed as having 7 complaints against them over the past year or so, and they gave them a ‘C’ rating. Hope this helps.
I have also been trying for months to get these jerks to stop calling our number, because we are on DO NOT CALL and we we don’t even have any credit cards!
I have filed 2 complaints now with our state (Oklahoma) attorney general’s office (telemarketer violations) and now with Florida’s, since the calls are supposedly coming from Florida. Although I had it out this morning with an “Account Services” lady with a thick Indian accent, making me wonder if why they are so hard to catch is that actually they are in India?
Well, she refused to tell me the real name of her company or give me any phone number, which here telemarketers are required by law to do when you ask. She flat out wouldn’t. So I told her what they are doing is illegal, and she argued with me that they are legal, yelling over me when I tried to point out various ways they are violating my state’s laws, and then she hung up on me. Funny thing is, you’d think after an exchange like that they’s take our # off their list as being a potential problem, but they won’t.
This really bugs me, so, I am going to keep logging their calls and keep complaining; maybe by the time they get caught there will be overwhelming evidence.
Okay my husband and I just got a call from 386-304-9434 automated at first lower interest rates press 1. I did & got a lady….she explained everything and then needed my credit card number so she could listen to my balance and make sure I was in “good standing” she said I didn’t have to tell her my number if I didn’t feel comfortable just simply press it in when it asked for it….Man these people think I am STUPID!!! anyways the only info I could get out of them was name of company Account Services (HA go figure) and a man got on the phone named Micheal Davis (yeah rt). The # comes up unknown 386-304-9434 but I just dialed that number back about ten mintues after hanging u with them and it says it is disconnected!!! Not sure but I am about 99% sure this was a scam and how do we get them to stop calling. I am on the Do Not Call List!!
I called the Minnesota Attorney General Fraud office. They told me there is nothing they can do but maybe the FTC can block the phone number. They call me a couple of times a week and lately I have been pressing ’1′ and asked to have my number removed but they hang up on me. When I asked them to repeat their name, they also hung up on me.
HEY JEN… THANKS FOR MAKING THIS BLOG.
For everyone stating “I wish there is something
THEY (being a govt. agency) can do…
Sorry folks, we can put a man on the moon, but we can’t stop these thieves. This is a stealthy technology issue that COPS (and Attorney Generals can’t stop or touch.)
Here is a link where ANYBODY on this list can go in order to spoof a phone number (so you can place a call and show up on Caller ID as a legitimate business… thereby rendering Caller ID Blocking useless…) https://www.itellas.com/callerIDSpoofing.php
By “SPOOFING” a legitimate phone number, our band of thieves are basically stealing someones home phone number or business number… After the “real” person gets wind that his/her number has been pirated, they cancel their number and get a new one.
I got so tired of “Heather” and all the other crooks out there, I got CALLER ID. Now when I get a call from a weird area code, I simply let it go to an old fax machine I had laying around. This way, I can tie up their resources for as long as possible and with my “burden” on their staff, they make less calls during the course of their shift.
I also purchased from Verizon the “ANNONOMOUS CALL REJECTION.”
This adds $20 to my monthly Verizon Bill (kind of pricey) and it will stop MOST of the crook calls. However, if the crook pirates a real number, it doesn’t get blocked. Only calls that are identified as ANNONOMOUS, or PRIVATE, or UNKNOWN CALLER (from my experience) are totally blocked. Today, I got a call from area code 303 (Colorado) and since it had what used to be someone’s “real” number, the call came though to my house even though the top part of my Caller ID have Name Unknown.
I’m probably going to get rid of my home phone and just use my cell phone from now on and I suggest EVERYONE here tell you phone company you are thinking of canceling your home phone too. Maybe when our phone companies start believing they are losing disenchanted customers, THE PHONE COMPANY WILL TAKE SOME ACTION AND STOP THIS.
Again, here is the link if you want to try spoofing a call, JUST LIKE HEATHER. https://www.itellas.com/callerIDSpoofing.php
It is a service from a company called ITELLAS…
Good luck (and Itellas isn’t responsible) it is simply a technology issue that our phone companies CAN AND SHOULD ADDRESS!
I forgot to add, the Do Not Call List can do NOTHING to stop crooks. They can only get REAL telemarketers to comply.
Apparently this is the company behind this:
Americare Software Solutions
P.O. Box 674406
Atlanta, GA 30006
(866) 884-6548
Billing Concerns:
(877) 383-7748
Give them a call and ask them just for there address… you will quickly see they are as crooked as a Nigerian banker.
I have been receiving these credit card interest rate calls (with either “private” numbers or fake numbers) for about 2 months.
I just received a call today from:
5-062-240-7528
and of course, it was a recorded message, and the message asked me to press “1″ to speak with a representative, which I did.
A woman answered, and said that she was from “Client services,” but of course would not give the companies name.
She asked me my name, and I told her that I am not supposed to give me name on the phone, and she said “you’re retarded” and hung up the phone
I think that I am going to scare them the next time that they call with a story…
KD
I’ve been getting these calls too from Account Services. They are pushy & rude and when I ask who they are with and which card they are talking about, they hang up. If I ask for a phone number, they say it’s a two part process and will give me a phone number AFTER they get my information, if I do not give them information…they hang up. If I tell them I know they are a scam, they hang up. I think the air horn is the ticket with this type of scammer. I’m buying one today, and if they never call back, then I’ll use it on my boat!
I’ve been getting these calls pretty much every day. Today I pressed 1 to tell them to get me off their list. Got a woman who didn’t identify herself, but said she was with Visa and Master card services and would I like to lower my interest rate. I said no but I need to get off the registry. She asked for my name and number, and I said if you have an automated system that is calling people, you should be able to tell. She got pissed and said that she could not help unless I told her my name. When I insisted I could not give my info out, she just hung up.
I think I’m going to write to both Visa and Master card, telling them people are calling on their behalf. Maybe they will be able to do something.
Lets get these guys on the news. Call your local news station and ask them to investigate, They eat this stuff up.
If the Govt can’t help, lets hurt them by letting as many people know it’s a scam.
I also suggest everyone call there govt representivitves to encourage them to make spoofing phone number illegal.
I’ve been getting similar phone calls for at least a year. I just hang up when I get an automated call. If I can’t answer the phone and no message is left I check the caller ID and run the number through google. I usually end up with a list of blogsites like this one. Got one this morning, that’s how I came here.
Are these guys really worth the time and energy? They aren’t going away. As long as people answer their phones and fall for this crap they will keep doing what they are doing. They obviously aren’t deterred by the consequences of their actions-personal or legal.
I’m pretty sure you’ve been had Linda. Your card number beginning with 5? Mastercard. All Visa numbers begin with 4 and Mastercard with 5. What I’m surprised about is that the woman said 5 since more people have Visa cards than Mastercards. I’d be curious to get an update.
We have been getting these calls for awhile too. First is was about car warranties then it stated lowering our interest rates. I hit the “1″ today and was transferred to a woman who asked me if I wanted to lower my card interst rates, I stated I had their number and will turn them in for calling us since we are on the Do Not Call list. She just said “F you” and hung up
I am tired of these people! BTW , we have no credit cards and the only loan we have is a car loan with zero percent interest.
If they could lower that, then does that mean the bank will pay us???
Just received my 2 millionth call from them today…ok, it just SEEMS like that many calls
I’ve taken to selecting option 1 to try to see what they say, of course any request to remove my number from the list is met with a resounding hang-up. Today I spoke with Rhonda, and I told her I needed to check my card as I might be over the $3K mark they need, could she please give me a number to call her back? That number is 800-436-1792, but when I call it I get a recording that says the “new” number is “ten-fifteen-fifteen Eight Thousand* 101-515-8000. LOL! How this can’t be contained and eliminated is beyond me… Thanks for this website! Good to see I am not alone in my frustration.
I too just had the gazillions phone call from thees creeps.
I ask for there phone # he gave me this # 866-9268 he said he was in Florida, I gave him a fake name, then he wanted me to get my credit cards, I told him that i could not get to them right now, he said that he had time, I told him that I would check with the BBB first before I do any thing, I ask for his name he told me Toni. I googled account services right away and found you all. I actually have yelled at these people before to stop calling me and warned them to turn them in , the phone calls stopped for about a month. Before that I had 11 calls in 2 day’s. I will call the attorney General tomorrow
They call us regularly…we have started putting the phone on speaker and then playing their game just enough to keep them on the phone without hanging up. We never give any real info about ourselves, we just tie them up while we do stuff around the house. Eventually the idiots catch on and hang up after a half hour or so of silence while we are for our credit card information…you can hear them talking to others….”I don’t know, they say they’re looking for their card info”….ha ha ha THAT’s how you get the last laugh. Sooner or later they’ll quit wasting our time…I look forward to these people being caught.
I just got a call from “Account Services”, and pressed 1 so I could ask to have my number removed, after which I was transferred to a man. He said he could reduce my interest rates, said there was NO FEE – they get reimbursed from the cc companies (why would they do that?). He then proceeded to ask about my credit cards, including if I have one with $1000 available credit. After reading these posts, I see they were planning to charge that up. I kept asking questions and not giving any specific information, and he finally hung up on me. When I went online to look them up, I found this – thanks for starting it. I hope they can be stopped before they take advantage of too many people!
Seems this has been going on long enough that the CIA or some alphabet government branch with tons of intel should do something about it. So much for Homeland Security. Every now and then I’m home to pick up the call and talk to these scamming bozos. They eventually hang up. And they’re guaranteed to called back, even if you threaten them. And that’s the conundrum – how the hell can we put these guys in jail, let alone fix the problems they’ve already caused. Anyone?
I got a call this morning from “account services”. She knew my name & address. Wanted an expiration date on one of my cards & could I please go get a statement so she could verify the infomration with me. I kept interrupting her to ask questions. She said she worked for account services & they contacted Visa, MasterCard & Amex & negotiated a lower rate for me. I asked what was the fee for this & she said that it was free. She kept pushing for me to go get a credit card statement. I said that I could not at this time & asked her to call me back. Then I “googled” account services & boy am I glad that I did. This website was extremely helpful & confirmed my uneasiness about this call. I can’t wait to see if she calls back…!!!
Hey, i worked for this place for a day and left because it was a scam, if the webmaster wants any details i’m willing to provide them, just email me.
Ivan, why don’t you send your info to the FCC? Their website address is upstream in the comments here.
You’re also welcome to email me, using the contact form (http://bohemianrevolution.com/contact-form/) but I have no way of confirming if you’re who you say you are, you know?
I have gotten these calls repeatedly. This time after I pressed “1″ and got through to a person, I said, “I’m on the don’t-call list, and you’ve been calling me repeatedly.” He hung up on me.
How do these losers sleep at night? I have had several calls from them. I played their game tonight. The call came from 305-474-9429. (Called it back right after we hung up but it’s disconnected. Interesting.) The first guy I talked to gave me the pitchl and I said I would like their company address, website and phone number as verification. He couldn’t give it to me . .said that was the next part of the process. He asked me if I would like to speak with a supervisor and I said “yes”. The Supervisor came on the line and told me the same thing and said they only give the company information to people who are qualified. I told him it was the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard in my life and then asked him how he sleeps at night ripping people off like this? All legitimate companies are completely willing to give out their information so they can get more sales and make more money. He began yelling at me at that point. I just laughed and hung up.
hahahaha! I just decided to play along b/c I get 12 calls a week between home and cell. I figured if they were going to waste my time, I’d waste theirs. After a while of avoiding giving the lady any info I told her I decided I wasn’t interested. 10 minutes later I got a call from a man who said he was the floor manager. That the lady told him I had questions. I told him no, I didn’t. Did like how the lady was making me feel rushed to make a decision. He said that not wanting to lower my interest rate b/c she made me feel rushed didn’t make any sense. I told him I didn’t like being talked to that way and he said he was sure I didn’t but that I was a “dumb ass” that owed too much on my credit cards and would always be. That is when I laughed and said I didn’t even owe anything & I was just wasting their time since I can’t get them to take me off the calling list. That I would continue to waste their time every time they call. He said not only was I a dumb ass, I was a loser with no life if I was just sitting around waiting for them to call me so I could waste their time. Wow. I’m the loser?
FYI, I just filed a complaint with the South Flordia (West Palm Beach) branch of the BBB. The Case # issued is 67132786. I recommend that others file cases as well, and make sure to inlcude a link to this webpage in your complaint so that they can see how far reaching this is. The greater the number the people who complain, the greater chance that something will be done about it.
At this point, we cannot know if this scam is happening out of South Florida, but they do have a company called Account Services, and at the very least should be made aware that their name is being used fraudulently to solicit financial information in illegal ways.
FYI, you can actually post directly to this case using the link below; just please be sure to mention who you are so that they don’t attribute your post to me:
http://westflorida.app.bbb.org/complaint/new/0090036105
This took some patience!! This is a “wanna lower your credit cards, press 1″ usually when you press 1 and challange them and ask not to be called… you immeadiately disconnected!! I talked slowly and patiently and asked questions and acted like i was TOTALLY interested! I was able to get the caller’s name as well as the company name and call back. THEN I informed them that I wished not to be called and to take notice what the information was being written down and violations would result in legal action. The caller said he was VERY sorry and I would not be contacted AGAIN!!!
The company MCS of Texas, USA
1 888 786 6201 and the guy was PETER ROBINS
Hope this helps!!
I was just told by the BBB in Florida not to have people add comments to my own file, but to create your own. In fact, the link I included in my post (1/15/2009 at 2:33 pm) will no longer be active as of today. The more people who submit complaints, the greater the chances that the Attorney General in your particular state will be asked to intervene. I logged my case out of the Florida office, even though I live in California. Why? It just seems like the kind of scam that could easily be based out of Florida. The more details they have (including the non-working phone numbers that came up in caller ID, or the numbers you were given whether or not they worked), the better the chance they have of nabbing them, so please do file your own complaint at http://www.bbb.org.
I was also told to contact the following sources:
The Florida Attorney General Fraud Hotline 866 966-7226 (if you want to have Florida look into it)
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (this agency regulates telemarketing companies) 850-488-2221
If you want to contact the Better Business Bureau of West Florida, Inc. you can call here: 727-535-5609 ext 3310
Your home state probably has the same numbers.
Thanks,
Paul
2655 McCormick Dr
Clearwater, FL 33759
I live in Canada, and yes, we get the same calls, shock and surprise.
well, I feel good now, wait, great. I just called back the #, got them (not sure how) and told them I wanted to lower my interest rate, and she stumbled over her words in shock. I told her I had a $20K balance on my visa and $30K was my limit…then I told her I also have a MC. I went along with them for a bit then asked how it all works etc, and she kept saying she would have to ‘qualify’ me first (someone in the background told her to say this) and would tell me at the end how it all works.
So then she put me on to her Supervisor to finish it, and I started asking her all these questions about the company, and I asked her why she works there, does she feel good about where she works, she told me she has worked there for 9 months and they work with the banks to lower the rates etc and I told her to go get a job flipping burgers b/c alteast they are real and the company she works for is not, and it is a scam, and I am complaining to the FCC , and it is all over the internet about their stupid scam and I lol asked her how does she sleep at night and I told her to get a real job not a loser job and I hung up. And, I am sure I said more than all of that
ahhhh, now, back to my wine.
I’ve been getting these calls 2-3 times a week. It is very frustrating. We should be able to do more to stop this invasion into our homes.
@ Diver law
I just called that number and asked them to put me on their do not call list. And he repeated my number (should be restricted? but somehow he unscrambled it) and then he said he would do so and before i could get in another word he hung up on me.
-.- everyone should try and call that number and asked to be taken off the list.
1 888 786 6201
Automtaed call from “credit card company” – called 1 and got a guy – asked for the name of his company (was very surprised he didn’t hang up on me as happened in the past with this number). He said it was “Account Services” – I asked where his company, “Account Services” was located. He said he was in San Francisco. Told him I was on the Federal Do-Not-Call list and I would be reporting him. He said thanks. At least he didn’t hang up on me – when I pressed “1″ before (a few months ago) got a woman and when I told her I was on the Federal Do-Not-Call list she told me then I shouldn’t have called and hung up on me.
By the way, even if your number is blocked and you call a toll-free number, they can see your phone number. Because they are paying for the call, they get to see your number. Found this out from the phone company.
Hi Folks man am I glad that I found this site, I confess I was scammed by the “lower your interest rates” call and was foolish enough to give them my info. Then I got suspicious and pitched at fit at them when they said they had already charged my account before providing any service (we hadn’t talked to the “bank” yet). I reamed them out for all the crappy logic they threw me and b.s. they tried to pass off, but I did walk away with some info.
I talked to at least 3 different guys, one of whom was “Adam Garcia” the # I was given to call them back at is
1-888-889-8025 I called back and it WORKED!!
A message said “you have reached the office of Financial Consulting Serivces…” If you use the extension #315, you get “Adam Garcia” !!!!!!
I am so happy that my rotten experience may help people!
When I pressed 1 I got “Tony” at 1-877-388-7245
I did call and have my Credit cards changed so they should be safe now, but I will watch my credit carefully. I can’t believe I was so stupid, I know better!! AHGGG
So any way, call this number 888-889-8025 ex 315 if you want, it works!
Oh and when I said I wanted to check them out on the BBB he said the company was FCS International, which didn’t really work on BBB but when I searched using the phone number I think I got results that made sense.
There are several links here about where to report so to be honset I am confused, which one is the right place/most efficient to report to?
I forgot to say, this evening I got a call advertising “Dish” network TV.
It is also a scam, I don’t have a TV, never have. I pressed 1 and pretended to be interested for a minute then said “I don’t have a TV and want you to stop calling!” (I have had at least 4 of these calls in the last couple months)
Then the guy hung up.
So that is three of them I routinely get, “lower your interest rates”, “renew the warantee on your vehical”, and “sign up for DISH network TV”.
I am tired of these fake calls. Everytime, I press 1, someone pick up the phone and I tell them that I don’t have a credit card. Today it was 1-062-234-3166. Also, I get calls from this “renew the warranty on your vehicle”.. Tired of these calls.
I cannot believe there are so many scumbag people in this world; that they will make a living dishonestly.
The system is so F’d up. We are in desperate need of change.
I got a call from Account services today also at around 9 cst
and same spiel. The number on the caller id said florida call and the number was 1-407-000-6666
yyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh some reason I fell for it this morning and gave them my info. Then when they called back 10 minutes later to tell me the card wasn’t in my name if they could have the correct cardholders name I knew I’d been had and had all my accounts transfered over… what was I thinking???
Just got one of these calls and the first thing I asked was if they needed my credit card number. She told me no. Well, when we got down to it after the big schpeal she asked for my 16 digit account number. I told her I would not give her my account number and she tried to assure me that it was the only way they could make sure my account was in good standing and that I was completely protected from fraud on my credit card. I said no again, but asked if she could mail me information regarding their services. Alas, she said that was not possible and I said good-bye!! There was a phone number that showed up on the caller ID when I called it back it said my call could not be completed as dialed. Imagine that!
Just got this same thing, unknown name & number. When I asked what credit card company they puased and I hung up… Sounds like they sre still at it in 2009
I rec a call today (one of about 200 over the last year) and I pressed to speak with someone, When I was connected to a person I asked the company name which of course was “client services” I asked whet the real company name was as I know for a fact that is not thier registered business name and again was told “client services” I then asked for the phone number for the company and was immediately hung up on. I am now going to go on a mission to make every call I can hell for them. Maybe it you feed them enough crap on the calls they make to you then they will remove you from the list so you dont waste any more of their time.
Oh and by the way being that I have seen complaints on this for years and have been receiving calls from them for year this is just another example of our Gov lack of dealing with fraudulent and harrasing phone calls. This also shows that phone companies dont care that people are spoofing numbers on thier lines to perform such actions.
I get these calls EVERYDAY – ALL THE TIME. What they do is call you, you can press 1 to speak to someone about lowering your interest rates on your credit cards, or you can press 2 to be taken off their call list – HOWEVER, what you don’t find out until 2 or 3 days (if you press 2), is they switch their numbers and start calling you all over again from a different number. So far here are the numbers I have received calls from:
305-474-9429 (they call themselves ‘Account Services’
603-214-3302
603-214-3555
603-214-3316
619-801-8176
702-520-1345
702-705-5040
866-781-9652
978-570-2391
978-570-2272
571-261-0113
818-870-9212
As you can see they’re pretty clever little bastards. If you ask them too many questions about the name of their company, or how they do business – THEY HANG UP ON YOU. They called me this morning and I asked the lady “So you just expect me to give you my credit card number over the phone” – She hung up on me……they like to contact dumb people that go for their scam. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER – OR ANY OF YOUR INFORMATION.
I forgot to say the same thing as Danny above: some of the numbers i listed above are for calls about “lowering your interest rates”, “renew the warantee on your vehical”, and “sign up for DISH network TV”. – THEY ARE ALL SCAMS…….Do not fall for these CREEPS – THEY ARE TRYING TO RIP YOU OFF
I have been getting these same calls at least once a day. They call my cell phone in which i have linked them to a land line in Lansing IL, The number or these people are as follows… 708-872-1035. I wish there was something we could do about this!
A few minutes ago I got yet another call from “Heather” I pressed ’1′ and proceeded to razz the moron on the other end. He calls me a “f*cking homo” and “You loser I bet you don’t even have a job” ( so why solicit my business??)
We continued like this for a bit, and he threatens to call me every day. I said, wtf you call me anyhow regardless of Do Not Call options, and the only defense I had was to waste his company’s time.
What was interesting is that he actually engaged me instead of hanging up. Anyhow, back to my carpentry. What a rude person!
I also received a call from “account services” , who hung up on me when I started asking questions. The number on the caller id was 506-227-4561 (New Brunswick), yet when I called the number back, IT WAS A LOCAL NUMBER…506-2274!!! I left them a nasty message(understatement!). I would recommend anyone who gets such a call to call the person back by dialing the first 7 digits that appear on the caller ID.
Got call today from “Durelle, Rene” 506-228-4563 (New Brunswick)–automated reduce interest rate message. I always hang up but pay attention to caller ID.
My husband almost fell for this! We would love to lower are interest rates and the nice guy that he is, he believes everyone. He gave them my cell phone number and they called me 20 times with in 2 hours with no message left. A little annoying. They just wanted all my account numbers and social security numbers so the could check us out. They didn’t even care that at the moment we don’t have a job and have bad credit! Right there is the tip off
I’ve been getting these calls too. Just today when I talked to the guy after I pressed one I told the guy that I have no credit cards. He said that according to his list supplied by visa/mastercard that I am on the list. I then told him that I am not interested. He then told me that I am not interestING (he dragged the last part of the word out) and then hung up on me. Well it’s time to play their game better…. *evil laugh*
We got an automated call today from “card Services”. “There is nothing wrong with your card. You may be eligible for lower interest rates. Press 1 if you want to speak to a customer representative.” Feeling curious, I pressed 1. The conversation didn’t go well. Like this: “Did you press 1 because you want to lower your interest rates”. me:”I wanted to find out what company you’re with”. him:”Mastercard / Visa”. Me:”how do I know you’re from Mastercard / Visa”. them:”I’ll tell you, mam, if you stop screaming at me.” me:” you called me – you should identify yourself: him: something about “bitch” which was the end of any civil discussion. He had a very interesting vocabulary. Moral: Don’t get started with these guys unless you’re prepared for some language in the conversation.
hey guys,
i got a call same as you guys press 1 for a consult then they told me they can lower my high rates and asked me for a creit card number they can verify the account if it was in good standing and a finanial advisor would get back to me..I asked for the company name ”account services”then asked for a web site which she didnt know? and a return phone and her name….Again no return number or web site.I could see how us poor idiots can fall for this!!!!!!!Im so glad I found your web site!!!!!!!!!Pass this along to the world.Shame on these basterds
She then hung up on me……………What a scam
Hi everybody. I currently work at this place. Whether you believe it or not, i thought it was legit company when I started. They don’t give any of the call reps any information. I figured that was normal. But then one thing started to add up to another. It is ridiculous. I have no idea what I have gotten myself into. They are not only scamming people on the phone but their employees as well. I don’t know how to handle this situation. I want to do what is right, in the right way. If there is anyone here that knows anything about the law and what can be done..I have a lot of implicating information. Please let me know. I just found this website as I am finally doing a search on the company.
Hello P,
This company got my $990 in Oct. 2007.
I would like to get my money back, and I feel like I was sweet-talked into using their services without realizing that we needed to be calling the banks during my working hours, so I was never able to pursue their promises to reduce my debts. And then apparently we need to call all the banks back every 90 days to renegotiate the rates! I don’t have time for this!
I called today to ask for my money back (at least part of it) and “Sheila” wasn’t very polite and said I can’t get my money back as they did work for my account, blah blah, no manager available, one might be able to call me back next week. Then I started researching on the internet, and foud this blog, and another one:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-442-074-2550/2#ph1BQa7BfFgCPEgjLbMWZMg
Maybe you could post here too, and I’d be happy to help in any way I can to bring them down. Maybe you can help us…
K
to “p”: my best advice is to report what is happening to the FBI. Interstate fraud is being committed. The anger you listen to is justified as you know. It is not personal, but you do need to find a legitimate job.
As far as how to respond.. We should all continue to file reports to the Donotcall.gov, FTC, and anyone else that will listen. Numbers count, and these people should have the numbers.
On a more personal “but what can I do”.. Everyone with any time should press 1 and make sure you talk to the live body. Automated systems can run endlessly to massive call volumes, but if you take up the time of the people trying to get the information, and it is not fruitful, it greatly limits their
ability to both us and makes more unproductive time. Which means less incentive to work there. As long as it works, they will not stop.
I am really interested though, how are they recruiting? Are they putting out a “work from home” thing or are they doing a “call center now hiring”??
Just remember, they alreaqdy wasted 30 seconds of your time. Why not take an extra minute or two to return the favor?? Besides.. it is fun to see how much time you can waste without disclosing personal information.
I get these account services call regularly. I just got one now and finally looked it up on internet….
When she called, I asked them what company they are from. They said Account Services and we work with VISA and MASTERCARD!! When I asked her how she got my number seing I was on the Do Not Call List. She got very defensive saying that I was the one who pushed 1 to talk to her !!!
For P. can’t you just call the police and turn them in. These guys are a real threat.
I received this call for the first time today. I always google phone numbers I don’t recognize. I will add this phone number to my “do not answer” contact in my phone.
I’ve been getting these calls for a long time. At least a year. When I have free time, I always press 1 and try to waste some of their time.
Today, I had a particularly productive time wasting session with them, and it went quite a bit differently than previous chats. The first guy answered claiming his name was Sam Gibbs. It did not seem that English was his first language and had an accent, possibly Indian. We talked for a while, and I gave him my zip code and phone number (information they clearly already had access to, since they called me).
I played dumb and said I was nervous about giving out my credit card information over the phone, but told them that I had a credit card debt of over $10,000 on a card with 18.9% interest and was paying only $300 per month. I asked a bunch of questions about how the process worked and how they could get me the 0% rate that they had promised. At first, he tried to reassure me by telling me to get a pen and paper to write down his information. He told me his name (I asked him to spell it a few times) and that he worked for Account Services. He gave me a number to call them back 1-800-622-7747. I eventually hung up on him after talking for about 10 minutes.
About 20 minutes later, he called back! I asked why he had hung up on me and he apologized, saying that we must have been accidentally disconnected. I continued playing with him for a while, and eventually he just couldn’t answer my questions and eventually put me on with a “supervisor” who was much smoother and tried very hard to talk me into giving up some information.
I told him that my card was a Discover and he asked for the customer service number on the back (which just happens to be 1-800-DISCOVER). He then asked for my account number and I expressed my reservations about giving my number to an unknown company. He tried to reassure me and I asked him more about the process. How exactly could his company reduce my interest rate to 0%?
After much discussion, I was able to get him to admit that there would be a service charge, but he insisted that it would be much less than the interest chargers I was currently paying. He even plugged my numbers into his “periodic table” (I swear, I’m not making this up) and told me how much interest I was paying and how much he could save me.
I really don’t know how I was able to keep him on the phone for so long without giving up any of the information he wanted. We talked for at least 20 minutes. Perhaps they are getting desperate?
Anyway, I was eventually able to convince him that I was too nervous to give up my credit card number, but I told him that I’d look his company up online and give them a call back once I was satisfied.
I was only half expecting the number they gave me to be valid. Tuns out that it is a valid 800 number, but it is for Master Card.
Oh well. At least I was able to waste a good chunk of their time.
Just got my first call from these people. First red flag was when the automated message did not identify any bank they were calling from, just “Visa, Mastercard, or Amex”. I work for a (legitimate) company that helps people with credit card debt, so immediately it was a bad sign that they didn’t even know who the issuing bank was in the initial call. Word of the wise: THE BANK sets your interest rate, NOT Visa or Mastercard; they only do transaction processing.
But I did press 1 just to waste their time. I was late for work anyway
I get about 2-3 phone calls per day from this so-called company. It seems that if I ask ‘any’ questions I get hung up on.
The guy that I talked with today said he wasn’t going to hang up on me after I told him that every other person I talked with did. I simply asked him: “Are you a legitimate company?” to which her replied “Oh give me a break!”, and hung up on me…big surprise.
I started doing some homework to try and find out who these guys are and it seems it is a company called “Americare Software Solutions” (www.americaresoftwaresolutions.com). I did a whois on the domain name and am including the registrant data below:
Domain name: AMERICARESOFTWARESOLUTIONS.COM
Administrative Contact:
Raemdonck, France smartties7@hotmail.com
4340 vonkarmen ave #410
newport beach, California 92660 US
+1.800956442x Fax:
I’ve called the customer service number listed on their website (866-884-6548) and it seems you get one of two females that answer the phone. Like the M.O. of “Account Services” these guys don’t like you to ask any questions either and are extremely quick to hang up on you.
I asked them if they do business under the name “Account Services” and both of the females told me that they have an account services department, but they aren’t familiar with how they operate and that they are “client services”. This story quickly changed after I called back (cause I got hung up on again), only this time they said there is no account services department.
I asked to speak with a supervisor and one of the ladies told me I can’t unless I’m a customer, but the other one told me that the supervisor would have to call me back if I would give her my name and telephone number.
I am pretty confident this is the company that is calling and harassing everybody. One lady that goes by the name “Courtney” said that I am harassing them and that if I keep calling they would file charges against me. I responded with “Good! Then at least I’ll have my day in court with you people and you won’t be able to hang up on me!” — I find it incredibly hypocritical that they can call me 2-3 times per day, be extremely rude to everyone and when you call and ask them a simple question YOU are the one that is harassing them. haha
Hi everyone. you’d be glad to know I have been speaking with the authorities about this. I think they’re investigating now. Kalisa, I’m sorry you lost $990. It was my understanding that they’re the ones that do the every 90 day negotiation. But who knows..
For the other questions above on how they recruit, they post job ads on different website just like anyother company. And you were right about call center need rep ads.
Being on the phone with the reps just to waste their time, believe me doesn’t do much. Reps don’t know how your phone was called (it is authomatic dialer) they just pick up the phone when the phone infront of them rings when you press one. As soon as you hang up, it only takes few seconds for the phone to ring again. So believe me, these ppl are making money.
Anyway, hopefully the end is near.
Heather! Rachel! You tell the person to take you off. You push the button to get off. Nothing happens…Heather, Rachel!!!
I guess we’re doomed, right? I get two to three a day!
This scam is international. I live in Newfoundland, Canada and have been receiving these calls on my cell phone for several weeks now. Googling “Account Services” steered me here. Those guys are despicable.
I received a call from the infamous Heather on my direct line at work today. I listened and pressed one when it prompted me to speak to a real person. Some idiot answered and asked three questions: “Did you press one to get your interest rates lowered?” I played along, “yes”. “We work with Visa, Discover and American Express, do you have any of those?” “Yes I do.” “Ma’am, would you say your overall debt is over $3,000?” I said “No and how did you get my phone number?” He replied “F**k if I know” and hung up. Let’s get these a-holes.
I too have been receiving these calls for months and have been pressing prompt #2 to no avail. I also have filed numerous complaints with donotcall.gov.
Today I hit prompt #1 and got a woman on the line right away who asked if I heard a pre-recorded message to which I responded yes. She then started her schpiel to which I interrupted her and asked what company was she calling from to which she responded ‘Account Services’. I stated that I have filed complaints with donotcall.gov to which she just laughed. I asked her to remove me from their call list and she told me to call back and press prompt #2 and then hung up. Since she didn’t give me a number to call back I called the number appearing on my caller id #506-224-4568.
Of course, when I called back it was a disconnected number and a reverse look up stated it was a cell phone from Dorchester, NB, Canada.
I filed a complaint with the FCC today and will play along in the future to get more info to file more complaints and waste more of their time. Although, on the days I don’t have time to do this I think I will start blowing my kids airhorn in the phone.
if you got a good toll free number, post it, lets all call it from a pay phone, understand that it will cost them some money.
I jsut got a call from “Card Services” – this time I pressed 1 and got Lacey. She said, are you calling to lower your interest rates? I said, no, I am calling to get you to take my number off your list. She hung up.
I know it’s a scam – but so many elders, people for whom English is not their first language, etc. do not. I really do hope there is some progress on this soon.
I’ve also been receiving such harassing calls at least twice a week on my home phone. I rarely use my home phone so almost any calls during the day time are telemarketers (even though I’m on the do not call list). Anyway, this morning I finally able to pick up the call (which they’ve been leaving messages on my machine all the time), and I press 1 to talk to a live person. I asked what’s the company name, and they said Account Services. I said it doesn’t sound like a real company name, and that lady said that’s what they told her and she’s very happy with her job! Whatever, and I asked where are they located and she just said NY, and nothing further. I asked them to take me off their calling list and she said just press 2 next time, then hung up on me immediately. I’m unable to obtain further information and I don’t even know how to file a complaint! This is just very frustrating and I just hope I will find a way to get back to these people!!
Got a call from these bozo’s at 10:50am today March 24, 2009. Same story as all the posts. I called local my local PD to give them a heads up. Nothing back from them yet. Going to call or E-Mail the FTC and/or the FCC, and see what happens.
Good Luck to All
JD in Michigan
Rec’d the call again today @ 1:09pm PDT–get them 3x per week. Account Services, spoke with “John” when I pressed 1-when I asked to be put on do not call list, he said “they don’t really have one”. When I asked to speak with a manager he hung up on me.
I get these calls to lower credit card interest and about vehicle maintenance.
the # they spoofed today was 239-498-3522
I am regularly bothered by a company that goes by the name of “Account Services.” According to the automated message, they want to either reduce my credit-card debt or extend my vehicle warranty. They’ve tried “repeatedly” to contact me, and this is my last chance to take advantage of this opportunity. As others have indicated previously, pressing “2″ to be removed from the list does absolutely nothing. Neither does pressing “1″ and talking to a rep, who will usually hang up on you. I’ll bet you any money that these idiots are with Americare Software Solutions. I hope to get them to reveal that during a recorded conversation, then it’s off to the FTC to file a complaint, and maybe they’ll get fined. I’ve been on the national do-not-call list for years, and they definitely do not abide by that list.
This is what I think we should all do. Let’s set our fax machines (or PC fax programs) to dial their toll-free “customer service” number (866-884-6548) on April 1 (naturally) starting at, say, 9am ET. (Make sure you use the *67 prefix followed by a pause to block caller ID, which should work, unless they use ANI or some other way around the block. But who cares: between the fax machine being “accidentally” programmed with the “wrong” number, and all those incoming calls from so many different numbers…) Set the machine to retry every minute or so, with a zillion retries. Of course, the connection will fail, since their end is not a fax machine, and the fax machines all across the country will continue to retry. All they will hear is constantly ringing phones and, when they answer, nothing but fax beeps. It’ll tie up all their rollover lines and drive them insane. Let them have a taste of their own medicine. Let them see how it feels to be harassed incessantly. It’ll be a telephone version of an Internet denial-of-service attack.
There are so many other ways to harass them without getting nailed. Be creative! I’ve called them before and given them a really hard time, keeping them engaged as long as possible (until I ran out of ideas or motivation). They demanded to know where I got their “customer service” number, which is supposed to be ONLY for customers. I told the idiots that it’s right on their website! They said that I could not talk to a manager or anyone else. If I wanted to file a complaint about their telemarketing calls, I’d have to leave my name and number, and someone from their “security” department would call me back. Yeah, sure, whatever.
NBI what is their website? I’m in West TN and I’ve been harassed by these scum bags for months. I called the number you listed above and got a female on the phone. I was doing the stall job when I remembered that like the dumb a$$ed old coot that I am, I forgot to block caller id. I’ll probably have to change my phone number now.
I don’t mean to be a perv, but the next time they call I’m gonna tell them I was just getting reado to pleasure myself and ask for their help.
3 calls from 3 different numbers from these scumbags
506-222-4566
506-221-4562
305-971-5167
Wasted some schmuck’s time for 7 minutes during the last call.
……they can just press a button and presto-changeo—–
0% interest……….R I G H T…………
The rep actually got mad at me when I told him one of my cards was paid off in full each month!!!!!!
Hi Chuck Jones,
Their website is americaresoftwaresolutions.com. I believe that they sell some sort of bogus software package for $990 that magically reduces your credit card interest or debt or whatever. Obviously, what it *really* does is make them tons of money. I honestly don’t know how they manage to continue to get away with this.
Sorry for the delay, haven’t checked back here recently.
Hey Chuck,
I wouldn’t worry too much about forgetting to use caller ID blocking. They’re not the sales people. I sincerely doubt that they’re thoughtful enough to look at their caller ID display and pass that number along to their sales force. They just want to get you off the line so they can service their “real” customers.
anyone feel like investigating a supposed person supposedly named Deji Fajuke who claims to work at Americare Software Solutions? Here’s his LinkedIn profile:
And it keeps going on and on and on, I received the call today, pressed “9″ and was asked if I was responding to the reduce your rates offer” I said Yes and she started to go intpo her rap when I said No I want to be taken off your call list please, she replied ” you can go to hell” immediatly I asked for her supervisor and as if he was standoing right there listening to her call he said ” Is there a problem?” Yes I said, your employee just told me to go to hell…well he said ” if you not going to let us reduce your rates then you should go to hell” Long story short, like so many of you I kept them on the phone another 15 min receiving a horror of threats and “your mama” putdowns, at oun point the ” gentleman in question ” told me how large his MEmber was so I should shut up and give him my account #. the really sad thing here is I found this blog, which is well over a year old, with the same story over and over and over. Sad and so very wrong.
whoops … here’s his LinkedIn profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/7/ab9/7
I received a call today from “Account services” offering to lower my rate to 6.9%. After asking many questions about why they called me, how they get paid, etc. I decided to google them. I found your website and when I mentioned the word “Scam,” I ended up with a dead line on the other end. THANK YOU!!!
I’m from Ontario, CANADA & I just started getting these calls about three weeks ago. They usually call once a day, but because I let my answering machine take the call & ONLY pick up if I want to talk to whoever is calling, I just get the recorded message. My advice to EVERYONE is this: either invest in an answering machine & screen your calls OR hang up IMMEDIATELY when you hear who they are. Don’t waste your time talking to anyone because it’s not worth the energy. These yahoos are trained to ignore EVERYTHING in their pursuit to get you to bite. If you want to get your interest rates lowered or restructure your payments, talk to your bank or credit card customer service representative. While they may not know you personally, they know your accoiunt and/or card information. Believe it or not, they will actually make an effort to help you because they really do want to keep you as THEIR customer. As for these types of calls, remember the old axium: IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS!!
they call about 5 times a day to lower my interest rated and i dont even own a credit card…when i try to talk to someone about it they hang up on me…i have been put on the do not call list about 30 times and they still call every day
They call me all the time. I am east TN. Every time I tell them that I am on the do not call list as well as I am going to report them to the better business bureau-they hang up!! Its so annoying isn’t there anything we can do legally?
I have been getting these calls for years, two calls today so I hung on, thinking I will waste some of their time. They wanted my info to see if I am qualified, I said I wanted to qualify them first. This guy said if was of for me to give him my account numbers before I figure out who they were. They said that it would cost me anything… Right.
Wow! Lots of posts on this scam. I’ve been getting the calls for at least a year. As noted, pressing 2 to be removed from the list has no effect and reps hang up if you press 1 to tell them to remove you. After getting about 5 calls so far this week, I finally had enough. Having no caller ID, I did *57 for a trace then called Verizon. They wouldn’t/couldn’t/didn’t give me the number but gave me a toll free number for the FTC (Federal Trade Commision – like many here, I had assumed this fell under FCC). The number I called was 877-382-4357 but the FTC may have different numbers in different areas. The rep at the FTC took my information and said they would order a trace on the number. They gave me a case number and advised me to call back after future calls, even suggesting I carefully play along to obtain more information. I hope they catch these slimeballs and levy a huge fine. I think some jail time for the ring leader is also in order.
3-5 times a day from “Unknown Name 850-386-1643″ and I have pressed 2 and 1 talked to the people and as soon as I tell them I have asked to be removed they hang up on me before I can even say anything else. I recorded the conversation on my phone this time and called the FTC at 877-382-4357. They took my complaint and gave me a refrence number in case I could get anymore information from them if they call again. Hate these A holes!
I just got my first call from “Account Services”. I began to be suspicious about it being a scam so I asked what city and state she was located in. She wouldn’t reveal any phone numbers or where she was located. I decided to Google “Account Services telemarket” and found this website. I am so glad I didn’t reveal any personal or card number information. This was a “wake up” call for me!
I received a call from them about 2 weeks ago. It sounded good, but when they told me they would just need my credit card number I told them “no”. The man said “you know we can’t do anything with just your credit card number, right”. I told him “no, I don’t know any such thing”. I asked him for his number, name, company number. Those things he gave me, but when I asked for the company address he said “if you aren’t interested in this then you are just wasting my time”, and hung up. Obviously a scam, but just be careful. Some people may just give their cc# hoping they will really get their interest rate lowered. These kinds of people really are sociopaths. They have no concern for anyone other than themselves.
I wrangled a return phone number when they called me this morning. I was shocked that the woman appeared so cooperative. I called the provided number before filing an FTC complaint and it was for the Mormon church.
It’s amazing that this group has been able to continue this scam for so long…
I called Qwest (my local phone service) and told them about this problem. They said because I live in the state of AZ I can put a no solicitation service on my phone. The way it works is when a telemarketer calls there is a message that says the number you are calling does not accept calls from solicitors. If you are not a solicitor press 1 to continue. Most Telemarketers use an automated dialer and it can’t press 1 so the call wont go thru. I guess you need to decide if the 6.95 monthly fee is worth it.
I tried to call this company back but the number on the caller id is not valid – Qwest says they are using an outbound only number. I found a good solution, refer to the people who call by name. Just remember their name is either bitch, c**t or c**k sucker. The people who work there will get tired of being harrassed and quit or they will file a complaint. How can they complain if they called you. Its not like we called them and harrassed them. My last call was fun. The stupid bitch got so frustrated she said do you want us to put you on the do not call list or not and when I said I will sure miss all this fun and kept talking over her she got piised off and kept asking her non responsive questions like “do you swollow?” she finally hung up. i think since they made the callthey sould terminate it.
I got a third call today – this time it was a guy – I harrased him with rude and obcene comments – he finnally got so pissed off he threatened to find me and blow me up- I thanked him for giving me cause to file a complaint with the feds. – he paniced and hung up – I called the FCC and filed a complaint – told them he threatened me – they said if I ge more info to call them @ 877-382-4537
Basically this call has been coming at our place for over 3 yrs, every time you hit 1 to speak to someone they ship you all over the US, last call was some woman in WA state, had people from all over and its the same thing every time. The DNC list is a joke, since they make a huge deal about privacy YET DO NOTHING TO STOP THIS. Basically the only way to stop these calls from coming to your phone would be to start a class action lawsuit against the main company for harassment. I believe if a law suit was to come into play, this company could be dismantled and the calls would end. So someone start this suit up and the millions of people that have been harassed over the years will join and stop the madness. FYI these calls come at all hours of the day and night so that is a crime. (harassment) You shouldn’t need a phone number since in the automated voice says its Account Services. So by them saying the company name means they are accountable for the phone calls.
Got this call this afternoon and finally have been able to speak to a representative or so to speak the scammer. Would not give location of business nor would he give a call back number. However he said the name of the company was credit card services, I see that some of you or most of you said it was called account services. Whatever the damn case is i sure wish someone can get this info. Im so sick and tired of the people trying to rip off people rather than go to work, but i guess that would be too easy for them to earn a living doing the right thing.
First of all I no longer even have credit cards, when I tell them this they just hang up. Or if I ask them to take me off their call list they hang up. I too am registered with the “no call” list. Once I managed to trick the caller into giving me a call back number: I press one to talk to someone and tell them I’m very interested in lower my interest rate but I don’t have the time to talk and asked for a number I can call them back, it work! I did a reverse phone number search, turn out to be a Bail Bonds in Florida! I gave the number and the name of the company to my Attorney General here in Connecticut and the AG in Florida, of course I still get the #%*@ call once or twice a month.
I have been getting these calls for years, I now press 1 and try to waste their time. I spoke to one of these guys and after playing dumb for a while, I finally told him that I understand that he was just trying to make a living, that he was probably a young man, but he should really try to make a honest living and not try to rip people off. Suprisingly he did not hang up right away. He said no it was not a scam, I cut him off and said I knew it was and to take me off the list. But of course it did not work.
There appears to be a new scam that has to do with selling you an extended car warranty. It looks like the same kind of rip off. Anytime you can’t get them to stop calling, you should think scam.
I have received two calls in the last two weeks. The last number came up as 804-234-9010. On call back the number is out of service. Asking me if I pushed “1″ then asking me for my name. I asked them… “Who did you call?” They then hang up.
Most of these calls originate from a company that goes under many names. One notable one is:
Marketing International
2132 L. Pondodson
Bedford
TX 76021
They can be reached by phone at 877 354-5485. We should all call them 100 times a day and annoy them.
It’s appalling that the government doesn’t shut them down.
The government is finally closing in on these scumbags. They are clearly the same “company” that calls about the expiration of your car’s warranty. See the story at http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/12/feds-file-lawsuits-car-warranty-companies-robo-calls/. Let’s HOPE someone makes them aware of this credit card scam!
I have been receiving this call for months and I want to put my hands around this little punks throat. He has hung up on me, insulted me, said sexual things to me and just recently when I told him I filed for bankruptcy, he said “well that was stupid” what a little a hole! Sorry for the names, these calls are really starting to piss me off!
just got a call from Account Services. gave me a number 800 847 2911. It all seemed fishy and I told him I was not interested and finally just had to hang up the phone. The number on my caller ID was 305 666 9084 from Miami. Too bad there are people like this in our world. I’m glad I looked this up. If you google account services you get a website and they specifically say they do not telemarket.
They call me every day… sometimes twice. I’m disabled and getting to the phone can often be a chore. I am also on the do not call registry and have repeatedly asked them not to call. All they do is hang up.
I took the URL of this blog as evidence and submitted it along with my personal complaint to the Do Not Call Registry. I would suggest everyone do the same.
I got, or I guess you could say, actually answered the first call from “Credit Card Services” today. I have caller ID and I am on the DNC list. But the caller ID said unknown number. I have family members with OnStar and cell phones that do that. So I answered.
The automated message told me to press 6 to lower my interest rate. They worked for Visa and MasterCard (I have both)…Just for fun. I did. I actually got a live person but she (I thought) hung up on me. There was click. I was still on the phone….it started ringing like I had dialed a number and an elderly woman answered. I apologized profusely for the wrong number and she hung up…then my phone started ringing again, like I was making another call. I hung up at that point.
I have read a lot about this today….apparently it is not unusual for them to be able to use ur phone number as a caller id. One gentleman had 300 calls on his phone….asking why he had called their number. I called my dad earlier. He called me a few minutes ago and asked if I had called him again….my number showed up on his caller ID. I didn’t call him.
From what I’ve read, it appears to originate in South Florida. Don’t know if I’d put a lot of faith in that…they can move.
Just google…”credit card services” lot’s of stuff comes up.
I get calls from them weekly. Today a live person called me directly and said he was from “Financial Services” and told me that the Credit Bureaus had reported to them that I owed a certain amount on my credit cards and that I therefore qualified to have them “negotiate lower fees” with my credit card companies. In an effort to get some information on who these guys are, I asked him if I could contact him if I am not able to pay off my balance and need my rate re-negotiated. He gave me his name: John Hall (sounds fake to me) and his phone number: 866-355-5836.
Interestingly, he said that if a credit card balance exceeds $4k they do the negotiation for you for free. It all sounds very fishy to me and I’m sure people have been scammed. These guys need to be reported and stopped. Use the number above to report them as much as you can.
I’ve been playing with these cons for months now. After trying to persuade law enforcement agencies, sheriff, city and state police, local prosecutor and general attorney to do something and realizing they aren’t interested I started dealing with these cons my own way. At first I confronted them – waste of time as they are accustomed to this and expect it. Now I just go along and keep them on the line adding something new each time to keep it interesting. Today I kept one of these criminals busy for 40 minutes while surfing the internet and eating.
First be careful to act interested then slowly add little irritants like chewing into the phone or ask the same questions over and over, drives them nuts. Ask if you may put them on hold or talk as if you would to someone else in the room then apologize and ask them to repeat what they were saying. When I became bored with the game I let them know I was playing with them by letting them know how obvious their scam is. Admittedly I have too much time on my hands but after using these methods they are the irritated party not I and at least one of them were out of business for 40 minutes.
hey call several times a week to me in Canada I have tried nicely to get them to stop calling to no avail. Today I got nasty and put them on hold fror 10 minutes claiming to look for my information put the phone in front of the radio so they new I was still on the line. They finally hung up and called back and then I got really NASTY- the woman threatened to call the police on me and I encouraged her to do so and to tell the police how many times they have harassed me over the last few months. she hung up. I called several local and national authorities to complain/ ask if it was bad for me to be REALLY NASTY to them ( you don’t want to know how Nasty trust me) I will continue for a while to be ultra nasty/rude till they lose my number hope it works.
Whoo Hoo! Maybe something happened because I haven’t had a call in a whole week from them. I know the warranty scam is the same group of cons calling. I loved to keep them on the line and tell them I have a Ford Corvette or a Honda Camry…didn’t phase them, they kept trying to sell me something. I hope someone hangs their annoying butts.
I looked these people up on the internet to see if they are a scam, they are on the phone right now with my mother…she knew they we’re a scam right away…and now she’s telling them about Jesus..gotta love her.
I’m another one that is getting these calls. Most recenly I pressed 1 to talk to an agent. She answered and asked my name, I gave her a false name and then asked the name of her company. He hung up on me.
Hi,
Yes, I too, have received three calls in 2 days from “Account Services.” These people are obnoxious.
I will gladly join anyone in an effort to hunt down and severely punish these people.
The FCC won’t do anything. Verizon won’t do anything. The police won’t do anything.
It is time for us, the victims, to do something.
Is harming the scammers against the law? Not in my law book.
Let’s get these chunps ASAP.
Card Holder Services – just called my landline re “lower your interest rate”
Push 9 to speak to person. I think that the law now requires them to tell you the phone button to push so they will not call again. There was no such option. I hung up without pushing a button.
Nowadays, I also do not answer the phone when I pick it up. I let the caller (or the robot) speak first. In the case when a robot calls and waits for me to answer, this ties their phone line up until I hear: “If you want to place a call, please hang up…”
When I called re the Auto Warranty scam a few months ago, a person in my state’s attorney general’s office volunteered the information that Canadian conmen use technology to disguise their calls so that caller ID identifies them as originating from phone number(s) in the USA. If this trick does indeed work, is caller ID worth the additional expense for most people?
If nine out of ten people cancel their caller ID service, maybe the economics of running phone companies will change so that the interests of the phone companies will be more closely aligned with their retail residential customers rather than with the scamsters and the businesses that supply them and support them.
Just received ‘yet another’ call from Account Services, (or whatever they are calling themselves nowadays). Most recently from 305-000-4296. When pressed for the actual city inside Florida where they are located the representative asked if I wanted him to spell it. When I said yes, he spelled out ‘go to hell’ and promptly hung up.
Report a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. Maybe if they get enough complaints the Feds will take more time to find them.
I just received a call on my work phone line either from this company or from another like it. The phone number didn’t come up on my display or I would be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau right now. Since it came in on my work line I thought it may have something to do with my corporate card so when they gave me the option of pressing 1 to speak to an attendant, I did. Here’s how the conversation went:
Them: “Credit Card Services. Did you press one to see about lowering your interest rates?”
Me: “I did press one. I’m just curious which account this is in regards to?”
Them: -Click-
Yeah. Whoever the person or people behind this thing are, I bet they’ve got a horrible poker face. This is one of the most blatantly obvious scams I’ve ever come across. If anyone does happen to come up with some information to trace back to these people, please report it.
It is a criminal offense in Virginia to make pre-recorded telemarketing calls, Virginia Criminal Code 18.2-425.1, you can call the police and report it, and they now have a committed crime so they can trace it.
I use to work for a company that did the scamming. They imposed all the misery described by the other comments on this site. I worked in customer service and helped the people who were already charged. Once they moved my desk to where the so-called “closers” were working, I started to see how the whole filthy operation was carried out. I eventually quit because I could not stand to work for a company that hurt people so badly. Not to mention, they treated all the employees like dirt too. It was aweful. I decided to start a site about it so that others will be warned. I already purchased a special domain name for it. Once I am done and I publish it, I will come back here to supply the link. The page will explain how to tell if you have been a victim, and what to do plus who to contact for assistance after the damage has been done.
Another phone number that they are using is 404-822-5574.
I’ve been contacted by this people many times and have actually given them personal information but didn’t finalize the transaction. I was contacted by a Shawn Dupree today, July 3, 2009. He gave me 407-283-2834 phone which was the same number showing on my cell phone. He also gave me his “license number” which is E1129. I was transferred to a woman to finalize the transaction, but I don’t recall her name. I believe in the past I did talk to a “Heather.” In fact, a lot of the names given on this web site sounds familiar. I was told to go to this web site address: http://www.calculatorweb.com to make some calculations re interest paid out to credit card banks vs paying “Financial Services” $900 for lowering my interest rate for the next 3 years or the life of my credit card balance. I was also given the website address for (First Choice Financial) http://www.fchoicefinancial.com or the company Shawn and the female representative was affiliated. I said the website didn’t say there was any affiliation with Visa or Mastercard and that it was selling software. The woman then told me they weren’t affiliated with Visa or Mastercard but negoiated with them for me to lower my interest rate and would teach me how to negoiate a lower interest rate in the future. I said I was not going to give them $900 until I did some investigation on them and their company first. The woman hung up after that. When I clicked on the website “Email us for more information” link, I got “Elite Choice Financial.” When I did a web search for “Elite Financial Services,” I got a very interesting list of websites about scams re these 2 companies.
I also worked for a company that did this, and is responsible for a lot of these annoying calls. The place where I had originally applied was called Premier Financial, but on the phone, we had to refer to ourselves as ‘Account Services.’ On our paychecks, though, the company was called ‘Serene Solutions.’ Didn’t make any sense to me. Once I did some research and figured out where my paycheck was coming from, I couldn’t really stomach staying there any longer.
With that being said, though, the company itself is located at:
255 Primera Blvd, Ste 132
Heathrow, FL
Hopefully this information is useful to someone.
I worked for a company that did this too – Fulfillment USA. Granted, it was pretty bad – but it paid well for part time work and the call center looked like a regular office. When people asked to be put on the DNC list, we actually did take them off the CRM and the negotiators were always upfront about the fees. And the customers always SEEMED to be satisfied with the results afterwards. So I didn’t really ask any questions until I happened to stumble on sites like these while doing some research. That’s when I decided to quit…I lasted a month.
I just received an automated call on my work cellphone from Account Services, it is July 7, 2009. I pressed one to ask them not to call this phone anymore because I do not use if for personal calls. The number that showed up on the caller ID was 1-800-466-7865. When I began to ask her questions about who she was with and how she got the number she called the woman got very nasty. She kept repeating the same generic answer. Finally, I asked to speak to her supervisor and she told me I could speak to a dial tone and hung up on me. I checked my accounts and I have not provided the number they called to any legitimate credit card company.
Have been getting calls for about a month now from Account Services. I asked for the callers name and when I asked her to spell it for me she hung up. I am on the national DNCL so they are auto dialing. Lets get to the bottom of this and put these jerks behind bars. I have just reported them to the BBB, FTC and the CA Secretarty of State. I like the idea of playing along with them but giving false information, credit card #’s etc. then posting the calls on U Tube. Lets all keep them on the phone as long as possible by giving information that they belive to be true. Maybe if we fight back with tactics they understand…who knows? At least it will be fun to try.
Thanks to all for all of the info posted here. I, like all of you, receive regular calls from darling Heather. So frequently, in fact, that I feel like I know her personally (grimace). Love the whistle/ air horn idea, but I don’t have one on hand. Fortunately, I have 5 children, all of whom are well-behaved to stay quiet when the phone rings, and not to interrupt me unnecessarily while I’m on a call. They were delighted when I suggested that we put together a little play to be rehearsed next time Mom gets a call from Heather. All of the kids had great ideas about how to be most obnoxious during the call, including the ever-popular “MOM! MOM! MOM!” “He’s touching me!”, the siren wail (guaranteed to shatter glass) and “She’s Hitting me, Make her stop!” They were even more excited to hear that I’d let them turn on the television at high volume during these calls, especially if they could convincingly fight to the death over the remote. My plan is to keep the scammers on the phone for as long as I can stand the noise, repeatedly telling them that I’ll get my credit card as soon as I can calm the children down. LOL. I wonder how many calls like that it will take before they remove my number?
P.S. None of my children behave like this normally, but they were gleeful about having the opportunity to act like monsters for the cause. (All of them are old enough to understand the reason behind my request.)
I had an exchange of words with these people that ended with a man at their end saying that he was going to send somebody to my house to kill me (terroristic threat). He hung up as soon as I told him he had just committed a felony–a lot more serious than just their long history of harassing Do Not Call violations and illegal robocalls.
This crime has been reported and Call Trace (*57) will now be used on every future call I get from them.
I got a call from Account Sevices this past weekend and when I started to ask questions and point out that I was on the natioanl DNC list the guy told me I was acting like an “ass”. Then he said we should get my credit card company on the call and that was the lat I heard. He hung up. I am now fully aware of this scam, thanks to everyone weighting in here. I am off to find my airhorn! That won’t come until after I toy with them for awhile.
Anyone live in Heathrow, FL that could drive by that address given and verify what is there? Looks like a multi story office building just north of Orlando in Google Earth. Thank you Google!
255 Primera Blvd, Ste 132
Heathrow, FL
Just did a little more digging and found a document from the Seminole County Tax Collections. It list a business at that FL address as “Serene Solutions” at the same address given earlier. The person identified in that document is a Jonathan B. Curtis – Agent, by the tax collector. They have a telephone number of 1-800-375-4540 and the business is identified as ‘consulting’. At leats they got the ‘con’ part right. I tried calling that number and pressed “0″ at which point I heard some MOH and when someone eventually answered I said I had been talking to Heather and must have got transferred somehow. The person I talked to said they didn’t think there was a Heather working there. I said I had gone to get some information for her. I was asked my name and gave them “Charles Johnson” and they were going to check to see who had been talking to me. I got transferred to someone identifying themselves as “Charles Dawson” and they were a supervisor. They asked me if I had enrolled in the program, to which I stated ‘yes’, and they asked if I had been quoted a one-time fee for service amount. I stated yes and they asked what that amount was to which I stated $900. At this point I had enough information to tell them that they were SO busted and they should pack up and leave before the Feds get there. I heard them say “What do you mean?” as I hung up.
Anyone tired of these guys, here’s the information to start harrassing them the same way they have been harrassing us. Anyone in FL that could get the state authorities to go after these guys, PLEASE do so.
Time to strike back.
just got a call today, the man says his company is account services no business ID number & is saying experian the credit agency is makin the call & when i push 9 is forwards it to them.
SCAM SCAM SCAM.
My phone rang. Caller Id said Florida call. Phone number: 305-000-4829.
Commuter generated message saying my credit card account was OK, I need to call immediately if I wanted to take advantage of having my credit card rates lower or press #9 to talk to a representative. Which I did. A fellow came on the line stating he was from Card Services and told me that Experian Credit reporting company gave them my phone number because I qualified for this lower credit rate rededuction. I asked which card they were referring to and he said any or all of them that I had a current balance on. Knowing full-well that I was not about to give them any card numbers or any other information, I questioned the guy further by asking him to tell me which credit card number he had. He then said he didn’t have that information because it was illegal for Experian to give out that information. Before, I could question him any further, the connection got static-key and we were disconnected. How convenient — I think he knew I was wise to him. I tried to report it to the donotcall.gov website, but I could not get past the first page because the above-mentioned phone number was invalid and unless I corrected it, I could not continue with the report.
These people have been calling me twice a day for several months. Prior to that I was getting the car warranty scam calls from presumably the same people. I’ve reported them, as Account Services, before. That is obviously not there name. After loosing my cool with them several times, I started playing dumb and wasting as much of their time as possible. I did manage to keep 4 different people on the line, wasting 2-3 hours of their time. They seem to be getting wise to the time wasting ploy. However, I have not received any calls for 3 days now. Maybe I got them off my back anyway.
I just got a call at my work number from “Card Sevices”. There was a 603 area code though I didn’t write down the rest of the number. I asked him if he was affiliated with one of my cards and he said they cover all of them. He asked for my amount of C.C. debt so I asked “Why wouldn’t I just go though my card instead of a third party?” and he hung up before I got the whole question out.
Got a call from these people today. They use some serious sales tactics to lure you into giving them you 16 digit credit card number, zip and expiration dates.
They called me from this number: (228) 209-9560
Call from area code 407 (Orlando, Florida)- 745-7706 to Canada prompting me to lower my interest rates. I asked for the employees ID #, which under Canadian law he is required to divulge. When I explained the CRTC (roughly the Canadian equivilent of the FCC) regulation he promptly hung up. I called the number back, after tracing it and got an answering machine. I left a message but expect no reply. Cross border regulations should be put into effect.
I don’t know what everyone’s problem is, I have fun with these calls. Actually, I use to get these calls and my wife still does. I had fun with them, stringing them along as if I was going to do it or gave false info, they stopped calling me. My wife did the DNC approach, and they are still calling her… She’s letting me take the calls now.
I FOOLISHLY ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE SCAMMED OUT OF $1000.00.
I LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON. NOW I HANG UP ON EVERYONE WHO TELLS ME THEY ARE GOING MTO SAVE ME MONEY.
i got a call from (228) 209-9560 as well. i was stupid enough to give them my information? then decided to look this situation up to see if it was a scam because they’re so called “manager” rudely hung up on me. what happens to the information i gave them?? what should i do?
Upstate, SC. Just received this call today from “Heather” who was very well spoken and convincing (although she did get a little flustered toward the end of our conversation). She hung up when I asked for the name of her company and a phone number so that I could call back after verifying their legitimacy. Very frightening–this scam could easily fool someone who might not otherwise be duped by similar e-mail or phone scams. Caller ID showed 1-352-000-9876 — not a working number when I called back.
I just got a call regarding the same thing. The girl was so rude. The # on the caller ID says Unknown with 874-000-5445. She was wanting to lower an interest rate on one of our cards to 6.99%. She was not willing to give any info. When I started questioning her she hung up. If this is a scam it’s a horrible one and hopfully there isn’t anyone ignorant enough out there to fall for it.
I just got a call from “Account Services”. Caller ID is: 213-504-7084
Has anyone done more research into that address?
255 Primera Blvd, Ste 132
Heathrow, FL
I see there are other businesses in the building, including a Liberty Mutual. Maybe we could get a directory of the companies within that building, the call all the ones who aren’t ranches/franchizes to see what the company name really is.
Here’s what I found via Google Maps:
Selected businesses at this address:
Access Mediquip
America’s Discount Home Loans
Breen Commercial Insurance Group LLC
Cigna
Ghyabi & Associates
itradefx LLC,
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual Group: Personal Sales
Liberty Mutual Insurance Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Liberty Mutual Insurance Lake Mary, FL
Market Traders Institute
Maya Telecom
RWI Properties – 1 review
Sedgwick Claims Management Services
St Jude Medical
Stromberg
United Image Technologies Inc
Wells Fargo Financial – 1 review
Westfield Group
So I’ve been trying to tell you that I work for one of these companies who does these calls. I would be happy to give the name and address along with the customer service phone number and website if this actually made it to the blog. There are scams out there, there always are. However the company I work for is completely legitimate. Yes, the service does cost $995. However, we guarantee a minimum savings of $2,500 in interest charges after we have negotiated a lower rate. If we can not at least have the service pay for itself, we will NOT qualify you. 85% of the people I talk to every day do NOT qualify. Also, let it be known that this is a lifetime service. We negotiate immediately for a new rate and then review all of your accounts at no further cost and work to get them lowered again as long as you keep making you payments on time. If your all so scared of being ripped off you should be aware of your rights if you were. Here is Visa and MasterCard’s policy for fraudulent charges:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/security/visa_security_program/zero_liability.html
http://www.mastercard.com/za/personal/en/education/fraud_protection.html
Got a call from 228-209-8325 today.
Automated introduction, blah blah, same thing as everyone else. I asked how they got my number, and they said the credit bureau gives them a list of people with high amounts of debt and high interest rates.
Of course she really had no idea who I was, nor could she tell me anything other than the call was regarding my “account”, but she couldn’t clarify beyond that…
This is rather annoying.
Just got a call this afternoon from Heather, than Mr. #1 took over. He caught me at a bad time at work, on my cell phone. told him to call me back at 5:30 tonight. I’m going to stop and buy a whistle on my way home. He will then be known as Mr. #1 Deaf Boy.
Just got called by these people. I asked them to send me there literatre and they hung up.
Bob, then why do your agents hang up or start cursing the instant anyone asks what the real company name is, or which card they’re actually calling about, etc?
It’s possible that you do work for a legitimate service, and you’re confused in thinking that what we’re discussing is a service like yours. I assure you, there is no question what we’re talking about is a scam.
Just reported them to the fcc and also the ftc. Hope this stops these A**HOLES!
Just got the call here is the info they gave me when I asked their company:
Account services Department of NY city 323 Orange Ave company phone 1-800-622-777.
BUT!
The number on the phone was 1-562-223-8803 an orange county CA number.
The guy said his name was Robbie Manson.
When I called back I was informed that I had been blacklisted by an automated voice and that I would not be allowed a lower interest rate. HAHAHA!
Just got a second call from someone who refers to himself as Tim Marlo with Account Services – my caller ID however stated a Robert Johnson at phone # 213-363-5107. They try to get your credit card # from you.
“Tim Marlo” – continue on with your thieving ways as you will soon be caught!!!
Just got the call! It showed up on caller ID as SERVICE MESSAGE with number of 402-982-0763, which is Omaha, NE, and we too have DO NOT CALL. After the prerecorded message, I pressed one more ot of curiosity than anything. A guy with a real thick accent answered. When I asked how he knows what credit cards I have and at what interest rate, he said he had it on his system. I asked what system he said he is calling for the “Main Company” of Visa & Mastercard. I said if you are, then you would know if I qualify or not without having to ask me if I have any Visa or MC’s with a balance over $3k & int. rate over 10%. He hung up.
got a call today from 402 982-0745. Hit 1 and waited. Man came on and muttered something about my wanting to lower my interest rates? I asked, “Who’s calling?” He hung up. Thanks for this info!
I just got the call again. I ask to speak to a supervisor They said they were listed with the Better Bis Bur. I said whats the name of your company. he said ( account services ) I asked were they were located. He said ( Merietta Georgia ) Phone # 18008472911. When I called back it wanted me to enter my Credit card number. I hung up, searched for them on the Internet and ended up here. THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS ON THE NET!!!!!!!!!!!
I received a voicemail on my cell phone (we don’t have a landline) from Stephanie at Account Services yesterday evening saying that the Federal Reserve had made a provision to lower interest rates to as low as 4.99%, and to call before my eligibility ran out. The number I was given to call back was 877-205-0254. I did actually call the number and got a recording saying all representatives were busy and to either leave a message to be called back or remain on the line for the next available representative. I waited on the line, but then remembered that I thought initially the “Account Services” sounded like kind of a strange name and that I had intended to look them up on the internet before calling, so I hung up before anyone ever came on the line. Anyway, this website came up, and I’m afraid to have anything to do with it now after reading all this. Also, I looked in my cell phone under my missed calls, and although I was instructed to call 877-205-0254, it showed that the call initially came from 714-261-1026.
I called the number that the above poster listed. I feel that they are somewhat associated. This “company” has called my cell phone (that I NEVER give out) at least 5-6 times in the past 3 months. They’ve called our house several times as well. I would like to do something about this, but how do I go about it? I HATE thieves. Any suggestions?
i been called constantly by these scumbags for 2 days. finally, i decided to be scary and said “i know where you live, don’t f*cking call me again”…well, i got 2 immediate callbacks. i wouldn’t let them speak and just ad-libbed vulgarities and hung up.
they are criminals, they deserve anything we can dish out.
I’ve asked them “Account Services” form California no less than three times to take me off their call list. Even when I hit the “Number 2″ option to have myself removed from their list automatically, it still does no good, the machine (and the live operators) just hang up on you. Don’t we have elected officials that can do something about this? They have some sort of lock on their number that defies calling them back. I have a app on my Blackberry called Poynt.
This is what i I have so far…
2282099560 is carried by Alltel Communications out of Biloxi, MS
I found this website
http://phoneowner.info/Number.aspx/2282099560/2
and tried to call Alltel, which has been acquired by Verizon.
Here is a list of Verizon execs. If you call 501-905-8000 and ask for them by name, you can at least get to their voice mail.
Have fun…
Sorry, forgot the execs page…
http://newscenter.verizon.com/leadership/
I keep getting an automated call from 1-877-388-1050 for someone who used to have our number, saying that it’s an important call and ‘not a sales call’. Usually a couple of times a week, but lately every day, I have literally gotten 20 of these calls, it’s been going on for more than a month.
Okay I got a call the other day from what was obviously a scam, it was the press 1 heather and the number on my caller ID was 407-000-5963 so i took one for the team and gave them a card i was planning on cancelling.
After listening to what was obviously a scam they charged my account and I traced it…
Finally, I Found the real company!
Company that charged me:
Credit Lynk
1768 Park Center Dr., Suite 240
Orlando, Florida 32835
407.292.3635
877.292.3635
The Owner’s name is Irving and the Manager is Denise
So when i started digging i realized how much of a scam they were! They have 4 Companies using the same phone number and address
Universal Lynk (Website)
Resort Lynk (Website)
Realty Lynk (Website)
Rental Lynk (Website)
Credit Lynk (Website)
I checked with the state of florida, the only registered company is Universal Lynk.
Lets get these Scammers, blow up their phones, faxes, emails, the FL state Attorney General ALL OF IT!!!!
I just got a call today. When I asked for more information, he hung up on me.
These telemarketer can be traced by the law authorities, the Feds investigate such perpretrations and they have the technology to trace, triangulate and pinpoint their location.
You are correct Mark, the creimes they are perpetrating are punished by the law. It’s just a matter of time before they get thrown in jail!
do what i did guys, i pissed off the telemarketer doing this.
i asked him the name of the company, looked it up on google, found this article, started reading it to him and then he was like…. ok sir type in google Walmart and see how many bad things you can find about them. i told him i used to work there and it actually wasnt bad like people say it is.
I get a call from these morons every day, even after asking to be removed from thier call list. Today when they caller I acted like I was interested so I could get more info on them. The women I spoke to was named “JESSICA” she said the company was ACCOUNT SERVICES and they were out of CANADA. The number she gave me was 803-567-2718. I am giving this info to the colorado state att general. Hopefully they can find these dummies and close them down.
Anonymus – did you call them? Any luck/progress on ending the calls? What amount did they charge their card?
These people have my cell phone and work number. The first time they called I was curious if they could actually lower my card rate (as I have a few floating above 20%), so I was asking very basic questions, like who are you and how they lower my rates (as I asked what one of my cards they were calling about and I got the Visa/Mastercard response…) The agent was the most condescending prck i’ve ever talked to and treated me like I was the moron because I didn’t understand why he was calling…
Just got my first call from them…..dreading the next billion calls…….
Just got another call from “Account Services.” I’ve had 2-3 over the past 2 months. I pressed “9″ to get to a human, which took 16 rings. The young female would not give her name and told me they were in Florida when I asked where their corporate offices were. Without my asking, she put her supervisor on, who was a true piece of work: condescending, spoke to me like I was the problem and gave me absolutely no information I asked for, then hung up on me. This HAS to stop. I do not understand how the FCC cannot trace, track and shut these parasitic predators down permanently. They are invading people’s privacy and preying on vulnerable, uninformed citizens.
Yup – they just called me. So I pressed #1 and I got to speak to a live person. I asked if I could have a number in case we get disconnected.
Here is her response (LOVE IT).
“Sir, it is 1-800-GO-SCREW-YOURSELF”
So I said that there are too many letters and that she must be mistaken (trying to stay serious). She said:
“Sorry Sir, it’s actually only 1-800-GO-SCREW”
This time I told her that there were not enough letters…
She just hung up on me!
I wish the FCC could really do something about that!
I actually fell for most of this after asking repeated questions to figure out whether this was one of these debt consolidation companies. What’s so sad and embarrassing is that I am a practicing attorney who graduated from a top 30 law school and even took a number of classes on these areas of law, including one focused on Consumer Protection. I personally intend to contact the folks I know in the local US Attorneys office (when I can get over the embarrassment factor to tell them) and the local DA and AG’s office. I may also see if I can file a lawsuit since my state is one of the few in which it is possible to file a lawsuit against fictitious parties, i.e., parties for whom you have no hard identity, which would then give me the power to file further motions or subpoenas to phone companies etc. for the purposes of getting any and all information necessary to identify the fictitious defendants…I live in Alabama for reference…
Really, I’m just so personally insulted and just INCENSED, largely because I never fall for this and never imagined I would and so I am just wanting to really just go for the jugular of this group or company…
Any thoughts…?
Just received my 4th call from these idiots. I have left a complaint with the FTC. I plan to contact the Texas Dept of Justice.
I’ve been getting these calls as well, not only where I live now, the Phoenix metro area but also when I lived in Springfield, MO. I’ve been getting them on unlisted phone numbers and they have been coming for at least 3 or 4 years now. I am on the federal do not call list and when informed of this, they state, “So, what? You don’t even know what number is calling you.” and then hang up.
I receive these calls on my cell phone. had the number blocked, they started calling from a different number.
I’ve been receiving these calls for about 4 months now. From Rachel and Heather. I too have tried to get company names and phone numbers out of the people on the other side of the line. I have also called my phone company to report them several times but canot without a pvalid phone number for them.
Today I call the FCC to complain. They are aware of the company calloing themselves “Account Services” and/or “Financial Services” The FCC needs to have enough complaints on file before a full blown investigation will ensue.
If YOU HAVE TIME TO POST YOU HAVE TIME TO CALL THE FTC!!!!
1-877-382-4357
When enough complaints are filed the FTC can take action!!!
It’s a quick call and they are very nice. You do not need a phone number for the company. They have heard of them.
My next step is to give Heather, Rachel and her friends the info off my cancelled Visa card. Get the credit card companies involved and they WILL do something about it. They don’t want their money ripped off!!!
Then I will sue for attempted identity theft. My brother is an attorney so this should really start to get fun. Hope Heather and Rachel enjoy playing their game by my rules!
Ialso got a call today. IT was FCS International out of Florida. Thinking this was a Citibank rep, they had much of my info. So I was half asleep and went through the process. At this time they wanted to charge me $1000 to my card. I asked for their name, and said FCS International and found info on the web. I said I do not want to carry on with rthis, the bitch got nasty and I flipped on her. I hung up on them and contacted Citicard themselves. Got the card cancelled and they have been blowing up my phone. all day.
OK, for the last four days I’ve been given the “final” chance to reduce my credit cards’ interest rates by “Account Services”. Call comes out of Florida;407-0006256. Now, I’m a longtime veteran of phone and internet scams. I used to treat them like the scum that they are, by arguing with them. But….they have reformed and are very well aware of the range of question you will ask and they know exactly at what point to hang up on you, if you are not a ‘hit’. Some of these cretins are so dumb, that they will make grievous mistakes. Ask yourself, what would be the requirements for a telemarketing job?? However, don’t count on trapping most of them. I believe Florida has the highest number of fraudulent businesses in the world (well, maybe second to Nigeria)-they must have a career day for just them at high schools down there.
Furthermore, they call you on a random computer dialing system. If you call them back, you have just completed the ‘circuit’ and they now know they have a active # and a potential pigeon. Same when you get junk mail online and you go in there to have them remove your email address-you again, just completed the ‘circuit’.
I have a land line that I installed. My telephone provider swears they haven’t sold this # to anyone. I only use the phone for emergency purposes and have never given the # out to anyone. Daily, usually in evening hrs (but not limited to) the phone will ring. I didn’t pay for caller ID, but they are coming from random computer dialing scam centers. There’s no other way they could legitimately get this #.
My advice: don’t answer any strange calls from out of state (that you don’t recognize)and certainly no calls that won’t give you a caller ID. You may be alienating legitimate people trying to reach you, but the number of people reaching you with no caller ID are infinitesimal. Also, anything coming from 866 or 800, just hang up immediately.
I am a private investigator and this is the new address for the call center that has been making all the illegal robo calls to you people..
1642 west airport blvd in Sanford Florida. Google that address and the map will display the location. the phone number is 1 888 356 6357. you should get a message to speak with someone in human resources. This is a huge illegal robo dialing call center that has been in business for awhile. most of the posts on this site im certain are because of this particular organization originally operating in Tampa then moved to primera blvd in lake Mary Florida now they are located in Sanford FL. Its easy to get all the info you need to these people. all you have to do is cooperate and give them your cc number. They cant charge you until you consent. Thats the only way they can for certain take your money. they will eventually give you all the info you need if you talk to a “closer” I did some digging and found out that a Blake Curtis owns and runs this entire operation. see this link here: http://forums.hmoob.com/showthread.php?t=71434
they are calling Canada now instead of the united states most likely to dodge any legalities. I’ve investigated fully and What they do is have about 60 unlicensed people to answer phones that this call center robot dials out all across the country. if you press 1 you’ll get any one of these commission payed reps. pressing 2 does nothing. the reps are average nobody’s that they hire off the street with no real qualifications and will talk you into giving up your credit card number and they will verify if you have debt and if you have availability on your visa or mc by calling your lender. if you have availability on your credit card they will hand over the deal sheet to a closer “financial adviser” notice the quotes, who is nothing more than some guy or girl unlicensed and has no official title or education to be an adviser. just some random people that are hired within to close the deal so they make a killing in commission off of you. All the employees are on a commission based pay scale where I’m sure they are required to make a weekly quota in sales. then you go to a verification where you agree on a recording to let them charge your card for these ridiculous bull crap services. then you eventually get scheduled to talk to a financial adviser who again is nothing more than some other random employee in the call center who will call the bank and try to lower your cc interest rates with you on the phone. All of this is scripted and each person is trained to take you through the Bull crap process. The banks will do nothing of the sort like the closers promise you who got you scheduled to get you to sign up for these services in the first place. at best you will get your rate reduced by a couple of percents but its not permanent by any means. the best they do is transfer balance and get you a 0 percent APR with a Citibank visa or discover card for 3-6 months. all of which you can do yourself. then they will try to talk you into consolidation or debt settlement. meanwhile you just payed anywhere from $690 to $1990 on your credit card and are now screwed to ever get that back. you cant back out of it. you will not get your money back. the only way to get your money back is to threaten the company that you had a dispute with your lender in regards to these services. but you only have 3 days in which to claim that legally. They will show you on an analysis that you helped provide them that you can save money if you pay off one debt and then use what you were paying on the previous debt to put towards your other bills etc etc till everything is payed off. just for that little bit of common sense knowledge is how they are charging you money. as long as you have debt and have availability they will get you to join. they will rebuttal everything you say and will even build a relationship with you. the website they provide is http://www.myunitedfinancial.org they claim to be based in San Francisco California. the number they give is 1 800 672 1771 all of which is provided on this site. Hope this helps, I’ve spent a lot of time investigating these guys as they have called me several times. I had fun and I got my money back. I can report these guys anytime i want, but i put this here for you to report if you so choose. Have a good day!!
they make their living off of lies! now understand they do have a
service they provide. they will mail you out a debt profile for you to fill out. they will
try to get you to go online and fill it out there as well which will trap you into the
service! Never give them a satisfaction report or you will never get your money back ever!!
that’s the biggest trap right there. they are required to get a satisfaction report from
you!! everything they do you can do on your own if you were to get aggressive with your
debt. all the service does is take the info you provided and they use that in a pathetic
useless attempt to negotiate to a bank supervisor to lower your APR. which we all know is
next to impossible. they have everything they need to make you think they are helping you.
when indeed all they are doing is the same thing you could have done yourself. this is how
this company is structured and diff people have diff roles.
The owner(some rich guy that drives big cars thanks to you): whats up stud
The floor manager(Satan himself): the crazy ringleader who conducts a cockamamie
inspirational meeting every morning to boost rep morale to help the reps get deals! oversees
the reps who take the calls initially
the closers(the financial advisers or specialists..how about worthless losers!!Satans little
helpers): who get the deals from the floor manager by the reps and talks you into you
letting the company charge your card anywhere from $690-1990 depending on your debt.
the verification dept:(people who couldnt be anything else): who takes the deal sheet and
conducts a scripted recording making it legal to charge your card after the closer is done
explaining(lying)everything to you
scheduling dept.(people right behind the verification people in the same room) makes an
appointment for you to speak to a financial advisor days or weeks later so that you cant get
a refund.
the financial advisors(more scripted loosers with limited resources to do any good). the
person that is assigned to call you to go over your debt profile and try to show you a
savings with your lender.
customer service(the people that absolutly couldnt do anything else). try’s to talk you out
of backing out of the program.
everyone here is under the same roof sometimes in the same room. this is a huge scam
organization legit only when you agree to services on the recording.
the address is 1642 west airport blvd, Sanford Florida. Google this it will bring up the
map instantly. the human resource number is 1 888 356 6357 but good luck getting a live
person. for that call the 800 number and pretend you have a confirmation number. the
number they give to clients routes you to the customer service people and that number is 1
800 672 1771 claiming to be Myunitedfinancial.org when actually they are all paid from a
serene solutions. again they are all under the same roof at that address!! you can see them
out in the parking lot smoking cigarettes or who knows what else lol.
I get these calls, press “9″, wait for the “representative, then smash two baking pans together. It might not stop the call, but I hope it hurts (and it’s very satifying for me). I actaully feel bed for the poor saps on the phone: they have no jobs, no training and no hope for jobs, and most of the ignorant idiots don’t even know it’s illegal. These “companies” prey on desperate, easy-to-fool people.
i’ve been waiting for a reply, the info that i’ve provided is them!!! its them its them its them there is no question about it i know where account services is comming from i posted there address and location i’ve reported them to the local news and to the ftc but i need everyone to do the same. so please if you have had the call do the same look at the previous post, in fact i caught word today that they have been tipped off and last i knew people were packing up and moving out of the facility. probably onward to some new location thats all they do is move around but make no mistake blake curtis runs the whole operation.. and i have other incriminating names as well as long as they stay in business i will exploit them.
forget about the police or the FCC or the authorities. they can do nothing. hanging up when the recording starts doesn’t discourage them. after about 6 months of almost daily harassment, i stayed on the line for a human and when he spoke i SCREAMED into the phone at the top of my lungs with a series of curses. it felt great. the calls stopped for a year, and now they have started again. i don’t feel sorry for the employees; they are criminals. i might just invest in a whistle.
it’s time to get a whistle… these people are horrid… 5-6 calls a day..screamed at the guy… it doesn’t work…
“Half wit” Heather just called to lower my interest rates – a robo call. It has been months since I heard from her company. I was hoping they were out of business! The caller ID # was 140 298 2053; probably fake. Where is area code 140?
Sure wish THERE WAS A WAY TO END THIS CRAP. I’ve even used a blowhorn on them. But they still call EVERYWEEK!!!! And I plan to keep blowing my horn. I thought congress passed a law to stop ALL robo calls. What happen to that?
Like others here, I get the calls about once a week, sometimes more often. The reason I’m here today is that I got them twice just this morning. Over the years I’ve realized that screaming, asking for supervisors, offending them, or anything else of that sort does not work, so my strategy now is to waste their time. I engage them in a conversation, allow them to slowly lead me through their script, give them a fake name, fake numbers – they ask for your credit card balance, limit, remaining credit, etc – clearly so they know how much they can extract from your account. THEN they ask the credit card number. At that point I say the card is in my wallet elsewhere, and ask them to stay on the line while I’m getting it. The really stupid among them (or desperate??) seem to wait an awful long before they realize they’ve been had and finally hang up.
In subsequent calls I’m planning to give them fake card numbers and see how that goes, i.e. if they verify them immediately or not.
I just got “the call” but thank goodness, the hair stood up on my back. They sound professional and very sophisticated, but I still know that I don’t give that info on my personal accounts to any “yahoo” that calls promising the moon. The “red flag” was, that there needed to be sufficient enough credit left on the account for me to be eligible for a lower rate. Sounded too good to be true. When I kept pushing for a company name, or some verification, they slammed the phone down on me. When I tried to call the number back from my caller ID, the call could not be made. Somebody needs to do something. Despirate people will fall for this and lose everything they have left on their credit. Thanks for putting up this site so people will know that it’s a scam for sure.
==========i use to work for phone company (legimate) =========
so I have a few info most of you may want to know.
1. yes, it is ILLEGAL for those company to call your cell phone with automated (computer) system. This is per Telecommunications Act 1996.
2. Learn and know the term “Caller ID spoofing” (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing ) Caller ID Spoofing is the practice of causing the telephone network to display a number on the recipient’s caller ID display which is not that of the actual originating station
which means the number u see on your caller id IS NOT THEM! if u keep research for that info. you are looking at the WRONG TARGET.
3. The best idea I can come up with is pretend to be stupid and talk to them for half of an hour and give them the worng info (fake cc number etc, just make up 1) and hopefully u will take enough time away from them to save the next victim.
I really wish there is a bette way to sue those people ass….they have been calling my phone like crazy too in the last few month….more than like 5 times….it’s insane….
maybe someone in specialize in law can help us out here?
Rachel (Robo) called me today 1/18/2010 at 4:30 PM and when I pressed 1, I got a male. He said they are Account Services (Orlando, FL)and named the credit card companies that they work with. He wanted the name of my credit card company and claimed they can get me a lower rate. Of course, I just had both Discover and Bank of America raise my rates ahead of the legislation coming out of congress.
This is yet another example like Social Security fraud of a broken system. It doesn’t matter who running government,it’s broken for the little guy. The Do Not Call Registry is not working. I live in MA and I’m getting calls hourly because of the election tomorrow. Naturally the politicians had themseleves excluded.
I thougth there was supposed to be a fine for each call reported. Please help me bombard the FCC site with a report everytime these guys call us!
Help!
WOW!! I almost got taken in by this scam just now!! It said to press 9 for lower interest rates on my credit cards. I pressed 9 and I talked to John, I think… he said that my credit card company sent them info that I qualified for lower fixed rates. When I asked which card, he said “All of them”.
That got me wondering WTF? When I asked him what company he was with, he simply said Account Services. It made it sound like it was account services from my credit card. I played along… he asked how much I owed on my cards now… I made up a number… $5000. Then he asked which card I wanted to lower my rate on first. I said Capital One… which I don’t have. Then he asked me for their toll free number that’s on the back of the card… I said I didn’t have the card with me, and he said “That’s ok, I have it.” Then he asked for the card number… I wish I would have thought to say I did have the card and give him a fake number.
Instead, I said that I didn’t feel comfortable giving him my card number, and he assured me that I could feel safe giving him the number and that he would be calling the credit card company with me on the phone. I told him that I would call them on my own.
Then he said that if I do that, that my interest rate would go up. I told him that I would take that chance. He then said “That’s fine sir, I’m not the one swimming in debt.” then hung up on me.
I really hope they call me back. I’m going to F with these people BIG TIME! PLEASE CALL ME BACK!! Fkrs!!
I am fairly frustrated: my cell number has been getting a call every other day from “Heather” offering to lower my interest rates. Caller ID comes up as “restricted” so Verizon can’t do anything to help. They said that I could change my cell number at no charge. Great!
My cell number has been on the Do Not Call List for years. I’ve repeatedly asked this company not to call. I wish that I could get enough information to turn them into to the FCC.
I got two calls from them, this last time I descided to play along when they asked would you like to lower your rates on your Visa or Mastercard. I said yes, not asking which card. They asked how much debt, I made up a number (300 bucks) but they said I was good and they hung up on me. For some reason, they want you to have 5000 in debt before they ask for more info. Next time I’ll make up a nuber around 6 grand and have fake card numbers to see where this goes.
I constantly get robocalls from “Sarah”, who has a sexy British accent. Pressing “9″ will send you to a boiler room where the underpaid thieves will either hang up on you if you ask question or they will curse you out and argue wth you.
I have lots of fun keeping a whistle by the phone. When Card Services calls, I hit 9 to talk to an operator, and when someone comes on the line I give 3-4 short whistle blasts, then politely ask them to stop calling me. One idiot actually got irate with me, which provided some good comic relief to the whole episode.
One thing I’ve considered, but haven’t implemented, is answering female operators with the most explicitly obscene suggestions I can think of. And I haven’t ruled it out yet.
I received a call from 360-722-5911. Same scam, automated message then I pressed one to see who I could talk to. They try to prey on the foolish and make their money by scamming the masses. The lady whom I talked to made sure I ‘qualified’ by finding out how much debt I had fist and the interest rates. I continually asked her, “what bank do you work for?” She said, “Sir, we are a separate entity called ‘account services’ I work in the interest rates division.”. She proceeded with trying to phish my credit card account numbers for the high interest cards I had but I wasn’t about to give any of that info.” I said “Ok so what is the name under which the business you are working for was incorporated? Do you have a record with the BBB?” She started sounding like she was running out of rebuttals at this point. I asked her again, “Do you have any external references, I’m sitting right in front of my computer ready to look your employer up so give me a website, anything besides your word.” She said “Sir, there’s no point since you won’t give me your card numbers.” I said “What a joke, so you have no other form of external reference I could look at right now to confirm the validity of the business for which you work? Why don’t you go get a real job and sell something legitimate? You work for a scam agency and you don’t know anything about business or debt, and it’s quite obvious. You sit there dialing out, surrounded by a bunch of low life jerks who can’t hold down a legitimate business.” She then said “Ok sir you keep your high interest rates, if you will not allow us to help you then I will put you on the do not call list.” I said, “Dead end huh? No rebuttals for a conversation like this one? Ok bye.” This truly is a scam, and the mastermind manages to hire some morons for employees too.
Oh what fun I had this afternoon. I received the same type of call on my cellphone as all of the other folks on this blog site. Here the number that came across my verizon phone it was #516-537-7117. When I looked it up on the reverse phone directory the nite said it was based out of Nassau NY. It gave me the address et all too.
Since I am a financial planner and a registered investment advisor I figured that they are probably calling my clients too (especially the little old ladies and widows etc.etc) So I took it upon myself to have some fun with them.
I worked my way past the first live human being and talked to a supervisor and asked “ALL” of the same questions everyone else has on this blog. Such as give me a company website, tel. number. address, How’d you get my name, why should I give you my credit card number? You found me? etc.etc.
Finally after another 5 minutes with the supervisor, I worked my way to a department head–yes, just a “talking head” so to speak. She told me that they couldn’t give out my private information that she was looking at on her screen unless I could verify the same info…well, I told her my best friend works for the FBI in the New York office and they would sure be interested in talking to them in person and she abruptly hung up on me……..SCAMMERS!!
I will post this website and blog to my business website as a warning to all who may receive a call from this business…..A fool and his money are soon parted…..so tell all of your friends and family to beware of this heinous business!!!
Dennis D. Rockhold
Rockhold Wentling Financial Advisors
I got the call today. Once on a cell phone and once on a home phone a week apart. I know it’s a scam. Since it doesn’t say who what or why?
But I know innocent people will fall prey. THis is just like our society. We know that they are doing something wrong yet we can’t stop them, until after the fact.
The best thing to do is to stay wise. IF they contact you hang up. If you contact them and double check the resource it’s okay.
Anything too good to be true usually is.
Julie
Thanks for posting this information. I dialed the 1 so I could find out who they were and to remind them that I was on the Do Not Call list. I got hung up on before I could get any information. Hopefully they won’t bother to call back. The number was 000-000-7906
I received one of these calls, but the number shown on the Caller ID was a local number with a name. That piqued my interest since I didn’t know the local person. Once I hit “1″, John came on the line. He said he was with Call Services out of Atlanta. When I told him, “Sure, I need to lower my interest rates, can I give you a call back”, he wanted MY number! When I said, “you must know it, you called me”, he hung up. Then I called the local number. Poor folks had no idea their number was being spoofed.
received one of these calls, but the number shown on the Caller ID was 702-520-9116.
Got the same call from 250-412-8895. I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Gal got really mad when I wouldn’t disclose my credit card limits. She finally screamed at me that she hopes I suffer from being broke and hung up…then I really knew it was a scam because she has no idea what my financial situation is and was ticked not to get my info. Rattled me though!
Same call around noon CST in Memphis, TN (Unknown Caller) saying there are no problems at this time with your credit card but please press 9 to lower your interest rate to 6.9%. Sounded good, but I knew better. Hung up and immediately found this site through a quick google search.
DEFINITE SCAM when they don’t identify what bank and identify you by name. Either way…banks don’t call you, you call them!
I had this happen to me today… the number that came up was 736-000-9239 but that number can only make outgoing calls… I knew that it was a scam so I got all chummy with the guy and eventually he opened up to me. I told him all of my horrible stories about telemarketing and he ended up telling me that his real name was Alonzo not Alex and that he was from New York but moved to Orlando for school and got this gig through a friend. He told me that he wasn’t with Card Member Services and that it was a scam. We talked for a while longer and I asked him how he could do a job like that and he said that he needed some way to pay for college… and that the company pays cash and they don’t take out taxes.
If they call back again I am going to do the same thing and start trying to piece bits of information together. I looked up all sorts of call center things in Florida and I found one that is a scamming thing called Nationwide Financial or something… When I called the number the lady actually offered me a position with the company. I think it’s fun to play detective…
after a long hiatus, this morning i get the robocall (voice broadcasting) ‘Heather with account services lower your interest rate as low as 6%’
I thought those ‘baby killers’ were finished, cause it’s been like a year since i last got a call like that.
there used to be a great web site forum called stop heather that had a bunch of info on this scam group that makes these calls.
been getting the same damn calls 5 times a week. Caller ID says their number is 858-245-6380. I called it back and a very sleepy person answered the phone. I told them they keep calling me and she said she was sorry that it must be an accident. I too am going to invest in a whistle.
Im ashamed to say that I got scammed today and provided my card number, but no verbal agreement to charge. I called my bank straight away, told them what happened and closed the account.Now here are the details I have:
Automated at first, then pressed 1. Cheri Dees spoke telling me I can lower my credit card and that they worked at Visa and had my information. I provided them with interest rates and debt and one of my cards numbers (Im a bloody idiot!!!) then it started sounding weird about having to charge my account to lower my fees, WTF!! I said that makes absoltely no sense and exactly who ere they and the number they were calling from. She provided a license number: TP921876 and said they were from “Account services” and their number was 1-800-847-2911. When I said Im not interested and I would first check it out and call them back. She replied, “You seriously dont want to lower your interest rate!?” ….I hung up, head down and defeated. A-Holes are going down!!!
They called me today, first time that I know of. I pressed “9″ and got a woman’s voice asking “How are you today?” When I began with “I want to make sure…” that’s as far as I got before she hung up on me. Did I sound too stern? I was going to ask to be removed from their call list. But I guess anyone who sounds unlikely to be sucked into their scam is not worth their time.
I am surprised to see how long this scam has been going on, without any law enforcement action. Don’t the Do Not Call list or the anti-robocall requirements have any teeth?
I got one of these calls today. The number used was 567-248-4455 which of course is a phony number. I tried to call it back with no luck and then did some research online and sure enough it is a fake. I got suckered in and provided a cc number but once I realized it was a scam I hung up and called my bank and closed my cc account. I still feel so completely stupid. Should definitely know better esp when you call the CC company and they won’t lower your rates…you know it has to be a scam when someone like this calls you!!! I can’t believe people can sink to these levels. What a sad society we live in. I hope they call back again. I have so much I would like to say.
Evidently our State’s Attorney General offices and Consumer Agencies don’t care about the Do Not Call list. I just got a call today from “Heather at Account Services”, nothing came in on the caller Id and when I pressed “2″ to be removed, I got a foreign accented male with a spiel about low interest rates. How are these jerks getting access to consumer phone #s and are able to leave no trace should make phone companies and law enforcement liable for this invasion.
I just got my first junk call since i had myself put on the Federal “do not call” list. It was one of these. I was angry enough about the robo-call that I pressed 9 as indicated to speak to a human. I asked the name of the company and was told that it was “Account Services” so I asked for the COMPANY name again, and when assured that that was the name of the company I asked if that was “Account Services” LLC or Inc. and what state they were in. He said it was Inc. and in Wyoming.
I then told him I had the right to sue their company for $500 if they kept calling me, as I’m on the Federal “do not call” list. (I hear that sometimes works as a deterrent to spam-callers.)
So maybe they’re in Wyoming. On the other hand — just read through a bunch of the posts here, seems like they’re from “all over the place.”
The call was a recorded call and i was to press 1 to speak to a representative. The recording never stated what company it was for and what the call was about. i spoke to a man and he asked for my credit card number right away, i replied with no and asking for what business he works for. he stated that he was with client services to lower rates on credit card bills. i never gave any information abut my account but demanded to get my phone number taken off the calling list. he said he cannot do that and that he again asked for my information. i hung up immediately but today was the first call from them. i hope no more!
the number came up as a regular cellphone number, from verizon, in the buffalo area. i dont know where they are originally from
I got this phoney calls from these individuals, but I told can give out any information because I do not know the source of the. She kept responding “card services” when asked which company is she calling from. Fortunately this time the number was not blocked…#360 722 5914
I get these calls now and then, too. I got the call intercept service that blocks unknown names and numbers, but if either name or number is not blocked, the call will still come through. Since many times the phone numbers are spoofed, and anonymous name with a spoofed number will get through the call intercept service, and I still won’t know who is actually calling me.
The saddest part is that this has been going on for years. These scammers wold not keep doing it if they didn’t make money from it. So enough people out there still fall for this to make these calls worth their time. I think the best way to fight this is what we are doing right here: let as many people out there know about it so the scams become ineffective. No profit=no scam. (Until they come up with a new one.)
April 24, 2010 11:40 am
Received call from Marie with account services. The number listed on my cell phone was from Tifton,GA (229)848-3478. The key to my identifying the scam was my asking more questions than they were able. They would not answer question of who they worked for. Only responded “account services”. When I asked for their web site, she put me on hold. I hung up. I think I will try to contact Feds.
These folks have called me every Monday for 6 months, mostly in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. Like everyone else, there seems no way to make them stop calling. 4 times I’ve politely, but sternly, asked to speak with a supervisor, and 4 times I’ve been hung-up on. 3 times I connected to a live person and unkindly demanded to be removed from the call list and received assurances that it would happen. Haha. Since it doesn’t sound like the gov’t, whistles or horns work, maybe I’ll just let ALL calls go through the answering machine. Since they don’t leave messages, maybe they’ll stop calling if they can never get through.
They called my work number which I don’t have listed with any creditor, so it’s safe to say numbers are chosen by random. This is the second time in a couple of months.
just got the monthly call from 908-623-7424, was real nice this time and the guy told me he was in Orlando and he even put me on the phone with his supervisor (i told him i wanted to see how legit the call was). the supervisor asked what i wanted, i told him that i was calling my lawyer after we hung up and i was going to sue him and his company. He exploded, said go ahead and try, you cant, go ahead and waste your time, he started yelling and finally hung up. i laughed my ass off.
I’m in Canada and I have been getting these every month or two for at least a year. Anytime I have tried to speak to a supervisor or make a complaint they just hang up.
This time the caller said he was with “Global Services”.
Shouldn’t this be considered harrassment? And isn’t harrasment illegal? Has anyone tried reporting it to the police that way?
These people called me today May 12, 2010. I pressed 1 and asked to have my name taken off the calling list. He said he was done talking to me and i then told him I said to take my name off the calling list. He then started calling me every name in the book. Wow hope my husband answers the phone the next time. Some how this should be able to be stopped.
Ohio: Received a call 11 May 5:30 PM EDT. Caller ID was 895-000-1564. Press 9 to speak to someone. I eventually got a supervisor, Victoria, who hung up on me when I said I didn’t keep any debt. I was close to getting the corporate office number, but from what I’ve read elsewhere, it may not be “them”. I did ‘*57′ for a CallTrace, but AT&T said that won’t be effective if the number was spoofed. They only do a trap on the line for criminal activity. Same situation as others, said the DoNotCall list does not apply. Have reported to FTC, Ohio Attorney General, and Columbus Police Dept.
I tracked down the info on a previous incarnation of this call and filed the complete report with the FTC, company name, owner name, home and business addresses, home and business phone numbers, date and times of calls, etc. Pretty much everything but a picture of the company owner. I got a letter a few weeks later saying they couldn’t process the complaint because of missing information but never said what that info was. I guess the gov’t needs the offender’s DNA as well to actually do their job. I’m also guessing these calls are being made by the same company under a different corporate name. Now I just hang up on the jerks and go on with life.
I live in ohio…I got a call like this today. I pressed 1 to speak to someone and there was a bad connection, so I could barely understand them. It was a spoofed number, it came up like it was a local number in my area- 330-222-1911.
I live in MA and received a call like this today. There number came up as unavaiable. They definitely are fast-talkers and made my head spin. By the time I could figure they weren’t really working with a specific credit card I had given them too much information.
Always apply the “too good to be true test to the call or offer; when the voice on the phone changed to a man’s voice, I knew the next words were going to be what is your card number you wish to have a lowered rate from?
It was the dinner hour and so I hung up; Then googled and got this site that outlined what I just passed on hering the ending to the scam.
Thanks to the persons that outlined it.
I just got a similar call, offering to lower my credit card rate. It came up as ‘V06081749550017″ on Caller ID, with a phone number of 567-248-4455. He said that he wanted to lower it on my CitiCard and kept saying “the card that begins with “5424″. No question in my mind, it was a scam…
I got a call from Heather, from “Card Services”, got the info they could reduce my interest rates down to 6% and even to 2% possibly. Said I was getting ready for dinner and to call be back today….
Now my doubts have been confirmed, they it is a scam.
number that called me 404 503 2136
similar story. I asked questions about who he was, caller got hostile with me before hanging up.
help those close to you to be smart and vigilant.
Hi I got a call today same electronic message select 1 to lower my interest rate to 6.5 when I asked if they were with my card holder they told me no, I then to them I wouldn’t be interested and they hung up on me. It’s a shame how many people might fall for this with the economy such as it is. The number that called me was 213-224-2050.
Thanks Pamela
Just hung up on a woman who was very rude. I have gotten these calls before so I kind of know what to expect and how to reply to them. Well not this time. I answered and said I was Detective Joe Burnside. I expected a prompt hangup but this female challenged me by asking where my office was. I told her since I was the “detective” she had to go first. Well…she promptly replied Bull $h*t! I proceeded to tell her I wasn’t going to do any business with a rude Bitch who lacked any decorum and manners. She then proceeded to tell me how many a$$holes like me she runs across daily. I told her she was an overpaid clown in a guttersnipe circus and then I promptly hung up.
I am a genetically endowed BS’er but her 40 hour weeks of fraudulent calling and interfacing trumped my innate abilities. She definitely was operating a high ranking devil spirit.
Okay, NOW by writing this I have the satisfaction I should have had with her.
I just hope she does something to alleviate the inevitable bad karma coming her way.
Thanks for this outlet for my frustration.
LNB
I get several of these calls a month today it was automated Rachel from card holder services- I pressed 9 an got someone- trying to keep them on the line long enough to gather information to make a complaint. Initially I just told them I was on the Do not call list they just hang up and I get a call again a few weeks later. The last few times I found if I ask too many questions up front then they hang up so today I told them I had 25000 in debt with a MC and Visa gave fake experation dates. They asked my interest rate I said 10% I was put on hold and then he returned with your bank states that you are over 15%. my reply what bank – “your bank and of coarse could not give the name of a bank because these are fake cards anyway. I asked the name of the company and I was told Credit Card Bureau Experian after having him verify what he said and spelled it out I started laughing I just could not control myself then he hung up. I have to control myself better next time to keep them on the phone longer. Hopefully there is a way of tracking these people somhoe and having them prosecuted.
they just called me — here is the # that came up on caller ID 1-425-645-9767
This is the second call I have received from an automated caller asking to lower my interest rates on all my credit cards to 6.9% after I press 1. It is clearly a scam, the man can not answer any of my questions, they want me to give them information but they can not give me any information so I can look them up. The guy on the phone told me it was his first day at work and he could even tell me who his boss was, he couldnt give me an address or phone number of his company…just “Account Services”. Like many of the other people once you resist giving them the info they state they will put you on the list to be called at a better time.
My two calls came from Pheonix, Arizona the numbers are 480 381 7291 and 480 381 1320.
They’re getting pretty clever. Told me that the company name was “Account Service”, address stated was “121 E. 2nd Street NY”. Phone number that called was 923-000-9632. Told them that I was on the “do not call list” and they shouldn’t be calling. The caller told me that it was legal for them to call because they were helping people lower interest rates and that the program was part of the Barack Obama stimulus package. Wish there was a way to stop them; I don’t have time to mess with idiot phone calls.
I read through all of these and I understand the complaints, but what is the scam? I would like to know if someone has said yes to all the questions, accepted their offer to lower there interest rates, and how that all ended up. What was the results? I suppose if this offer worked for some people, they probably would not be on this website.
Read the comment thread – some people said yes, then found themselves scammed.
Just got ANOTHER call from these people today. When I demanded company contact info, she gave me the name & address to the Seminole County (FL) Public Library.
Someone else said they talked to someone out of Orlando, too, so I’m thinking that may be where these folks are located out of. Wish one of their former disgruntled employees would speak up; they could get the place shut down quick.
I got totally suckered by this. Eventhough I was unsure they reeled me right in. Luckily when the supervisor said that yes that “Raphel” would call me tomorrow at 3 PM and asked my time zone I got really knew something was up as she said that it would be 7 in Orlando. Now last I checked it is only a 3 hr difference between Orlando and California. When I got off the phone and tried to redial the number it couldn’t go through. I immediately hung up and called my credit card company. Luckily nothing had been charged to my account yet. My company closed my accout number and are issuing me new cards and sending them to me UPS. Beware!!!
HERE IS THE CORRECT PLACE TO REPORT THEM!!! Federal Trade Commission –
They will prosecute them!
They are trying to steal your identity!!! I WAS TOLD SO BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISION!!!
Online: Use the secure complaint form. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Phone: Call our toll-free helpline: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357);
TTY: 1-866-653-4261
Mail: Write to:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
They pretend to be your credit card company and they are not! THEY WANT YOUR INFORMATION TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY!
They will be rude and hang up on you if you question them. JERKS!! CROOKS!!! I reported them by phone to the Federal Trade Commision! You should too!
I got a call from Account Services (520-838-4876) and got transferred to a supervisor who gave me this information about them:
Freedom Choice Financial,
4885 A McKnight Road, Suite 200
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(888) 385-4030
(410) 629-7081
(888) 267-4920
Just got a call from this organization. Pressed 1 and a female picked up. She wanted to ask all the questions: “with whom am I speaking.” Very evasive when I asked her who she was with, giving unprofessional answers like, “ummhmm.” I told her I didn’t have credit and hung up!
I just got a call. Great job on this site!!! I googled them while on the phone. They said they were with Eperian. Same bogus information. Persistent buggers…. I hope they get caught!!!! When I was transferred to the supervisor, here is the info I got:
Alan Bues
Account Services
(800-945-2101).
I asked where they are located and he said in Atlanta, GA. I am shocked that some Federal Agency cannot go after these scumbags!!!! Once the guy asked me for my account and I told him that if they are with Experian, they should have that info. He tried convincing me that they need to make sure that I am the right person and there are thousands of people with visa and MC accounts. So, I got into it with them, just for $hits and giggles. BEWARE!!!!!
I just had a phone call from Account Services and I pressed 1 to speak to someone. I asked her how she got my number and she hung up on me. The number that showed up on my phone was 480-621-0568.
I have gotten a call from them four different times and four different times i have asked them to remove me from their mailing list and they hang up on me keep calling back!!!! How do I get rid of them???
Just got a call from “Account Services”. When I asked what bank they are with the woman said “Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Visa, Discover” I cut her off there and asked her if she expected me to think that all of those banks are owned by the same company. She said they are all different companies, but that “Account Services” is a company that is used by all of those banks. Un-huh…However, once I told her my interest rates are all under 5% she lost interest and said that she is only called to help those with much higher interest rates. Kind of odd that she wouldn’t even try to get any account info, my name, anything. I know she can’t do much with an estimate of my average interest rate…so what did she really want?
There was a number on my caller ID though when she called: 480-621-0568
When googled the number pops up as being used for a few different telemarketing things. None of the posts were satisfied customers though.
Provide the information to your state’s Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud division. It takes a lot of information for them to be able to actually actively do something so the more people who report them, the more likely it is they will be able to investigate.
I get these calls all the time from account services and when you ask them for there company address they tell you they can not provide you with it for security reasons. The number they called me from today was 16163180014. I am also on the do ot call list on the land line and cell phone, however I have gotten more calls since being on this list than I have ever received prior to being added. I think the government sells the information, and lord knows they do nothing when you contact them to complain.
They are FCMA located @ 3500 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, Fl 32792. They can be reached @ 1-877-232-0788. I call them to chat and waste their time just like they waste mine when I have nothing else to do. They say VISA or MasterCard makes the initial call and if you push 1 you are calling them. Both VISA & MC categorically deny any involvement. If you are on the DNC go to your state’s AG site and file an online complaint. They issue cards from some off name banks and charge an upfront fee $500 – $1500 to get you a lower rate from folks like IBERIA bank.
I called this FCMA and they said they are a privately owned company, nothing to do with this “Account Services, Inc.” Account Services uses a random automatic generated cell phone number to make these calls so if you call back on the caller id, it’ll be someone’s personal cell. These people call at least 1x/month, I’m on Do Not Call list so I keep asking to speak to supervisor, get their business name, the credit card company who gave them my information, etc. They are always vague and never answer any questions! I tell them I will report them to FCC & usually the response is “Ugh!” and then they hang up. CREEPS!!!
Yep. Called the 1-877-232-0788 number and asked them to verify what they did, described the telemarketing call that I got and when I asked whether they were located in Atlanta, the guy got off the phone fast and handed it to a supervisor. She would not answer any question directly. So I do think this is the right name of the company and address. I am going to make a complaint to my attorney general’s office to see if they will do something to shut these crooks down.
Just wanted to chime in – thanks for posting this article, it makes it easy to find out about them. I JUST got a call from them, and honestly just took it because I wondered who was going to pick up on the other end.
The claimed the company is called “Account Services,” but obviously isn’t coming up with anything. But the number they called with wasn’t blocked, so I thought I’d add it to the list: 520-519-9832.
So I get a call today, Sunday, at noon. Acct. Svc. (of course). Blocked #.
The whole lower rate scam. Obviously outsourced to a sub-Asian telemarketing …whatever. I played along. Said yes to the amount of debt they said I had; yes to wanting a lower interest rate. Then they asked for my expiration date on my card …. Visa or MC? When I finally asked clarification as to which card, they kept saying either one. I gave bogus ones, made believe I had about 5 credit cards. When the expiration date was wrong on all of them they dropped the bomb. “Well give us your credit card number, the one beginning with a 5.” I made up one. And they said, “Ah yes that is the 3/12 expiration date.” I said “yes yes.” Then I said, very innocently, “You’re not gonna use this”, and he said they can’t without my mother’s middle name. Ha ha, so I ask if I can call them back to see if I can get a lower rate on my husband’s cards (no husband). I get an 866 # which turns out to belong to a camera tripod company. The funny thing is they didn’t ask for my name until after I gave them a Credit Card number. But they sure wanted to get off the phone fast after they got it. BEWARE.
I just got the same call from Account Services – when I asked them which credit card company, they said they “represent 400 credit card companies.” When I said it was suspicious and I was going to report them, the woman got very upset and started yelling at me. At which point I hung up.
Going to report to FTC and State Atty General.
For reference here, the number they called from wasn’t blocked, it was: 786-427-3567
I received another one of these calls today.
The problem is it is impossible to trace these people. While the phone numbers are not blocked, these people use caller ID spoofing. That means that the number displayed on your Caller ID is not actually the number the call originates from. There are a ton of caller spoofing services available on the Internet.
Spoofing numbers using VOIP makes the caller virtually impossible to trace, unfortunately. I don’t see how it’s possible to stop these people.
These guy keep calling. When I ask questions, I get hung up on. I kept “Sherry” (yes, that’s what this guy said his name was; I asked again) on the line for a while. I tried to understand his pitch, but it made no sense. He couldn’t explain how I’m magically qualified for a lower rate. When he alluded to some “new law,” I asked, but then he backed off. When it got to the point about me asking about why they are calling me, he tried to say “the card companies initiate the call.” “Which card company? I don’t do business with you and this is a federal offense.” After a a bit of me asking… politely I may add.. he also hung up on me.
I’ll report this to the DoNotCall.gov site, but it seems apparent this law has no teeth at all.
My sister, my husband, and I are being harrassed by these @ssholes. I spoke to one today after I hit “1″ and kept him on the line for 20 minutes with nonsensical drivel trying my best to give him the run around. I figured if I kept him on the line, maybe it will save someone else from falling victim.
He needed my name (don’t you already know it?), my phone number (how did you call?), what my credit cards were (from major banks), there limits and how close I was to the limit (hey, you said you got my info from Equifax, wouldn’t you know this already?) These people should burn in hell for being such disgusting predators.
Continued…here are the phone numbers they are calling from (they say they’re in North Carolina)
619-729-5875 Cell phone, California
714-408-3640 Landline, Anaheim, California
480-652-0257 Cell phone, Phoenix, Arizona
Either don’t pick up or have fun giving them a headache!
Hey I just got that call today (anahiem California #) and I pressed 1 without even thinking twice, but the line went dead. This isn’t some type of phone cloning or identity theft scam where they can get my info because I presses 1 is it? Sorry I have no clue about these guys and I’m super paranoid right now
No. A lot of people here (including me) have pressed 1 or 2 to talk to someone and get off their calling list. You have to give them your info before they can do anything to you.
We’ve been getting daily robo-calls with what sounds like the same offer. Finally hit a key to talk with them, reached a guy with an India accent, and asked nicely to be removed from their calling list. Response was “sure, we’ll remove you from the calling list because you’re a shithead” and they hung up. Wow.
Their reported caller ID was #1-(923)-000-7685
I got a call from “Visa/MasterCard Services” today offering to lower my credit card interest rates, because I pay on time. Lucky, I already know about this scam, because the rates being so high on these cards, I was tempted to go along with their offer. But I just told them to go rob their mother.
Do not give out your full Credit Card # to anyone that calls you!!!!Guaranteed it is a scam!!!!!
Just got a phone call and this time it was from Grand Prairie, TX. Number was 972-762-1799. I kept asking how she got my number and she said that they had autodialers and she just picks up when someone presses 1. I kept after what credit card they were calling about and she would not answer. When I kept pushing, she hung up on me. Tried to call the number back and it said the mailbox was full. BEWARE!!!!
I got a call from these scammers today. The reason they called me, they said was because the credit bureaus had recommended me to them because of my great payment history, and that I qualified for a 10% interest rate on all my cards.
They also stressed that they were not affiliated with any bank. I guess they changed their schtick.
I hung up on them. Hopefully, they will leave me alone.
I got a call from these guys, too. I pressed the right number to speak to someone and rambled in a panic about how important is was to find out what credit card they were looking at in my name because I have none. (We live on cash and carry no debt!) I explained that someone must’ve stolen my identity and opened an account and I really needed to get the account reported and shut down. I begged that he help me to find out what was going on and how they got this info since I hadn’t heard before about someone having a card in my name…. LOL He was obviously confused and unsure how to handle the situation. He said he’d ask his supervisor and asked me to hold. He never got back on the line. At least I was able to keep him from harrassing someone else for a few minutes!! FYI: caller id was unknown caller
Guess what… its only been 6 hours and they just called again – but they hung up as soon as I answered. I heard the guy talking when I picked up, same foreign accent. Now I’m ready for the next one…
Just thought I’d add my two cents. I had a similar situation, pressed one, and got a friendly sounding man who said he wanted to lower my balance. He asked a couple questions about how much I owed and my highest interest rate. Then he asked for the phone number for one of my card companies. I complied until he asked for my credit card number, which I refused to give. He told me I was protected under the Consumer Protection Act, thought I was unclear how. He said he was with Account Services out of New York. Here’s the Caller ID #:
216-212-8666
I’m pretty sure I’ve been had, too. I’m old. My husband has cancer. They caught me off guard. This morning I called and changed all of my credit card numbers. It was the only way. The number they gave to me was 1-877-344-1567. I tracked it back and it came back to Lower Interest Rates in Longwood, Florida. I also zabasearched the names of the two people I spoke with: Keith Grayson and Heather Klein, both of whom actually have Florida addresses and phone numbers. However, I still thought SCAM so I changed my credit card numbers. Better safe than sorry.
I get these call’s all the time. I never answer a number without a name attached. if the call is important, (Family, Work ext.) they’ll leave a message. I’ll call it back, if it’s something of importance. None-the-less, I’ve performed all the above and to no prevail. My how technology is today. Again today I got a call from the mystery number ???? 972-762-1799 ????. I thought that maybe with the advanced technology that our US GOVERNMENT has I’ll call the FBI and let them know what I’ve tried, (all my possible solutions that I’m legal for as a US citizen) the no-name agent told me to not answer or answer and see what they want, but there wasn’t anything he could do. He was very short and then “CLICK” he hung up. Thanks!!!!!
I have today gotten probably the sixth call from these guys. The first four I simply hung up. Last time, I politely said “take me off your calling list and do not call me again”. She hung up. Today, I said “I have already asked you to take me off your calling list. If I get another call from you I will consider it harrassment.” She said “First of all your call is being recorded and second you never requested to be taken off our list.” I said yes I did, she cut in with “no you’re lying…”. I did not hear the rest because I yelled at her “YOU are lying you little BITCH!” and hung up. I will try as an earlier poster suggested to contact AG. I suspect now I will get even more calls. Oh and today they said tehy were located in Mesa, Arizona. No foreign accent.
These people have been calling me a long time.
EVERY time I ask for a supervidor I get hung up on promptly.
I am thinking these guys spoof their phone numbers through a VoIP service similar to skype or something, which is why they aren’t able to be traced.
VoIP providers if they can provide this kind of anonymity “spoof” or “faked” phone numbers need to be held under some sort of regulation to enforce a properly identified phone number with each call or be forced to stop providing the service of VoIP in my opinion.
With the consistant accents (I’ve never heard anyone that could speak english very well with these calls), and the potential amount of money they could be funneling, and the lack of credible business authenticity I almost want to think people could report them to homeland security for possible terrorist funding activity. Maybe then someone will give them the attention they need.
They have gotten cleverer.
I get a few calls a week from the same “lower your interest rate, press 1 now” people.
However, the caller ID always has some random number which is one or two digits different than my phone number! I tried calling back once, and got an actual person (not the tele-scam people).
So they have figured out a way to make it look like they are calling from a different number than they are really calling from, to get around caller ID issues.
I just received a call on my cell phone from Cardholder Services. I received the same crock that everyone else has received. They called me from 731-612-7016. And that really threw me for a loop as this is a cell phone number and very close to my own number. I hung up, of course.
CallerID showed 701-217-1003, and the agent let it slip they were based in Orlando, Florida. I can’t find any such business in Orlando.
I also enjoy wasting these f-ers’ time.
Chat em up for a few minutes, then start asking some questions — about their company — and they’ll hang up on you so fast your head’ll spin. Remember they probably don’t really know ANYthing about you except for your name and phone number, so feel free to invent your own little world and invite them in for a few minutes. They ARE trying to steal from you, so hold no mercy!
She asked me to pronounce my name for me (and I do have a somewhat strange last name), so I said, “Ah, give it a shot, it sounds just like it looks,” just to see what she said. To my amazement, she actually had my last name!
Today they were from San Francisco, by the way. I just had a good idea. Next time I’m going to say (where ever they say they’re from), “Oh I LOVE that town. You ever been to [insert made up restaurant name]?” I would bet that they’ll just say, “oh yeah, that place is great.”
I think this expression gets over-used, but in all seriousness: How do these people sleep at night?
Unfortunately, it COSTS EXTRA to get Caller ID, and all the phone company “unidentified-call blocking” works off Caller ID. If I don’t want to give the damn Phone Company MORE money, they won’t do a damn thing to stop these scammers from harassing me.
As for the toll-free numbers people have cited above:
1-800-945-2101 (“Alan Blues”) gets a recording saying “This number is part of the Ignite Media Services network, but is not active at this time.”
1-877-232-0788 is a temp agency’s Customer Service line; they say they’ve gotten so many wrong-number calls that they’re thinking of changing their number.
Poster Tedeater above gave info on the root of this company.
If you are registered on Do Not Call, you can complain to the FCC at 1-888-225-5322. When you get to the looong boring message press 0 and a human will answer and take your info. (I just went through this process and person was actually very helpful).
Provide info about your call and when asked if you have more information about this company provide the following:
FCMA
3500 Aloma Ave.,
Winter Park, Fl 32792
877-232-0788
State that you obtained this info from internet research on “Account Services” spam calls.
This process was painless for me and unless FCC gets repeat complaints they won’t be able to build a case.
Thanks for the phone number – you are correct. We all need to report them to wwwFcc.Gov – these people are calling late at night and have called me way to many times. Thanks
THESE guys are so stupid. i listen to what they had to say after I got the information i wanted. I asked them how does this work..and thisguy said soemthing about some law was passed and etc… i asked for the name and etc… long story short… i told him i was @ work and I would call them back…. hahahahahaha….now who the joke on.!!!!!!! I should have given you a credit card number of 1234 5678 YOU stupid.
I just got a call. It was an automated message that told me to press “9″ to speak with a representative if I wanted to lower the interest rates on my credit cards. I’m on the “do not call” list, so I pressed 9 to let the representative know that. Immediately, a woman demanded to know the combined total of my credit card debt. I asked what company she was with. All she would say was “Account Services.” Again she demanded a debt amount. I asked her name – “Theresa”, probably a lie. I again asked for the company name. She got belligerent. When I began to tell her I was on the “do not call” list, she yelled at me for my rude behavior, and hung up. The number that called my phone was: (404) 895-5538.
The scam is continuing in 2011, surprise, surprise. I just got “the call”. Same MO as described by Cathy above. I don’t have caller ID so I don’t know if a number would have been displayed. The woman I got after I pressed 9 spoke unaccented American English, was not rude but simply hung up after I told her we were on the Do-Not-Call list.
Just got a call from Account Services.. was very suspicious as they could not provide me with the lender information they were calling on behalf of.. finally went to computer while on phone with them.. found the scam information website and asked for a number to call them back at when my husband got home.. They hung up… # they called from was 304 445 5940..
I get these calls just about every day and from a couple of different numbers. The one I just received 10 minutes ago was from: 626-273-8212.
I talked to “Stephanie” and she said she was with “Account Services” and that they were located in Cleveland, Ohio. Do they have a mobile call center? *LOL*
If you press the 3 to no receive any more calls, nothing happens. The phone number that displays on caller ID’s here is meaningless. They actually commandeered other local people’s phone numbers to do mass phone solicitations. I live in a small town and was getting these calls from numbers of people and businesses I knew and they had no idea this going on. I don’t know how they do it but it’s a scam for sure. Report all to your State, time, number, etc.
I kept track of the calls: date, time and the 800 # that showed on my caller ID(they no longer use blocked ID but an 800 # you can’t call). When you try to ask to be removed from their call list they hang up. It is against FTC law to call someone who has requested not to be called. After several attempts I got my request in without a hang-up. I reported them to the FTC. The calls stopped for about 6 months. I’ve gotten 2 calls in the last few days and will report them again
Persistent callers, even though I’m on the “do not call” list. I press 1 to speak to an Operator and today tried to find their web page, which the lady could not identify. Every company has a web page, but apparently not this outfit!
Don’t know what I can do, although I’ve been told by a friend that if I hit the # key repeatedly during the recorded message that their computer will eventually not call my number. Any comments on this idea?
Second day in a row, like others I was unsuccessful in speaking with someone who could remove my number. When I mentioned I was filing a complaint with the FTC, Cathy hung up. The FTC makes filing a complaint on-line extremely easy; so, be sure to file one. Also, I think we should all ask to speak with an operator and eat up as much of their time as possible. I live in Hawaii. Cathy said they are “Account Services for Visa/Mastercard and we’re located in Winterpark, Florida.”
They called me twicew troday. On the 2nd call, I just told them I needed $100,000. They hung up on me.
I’ve been getting phone calls from “Account Services” for years. Today for the first time the number wasn’t blocked. It was 513-593-5249, in Oxford, Ohio, a Cingular Cellular number, probably a pre-paid cell phone. The person tried to talk me into giving her my credit card number. I played dumb and dragged the phone call out for a long time, hoping to get some information from her, but when it became evident I was not going to give her my credit card number she hung up. The opening recording said the call was from my credit card company, and yet she didn’t know which banks my cards were with or anything.
I know that the local, state and Federal authorities are 20 years behind the times in technology, and there isn’t much they can do about these criminals. But at some point our law enforcement needs to catch up with the times. This scam from these people has been going on for a very long time, years, and it doesn’t appear anyone is doing anything about it. There is a special place in hell for people like this.
I just got a call at work from 216-767-6514. The recording said the call was regarding my credit card and lowering my interest rate. It also said several letters had been sent to my home had gone unanswered. My interest rate is already low and I have received nothing in the mail so I pressed 1 to play along. The guy who answered the call asked if I had more than $4,000 in credit card debit. I said yes but what letters have you sent to my home. He had no idea what I was talking about. I asked four times what the name of his company was to which he finally said Account Services. I asked several more questions and he got mader and mader before he finally said, Do you want to lower your interest rate or not”? I said I want to know why you have called me at a hospital to ask me these questions. He hung up.
I beleive some of these types are legit. In the fact that they are not trying to get your account info. to use or steal it, but to legitamately sign you up or renogotiate another type of card or loan to pay-off high interest credit cards. I too played a long said they could lower to as low as 6.9% then asked what types, experations, balances etc. They then wanted to no about inyerest rates starting with the highest rate first ( but not neccissarily would be the highest balance first-thinking they wouldnt care about the $1,000 bal. and want the 10K one first). Then when I said 10.9 , 8.9 on the rest. They said sorry you don’t qualify , you need to have 12.9% or higher. I said so I want the 6.9% or even 7.9 %. so if I miss a payment or two or late and get my interest rate jacked up , you can get me 6.9%. No sir we don’ recommend that, sorry for your trouble. Then why didn’t you just tell people in recording if you must have current rates of 12.9% or higher we can maybe lower to as low as 6.9%. They are assuming you have a rate of over 12.9%. They probably make money by a percentage of outstanding balance vs. interest reduced or just signing bonus to a lower credit card, such as if you had 3 cards totaling 10,000 with a 16.9 % they move you to a 13.9%. They get x amount of dollars or so much .0015 over a 3-years,etc. Or yes they could be completely scaming for card & holder info to use or sell. Either way it smacks of dishonesty aqnd scammish. If you play along give complete bogus info. And remember to take time to check out all your monthly statements. I even find legit offers from my credit card company ( usually a authorized 3rd party ) protection, credit report service, life or credit card ins. etc billed and have to somewhat fight to get taken off especially if goes past 3 billings.
i’mtting calls from these people also and they keep calling but with differet phone numbers all the time. i have been filing complaints against each # seperatly as they call. how does one stop these people? my number is unlisted # and registered under the do not call list.
I am with you – I too have been getting calls from these people. I have signed up for the do not call list and they still call. I cannot figure out how to get them to quit calling. If you come up with something, please post it here.
Ok, I called one # back and belonged to someone else as their customer service line. I shared info with them so they can try do something about this. The key is SHARE INFO!!! With EVERYONE you know. Email and tell everyone about this site and about “Accounts Services” Let the scammers know people are on to them!! AND GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
They just called me, and were pushing really hard to get expiration dates and credit card numbers, they said not everyone qualified, only my great credit standing, it don’t stand that well to be honest so I figured it was a farce.I do remember it has ALWAYS been said give no information to a stranger, you can’t verify NO MATTER WHAT!
I’ve received this call several times. The person is trying to get my credit card information and will not provide their company name. The caller ID is “Private” so you can’t identify them. The person I spoke to was a woman.
I get calls from these people MULTIPLE times a day. I have reported them to the MN state attorney general and the FTC. I have tried speaking to those who answer when you press 1, and even got a supervisor once. I refused to provide my card information and they refused to provide contact information or even a company name unless I gave them my credit card numbers. I asked which credit card do they service, and they said ALL OF THEM. What a bunch of BS, but I know my mom or grandma would fall for their scare tactics which include telling people “we have sent you multiple notices” so they think they are behind or going to get in trouble. They need to be stopped.
I just received a call from Angela at Credit Card Services for visa and master card.
I asked how she received information about me – she sd every 6 mos. they receive notification that I am either eligible for a lower rate or increase.
I asked what do you get out of this – she sd the credit card company pays them a fee and I will have to pay nothing. She asked for my card number and I said shouldn’t you be giving that to me – send me something in writing – I am not comfortable giving out my card number and I heard “click” – checke the caller ID – unavailable. The credit card company would contact me directly in either of the instances – I new this was a scam
Just got a call from these people and googled “Account Services Scam” while I was on the phone. So glad this site came up! My number is also on the Do Not Call list and when I asked if they were a consolidation service the guy said “No, your accounts stay with the original bank. I’m not sure how they do it actually.”. It’s all about asking the right questions and seeing through the BS.
Number showed on caller ID as Unknown Name 203-584-5201.
JUST SPOKE TO JENIFER.SAID SHE WAS WITH “LEADING EDGE” OUT OF ORLANDO FL .. WANTED MY CREDIT CARD NUMBERS AND WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT KNOW TO HER THAT SHE WOULD NOT GET THEM HUNG UP .. THIS OUTFIT HAS BEEN CALLING CONSTISTANTLY FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS.. TRIED TO GET CONTACT INFO BUT THEY GIVE NOTHING VALID .. HANGING UP DOES NOT HELP … CALLER ID SHOWS NO INFO … IS THERE NO FED AGENCY THEY CAN BE REPORTED TO WHEN YOU ARE ON A “DO NOT CALL” LIST ???
I just got a call from Heather (automated) to lower my interest rates on my Visa or Mastercard. I pushed 1 and was told that my interest would be lowered because I have made payments on time for the last 6 months. I was asked if I had over $3500 in debt. I asked her which credit card company she was from. she wouldn’t tell me. She just said VISA. She asked for my account numbers. I told her there was no way I was going to give her my account numbers!
I’m in Camarillo, CA and this is the 2 or 3rd call I have received. Don’t fall for this one!
I got call today and I’ve gotten a few other calls from these “Account Services” crooks from #513-593-7418 though I’m sure they have muliple numbers from which they make calls. I always press “1″ to speak to a rep and demand to know the name of their company but they always hang up. I filed a complaint with the DoNotCall.gov. I don’t know if it helps but it a least puts that number on file.
I just received a call from Teresa from Account Services….AT MY WORK PHONE. I work for the Sheriff’s Office and when I asked what credit card provider she was with, she stated “Account Services”. She kept asking me if I had more than $3000 debt? I told her I have quite a bit, and she kept trying saying how much? I finally said I wasn’t comfortable giving this information out over the phone, and Teresa say “well, thank you anyway” and hung up. These guy’s are scammers. I saw a number of 513-593-7418 on my caller ID also. These people are the bottom, under the pond scum……….
I have received these calls numerous times over the last month! Driving me crazy, I do the press 1 and ask that they stop calling and the last time asked for the name of their company and where they are calling from and was told “your anus” and then they hung up! Chicken is what that is! If anyone finds out how to block please post!
They call me every week. I also am unlisted and on a do-no-call list. Today I pressed ONE to tell them to remove me from their call list. A woman answered. I asked her the name of the company. She reluctantly said, “Account Services.” I asked where the company was based out of. She hesitated and then hung up.
You would think that callin people on the do-not-call list is breaking the law, but no one seems to care.
I am on their weekly call back list and after several attempts to get them to stop call me, I am now trying another avenue….consume their time…waste as much of their time as they do mine. Make it appear you are interested…ask lots of questions and try to get some identity to the firm. I was able to get a manager (Tom Jenkins… yeah right) on the phone and told them I was really intereted in the service, but reluctant to share my credit information with a stranger. I asked if they were registered with the BBB in Orlando where this office was located. Of course they said yes! Asked if they were registered with S & P and they were unfamiliar with the firm.
I was able to find out they are a private firm with numderous office in florida and georgia (orlando, atlanta, tampa etc.) Account Services is the name they are doing business under and they negotiate the reduction in rate and take several percentage points as payment. I wanted to share this with anyone who is also trying to make these people stop calling…Hopefully we can find out who they are…
At the last part you said, why would you believe all that though? They could be giving you fake information, just like all the other “fake” information.
I have received more that one phone call from this outfit. When I press one and tell them to put my name on their do not call list they quickly hang up immediately. How does one get rid of them ??? I have never given any info to them, and will never do so.
I get several of these calls each and every day. They are cell phone numbers from all over the USA. Adding them to call blocking does not work because they just change the number they are calling from. Most of the time the answering machine get them and they leave a number to call back. I did this one time and the female on the other end hung up on me when I ask to be removed from their call list. Today I answered it and pressed 1, about the time a very crabby sounding female answered the phone one of my little dachshunds was running toward the street and I yelled at her come come back. Well, the crabby woman asked “did you just yell in my ear?” and then hung up. It was unintentional but PRICELESS. I have decided that I am going to get me a very shrill whistle and every time they call I am going to press 1 and blow that whistle in the phone. I have heard that they works–sometimes. It may not stop the calls but I will feel better.
I, like all of you am fed up with this scam company, so I went to http://www.myflorida.com and filed a complaint with the Florida Attorney Generals office, I’m hoping that if the AGs office gets alot of complaints they can stop these scammers in their tracks.
I also reported them to the Florida AG office i get at least2 to 3 calls a week from theses people but from different number. I also suggest everyone to write the number they call from on a calendar and a name of the person if you can get it and the company name \. They seem to either use Account member services or just account services. This will assist any State Attorney Generals office enough info to submit it as harassment and is not only a state but federal offense.
When Account Services called again yesterday, I kept the representative (with an Indian accent) on the line long enough for him to give me their street address and number:
123 Business Park Avenue
Orlando, FL 26915
1-800-327-0853
I was surprised, because whenever I’ve asked before, the rep has hung up immediately. Anyone have ideas as to how to utilize this information?
The number is 1-888-998-2771 in Hunt Valley MD
This is a Fake address, that is why they gave it. Wrong zip code for Orlando, FL also. Come on people; use a search engine or your favorite online map software. This address does not exist on mapquest or bing maps. Less than 30 seconds to check.
I’ve been getting these calls for the last year in Texas. I usually just hang up. I finally decided to ask them to take my number off they’re call list and they hung up. Last night they called and I played along like I was interested for a few minutes. When I finally told them I had just made the info up to find out why they keep calling when I’ve told them not too he replied “and we’re going to keep calling” and hung up. This is nuts. Why would they bother to call you back after they’re so rude to you. Are they that stupid to think that after they’ve hung up on you and made rude comments that you’re going to somehow forget and give them you’re credit card information? I think I’m going to invest in a whistle too, or maybe an airhorn.
I keep getting calls from Account Services at all hours of the day and late into the night. Spoke to Moses and as soon as I asked about the company he hung up on me. I called the number posted avoe 1-800 327-0853 and it busy. If anyone has another number please post it.
Just got one myself the number that showed up was 407-488-8882. The number is located in the Orlando, FL area.
I called the number back, it goes to a condo resort. Spoke to the guy down there and apparantly the already spoke to Smart City Solutions because their phone# has been spoofed by these scamming bastards.
I have received many calls from account services. Even if they were
legit, they couldn’t help me,as I only use debit cards. When I try to explain, they hang up. Yesterday, I spoke to Roger, a very nice fellow with a Brit
accent. He didn’t hang up, and said he would have my number removed
from the autmatic dialer, but it will take a while. We’ll see. I will keep you
posted. It will be easy to tell if it worked. (If one day goes by without a call)
Sid
I am from California and I too get these calls on a regular basis. They are breaking the law for sure. I am on the Fed Do Not Call List. By the way…it is now illegal to use recorded messages for sales calls. I suggest that we swamp the Federal Trade Commission (The regulating agency) with complaints about the company. If anyone has a proven solution, please post it.
scam – said card services from Orlando FLA- starts with prerecorded number- everhting with your current cc is fine- want to reduce your interest rate press 9 – did this woman asked for total cc debt- then asked for specifc issuer names and account numbers to “automatcially” check balances. Said no- began question business name – trying to find website supv- comes on explaining ” merchant” protocal as they are “affilated” with over 500 merchants- told them wanted to switch phones they hung up- tried to call back re: caller ID number ” no name with number” and phone number is spoofed with a 304 (west Virgina number) 304 445 6838- Repored to National Registry
I also got a call from these idiots today, but when I started asking questions, they hung up on me. However, the number was not blocked, it was 513 720 3419. This definitely sounds like a scam. Is there a place where I can report this?
Got a call from 513-720-3419 hung up when I asked to speak with supervisor.
Account Services is FIA Card Services in HUnt Valley MD 1-888-998-2771
Just got a call and thought I would look it up online because like what has happened to all of you I couldn’t get much information. Stupid me I verified my phone number… I’m getting a whistle. The number was from Memphis, TN (901)626-9238
Comment from G – March 1 @ 1:03 pm: Account Services is FIA Card Services in HUnt Valley MD 1-888-998-2771
I called the number and asked several questions – - your post seems to be a promising lead in my battle against these criminals. My final comment to the representative was that the phone number I called would be the number listed in my complaint to the Texas Attorney General.
Robocalls
•Many fraudulent credit card interest reduction rate scams use automated calling systems that deliver a recorded message. This technique, known as “robocalling,” is illegal for telemarketers in most circumstances, according to the FTC. You are directed to press a certain number to speak to a live agent and another number to be removed from the calling list. The agent will hang up on you if you ask to be removed or ask specific questions about the company. The option to remove yourself from the list usually does not work, and the return number on your caller ID is generally spoofed, which means it is a phony number, or does not take incoming calls, the FTC warns.
Misrepresentation
•Many telemarketers for interest-rate reduction scams will claim to be affiliated with your bank. They will avoid your question if ask which bank specifically, or they will name a major Visa or MasterCard issuer like Chase or Citibank. They may also say, “I’m calling about your Visa account that starts with …,” and they will say the first four numbers on your card but the fact is that Visa cards start with the same four numbers, and MasterCard accounts start with the same five, but many people don’t know that. So the caller is fraudulently sounding as though he already has your information.
Unauthorized Charges
•A fraudulent credit card interest-rate scam agent will ask for your credit card numbers to contact the issuers and negotiate a lower rate. He usually fails to mention he is also going to charge your cards. The FTC states the fee can run hundreds of dollars, and the company may not even perform any negotiations on your behalf. The company will claim you authorized the charge by giving it your account number if you dispute the transaction with your bank.
False Promises
•Fraudulent credit card interest-rate reduction companies are notorious for making promises they have no intention of keeping and making guarantees that are never honored. The FTC cites one company that charged consumers $695 and claimed they would save at least $2,500 in interest or they would give the consumer a full refund. They were unsuccessful at negotiating interest-rate reductions but refused to give the promised refunds.
Lack of Identification
•Many companies will not provide their real names, telephone numbers and other identifying information when they are perpetrating a credit card interest-rate reduction scam. Kathy Kristof of CBS Money Watch explains they will use a generic name like “Account Services.” This prevents you from looking them up on the Better Business Bureau website or checking them out with other consumer advocate groups. It also makes it difficult to find them and demand a refund when you realize you have been scammed
Read more: Credit Card Interest-Rate Reduction Scams | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6705950_credit-card-interest_rate-reduction-scams.html#ixzz1FZ8P6Xjh
For those of you who want to know who these people are behind this “company” and the calls. The private investigator who researched and found the “owners” was accurate. They registered in Florida with a domain name of “My United Financial.Org” and organized under Capital Relations Inc. The owners are J. Blake Curtis and Cynthia Curtis. Their personal e-mail address is blakencindy@yahoo.com and if you’re looking for a phone number to speak with them directly about the great “Account Services” they can offer they can be reached at their personal cell phones numbers: 407-334-5140 for Blake and 407-430-3461 for Cindy. They’re now also selling life insurance for Prudential in case you’re interested in scheduling an appointment.
I’m in Colorado, and have been getting these calls for several months and they hang up when I asked which card are they calling on. They hang up on me when I say to stop calling me I’m on the national do not call list. I just got called again and they called me a stupid son of a bitch for pressing #1 when I said to stop calling me again! I can’t believe that there are americans that will go to work for this obviously illeagal company. The next time they call I’m going to say, “this is the last time your going to call me, I’ve traced your call and I’m going to blow up your office and laugh at your burning, bloody corpse. Then spit in your crying kids face.” Of coarse I have no intentions of doing this but maybe just maybe they will stop harrassing me. Or better yet I’ll get contacted by the police so we all can find out who is making these calls.
I forgot to add in my post that the ph # was 406-219-2389, and I registered this number under the do not call complaint registry online. Please all do the same. When you call back the # you will never get a hold of someone.
Got a call that came in on caller ID as “anonymous” and “out of area” They claimed to be with “Premium Benefits Plus” and I had been selected because of my good credit rating with experian. They wanted to lower my interest rates on my current credit cards and all they need from me was the name of the card and the account numbers. While I had them on the phone I searched BBB and found no listing. I also searched the internet and found “Premium Benefits Plus Benefits Club” that said nothing about lowering credit card interest rates amoung its “100 Benefits”. When I asked if I had the found the right company on the internet I got “Oh ya, that’s us” I asked him to verify the address of his company’s home office he told me to hold on a minute and he would get it…he never came back from putting me on hold.
Needless to say, he got nothing from me…spread the word!!!
I just received such a call on my cell phone. The phone number is 513-633-6377. When I inquired as to what company this was, I was told only “Card Services.” When I pressed the rep. for more information, she hung up on me.
I got a call from these people today. I asked a few questions about their identity, and they hung up. Glad to see you are out there spreading the word on this scam!
Thanks!
315.447.4279 is the number that registered on my phone–assuming it is a bad #… I refused to give them info, hung up on them, and then called my credit card company to see what that was all about–verified scam… Verizon can’t/won’t track the call.
well, been receiving numerous calls over the last few days with them…(a total of four within 2 hours today) from the same number… which sounds like a cell phone number when i called back….. from numerous numbers and also from blocked numbers. i have called the FTC, BBB here in cali, and will call the Atty Gen. tomorrow… also recived calls from numbers that are 2 digits off them mine, i called the numbers back and advised the person who answered the phone what was going on… they had no idea, and well, Ghettro (AKA Metro) cant and wont look into it. i advised the BBB and FTC every time i get a call, i will call them, and if there is a number attached to my phone they will get it….
i will be checking up as much as i can… OHHHH, and i also found a number from a previous post and spoke to a supervisor of a company, and explaned to him, i am the last person you want to keep calling… he said he would forward my number to his auto dialing and his “fraud: dept…. yeah right…. if there is any other info in the cali area, please help me, and i will call and call till i get an answer
Got a call and pressed 1 just to talk to someone to be removed and the lady tried to run her garbage lines on me to try to get me to use her service. The whole time she was hacking away with a horrible smokers cough. It was so unprofessional and I knew right away it was a scam. I started to ask her questions about her company and said I wasn’t comfortable giving away any of my information over the phoen to her. She ended up saying, “good news you don’t qualify, have a good day, bye!”. Such scummy people that try to take advantage of hard working individuals. The number that I received the call from yesterday was 401-651-7118 and then today the automated call came through via Private number.
ctravers…. same number i got the calls from the last two days.. and another one about 45 mins ago…. called the FCC and made a complaint…. they are going to send something via email to me.. and i am just waiting for my ATTY GEN office people to come back from lunch…. every time they call i will call who i can to complain, and i will take up their time….
they hung up on me today, but when i dialed the number back 401-651-7118… the msg i got was… “The voice mailbox for ‘Hashish’ (or whatever the name was) is full”… go figure… call the FCC 1-888-225-5322, your local BBB (Better Business Buearu), and ATTY GEN office.. everytime time they call i will call the FCC FTC BBB…
any other information, do tell… as well, what city you are from as i will check back here, and when i complain, i will let FTC FCC BBB what other cities and or states.. also post the number that pops up if there is any…
I too received this call. However, a TELEPHONE NO. WAS DISPLAYED on my caller ID with the caller name “RESET”. I knew the call was a scam so I said I would call them back. They hung up. I called the no. On my caller ID. Did not even ring! So now they have figured out how to display a fake # on your caller ID. # was 406-219-2378. From the above comments, I see that they are always changing their #. Keep calling the FCC, BBB and attorney general. Their must be Some way to stop this. No good to block the no, they just change it.
Just got a call from them. Googled as I was talking to him. Wanted my account number. Thanks for the blog. Close call.
http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=13842799
the link above is something that i thought might help, as i have been on numerous blogs and sites, and just came across this.. and recall seeing the names of companies listed in this article on the blog of others…. check it out… and i am interested in any other info about the name of the company calling and if anyone can get a call back number , address… etc…
I just got my first call from “Account Services” saying nothing was wrong with my card and to press 9 if I was interested in lowering my interest rate to 6.9% as this was my final notification. After pressing 9, a man came on the line and tried to confirm if I was over $5000 in debt and the phone number they had reached me at. As soon as I started to ask a question he hung up and when I tried to return the call the line was always busy. Figured it was a scam because the number looked like a local area code (720). I am in Colorado and the number actually came up (702)232-5103 with no name of course. Glad at first glance I read it wrong because that was what first made me think it was a scam.
I recived several calls from them as well. i got tired of it and started logging the calls the past two i took notes on the ifrst one was a black woman named tonya and had a unblocked number, i called it back on a blocked number and it went right to a recorded message saying the mailbox was full. The second time i called it was a guy and it was blocked this time. I contacted the local police and they sent me to the attorney general. I had a few phone conversations with them and got passed on to the federal trade commision. They took a report and are looking into nwhat they can with it. I hope that something can be done because i feel bad for the person struggling with debt that falls for it or the elderly couple that gives the credit card number to them.
My wife and I have been getting these calls for about a month now from the following numbers:
315-744-5518
513-551-2866
513-633-6377
405-005-65392 (not a typo, my phone really said this)
1-662-055-5200
They have a computer recording from “Account Services” asking if I want to reduce my Credit Card Interest. My wife asked to be removed from their list and they hung up on her. She then got the call again and she asked who they were with, they replied “Card Services in Florida”.
I recived the call again today. This is the third time in a month. I pressed the “1″ key to speak with a representative. When they answered they asked if I had pressed 1 to lower my interest rate. I told them “This is your last warning, dont call this number again” to which they replied “You wont do anything if we do”.
I do not know who this is, but they called again 5 hours later with the odd number listed above and left a message with the computer recording.
This is getting ridiculous and they need to be stopped.
I got the call again today
I have received these repeatedly on my land line and they usually come with display of 800 service on the caller id. I am now receiving them on my cell phone with caller id of Unknown. I answered then pressed one to talk to the ‘representative’. His name was ‘Ken’ and when I informed him the number he called was on the ‘no call list’ and to make sure he did not call again. He got extremely rude and said he could call anyone he wanted for whatever he wanted and he was not doing anything illegal. He would not give me the company he was supposedly calling for. I got a little heated and demanded to speak to his supervisor which he said he would transfer me then he hung up.
@ Robin – I tried calling the numbers you provided a week ago and they said they aren’t working numbers. They must’ve gotten a lot of calls!
Today I recieved an auto call on my work cell phone from Account Services, I pressed 1 to talk to a live operator and got “Stephenie” When I asked her to remove me from thier calling list she became very belligerent with me and I had to hang up on her! The number that came up on my caller ID was: 601-398-7565.
I got a call from Account services today. It started as the automated message and press 1 like others have said. A man told me if I had over $3000 in debt in good financial standing they could do some bartering and get interest rate down to 6%. I asked who they were, he even told me his name I could look up on facebook Scott Deutmer from Orlando. I asked what they got out of helping trying to lower my interest rates, and he said he gets a $100. I asked what the company gets and started changing the subject and said something about a “cut” but there was no upfront cost. He was very patient and nice.
Typically I very quickly dodge anybody who tries to sell me anything even if they are totally legit I even have a monthly credit monitoring through equifax. He seriously caught me at a weak innocent moment on a day I was trying to handle my budget. They wanted my account numbers to verify the balance but nothing that could be utilized in a bad way they said. I gave it to him- no kidding duh-unbelievable!!!! He told me how much my balance was but he needed an account that would better verify I had good credit -that meant he said a credit card with a larger credit line with a bigger debt to limit ratio. He had told me throughout the phone call that I would be directed after this preliminary screening call to the account managers that would set everything up and give me more information. He had asked for my phone number in case our call got dropped-which I gave. A few minutes later the call dropped and he called back but the number was different. I was not about to give any more information and he just told me that I would be receiving a call back soon. I immediately contacted by credit report monitoring services and locked my credit report and canceled my credit card.
Although I had been leery I still proceeded to give out too much info, I am not as financially desperate as many people are in todays economy and am seriously concerned they could be getting quite a “cut” out of people who are already suffering.
The phone numbers used were:
Mississippi 315-447-4279
New York 601-398-7565
Of course when called back was a standard non programed cell phone voice mail message saying the voice mailbox had not been set up yet.
The calls are now coming from TEN digit “numbers” to our cell phones….
The latest “numbers” to call with this scam are:
59150606947
and
40300575665
Best option….Press 1 (or 9 – whatever you are prompted), then start talking, a bit softly. Play along for a moment, and while you are softly talking (mid-sentence), BLAST them with a Sports Air Horn. Well worth the $10 investment to try and blow the headset off of these scum-sucking. no-good, brainless, criminals. With any luck, you might pop an eardrum.
I just received a call myself. I we very skeptical so i looked up the company name online while I was talking with him. I told him I’m not giving him any information until he gives me the website and he gave it to me and hung up. The number he called from is 208-761-8806 and my caller ID says it is from Boise, ID. I tried calling back and it goes directly to a voice mail message that is not set up. One thing I know, If your credit card interest is able to be lowered, your credit card company would call you not someone else.
I got the same call on my cell phone. The number did come up as (975)165-5640. I really began grilling Heather and she had many of the right answers if I had been extremely desperate and seeking relief. I asked if they had a website she advised no. I told her any reputable company would. That is when she said she would mail me something out and ended the call very quickly.
I get them all the time on both my cell phone and land line. Lets start a campaign. The next time you get the call press to talk to someone then just scream into the phone when they answer. If all of America did that, sooner or later they would stop calling your number as no one would want to work there to make these calls. I am starting on the next call.
I received a call this morning on my cell phone from (209) 416-3994 requesting I press 1 as this was my last chance to reduce my credit card interest. Out of curiosity, I pressed 1 and was connected to Stephanie Butler from Account Services – her number had a (654) exchange but my cell phone didn’t record (and I wasn’t quick enough to note) since I had been transferred from the automated number. She proceeded to ask several questions which I gave limited responses. I asked about the notifications she said they had sent me in the mail – she said I probably thought it was junk mail and trashed. At that point, I asked for a call back number so I could validate -she had her supervisor, Jason, get on the phone to explain it was a call center and there was no call back number. He was very rude when I said unless you provide a call back number and the bank that supposedly referred me then I would not be sharing information – he said “well it is your loss and your credit debit!!” I abruptly hung up!
I received a call from them as well. Said they were known as ‘Card Member Services’. Strange thing is my caller ID said it was someone named ‘Mark Cochran’ 717-635-8238′,a local number for my area. When I called back I connected with an answering machine that stated only that no one was available andleave a message. I am reporting this to the Pa.Commonwealth Attorny and the FCC. If we overwhelm them they may finally do something about this.
I get calls from them on home phone and also cell phone. Their computer dial system usually comes through my home phone with a local number (last time my next door neighbor). Today it was “Eric” that I talked with and the call came with a 313 Area Code (Detroit). Every time I talk with them they always hang up if I start asking them questions (Where are you located? What number can I call you back? What States are you licensed to work with?) They ARE trying to get a credit card number from you…DON’T GIVE THEM ONE!!!!!!
I just received a call from Rachel saying please hold to lower your credit card rate to 6.9%
I’m sure this is a scam because My credit car is 7.9% and no one calls me from my Credit
Union. The caller switched me to an Asian sounding man who sounded familiar as the one who called several weeks ago saying I had won a lotter drawing from my DMV and
because I was a local subscriber to the DMV that is where they got my current phone number. Both are scams, however I started to think the caller or callers are from Las
Vegas’s cell phone with stolen phones from the Caribian area. The last phone I traced was to East LA off of the I-5 and Vernon Ave. I feel confident they are the same bunch of people, because I just now received a letter saying I am in the new Cox directory and it will be published and I have never given DMV my phone number. I believe a Cox employee has given my and you reading this note our phone numbers. I like Cox, but this is a broad ban phone and they always call at 2:45 PM on Wed., and Fridays. I tell them I have reported them to the Police and they always are polite and say their sorry and hang up. I’m guessing their Filipino and speak English because of their spelling
capabilities. They now have an American speaking woman calling so you won’t hang up on them.. Sound close to anyone else? They gain one piece of important info from
you each time to take over your credit and start to build up someones new to the US.
They are either printing new credit cards, driver lic. Social Security numbers and may
even be connected to the Islamic center at the other end of the Filipino Islands.
They ask if your phone number is correct, then your address if it is correct, then your age, then they try to get you to mail them a Western Union for confirmation they know you to create Rapport. Now they just need to get your ID number on Your Credit Card
they are not worried about you tracing them they receive stolen cards weekly, they set
up call centers across the country, LA, Las Vegas, Florida always large Asian areas.
Next the will want your relative’s name or your children’s names and age. each time they will build a profile on you for what ever purpose. Social Security scams, well fare
Fraud, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, Insurance fraud, because they asked me who my
benificicaries were? Life ins., etc maybe? It’s almost like we have to do all of the home
work, draw a picture for the police before they will help or wait to be a victim in order to
get help, like being shot before you can press charges? weird stuff!
been getting the call 5 times a day number is 5072269420
I just got one of these calls, did not answer since I did not know the number (5072269420). I looked it up first to see who is calling me. Is unpublished number but I did a web search (just in case) and found this site. Glad I Did! Thanks for the info.
I just got a call from these &%#holes. They said that they were from Account Services and ended up hanging up on me. Kinda figured it was a scam as I don’t have a credit card. I also tried to call the number listed above, and I got a message saying that all International circuits to the country I was trying to call were busy. Either these guys are pretty good hackers, or they are in another country.
Just got a call like the one described in this article from the number 805-288-3247, and it’s pretty disturbing. I guess the best rule of thumb is never to give out financial account information to someone who has contacted you out of the blue.
I have been getting calls from this number: 410-864-0329
I just got a call on my cell phone from Account Services. 347-263-2551 I spoke with a live operator but she quickly ended the call once she knew I had no interest in participating. If it had not been my cell phone I might have played along.
I just received one and i told them i was on a do not call list and she said “i got you anyway”. I did a *69 and it’s from 702-232-5103. When i redialed, it was a verizon wireless no longer in service or number has been changed!
I just received a call from the same number 702-232-5103. I got an automated voice message and then was told to press 9 to lower my interest rate. I thought it was a real offer, since the message started with this is your final notice. I talked to two different people. They can never say which company they are with. The first woman was very rushed, and then she told me she would search for a supervisor if I was hesitant. While I waited I googled what she told me was the name of their “company” Account Services. When another man got on the line he told me he was the account supervisor, talked down to me and was pressuring me to give him my information. DO NOT DO THIS! MAJOR SCAM!!!
I just got a call on my cell phone that was the same as Matts. Difference is that it was automated and press 1 for lower interest rates, again final notice. When answered I asked if this was Account Services and he said yes. I informed him that this company was on notice not to call me again. The number was 912-447-3244.
I just received a call from 702-232-5103 stating the same thing as everyone else. I asked what the name of the company was and the caller said Account Services. When I asked where the company was located out of the caller hung up on me. When I Googled Account Services, I found this information. Glad I didn’t tell them anything!!
I received a call from 347-263-2551 and my caller ID displayed “New York Call.” The caller identified herself as Stephanie Butler from Account Services. She advised that she could help consolidate my debt as long as I had at least $5,000 in credit card debt. Having had these calls before, I played along. She wanted to know how much debt I had and I responded with a figure of $11,000. She asked how many credit cards I had. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE: I responded that I only had one credit card. (She wanted to get more credit card numbers from me to increase her theft.)
I asked her the name of her company. The line went dead!
Folks, realize that the phone number she gave me is bogus. These thieves have the technology to have any number appear in your caller ID. However, when you call the number it will either be disconnected or you will hear varying tones followed by a “fast busy” signal.
Be warned! DO NOT EVER give personal information over the phone to anyone who SEEKS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR DEBT. If you need financial assistance YOU make the call and therefore you are choosing with whom you speak about debt consolidation. Please warn your friends, family and most especially the elderly who may not understand this fraudulent practice of telephone contact offering help. Young people may fall prey to this effort as well, in an effort to get help. None will get help, I assure you.
These “companies” have been doing this for years. Any number they choose will appear in the window. Don’t be fooled, protect yourself and others by passing on the word. Don’t give out your financial information to anyone who contacts YOU!
God bless!
I got a call from 702-232-5103 “account services” today. I have already told them three times to quit calling. A man came on the line & argued with me a moment & said please hold for my supervisor. The supervisor “bubba smith” (that’s really the name he stated) came on the line & then preceded to harass me…he said he would delete my number but try to remember it so that he can call me to take me out to dinner. I am like wtf???? He said that he was a single man & that I sounded like a pretty nice lady. I said, you have to be kidding me?? This is harassment! He said, you should take it as a compliment. I said, no I will not & I will report this call. he said I doubt you have blond hair..I will be you have dark hair & blue eyes… then I hung up. I made a complaint report to the Federal Trade Commission, they said it was probably someone phishing for account info. But, it went beyond that. I have an open case. If some one calls you from Account Services, hang up and block the number and call the Federal Trade Commission!!!!
what number did you call for the federal trade commission?
701-625-5444
406-351-4361
407-421-6567
block these numbers as well. same caller.
I have received the call for the last 6 months – comes from 702-232-5103 also. They also say “Account Services”. But when I tell them I haven’t had a credit card in 4 years, they hang up on my every time. But they continue to call back!
It’s definitely NOT a local scam.
It definitely -is- a scam. I’ve got through to actual people several times. They refuse to give contact information and become very rude and even obscene if you push them.
I just received a call from 5072269420 indicating they would lower my apr. I pressed “1″ and a man came on the line. When I told them to take my number off of their list, he hung up on me. When I tried to dial the number, it connects but it doesn’t ring.
The Federal Trade Commission should have a method of tracing these calls and protecting us consumers from this type of activity!
I’ve filed numerous complaint to the National Do Not Call web site with absolutely no results. When I speak to their “operator” they refuse to provide any identification other than “Account Services.” I can also believe they are using an auto-dialer since they cannot remove anyone from their call list which therefore does not exist. The police and phone company can trace calls in the event of a crime even if the caller attempts to conceal their number. In many states, the use of an auto-dialer is prohibited by law and therefore it can be construed that a crime has been committed.
I have received these calls for the past several years. I have also often waited to get the number for a “real” person as it always starts with a recording (which I believe is illegal in some places), usually from “Rachel”. The number to press is usually “1:” and when you tell them to quit calling it does absolutely NO good as indicated by others. We have been on the Do Not Call list for years. We never carry a balance which is another tip off that this isn’t from a credit card company that we do business with. The number seems to change and I don’t keep a record, although I have turned them in several times at the Federal Do Not Call site which also does no good. I don’t get any response from them and the calls keep coming. The number is often a “400″ number and today it was 406-219-8634 which doesn’t seem to match any of the other numbers reported. They must be able to manufacture numbers too. One time it was even a local number – I haven’t figured that out yet!!! If anyone figures out how to get them to stop calling – I would love to know the secret!!! They usually call when I am away from a phone with caller ID or I wouldn’t answer – I have several older phones around the house without the needed “window”.
I have been receiving them daily from 507-226-9420 and unavailable as well. I registered my number with the “National do not call registry” that is run by the “Federal Trade Commission (FTC)” I also called my cell phone provider and had them block the # from all phones on my plan. I also found out that my cell phone provider does not sell my phone numbers. I have been careful not to give my number out but Im sure that when I did the survey on my Walmart receipt for a gift card is where it all started from (they are the only ones that asked for my phone #). I wont be doing that again. Hopefully I don’t have to change my #
I’ve been receiving these calls almost daily for the last week. Until this recent spate I’d not gotten a call from them in some time.
This is, as mentioned by many others, a completely illegal scam. Being firmly on the Do-Not-Call-List and having made complaints about this in their complaint department many times I have learned some things.
Oh, I have made 3 separate complaints to the Washington State Attorney General’s office as well.
I was told that these calls are illegal on several levels. Robo-dialers are not legal in this state and there is a $500.00 fine for each breach of the Do-Not-Call-Registry.
These things are true only if the business is in the United States.
THESE calls are propagated by scammers operating from different countries, Romania, Ukraine, Brazil etc.
I was told that there is literally nothing that our government can do to stop this.
I do not buy this line, I believe that it is the responsibility of our government to protect its citizens.
Therefore I will continue to gather what information about these scumbags and make complaints to whatever agency I can. Perhaps someday our ‘protectors’ will find a way to do their jobs with regard to this.
Pissed off in Washington.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN RECEIVING SEVERAL CALLS FROM CARD SERVICES. THEY WANT TO LOWER MY INTEREST RATE. I RECEIVE ANY WARE FROM 3-5 A DAY. I HAVE TOLD THEM I WOULSD CONTACT MY LAWYER,BUT THE CALLS KEEP COMING. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.MY HUSBAND THINKS AT LEAST 6 MONTHS TO I YEAR,WE HAVE NOT ANSWERED, PRESSED 1 OR 9 AND TOLD TO PLEASE TAKE US OFF THEIR LIST,STILL GETTING CALLS. YOU WOULD THINK THE FTC OR SOME GOVERNMENY AGENCY COULD FIND THEM AND ARREST THEM. I GUESS WE THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO DO THAT OUR SELVES. ( DO NOT ANSWER UNDER ANY CIRCEMENTICES).
Received two calls from them today. The first time I pressed 9 to be taken off the list. The second time I pressed 9 and got some guy. I told him to take me off the list and he told me he’d call me tomorrow. I was very firm with him and told him I would report him to the federal authorities. He asked me what their number was and told me he’d call me tomorrow. I made a report to the FTC though there wasn’t much they could do about it. Tomorrow if he calls, I think I will just mess with him or blow a whistle in his ear.
What everyone describes is the same as my experience except the call looks like its coming from my employers cell number. I told them I was going to call the police. She responded with “and tell them what, that your boss called you?”. Someone must be investigating this, does anyone know who?
I got the call from Account Services, press 9 to speak to a rep, so I did, to remove myself from the list. When I asked to be removed, he called me a moron. I am MAD!
I just received a call from them. They sure are pushy. She wanted all my info and I told her no way.
I recieved a Call from Account Services on my Cell phone on the 3rd of May 2011 , and this Call came in as Restricted so no number or Name of Company was not Displayed . Told them I was busy at work and they said they would call me back later . But the Call did start out as a taped person talking then they had me press 1 to talk to a Rep . Glad I looked up this on the Computer before I went any further . Thanks
I’ve gotten a couple of calls from these SOBs too, the latest one just now at work on my cell phone. When I ask what company, it’s ‘Account Services’: “We service all 500+ credit card companies.” I asked, “Do you work with them or just contact their card-holders?” — meanwhile running a Google search for “account services”, and this page came up among many. While he asked me how much c.c. debt I have and on how many cards, I scanned down this page. Then I told him, “I think you’re running a scam. Don’t call me back.” (Not that I expect that last bit to work.) Bastards.
They call my cell at least 2-3 times a week. I always press 1 and then the first words out of my mouth are “Remove this number from your database” and then they hang up. Today, she put me on hold when I asked “Who are you looking for since you already should have my account information in order to help me ‘lower my credit card interest rate’?” (BTW, I don’t have any credit cards.) I put the phone on mute and just held the line. She came back on a few minutes later and I told her to remove my number. Of course she hung up. This time the call came from a blocked number and I could hear a bunch of other people in the background.
I am going to the dollar store today to buy a whistle. The next time they call, I am going to press 1 – and when they answer, I am going to blow the sh*t outta that whistle!!!
Perfect! I am getting very annoyed with this group that keeps calling me. I chose option 1 and the rep would not give me any info on who account services were. When I asked for their phone number they hung up on me. I will keep my whistle handy for the next time. I wish there was someplace I could legally report this group. Account Services.. yeah for who?
After asking repeatedly to have these calls stopped, I tape recorded the last call with a woman who identified herself as “Michelle Smith” (yeah, right). I asked her to identify what fiduciary relationship I had with Account Services that allowed them to contact me despite being on the DNC list. She gave a BS answer (no Visa and Mastercard do not count) and told me there was nothing I could do to her. She wasn’t afraid of legal action, no one could do anything to her. I think this would made a great story for an investigative reporter.
I just got this call myself and I am in San Jose CA. The beginning was the same as previously described where you push 1 to lower your credit card interest rates.The guy said his name was “christopher johnson” pretty generic. After asking me about my total amount of credit card debt, he asked me to give him my credit card number so he could call my credit card company to see if I qualify. He was so insistent that he could not do anything fraudulent with it. He was more pushy than normal, which threw up my red flag. Luckily I found this website which confirmed my suspicions. Whew.
I have been receiving calls from Account Services and Card Services for about 2 months. I have tried reasoning with them and they refuse to stop calling me. Just minutes ago one called and I politely asked her to stop calling me she replied with “No” and hung up. In the past I have screamed into the phone and fired a gun while the other person was briefly on the line. They continue to call but I know that if not only for an instant the noises are going through someone’s headset. I intend to move up to a loud car exhaust and an air horn.
just got a call from 302-232-3137(Deleware) and decided to play along to find out info… Only thing I could get was the name was account services. He already knew my name but I gave no info as I said if I was going to give info then I needed to find out more info about them.. Got no info so I said I wasn’t interested and he hung up. Had a call earlier in the week and the guy was rude and I said I was on the do not call list and he laughed. Came from a private number. I’ve probably had 6 or 7 calls in the last couple of weeks. Something needs to be done!
I am receiving calls 2-3 times a day from these people. Today I used wit and charm to get some info. Whether the info I collected is true or not is the question. I spoke with a “Representative” by the name of Fernando. I gave him some bogus information to see where it would get me. He told me I qualified to get my credit card interest rates lowered and he now needed to transfer me to an “Account Manager”. When he asked for my SSN and correct spelling of my name I explained that with identity theft I wanted to be sure of whom I was speaking with before we continued. He said he understood and let me know that his company is indeed called Account Services and they are based out of Florida. He claimed that they worked with over 151 banks across America and he had gotten my information from Equifax. I asked for further contact information from him so that I could verfiy HIS info before we continued, he said he wasn’t allowed to tell me his number because there was not a direct line to contact him. At this point, I asked him what the physical address of the office building he drove to everyday to go to work. He said, “I’m sorry ma’am” then hung up on me. We’ve contacted the phone company as well as the national do not call line. So far, no help. The DO NOT CALL registry claims it may take about 6 weeks before they can hack the system to find the source of the Account Services calls. Bummer.
The woman I spoke to told me she was in Orlando.
We received a call from 805-288-3247. Stephanie refused to tell me what credit card company she was associated with and when I asked her to remove my number she hung up on me. Sounds like the same story as everyone else.
I got two calls today from 620-487-3030. Account Services at it again. They have called me from Savannah, Ga , Emporia, Kansas, somewhere in Texas and another number in Utah. This time Idecided to have fun. I gave the lady a list of about 12 different cards with balances over $6,000.00 and an APR averaging 19%. She transferred me to another “Manager”. This guy verified the accounts again ( glad I wrote the stuff down) and asked for my name and social. I gave him a false name – Ahmed al-Obeidi. I then gave him a fake social security number starting with 99 as the center digits. He put me on hold and then came back asking for some other basic information and how he could really help me. After about 25 minutes he asked for my address I told him, ” that would be hard since Ahmed al-Obeidi was an Al-Qaida member killed back in April. Wow was he mad. Cussing me out and everything. I just laughed which made him more upset, then I said in my most sincere voice, ” I’m sorry I had more time to waste then you did…goodbye” I’m ready for the whistle gag now..off to the 99 cent store.
love it! another idea is to tell them you’re really interested but your spouse handles financial stuff so they have to call them! then give them the name & number for you congressman/woman! let’s share the pain w/our elected “Leaders” that the only way these scammers will be stopped!
Just got another call from them yesterday–this time I took the bait and dialed 9. A woman came on and I asked her the name of her company. “Account Services” And where is your location? “We’re all over the country.” And where is the location of your main office? “What do you think I am crazy? I don’t have to give out that information.” Well, I happen to work with the State Attorney Generals office and we’re kind of curious about your company. Pause, CLICK!
I’ve been getting these calls for months, and I have NO credit card debt so they’re wasting their time with me in the first place, but still, it’s annoying.
EVERY time they call, I go to the National Do Not Call Registry and file a complaint, and I ALWAYS press 1 and when a representative comes on the line, I verbally abuse them. I figure if I make it as unpleasant as possible, maybe they’ll stop calling me.
I just hope these dirtbags get caught and end up serving jail time…. long, long jail time. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, trying to rip people off who may be the most vulnerable.
Rec’d a “customer service” call from 323-204-6190 to reduce my interest rate to 6% on my credit card. When he asked how much debt I had, I responded that I was not comfortable answering that question. The line went dead.
When I said I was not comfortable asking that question, the person I spoke to persisted. I gave more info than I now wish I had, but no cc or SS numbers. I’m really glad I found this article, and these comments. I suspected a scam, but I guess there’s enough of me that wished it were true….
I did the same thing as “Here we go again…” + when first getting these calls starting a few years ago always gave them the whistle + air-horn trick – they finally stopped + then just recently started, again, arrrgh! – back to either just ignoring as soon as I hear the message +/or waste a little time so’s I can blast ‘em;) …good way to work off a little frustration – like the ‘gun-trick’ haven’t tried that one, yet;} …good luck + have fun with them – best ya can …don’t let ‘em get to you !!!
I got two of these calls today and one yesterday. I have a rule with my cell phone: if you’re not in the address book and your name doesn’t appear on the screen, I don’t know you and I won’t answer. But, I will research a number in an attempt to find out who you are. And, you’re right about people who are financially desperate. It’s hard enough out here to make it and people don’t need to be screwed over anymore than they already are by these butthead scammers.
Here’s another one from “account services”. 912-447-3244. Pressed 1 for a rep, told “Candace” to take me off the call list. She hung up on me. Dialed back, and got no response. Don’t know if they’re legit or not. Rude, yes.
I get them also. I have fun with it !! I am retired and boored !! Let’s all given them Bin laudens name and address !!
Different Number – I just got the same call (same number), pressed 1 and got a man on the phone, and he asked me if I was calling to lower my rates, and I said, no, I want you to take me off your list – click! Then, I tried to call the number back because I was furious at being hung up on, and the number didn’t exist! It is definitely a scam. I’m sure they are probably trying to get people to give them their card number and information and then they will rob you blind. People, do not give them any information!
I don’t know what’s your (website’s) goal but here is today’s intrusion into my private life:
05/13/2011. 12:00 noon. A robot call started with “This is Heather” with “Account Services” and, to paraphrase, said “IT IS URGENT TO LOWER YOU INTEREST, this is your final call.” They call my about every ten days. Then, after pressing 1, Abraham answered this time, stated that “Card holder services,” is Visa and Master Card, and they work “To reduce credit rate, since you (me) have been making payments for the last six months on time, and if your (my) balance is more than $3,500.00.”
I said it was maxed out. When asked what is his company he said they are “Account Holder Services of America in Tampa Florida.”
Abraham will connect me (after lengthy explanations) with “my” Financial Advisor but wants to verify “all” my information “in the system”. I asked to give me my information (first) so I can verify that it is correct but he only had my phone number, (not my name) unfortunately.” I said that as they call me, and I did not call them and don’t know who they are, I wanted to know their phone number, just in case we get disconnected.
Abraham said my Financial Advisor would give me their phone number as he was not allowed, and connected me to “my financial advisor”, put me on hold but hang up the phone seconds later.
I also got this phone call. I was so desperate I even gave them my credit card information. It was when they asked for the last 4 digits of my social that I finally said that I wanted the name of their company. they kept saying Account Services… That’s not a company name so I said for them to give me their number and I would call them back… they said that it’s too bad that I wouldn’t work with them because he was going to help me…. can you believe they are preying on people like this???
The number they finally gave me was a Chase toll free number.
Am I going to get a ton of charges on my cards now???
I guess I will have to call the banks. ugh.
What’s wrong with people??
The number they called from that’s on my caller id is: 912-447-3244 and I tried calling it back but it say’s it is disconnected.
SCAM
I wish I had looked this up before I gave them my cc number!! damn!
Tamara, I’m sorry to hear that, but I understand. Do call your banks/credit card companies and let them know what happened, and I’m sure they’ll work with you.
I’ve been getting the same phone calls the last couple days – number is never blocked, but of course it also is a bogus number because it can’t be called back. They’re calling my cell phone, which of course is really annoying – I just don’t want my number sold to a bunch of idiots all trying to scam/sell something.
When my brother was about 14 years old, he created this device for our landline phone – basically if you flipped the switch while the other person was on the line, it would “force” the connection to stay open, even if you hung up the phone. Furthermore, there wasn’t anything the person on the other end could do about it! We used it on telemarketers all the time – they couldn’t use their phone for as long as we kept the connection open! (of course, we couldn’t use ours either, but the point was to inconvenience THEM.)…wish he could make a device for my iPhone! Oooh, what a good app idea!!
Meantime I guess I will use the other tricks you guys have: whistle – check! air horn – check! gun – well…maybe not yet…
I got the call(s) just like everyone else here & have reported them to the FCC, FTC, & donotcall.gov. I suggest you all do the same! But clearly even though we report it they keep operating soo.. What if …
We give them information BUT we give them the info of our state Reps in congress! They won’t be stopped if it’s just us “little people” but if enough politicians experience this I guarantee things will change! Maybe we should ask them to call back & give them the # of our congressmen/women or other rich/powerful ppl! Or maybe we just contact our reps & tell them that we are sick of this and until they do something we will be giving their info to these scammers! thoughts anyone?
I’ve been receiving almost identical calls to the ones described above on a daily basis. After pressing 1 to talk to a representative today, (described as a “friendly representative” on the recording, I talked to Teresa and told her that I had been getting daily calls saying that each was my last chance to get my card rates lowered, she hung up on me.
I am very angry at my representatives in Washington that they have not done anything about this. I registered several times with the Do Not Call registry, which has had zero effect that I know of.
When they ask for the CC number say hang on I have to go get it. Put the phone down and have a cup of java, then tell them your spouse has just walked in and she has the card to hang on and you will put them on the phone. Delay, Delay and give no info.
I get 2-3 calls a day and have been for about a month now. I have gotten to the point where I f*uck with him/ them. I tell them I am in the middle of taking a dump and make the apporopriate nosies. I have told them I getting blown by my neighbor, my boss and a local nun, I have even told him/them my name is Osama bin Laden and he has called me in the after life with Allah.
Try it…at least you’ll get a laugh out of it until our lazy ass concress does something about us being bothered all of the time.
The’re illegal calls are still happening 21 May 2011. No caller ID even though I do not accept ananamous calls. The Caller ID just says ‘Unknown Caller’
I don’t know how they get past that but they really SHOULD get busted!
Oh, and their recording says ‘Press 2 if you want to stop receiving these calls’. But, pressing 2 gets the same result as pressing 1, you get the same lame guy.
TOTAL ILLEGAL SCAM!
The only solution is to waste so much of their time that it becomes a money-losing operation. I talked to Renee Edwards, who claimed to work for Visa and Mastercard. I asked if there were a number I could call to verify this, and she said if I called the number on the back of my card “they all know me.” I drew it out as long as I could playing dumb while she tried to get my account information, and finally I said, “can I ask one more question?” She says “sure”… “Would you hang up on me if I asked you to put me on a do not call list?” You can guess what happened next. At least I took up 10 minutes of their time. Another trick is to say “hang on just a minute” and leave the phone off the hook.
I generally screen/ignore all my calls to my landline, but the phone has been ringing constantly lately so I decided to answer and tell the caller to stop. It was this company, Accounts Services with that perky woman telling me to press 9. I pressed 9 and got a guy whose name was unintelligible. I told him I had no interest in lowering my rates, I just wanted to be removed from the calling list. He made two insistent pleas that I would forever lose my opportunity to lower my rates (on my “chase” visa, which I haven’t used in 3 years, but he was just phishing…), and I told him if I was not removed from the list I would file a complaint, to which he responded “f*ck you, f*ck you, f*ck you”. Nice. I’m thinking up my next move. I think the most effective strategy is the delaying strategy. It seems that if authorities could trace the calls it could help track down the source. Has anyone gotten an explanation from the FTC or law enforcement as to what they can do? Another strategy is to flood the internet with messages about the scam.
These guys have harassed me for at least 5 years; they are sly and deceptive, and make it hard for you to get solid info on them, to complain. But here’s some help, from Bohemian Revolution, and my own experience.
How do you get rid of these guys? The short answer is that clearly Account Services is usually in violation of several federal laws. The simplest way to get rid of them is to 1) make sure you are registered with the Federal No Call List; and file a complaint about Account Services.
Where are they? Though it’s hard to get a phone number for Account Services, some have used this phone number in the past, in 2008, with success: 813 418 5811. Try to get the name of one or more of their salespersons; mine was “Justin”; and his supervisor was “Travis Bennington’; who claimed to be authorized for this kind of work by the Dept. of Agriculture registration # TP 10298. If you can’t get similar numbers on your own, try filling in the NCL complaint form with these numbers, or 0’s or something – just so your complaint goes through. The last numbers and names and address related to Account Services, are reported as of 2008 (on the blog site “Bohemian Revolution”) to be “Consumer Law Group” in Florida, 954 426 2642. The owner appears to be “Ran” David Barnea, of 21955 Cyprus Dr. Apt. 48 F, Boca Raton, FL 33433, ph. 954 603 0430. Or 23123 State Rd. 7, Boca Raton FL 33428. Ph. 954 603 0430 and/or 426 2642.
Next, after filing your complaint against Account Services, with the Federal No Call List? Next, even better, 2) file a brief complaint with the FTC; the Federal Trade Commission. They have a quickie complaint form, online, that takes about 15 minutes to fill out. To help filling out the form: more addresses and phone numbers that Account Services seems to have used in the past seem to include: “Account Services,” 775 Warner Lane, Orlando FLA; ph. 813 418 5811; also 8413 Laurel Fair Cir., Suite 100, Tampa, FLA; 3592 Aloma Ave, Suite 4, Orlando FLA. See also addresses above.
These guys are apparently being investigated by North Carolina Attny General. They are hard to bust. But eventually they should go down, because of deceptive trade/advertising, among other things.
My main complaint is their deceptive sales staff. Their financial services proper, may have problems too. The FTC has a brief video warning against giving your credit card numbers to robo-call outfits, like Account Services.
Be sure to file; that helps the FTC case against them. Maybe we can stop this abuse.
I have been getting these calls for the past three months, everytime I go to talk to the person and tell them to stop calling they HANG UP on me! And when I asked questiosn they don’t want asked THEY HANG UP! Do NOT get scammed they could ruin your whole life!
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
(202) 326-2222
http://www.ftc.gov
They have been calling from numbers that gets indendified with a location/number, but when you call back that number …. You guessed it right, it doesn’t exist! So, this is their new way of scam!
Just got my second call from them asked the guy not to hang up automatically he did aaaaggggghhhhhhh how annoying
Still happening in denver co sounds like card services
Thanks for this site. Same here, He said his name is David and yes he hung up after asking me to give him (private) information rather than him giving me any.
First you get a recorded telemarketing call from # 201.942.2887 prompting you to ask for more information by pressing “1″. (It seems you need to request “more information” in order to request being put on their “DO NOT CALL LIST”. (The “201″ number will not connect.. is just says call cannot be completed and hangs up).
My call dropped and the agent “Justin” called me back from # 559.490.2596. (This number will not connect as the agent stated outside calls are blocked).
They only say their name is ‘Account Services’ then they transfer you to a “financial planner” whom they say the company name is “elite planning group”
They claim they will save you (x) dollars in credit card interest by negotiating your credit card interest down. They claim/ guarantee it will NOT negatively impact your credit report. (X depends on how much your total outstanding credit card debt is at that point)
They charge an upfront one time fee which varies on the amount of debt you have out. My fee amount was $900 based on my total outstanding credit card debt of # 35,000.
BE VERY SUSPICIOUS. I stated I wanted to research and verify their company and claims BEFORE I agreed to the purchase/$900 charge and they pushed harder to get me to purchase/agree. I hung up as a supervisor became very audacious, aggressive and rude.
They give you their “customer service” number 888-355-2702 ,which I discovered is customer service for SEVERAL companies. You do not deal directly with Elite Planning Group.
Company Website: theeliteplanninggroup.com
Caller: Elite Planning Group
Call Type: Telemarketer
Received a call from telephone# (406)-715-0000. I pressed 1 and asked to speak to a supervisor and the lady hungup on me. I called the nbumber back and got a recording that it is disconnected. Seems funny tghe government can’t trck these numbers and catch these bastards!!
I received a call from (406)-715-0000. I pressed 1 and asked to speak to a supervisor anbd the lady hungup on me. I called bacxk and was advised that the telephone number is disconnected. Seems like the government can track where these calls are comming from and arrest these people.
“customer service” says the physical location of the business is:
Elite Planning Group
315 W. Elliot Road #107-166
Tempe, AZ 85284
Telephone: +1.888.355.2702
Other than that you get ABSOLUTELY SQUAT.
Call the phoenix Better Business Bureau
I just called this number and made it perfectly clear I am on the do not call list, you are calling my cell number, I have asked you to STOP calling me for a few months now and if you don’t I am turning all the numbers I have for you over to the State Attorney General of Michigan and using my contacts as a law student to get this taken care of. They took my first name and number and said it would be taken care of. Please note I am turning them into the do not call list and writing a note to the state attorney general for Michigan. I am over this %*$&!!
I recently checked out that address since it was so close by and it’s a UPS store. I even showed that address that I had written down and the guy at the UPS store confirmed it was their address (UPS) I even looked around the complex just in case they might have moved but that was not said case. Basically, this Elite Planning Group are a boiler room. I would strongly encourage anyone who has had dealings with them to to file a complaint with the BBB. I filed mine and it was sent onto that company to give them a chance to respond but I doubt they will.
Thank you Nelson. I have had 7 or 8 calls and keep getting called. I will try this. Thankx for the advise, Jim G.
Here is an opportunity for all:
When you get a call from “Account Services” tell them you’re interested but ask them to bear with you as you have Tourettes Syndrom (I apologise upfront to those of you who actually do have Tourrettes Syndrome and do not mean to diminish this affliction in any way. Here is the link to their association http://www.tsa-usa.org/). Make sure any “little ones are out of your listening area. As you get further into the conversation scream as loud as you can with degrading and derogatory references then apologise profusely and see how long you can string them along. Repeat as often as required until you are satisfied with screaming profanities at those who would do you financial harm. This is really good therapy
These guys and some people calling themselves “Cardmember Services” call me a lot, and when I ask them to take me off the list, they straight-up refuse. I always file a complaint with the National Do Not Call Registry (https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx); if you’re on the list, it’s illegal for salespeople to call you, and it’s also illegal if you use a recorded message or if the recipient of the call gets charged for it (which happens, on my plan). I’m in Tennessee, so it goes all the way here.
I knew the moment I started questioning the lady about the company account services she is supposedly with and got those vague answers something wasn’t right. Funny thing her number showed up on my cell caller ID, at the time I was driving and couldn’t give her the info she was asking for thank goodness, but she is supposed to call me back today at 10:00 imagine that. I noticed the number didn’t start with 800 or 866 like most who would call, so I tried to call it, just a busy signal? I think I will put them off again and have them call me back, in the mean time contact FBI and have them tap into the call, she said she was eastern standard time where I am it’s central, one clue and the number that showed up is……865-292-0385 Account Services indeed.
I am so effing annoyed. I have asked over and over to be taken off the calling list and these douchelords keep calling me. If I knew how to locate them, I’d probably go down there knock some heads. I don’t know what to do. I am in Maine. WTF I am on the do not call list too. They immediately hang up if I ask for their customer service number, sometimes I ask them to stop calling and they hang up. Sometimes I just ask what company this is and they hang up. If I could find them, I would seriously hurt somebody. I am so effing over this.When does it become harrassment?
In the past month I have received 5 calls from this “account services” company. I don’t have any credit cards, so I knew it was a scam. The only thing I can think of at this point is that I own a PS3 that has my number on the account. Recently Sony was hacked and it has caused some havoc. When I do get to a “live operator” I tell them to take me off the list and they hang up on me. I’ve noticed that they use different numbers so it’s hard to block it. Any suggestions?? I’m getting really annoyed. Btw, I live in New Orleans.
Just got the call and know this is true. She was saying she’s calling from mastercard/visa and is looking ot lower my rates and it’s a government initiative to help promote the econony. She started asking what kind of cards I have, and told me what rates I currently have. Then she asked what is my full name on the card. When I said, I was not comfortable with this (that’s all I said) she got angry and said, banks are not going to do this for you!!!! They were supposed to but they are not. You will only get this opportunity once with a reminder every 6 months. You missed your chance (very angry!!!!) and then hung up on me….. When I tried calling back a automated message said this is Verizon and the number has changed…no more reference. Never thought I’d get involved in this scam……
I have received numerous calls on my cell phone & landline from these people. I have asked them repeatedly to remove me from their list. They have been calling both phones for well over 6mths now. It’s really making me MAD! I strung the guy along today, and told him that his company has called me already this week, but when I asked a question they hung up on me. He apologized, and then I asked him a few more questions, and he said ” this is why the others have hung up on you, because you are asking stupid questions.” Then he hung up on me!!! What can we do to stop this???????
I’ve gotten two calls from these people in two days. The first one I thought “oh cool” went to talk to the person. This is how the phone call went: “Are you responding to reducing your rate?” I said “sure” and then she said “are you over $4000 in debt?” and I said “no” and she hung up. Right when she asked me about money without identifying where she was from I knew it was a scam. The second call I got pretty much went with me asking which service this guy is from and he said “I’m from account services” and I said “yes, but which credit card” and he hung up.
I have recieved several calls from this company over the past few weeks which I have ignored, finally got sick of them and pressed 1 to speak to someone to get them to stop calling as I figured this was some kind of scam. The guy I spoke with said he could lower my credit card interest because they had relationships with over 500 banks. I told him I could also go to the credit card company myself to get my rates lowered, he responded by saying that I could try but they wouldn’t do it for me, their company had a better chance because they had a “relationship” with the banks, he also got a very defensive tone. I asked that I be removed from their calling list as I felt their business was not legit. He told me it was my loss not his and hung up on me. I mentioned this to my daughter who said someone she knew fell for this and got their credit card info stolen. So if this company calls you…DO NOT give out your information.
I just got a call from Account Member Services caller ID = 1-312-470-0736. I asked “where did you get this number, I am not listed and have never received a solicitation on my cell phone in the 10 years I have had it” He kept asking about my high interest rate. I said let me speak to your supervisor, three times. finally another guy gets on and back to interest rates. He did say they were located in Atlanta GA. He told me to “hold the line” twice and then hung up on me. I was not rude, I was simply asking “How did you get my phone number?” I tried to call back, but it would not go through.
That call was odd from beginning to end.
I keep the getting the calls from this company also. I have asked them to stop calling and they contnue. I have filed a complaint several times with the Do Not Call List, but the calls keep coming,
I have been averaging 2 calls a month from “Cardmember Services” for ages. I usually hang up but one day decided to confront someone so I pressed the requested number to speak with someone regarding their offer and was disconnected. Several months later I was connected to someone and as I was asking to not receive further calls, I was also disconnected. A couple weeks ago I was able to speak with someone and reminded them I was on a do-not-call list and that my state (Connecticut) has laws they are violating. They said “sorry. we’ll remove you from the list. I thought “finally ! It only took three years. Just a few minutes ago I answered the phone and heard the same little chippy voice saying “Hi!” I just can’t get rid of them. The calls always come at 10:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. EST. They are as annoying as VD.
Wish there was a way to stop this terrorism. They called me today and when I pressed 1 to talk to a real person, the guy was very sarcastic and impolite. I’ve blocked the number and wanted to fill out the form on my state’s attorney general website, but they wanted as much information as “Account Services”.
Funny thing, I too keep getting calls from ‘Account Services’ and ‘Cardholder Services’. I’ve been getting the calls for four months now, yet the automated message tells me it’s the ‘last warning’. And each time the automated message (Heather for both ‘companies’) says it’s about my “current credit card account”. It tries to convince me they can help me with my credit card debt.
But you know what? I use a prepaid visa. I have no credit card debt, because my card can only be used to spend the money I put on it. At first I figured it might be legit, so tried talking to them. The problem is, the second I ask “What credit card are you calling about?” they hang up. Or when I ask to speak to a manager, they hang up. When I ask the name of the company, because ‘account services’ and ‘cardholder services’ sound more like departments then company names, they hang up.
Clearly a scam. Yet I’ve been told by the police repeatedly not to report these scams or the ones in the mail unless I actually fall for them.
I have received the same exact call at least twice daily despite the fact that I am on a do not call list. They also use the name, Cardmember Services, and now use Account Services when I called the #1 extension in response to their automated message. they use different names, but always a male on the live call. When you ask for a number or address, he hangs up after a nasty response. the next day they call again. I filed a complaint -we will see what happens. This is an unwelcome intrusion and a scam.
I’ve been getting the same calls, too. FBI won’t help, phone company can only block the numbers, and the only place we may be able to get help from is the FTC’s website: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
If enough of us report this, they can see the pattern and start an investigation. So, if you want to help turn in these leaches, then please go to the website to report it. I also recommend you call in as well.
The Do Not Call list doesn’t work for illegitimate companies, especially scam rings from out of the country, so don’t bother wasting your time trying to complain to the Do Not Call List people.
We are the only ones that can make a statement by contacting and submitting a complaint to the FTC. Good luck to you all!
They called my cell phone saying they were “account services.” I knew something was up right away, so as I asked more questions, the woman, “Rebecca,” got more and more frustrated with me. I said “what is the name of your company?” And she kept replying “we are with account services.” I told her that can’t be the name of the company and she said it was. She then asked how to spell my last name. Red flag.
As I now knew this was a scam, I pretended to be interested. She said “we can lower your rates to 4% as long as you are not near or over your current credit limit.” I told her I had $5 available on my credit card and she said that would be totally fine. Wouldn’t that consist of being close to my credit limit? Then she asked a few more questions, I lied, and she was all excited and transferred me to Greg, the manager. He came on the phone all chipper and again asked me to spell my last name (which I lied completely). He then began asking for account #’s, so I made those up too. While his computer was “loading,” he tried small talking me about sports, and I told him to stick to business because my credit is very important to me. I think he then began to notice that I was messing with them and asked me to repeat my account # because it wasn’t processing. At that point I asked him to repeat the name of his company and he hung up. Obviously a scam, but they are sort of tricky to an unassuming person (older folks). I hope they can stop this before people get tricked for real. I’m sort of hoping they call back because I have another batch of lies for them.
I have received at least 10 calls from these people over the past 14 days. I can I get them to stop calling.
when I press 1 and get a person, they ask if I want to reduce my credit card rate and I say no I want you to stop calling, they hang up.
I just got a call from Account Services. The number that my caller ID captured was 806-318-4102. This comes back to a recording saying this number is not in service. I called the BBB and she gave me another number that answers the same way. These calls go to Amarillo, Texas. I don’t have a credit card. That’s how I know they are scams.
Scam 101!
This group operates as a ring, probably changing numbers weekly. They could be in the country or out of the country. My guess is they are probably out of the country that would explain the reluctance by authorities to do anything about it. They solicit all of us through recorded phone call and live calls.
I recently received my tenth call in over 6 months. Goes something like this, “Would you like to lower your interest rate on your credit cards?” If you say yes, then they reply, “Due to the sluggish economy the banks are offering lowered rates for all of your credit cards. What is your highest credit card rate?” When they ask a question like this it’s in order to get you to give or supply information freely without thinking about it. They get you in an affirmative mood to pull private detailed information out of you. The more information they can get they can move to steal your identity or worst yet your existing credit lines.
Once they asked for credit card information I asked what company she represented. She then HUNG UP. No surprise there since that appears to be their M.O. Once you get wise to their scheme they move onto the next call down their list.
This is a SCAM and I too am outraged that it continues to happen without any consequences to the perpetrators of this crime. The scam process in itself is a crime, but perhaps the reason it has not been pursued by authorities more aggressively is because of manpower or traceability.
Alert – don’t fall for it and tell your elderly parents and loved ones so they don’t fall victim.
Beware! They are after cards with open balances!
Some days I recieve multiple calls from these people in a single day – land line, cell – and this has been going on for months. I have had the same ‘hang-up’ reaction when I tell them to stop calling or ask their company name. I just filed a complaint with the FTC. We’ll see – if there are enough of them, if that helps. Filed a complaint with the Do Not Call registry months ago – did no good. Next, I want to find a very ear-piercing whistle, when they call, I’ll press ’1′, and when the person answers, I’ll blow the whistle as loud as possible into the phone. Would release some frustration, anyway…….
Been getting these calls on my cell phone here in Michigan for a few weeks now. I just hang up – they say they are from “account services”, talk about lowering my interest rate to 4.9% as “a part of the government stimulus package” and that it’s my “last chance”
number that just called me was: 806-318-4102 and it says it is in TX
I’ve been receiving multiple calls from the so called “Account Services”. I finally had the time to dial “1″ yesterday (06/09/2011) and today (06/10/2011). Yesterday, the bastard hung up on me because he couldn’t hear me (I don’t know – I guess I wasn’t calm enough). Today, I calmed myself down and pretended that I was interested in what they were offering (so I can get information), dialed “1″ and waited. A “John” answered and said the company’s name is “Account Services”. I asked for the company’s phone number and he gave me 714-531-5381. He then asked me if I had any outstanding debts on my credit card – to see if I am qualified for their services. I told him that I don’t owe anything and that I am in good standing with all of my credit card companies. He then said that there is no need to further this conversation. I then asked him, “why am I on your call list when I don’t have any debts?” He said that he will put me on the do not call list (I doubt it). I then asked him, “I am registered on the Do Not Call Registry, why I am getting these calls?” He said that I needed to talk to customer service – they handle these calls (it’s weird because isn’t he customer service, too?). He said to call back to the phone number that he gave me to talk to customer service – I had a feeling that the phone number he gave me was a number he made up, so I asked him to transfer me to customer service. He said “ok” and hung up on me.
Yep, I just got one of these calls. I waited for the automated voice to say press 1. I rang to a live woman. I asked who is the company, she said Account Services. When I stated I’m on the Do Not Call list, she just hung up. Annoying!
I live in NYC and I also get calls from this scam. Usually I just hang up. I too am on the do-not-call register. I wish there were something that could be done to put these people in jail or at least out of business, but you seem to have tried all the possible options to no avail.
If they call your cell phone you could sue them — if you can get their physical address and the name of the person that you talked to. Unsolicited calling to a cell phone is a VIOLATION of the Telephone Consumers Protection Act (TCPA). The violation can award the person call up to $500.00 in damages, but the fine (damages) awarded could triple if the violations continue. I received a call on my cell, when I asked the person for her full name she hung up. The best thing to do is to try to start a conversation with them, act as if yoiu are interested in their “services” so you can try to get as much information on them,and once that you can get a web site, as well as physical address, telephone numbers and the full name of the person that you talked to, ZAP’EM!
I have gotten four of these phone calls now and every time I asked them to explain to me which card they are talking about, they can’t tell me. I no longer have any credit cards and as soon as I say that to them, they hang up on me! This last time I only stated that I continue to get calls and have told them numerous times “TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST” and they just continue to call and then hang up when I question them. SO FRUSTRATING!
I get these calls from a Heather, Nancy, and Rachel! Soon as I press 9 to speak to a cust serv rep, i tell them to remove me and they say no problem REALLY quick and hang up in your ear! HA! I have done this twice so far,,and they still call here.
Have any of you actually contracted with them to see if they follow through with the services they offer? I do have information on them and after reading what the aforementioned have said, it makes me a little nervous.
The best thing to do is have an air horn. When you dial 1 and they answer, blast them, then hang up. It works, trust me.
I kept them on the phone long enough and fed them enough BS information until they finally got pissed and hung up on me. I do this as often as I can, and if everyone who received these calls would do the same, not only would they never make a dime, but they would lose money for the wasted time, and it would keep them from bothering someone else.
During the conversation, where I was feeding him BS, I was asked about my “5″ credit cards (BS #1) and my $25,000 + debt that I had (which is BS #2) if I was near my credit limits on any of them and how many were closed and what the interest rates are. He asked my name and I said “Don’t you have it” and he said yeah but he wanted to verify it was me, I told him my first name and asked him for my middle initial and that’s when he got nervous. I asked him about the weather, and his family and kept on until he said he needed to give my number to someone else for help. I told him I didn’t need help and I started in on who he worked for, where they were out of, let me talk to your supervisor, then he hung up
Ok, Im pissed!!!! I have had it with this!…What the hell can we do??? Is there anyway we can get this to stop?..
Plenty of ways to stop this. First as was mentioned above by someone, register the complaint with the Do Not Call registry through their website. Secondly, register a complaint with the FTC. It may take a while with the FTC but if you actually write a decent complaint and leave a contact number they will eventually get around to investigating it. So the more people that complain with the FTC, the sooner these people will get taken care of.
There is another company called “card services” that does the exact same thing. I actually tricked the agent into giving me their website…they were very surprsied when i called directly
http://www.aplusfinancialcenters.com
A+ Financial Centers, LLC.
10258 S. US Hwy 1.
Port Saint Lucie, FL 34952
Toll Free: (877) 748-2626
General Email: save@aplusfinancialcenters.com
Customer Service: service@aplusfinancialcenters.com
I have called and told them to stop contacting me and they still haven’t stopped.
So i am keeping a record of all of their calls to me so when i seek my vengeance!
One guy told me to stop pressing 1 and i wouldn’t talk to anybody, but i had to keep getting the phone calls.
The “account services” company..they are a bit more hardcore and rude.
If anybody can crack this one and get their actual location..that would be great..but i’m thinking this is a offshore thing.
I just got one of these calls from Account Services, pressed 1, asked the guy what card and he said Visa or Mastercard. I asked which card specifically, he said your bank has authorized us to provide this service because I have paid my bill on time. I said, several websites are saying this is a scam, he hung up immediately. Call came from: 925-524-3099 Clayton, CA.
I just received that call from 925-524-3099. I kept asking him “Who are you?” “Who do you work for?” and he would not answer me. They said they negotiate with banks on my behalf. I said OK, if you negotiate on my behalf, then who are you? He finally got exasperated and hung up on me. Total scam, they won’t even identify themselves.
I HAVE GOTTEN THEIR NUMBER A FEW TIMES I CALLED THEM BACK I GIVE THEM A HARD TIME SWEAR AT THEM MAKE THEM CRY THEM CALL THEM NAMES INSULT THEM ANYTHING TO USE UP THEIR TIME. WHEN THEY START TO YELL AT YOU IS WHEN YOU HAVE GOTTEN TO THEM THEY STOPPED CALLING ME AFTER THAT.
I STILLED CALLED THEM BACK A FEW MORE TIMES JUST TO LET THEM KNOW HOW EVERYBODY ELSE FEELS.
ALSO CALL COMPANIES WITH THAT NAME TALK TO THEIR OWNERS OR CEO’S ACCUSE THEM OF THE SCAM THEY WILL SEEK LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THEM
Got the same call and they need to be busted
SOBs have caqlled me three times in the last month and hung up on me every time
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34s message from TENNESSEE at (731) 256-3580 on 06/22/2011 03:03 PM EDT – Home before we close the file on your annual credit card account review we have sent you …
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I THINK THE ONLY WAY TO CATCH THEM IS SOMEHOW GET AN IDENTITY TO USE AS BAIT.
I got a call from “Stephanie” at “Account Services”. I asked what company she was with and she said “Account Services.” I said, “Is that the actual name of your corporation?” and she said yes. I asked her to please take my number off her calling list and she hung up on me. When I attempted to return call the number that came up on my caller ID, I got a disconnected number message.
Used to get these all the time and then they stopped. Started again a few months ago. and I actually got a guy to give me a number to call back. It was some other business.
Started again this week and 5 already and it’s early Thursday. I wonder…..Make up some excuse for them to have to call you back in a few minutes but ask them to call you back at a different number. Then give them the number of the local police department or nearest FBI office.
Just got a call from a Maryland number. same m.o. as the other comments. Talked to David Katz Told him I was headed out the door, could they send something in the mail. He said they already had and couldn’t afford to resend it. He’s calling me back tonight at 5cst. Figured it was a scam; thanks for the posting. I live in Illinois.
WE keep getting these robo calls almost every other day, I dial 1 and get a man on the line who refuses to take me off their calling list, the other day I got a girl and asked for a supervisor,and immediately got hung up on. … Sometimes they call more than once a day, very annoying when we are busy , and definitely do not need their advice.
How do we stop these idiots from calling us.
Thanks for the help.
Sadly, I just learned that this same scam has callers from practically every area code in the USA. It used to be to my home phone, but they unfortunately have my cell number now and it angers me that we can’t do anything about it. 916 301 4406 and 731 256 3580 are my most recent calls. Here’s the “kicker”…When I block one number on my cell I get a call from another number in about 3 days. I decided to start saving the numbers. I also type each number into Google and find out that others are getting similar calls. I think Dateline or 20/20 or 60 minutes or some similar show should do a story and figure out how to stop this.
I agree Julie. The blocking of numbers is useless. They keep calling with different numbers every single time. I have my home phone answering machine on 24/7, even if I am home due to these calls. They haven’t gotten to my cell phone yet, but I suspect they might soon. I recall getting these very same type calls from “Rachel” at account services in 2007. I still get them. It is unacceptable that this has been going on for so long.
I’ve just started getting the calls this past week. I used to get them calling with the 000-000-0000 number. Today’s and yesterday’s call was from 1-386-233-3694. I’m in Canada so it’s not isolated to the USA.
A few days ago this card services called me and this is what showed up on the caller ID:
V05291302510035
That is the only thing that showed up. They are really doing some hard core spoofing.
I have the same complaint. I think there must be millions of us.
SUGGESTION FOR ALL.>>>>Here is what I did and will do every single time I get this type of call. Go to https://www.donotcall.gov/ and file a complaint. (make sure your number is registered for at least 31 days before you file a complaint). It takes under 3 minutes to file a complaint. They ask for number and date/time of call. My cell keeps the data of when the call was placed. If everyone files these complaints, they will have to do something.
actually no. I have been looking at posts from 2008 with exactly the same plea- “call the do-not-call registry and file a complaint. It won’t matter. Nor will keeping them on the phone and wasting their time help. The people you are talking to are paid by commission. They are victims too.
Our government either can’t or won’t stop these scammers.
I have documented numbers since 2007 in which this scam has been calling me. So yes it has been happening since then.
ANSWERS !!!! THESE PEOPLE can get fined up to $16,000 per incident~~The best recourse is to report the number to the FTC. First, register your number on the do not call list at http://www.donotcall.gov Once you have been registered for 31 days or more, report each and every call, the date and time of call. It takes 2 minutes to do it. This company uses numbers in many, many area codes. I’ve googled at least 10 or more. All the same scam. I pressed “1″ today and talked to the guy today and told him to take me off the list and he said I had to call my bank to request that. THIS IS ILLEGAL, people. According to donotcall.gov, You may file a complaint if you received an unwanted call after your number was on the National Registry for 31 days. You may also file a complaint if you received a call that used a recorded message instead of a live person (whether or not your number was on the Registry). AND I FIND THIS INTERESTING… “A consumer who receives a telemarketing call despite being on the registry will be able to file a complaint with the FTC, either online or by calling a toll-free number. Violators could be fined up to $16,000 per incident. “
I have been getting these calls for over 2 years now. Sometimes 4 or 5 a day and I have been on the national “do not call” list since its inception. I, too, have pressed “1″ and then asked for the company name. They won’t give you one. Then I told the guy to take me off his call list. He called me an obscenity and hung up on me. As often as we get these calls, I am considering asking the FBI if they would tap my phone and try to trace these people. I should be able to “play dumb” and pretend I trust them for long enough to get a trace on their call… Anyone tried that yet?
I do the same play dumb….. I have had this happen atleast 3 times once it was a area code in a neighboring town of mine. This last one was from canada 519 area code. they catch on to the people who are smart fast and use obscenities. I called the number back and the name joe ortega was on the answering machine. I called him back 50 times let it ring a bunch then hung up….. so I would not be charged for the long distance call. I hope they catch these guys.
I have received several of these calls in the past few weeks. I know it’s a scam because…I don’t have ANY credit cards!!! I asked them to remove me from their list the first time, and I have received subsequent calls. Today, I spoke with the representative again and he HUNG UP ON ME when I was asking him to remove me. If this was a legit company, I would make sure to talk anyone I know out of using it because of how rude they are!
I received this call and spoke with the rep. He stated that he worked for Equifax and they were asked by creditors to contact people with pretty good credit to lower their interest rates. He started asking general questions about my credit card debt and then started explaining that without the 3digit security card the 16 digit number was useless. I then explained to him that I knew this to be a scam. He called my work cell phone which is not listed on my credit report and if he was infact with Equifax he wouldn’t need me to give him credit limits and acct numbers. I then told him that the 16 digit number is useful for fraud because my jurisdiction has many cases were the number is stolen (without the security code) and fake cards are made and used all over the country. I then revealed to him that I am a Criminal Investigation Supervisor and use to supervise the Economic Crimes and Computer Crimes Division. He later said that he worked for A+ Finanical Center and they have a B+ Rating from BBB. DON’T GIVE THESE PEOPLE ANY OF YOUR INFORMATION!!! He called me from 865-291-1470
i have been receiving these calls on a daily basis for weeks. i pressed 1 to speak to a person and got the nastiest man i have ever spoken to .i asked that i be taken off the call list and he hung up on me. mentioned this to a relative in mississippi and she is also getting these calls from the computer “heather”. called phone carrier and was told that the only way i could stop this is register as a “no call list” which i had already done. NOW i am receiving these calls on my cell phone—this is now bordering on harrasment.
I’ve received several messages from these people and was always curious as to why they leave no phone number so I can call them back. I just happened to be home and picked up when the call came this morning. The female became irritated with me when I asked who she represented; her reply remained the same: “We’re Account Services, ma’am”. I told her I wasn’t giving my account information over the phone. Then came the part about mailing vs online payments. When I said “online” she said *hold on one moment ma’am*, at which point it sounded like she was transferring me to a “special” agent. Then came the dial tone. I’m waiting for the next one…at which time I can inform them I’ve given their information to the detectives at the agency for whom I work. NEVER give any account information over the phone!!! That’s Rule #1. Rule #2…refer to Rule #1.
sick and tired of these calls
I have also received approx. five or six calls from “Account Services”. I pressed 1 to speak to a rep. and when they answered I told them I am on the national Do not Call Registry and didn’t want any more calls from them. Without saying anythimg they immediatly hung up on me. I wanted to report this on the NDNC registry but they require a callers telephone number which I did not have since Account Services telephone number is blocked. We (the public) need better support from our government to protect us from scammers. I to would be more than willing to help catch these guys. The only other thing i know to do is to contact our representatives and ask for stricter laws on convicted scammers. Unfortionatly, I don’t expect it will make any real difference.
Unfortunately, according to the phone company (Verizon), these people are “spoofing”.
So even if you have a phone number come up on caller i.d., it is not the number they are actually calling from. I’ve gotten calls and the caller i.d. was the public library or “out of service” numbers.
Reporting a phone number is apparently a waste of time.
Just received a call similar tonight. When asked for the 800 number of my credit card, I asked why. She ‘explained the process’ to me that included me entering my card number into the phone. I said I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. She said she would let me sleep on it and call tomorrow. I asked for her company so that I could research and find out if this is a scam. She listed off major credit cards she works with. I repeated the question, she replied “account services.”
I’m glad this site is available, confirms my suspicions.
I have had these people calling for the last few months. They have called both of my cell phones as well as the house phone. One cell phone and house phone had calls at the same time from differant states. Phone numbers on my caller ID show calls from 5 differant states.All my phones have been on the do not call list for years. I have also made complaints but aparently nobody in government cares as this outfit has been doing this for years.
I think these guys get our phone numbers, from our BANKS. I gave no one my cell # except immediate family and banks; but these guys – Account Services – came up with my number. And harassed me for at least five years.
Complain to your own BANKS, among other things. They’re probably behind it. Then find the appropriate federal banking oversight agencies to complain about this to.
In effect, these callers operate by getting a more conventional – and lower interest – bank loan, to pay off all your debit. So in effect? They’re giving business to … BANKS. Who love to give your number to them.
In addition? Keep complaining to the FTC and DNC; just takes 15 minutes online. To be sure, Account Services and related organizations’ phone numbers can change, every 5 minutes. So? Look at other entries on this blog, for more info, and more permanent phone numbers to quote to those agencies.
Good luck.
More and more of us are working seriously on this. Including the district attorneys of several states.
For now? Write a formal letter of complaint to your BANKS.
I don’t think this company is getting your phone number from anyone. This is merely “robocalling”, where a computer randomly dials numbers. My assumption is that once it is verified as a working number, it will just continue calling.
If it is your cell phone, there are a couple ways listed online which will help you block this:
http://www.squidoo.com/stop-unwanted-calls
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/blocking-incoming-call1.htm
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/how-to-block-cellphone-spam/
And of course, you can use your search engine for finding other helpful sites.
You are correct…autodialers for the “LI” scam here in the US and lead sheets for a vacation package scam that they were selling to UK, European and New Zealand victims. These are hardcore telemarketers and have not met a dirty pitch that they don’t like….
They don’t get your number from your bank. They use autodialers that call every phone number in an area code, including unlisted numbers.
The best way for getting rid of these type of phone calls is to harass them back. Sorry, I hate being a PITA, but it works. This is a great time to act very inappropriately. Once you get a human being on the line, waste their time. Have a random conversation sentence. Make up your own phone sex routine. Pretend you’re talking to your great grandmother from the other side. Pretend you are Miranda Priestly or Tony Soprano. Start singing ‘Sussudio’ by Phil Collins. You need a reason to give THEM to stop calling you. The more you waste their time, the less time they have to scam others.
Works every time.
Please don’t think ill of me while I’m doing this.
I have been receiving these calls from Account Services LCC in Florida.
A man answered when I dialed 1. He gave me this info. He said there were at least 6 other Companies in Florida offering this same service. I had 3 calls within a 24 hour time frame last week.
The bottom line is that (a) the phone companies are useless when it comes to helping you find these bastards, (b) the FTC is about as useful as teats on a bull, and (c) there seems to be nothing anybody can do about these SOB’s. If I could locate one of them for real I would have their ass in court and shut them down. But, alas, I have as much chance of that as I have of being elected Pope.
Today I received a call from ‘Card Services’ offering to lower my interest rate on VISA or Mastercard if I had a balance of over $5,000 and if I qualified…if not the annual fee would be over $900…crazy, I say. The call was from a call center in Panama,FL. The man made an appointment to call me back tomorrow so I could provide him with numbers. I asked how this is possible through him/them, and not the credit card company itself. He indicated that they are in the game to keep people spending not to save them money. How does this operate?
M.
I just posed a comment on the website. I thought I would write to someone, who posted a recent message. Anyway, if we could get the police to trace these calls, we might get somewhere. This is getting old for me, probably for everyone else. Waste of time and money. Just call me Ichabod
With my home phone It seems the easiest way I have found to handle this is set the answering machine to answer after 2 rings and screen my calls. They disconnect shortly after the machine picks up. With the cell phone I just ignore all calls from out of my area code and return their call if it’s legit. If I an bored I might answer and after telling them not to call I save their number as “DNA” so I know not to answer again. I probably have over 100 DNA’s stored so now I found that I can actually save 3 to a name by using home, cell, and work. I also change the ringer to silent so I don’t even know of their call until after it’s over.
In addition to this – I have the option of sending straight to voicemail so I don’t have to even be bothered with a ring. Hope that helps you out too!
It used to be that the phone was a convenience for it’s owner. Now, it is getting to be a liability for it’s owner. I am getting calls, also, from account services or cardholder services. I am not sure what they want, credit card numbers or social security numbers. Either way, it is trouble for the person who has the legitimate numbers. Have you ever heard of spoof card? They can change the number on your call i.d. I wonder if a tracer would get the correct number ?????? Ichabod
they call me almost daily. I have no credit cards, my number one clue. they claim “this is your last chance” yet the call comes in every day. when you press one, the person on the other end ALWAYS answers in a VERY pleased voice (almost in disbelief that someone might fall for their scam!) “did you just press 1 to lower your credit card debt?!?!”
at first I was trying to be polite and ask them to remove me from their list, but after they hung up on me the first several times I approached these calls in this manner, I began to have a little fun with them, leading them on and then giving them all false info
=)
they finally get suspicious and hang up when the credit card is declined.
I once answered and said nothing but “yep” to every question the man asked and finally he got all irrate and went off on me “is that ALL you’re gonna say is “yep”?” and I again said “yep” and he went crazy, “I tell you, you guys a a complete waste of time, you are LUCKY we are giving you this opportunity, you people are a total trip!!!” and he hung up on me
these people usually call from “UNKNOWN” but tend to use caller ID fakers to spoof fake numbers from Texas, Maryland, ETC that are ALWAYS dead end lines (you call them back and get a message “this number has been disconnected or no longer in service” once they even placed a call from a 1-573-436-XXXX number which immediately was suspicious considering where I live we have 1-573-438-XXXX and 1-573-436-XXXX numbers. we are the POOREST county in Missouri, so we are a very, VERY small community here where-as the 438 numbers tend to be the more commercial area where the businesses reside (NONE of which are a credit company of any kind) and the 436 area being the residential side of our neighborhood. well someone who is not familiar with our area could very easily confuse the two and you call me from a 436 number with a proposal to lower credit card rates on a card I have never owned and will never own while the number is also a fake, does not exist and even if it were a real number, to a local like myself would seem very obvious someone is trying to scam me.
i get these calls at least twice a day. when i tell them to take me off the list they hang up on me. Soooo, my suggestion is to buy an airhorn, they are not expensive. press one and blow it in his ear! that should stop him from being able to call anyone for a while. I’m so fed up, the dot not call list is a waste of time. When i google the numbers, they are cell phone numbers. or they cant be found.
so the only option is to fight fire with fire, deafen them for a while.
I really like the air horn idea! I got one of these calls just yesterday. I can’t even report it because the number that came through the caller id is eleven digits instead of ten! Whatever they are using to scramble their number, or put a fake number in, doesn’t even leave me with a way to complain about them. I get so sick of them calling and always push 1 to talk to someone to tell them to take me off their calling list. They always hang up on me as well! So… I think the air horn idea the best!
Have gone through all of the above (thanks for the posts!). I think another good thing to do is to inform your bank and have them list the account/card services scam(s) on their websites (also have them include that the scam(s) use hokey websites like cardview.com when you google either scam) so others will be informed. Could do the same with cc companies themselves. Of course, if bank(s) or cc company(-ies) refused to do this, it might point the finger at said bank(s) or cc company(-ies), which should also be mentioned when requesting they post a website warning. It’s not just about how to rid ourselves of the harassing calls, it’s also about warning others.
INCREDIBLE!! I’m in NC. These people just called me three times from 2 different phone numbers and area codes and it was the SAME GUY!! He said his name was Claudio & that he was in Florida. My caller ID said “Errol 603-214-9040″. The second time my caller ID said “Bev Hills, CA 310-388-6861″. This morning around 9:30 am, I got an automated call that said, “This will be your final chance to lower your interest rate.” Since I really WANT to do this and was curious, I answered and was directed to press “1″. The guy had a heavy hispanic accent and asked, “Are you ready to lower your interest rates”? I played along and said yes. He said that since I had debt over $3000 and was a good customer, all he needed was my expiration date & he could lower my interest to around 6%. I asked him alot of questions but he never really made clear who his company was which was an immediate red flag, of course. He said he represented Cap One, Citibank, Bank of America, and others and that all I had to do was give him my expiration dates. He said he’d give me his personal ID# and tried to sound legit. I was washing my dog at the time so told him I would have to call him back since I couldn’t get my cards at this time. He said I couldn’t call him but he would ask his manager if he could call me later, which he said was okay, lol! He called back about an hour later. I said I had to get my cards, then hung up on him. He called right back from this number but now the ID said “Unknown Name”. I just picked up and hung up and unplugged my phone from the wall. Geez! I can’t just block his number cause he’ll just use a new one. What do I do??? BIG SCAM! BEWARE!!
This company just called me too! Of course I did not give them my credit card number because it was a cold call over the phone. You never know who you are dealing with. I asked for their web site. They did not have one. I asked for their phone number to call them back in about 10 minutes. Of course they did not have one at the call center.
Glad I googled “account services”. He just called me back and I told him what this web site says about their company. He did not try to defend it, only hung up on me.
Thanks for the posting this scam.
I have received several calls for this from different numbers. I can block some, but some numbers have more than 10 digits and Uverse can’t take those numbers. I did, however, file a complaint with the FTC/Do Not Call list and provided several of the numbers that have come up on the caller id. Guess that’s about all you can do.
So I finally get a number where these people actually are, it is in Beverly Hills, CA 310-388-6861
You can call them at that number, get a reverse look up an finally report them.
What do you mean call and get a reverse look up…they did answer but I didnt know what to do lol
I just posted to this forum see other longer explaination but think i got a call from these people.
877-344-1567
407-480-4489.
1360 Meadowbrook Street
Kissammee, FLa
Aug. 8/25/2011
TO: Detective Mike Stevens, Orlando Police Dept., “Account Services” case # 2011-39033;
RE: “Account Services,” Linked to Citibank; JP Morgan Chase Bank;
CC: FTC; Fed Do No Call List; Appropriate Fed Finance & Banking regulatory agencies
Ref to Orlando Police bust of Account Services: http://www.wesh.com/news/28541464/detail.html
Det. Mike Stevens: Thanks for your help! Here’s some more info and my own contextualizations. Let me know if I can be of help.
Who is “Account Services,” and/or “Card Member Services”? I don’t have much direct experience with their financial services per se; but I can testify to their deceptive and apparently illegal sales/marketing practices. And I might be able to provide clues to their identity/ties to major corporations.
For 5-10 years I have been harassed by hundreds of phone calls from “Account Services,” and/or “Card Member Services,” with hundreds of sales calls on my private and cell phones; they sometimes imply they are associated with my banks – Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo. And/or with my credit cards. Are “Account Services” and “Card Member Services,” associated with these banks? It seems they may in fact be (secretly) linked to major banks. Chase offers an office called “Card Member Services”; “Account Services” may actually get much of its information, as an illegitimate “associate” of say, Citibank. Which is serious: since many people now suggest they appear to be engaged in illegal financial activity. Implicating finally, some very major banks.
Who is “Account Services” and/or“Card Member Services” – and how do we get rid of it? They present themselves over our private phones and cellphones, as a financial service associated with our credit cards or banks; a service that offers to in effect, consolidate any credit card debits we have, into a larger loan, with a lower interest rate; lowering our interest rate. “Account Services” and others, speak over the phone, and sometimes offer written material presenting themselves as associated with our banks – in my case, with Citibank, and Chase – and/or with our Credit Cards, and specifically with their financial year-end tax reports to us, etc.; implying they are one and the same as the bank/credit card that sent our account summaries to us at tax time. But which if any of these organizations, is really from the Bank? And which if any of them – from the bank or otherwise – are legal?
These two agencies have called me literally hundreds of times; they do not fully identify themselves fully as affiliated with any bank; and do not take you off their call up list, in spite of many requests. So: WHO ARE THEY? And how do we get rid of them? Many of us do not give our phones to anyone but our banks; and many of us are on Federal Do No Call Lists; we are not supposed to be contacted by any business with whom we have not had business in the last month or two. Many of us do not feel we have had any contact with banks, or financial services: so how and why are these financial services calling us? In fact however, every time you use your BANK ACCOUNT, technically you have contact with a business: a bank.
So who are these harassing agencies? Are they our BANKS? Acting semi-legally to harrass us with unintentified sales calls? This would explain how they feel they have the right to call us; and wshere they got our phone numbers. Many of us gave our banks our telephone numbers.
So are either 1) “Account Services” 2) and/or “Card Member Services” from our banks? In August of 2011, after holding, for a year, a debit-card account with Chase Bank – a division of The JPMorgan Chase & Co family of companies – I received a “Privacy Notification” from Chase bank: marked “2011 Federal Privacy Notice – 001-0811-005733.” This Notice – as per federal law it seems – informed me as an account holder with Chase, of Chase’s “privacy” policy: informing me that THE BANK SHARES MUCH OF MY PRIVATE INFORMATION with other businesses. And that the bank markets things to you. Most of this information-sharing, the notice assures me, is non-negotiable. Including? We are not allowed to refuse to allow our private contact info – including phone numbers it seems – to Chase and affiliates, “For our marketing purposes – to offer our products and services to you.”
So? Since we use this business – the bank – every day, it might seem it has the (legal?) right to call us, HARASS US WITH CONSTANT SALES CALLS – EVEN IN SPITE OF THE FEDERAL DO NOT CALL LIST. And it thus feels free to call/harass some of us – even weekly? For years? Offering their “financial services.” Yet to be sure? The Privacy Notice from Chase for example allows us to call Chase, and opt out of “sharing” our private info, and phone numbers, 1) with “Our affilates’ everyday business purposes – information about your credit worthiness”; 2) “For our affiliates to market to you”; and 3) “For non affiliates to market to you” (Card Member Services, Chase Bank, 2011 Federal Privacy Notice-001-0811-005733, Aug. 2011; referring to Chase Card Member Services, ph. 01-888-868-8618).
As it turns out, calling 888-868-8618, we discover that Chase bank’s privacy policy, is issued by “Card Member Services” division of … Chase Bank, or the “JP Morgan Chase & Co” family of companies.
So is the infinitely harassing Account Services, and/or “CARD MEMBER SERVICES,” a division or affiliate of … YOUR BANK? Has your bank given over your private information, to their own or related loan shark agencies? To constantly harass you with constant sales calls … offering in effect to turn your credit card debit over to a bank (at a lower interest rate)?
This is not certain; we will perhaps need to work not only with the Orlando Police Dept., but also with appropriate federal banking, communications, and financial service agencies, to make sure. But the division of Chase bank, for example, that nswers inquiries on its privacy policy,calls itself “Card Member Services”; ph. 888 868 8618. As for “Account Services”? It may or may not be related to Chase, and/or to other banks, like Citi and Wells Fargo; as an “affiliate.”
Potential Legal Violations by
“Card Member Services” and “Account Services”
If these calls are from our banks, or from business given our contact info by our banks, then they are potentially in violation of many laws.
1) First: are these harassing calls from the banks themselves? If so they may violate many state and federal marketing laws; especially those for banks and financial services, and especially those involved in interstate commerce. For example? a) Over the phone, these hundreds of calls, do not identify themselves clearly. Indeed, their call-back numbers change daily. And indeed, their marketing/sales activity seems to be simply deliberately evasive and illegal in many ways. Then too? b) the number of calls is excessive: “Account Services” regularly harassed me with literally hundreds of phone calls, for 5- 10- years. This c) even though I am on the Federal No-Call List; and d) asked them not to call me dozens of times. “Card Member Services” was similarly unresponsive.
2) If these are not from the banks per se – have the banks handed over our phone numbers to irresponsible “affiliates” like Account services?
Offenses, and Actions Taken to Date,
Regarding “Account Services”
3) My own experience is that these “boiler room” sales operations are intrusive, and probably illegal.
4) There are now hundreds of complaints about each of these (related?) organizations), on blogs like “Bohemian Revolution,” “Account Services Scam”
5) And many complaints against one or both organizations, have apparently been filed with the FTC/Fed No Call List. So that some relevant federal authorities have been partially notified of possible violations of Federal law.
6) Given these complaints, it was finally reported, on the blogs, that around July 13, 2011, “Account Services”/”Worldwide Marketing” (and Management?”), or “H.E.S. Systems,” based largely in Orlando FLA, was raided by Detective Mike Stevens, and the Orlando FLA Police Department; feel free to contact Det. Stevens, regarding this case, OPD Case # 2011 – 39033. Those seeking redress should contact Det. Mike Stevens at the Orlando FLA Police Dept., referring to this case #.
7) To be sure, “Account Services”/ “Card Member Services” are extremely evasive. And it is not certain to many of us, exactly who they are. First, a) their salespersons hang up immediately when you query them for information. And b) the call-back phone number seems to change, literally, every day. (If it was ever legitimate; they are said to use “call number spoofing”). But finally, after five or more years of harassment and about a hundred calls from the sales staff of Account Services/ “Heather”/ Credit Card Services, etc., it now appears we may be able to identify and close in on these people. In addition to cooperating with the Orlando Police Dept, it is also time to cooperate with appropriate federal agencies: to give the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) what information we have. (Among other things? One sales staff supervisor identified himself as “Travis Bennington,” – FLA? US? Dept. of Agriculture registration # TP 10298.)
Who Are They?
And What Should Be Done?
Who are they? Possibly they can be simply identified as the marketing/sales departments of major banks; notably Chase, and Citi. Who may be employing classic – if now illegal? – “boiler room” sales operations, to try to take over credit debit, with their own lower rate bank loans. Giving themselves additional business. Though at the cost of aggravating millions of customers – if it is discovered by them, that their own banks are behind the constant harassment.
For whatever reason, these organizations, in their salves calls, are extremely scrupulous, about concealing their exact identity or bank affiliation. But after many years of harassment from – apparently illegal – “Account Services” robo sales calls, for example, we are beginning to get a picture as to their probably identity: Recently, the Orlando Police Dept. raided “Account Services” in Orlando, FLA.
Information is accumulating on their identity. 1) One blogger in 2008 identified one “Daniel ‘Ran D’ Barnea,” of Orlando and Boca Raton, as the owner or registered representative of “Account Services” with the Florida bureau of corporations; though that information seems to no longer appear in Florida; likely the businesses have relocated. 2) Det. Stevens OPD tells us that Account Services is related to other corporations like HES Sytems, etc. We 3) were able recently able recently to get the apparent name of one of their supervisors: “Travis Bennington. Travis quoted his license registration number, as being TP 10298, from the Dept. of Agriculture.
Combining this information, with information being compiled from hundreds of irate consumers on the internet, we may have at last given us all enough information to find and bust Account Services and/or “Account Member Services”; if not so much for 1) its/their allegedly at best semi-legal or illegal financial services; but for its their 2) deceptive and illegal sales marketing; “deceptive trade practices.”
Either the harassing phone calls are from our 1) banks; or 2) associates of our banks – offering to replace credit card dept with lower-interest bank loans – of they are not. 1) If they are from our banks and associates? Then it seems likely that major banks and affiliates are involved in many violations of state and federal law were involved in these operations: a) many account -holders were not give timely and full opportunities, as required by law, to demand that these banks did not release our private information – phone numbers etc. – to related and unrelated business associates. More likely: b) these financial agencies harassed us with excessive phone calls, on our cell phones and so forth. And especially, they c) usually, in most of their sales calls, did not fully and accurately identify themselves. Thus, if these are our banks – then the banks and affiliates are guilty of misrepresentation. Then too? It seems from many accounts that d) not just their advertising/sales – our major concern here – but also their financial services/loan-sharking services per se, had ethical problems too.
If these are our banks, or associates – then therefore, it is time for not just the Orlando Police dept., but also the Federal Government, to begin to take action against major banks.
But in any case? If these are not associates of Chase and Citi? Then they are illegitimate businesses clearly involved in scamming operations.
In either case? Whether these are our banks, and/or unrelated financial scams? It is clearly time to bring “Account Services” and/or “Card Member Services,” to the attention not just the Orlando Police Dept., and the FTC/Fed Do Not Call Registry, but also to the attention of agencies like the FBI, and fed financial/banking regulatory agencies.
Account Services was recently raided by the Orlando Police; it is also reported that the Attorneys General of Georgia and (N.?) Carolina, have restricted their operations in their states. Given my own and others’ experiences with them, however, it now seems time to move on, to cooperating with federal authorities, to frame a federal case against them, and give our banks and credit cards notice of apparent problems with these agencies: “Account Services,” and “Card Member Services.”
END?
More?
Indictment of Account Services
Who is “Account Services”? And what can we do to make sure the government prosecutes them? Here we offer a dozen or so points of indictment against Account Services, that might be useful in investigating this business.
1) Briefly: what kind of service is it? And is it legal? This organization probably has not been shut down yet by the FTC and the police, because its financial services, though unethical, at first do not seem illegal. Though first? The FTC offers a video warning of this kind of service.
My own experience is strictly with their harassing and apparently illegal, sales/marketing calls. As to the nature of their financial services per se: is that legal? The short answer seems to be that Account Services is a financial service organization, that offers to get you a lower rate on your credit card loans. In effect it seems, it probably consolidates your credit card debits, into a lower-interest (bank?) loan. But while this in itself is probably legal, to be sure, there are many potential avenues of legal prosecution here. Among others?
1) The FTC complaint site has a video warning against companies like Account Services that offer such things over the phone. This is because a) such organizations can be dishonest. And b) they can charge you many hidden fees. Then too c) getting a bank or other loan to pay off your credit card loan at a lower interest rate, is probably something that you can do yourself with a local bank, at much lower cost to you; and without the dozens of crippling hidden fees charged, we are told, by Account Services. This organization’s financial services may (or many not) be semi-legitimate. But they are unethical and unnecessarily expensive, some would say.
2) But in any case, there are several easy indictments against this organization. The FTC has recordings against this kind of financial service/credit card consolidation; and the robo calls they use. a) As noted above, either these agencies are related to our banks or credit cards; but in that case they are guilty of not letting us opt out of our contact information being given out to associates; and b) guilt of deceptive sales practices. They do not clearly identify themselves, first of all. As per the above. And they are harassing. So a complaint should be framed against them, with the FTC etc., for their deceptive advertising/sales methods.
3) This seems especially out of keeping with strict rules for sales, but also financial and banking operations. Governed by special laws.
4) Possibly the best grounds for legal or government action against Account Services, are probably its deceptive and illegal sales practices, including first of all, its use of robo-calls. This is part of its continual and deliberate violation of No Call Laws and honest representation, that may form the best basis for effective legal action against this organization. Apparently first of all, robo-calls are illegal by federal law. And have irritated, seriously inconvenienced, hundreds, thousands of citizens.
5) These complaints are corroborated by hundreds of written complaints on various blog cites; especially regarding the robo-call from “Heather” of “Account Services.” In fact, the blogs are full of hundreds of complaints from customers contacted by “Account Services.” Who are complaining about Account Services; clearly it has hugely offended and wronged hundreds of citizens, who would be eager to back any legal/government effort against Account Services. (See the “Bohemian Revolution” blog for a few hundred complaints about Account Services.)
6) Many more complaints were filed with the FTC, regarding both sales calls, and hidden fees.
More?
7) Complaints against Account Services sales calls, have legal merit. Many who have received daily, weekly calls, for weeks and even for many years … are on the Federal No Call list. So it appears that if Account Services is not a bank affiliate, it is in regular violation of Federal No Call law; and furthermore, given the massive number of offenses, and the consistency of a pattern of evasion of the law, it seems moreover that Account Services makes no serious or effective effort to comply with Federal No call Law.
The sales force of Account Services (some kind of boiler room operation it seems), makes deliberate efforts to avoid being fully identified; when you ask who they are, they are reluctant to say. Often they hang up. Clearly the salespeople do not want negative feedback to get back to police and federal regulatory agencies.
Under pressure, a salesman at times delivers a generic-seeming name when asked: “Account Services.” But perhaps the very name of the business is deceptive. “Account Services” is not a descriptive name, for many; it is a general, generic name used by departments in many banks and credit agencies; in itself, the very name of the company, is a misleading identifier. And indeed, the company plays on this ambiguity, to give the false impression that it is just a department of a Credit Card company; its “account services” department. And then? As noted above, sales persons will not give further particulars about their company … until you give them a credit card number over the phone. Clearly, the agency wants to disguise its identity, until it is too late; and you have signed on for hefty fees. This and other practices, begin to add up to proof of a pattern of “deceptive trade practice,” that can and should be prosecuted by the FTC and relevant federal banking/financial service regulatory agencies.
The more we look at this financial/banking organization, the more deceptive and misleading sales practices we see. For example? The robo-call gives a reference phone number for the customer to call; but that phone number is good for only one call … and then changes. In order to prevent irate return calls, it seems, and to prevent legal agencies from tracking down the origin of its annoying and illegal calls, this company apparently a) changes many of its phone numbers, given to customers, every day; and/or b) uses “spoofing” or false caller ID, to disguise/change its ID. Clear evidence of deliberate fraud. So this organization uses automated or “robo” calls, to solicit customers; many of us have gotten literally a hundred or more unsolicited calls from their sales staff. But worse: you can’t get back to them to complain: their sales staff won’t remove you from the call up list; and the reference phone # they give you, is good for one call only … and then instantly changes. This is more clear evidence of a deliberate deceitfulness, illegality, in this financial “service.” Particularly, in its sales operation. A deceitfulness that is so systematic and long-term moreover, that we can only assume that management had been fully complicit in these deceptive trade practices. A matter of concern to the FTC, etc..
Who Are They?
So how do we finally identify the source of these abuses? Usually these salespeople simply hang up when you ask too many questions, and when you want honest answers about this company. Therefore it is hard to find out who the source of the robo calls really is. But after many years of these calls, many of us have pretended to be interested in its services … and played along, long enough to get some relevant information from them. In the present investigator’s case? Early in May 2011, in response to the hundredth robo-call from Account Services, the present author feigned interest in the service – but asked to speak to a supervisor to get an internet reference to the company, to check on the company and its reputation. Trying in this way to get the name of one or more of their salespersons, the present author was able to find that his salesperson was “Justin” – and more importantly, his supervisor was “Travis Bennington’; who claimed to be authorized for this kind of work by the Dept. of Agriculture registration # TP 10298. Here at last, there may be at last some hard evidence, where these calls are coming from; and a possible violation of Dept. of Agriculture laws as well. (The internet also reveals other likely names and addresses, for Account Services and related businesses. It appears most of them are run by one “Ran David Barnea” of Orlando and Boca Raton, Florida. Their latest phone numbers and address were reported as of 2008 (on the blog site “Bohemian Revolution”) to be “Consumer Law Group” in Florida, 954 426 2642. The owner appears to be “Ran” David Barnea (“Ran-D”), of 21955 Cyprus Dr. Apt. 48 F, Boca Raton, FL 33433, ph. 954 603 0430. Or 23123 State Rd. 7, Boca Raton FL 33428. Ph. 954 603 0430 and/or 426 2642. Though it’s hard to get a valid phone number for Account Services, some have used this phone number in the past, in 2008, with success: 813 418 5811. These might not still be live numbers; but they are useful as a reference. Other addresses and numbers include: Account Services,775 Warner Lane, Orlando FLA; ph. 813 418 5811; also 8413 Laurel Fair Cir., Suite 100, Tampa, FLA; 3592 Aloma Ave, Suite 4, Orlando FLA. An ex-employee asserts that “Ran D” (David) Barnea is at the center of the many various related organizations; the parent organization he says is American Debt Negotiators/The Consumer Law Group; most at 21955 Cyprus Drive. Their mail number rings and records, but its hard/impossible to get a live response : 866 969 4236. You might use this # in complaints to the FTC though. Or CT1? 954 603 0430?
In addition, a primary player here appears to be a pillar of the banking/financial community: JP Morgan Chase Bank. Specifically? Its “Card Member Services” office.
Attorney General offices of several states, have explored prosecuting Account Services. It appears that the Attorney General, State of North Carolina, was attempting to shut down “Account Services” and or “The Consumer Law Group” (as reported in the Sun Sentinel, Oct. 5, 2010). Anyone seeking to exchange information on Account services, and seeking legal prosecution, might consider contacting the Attorney General of North Carolina; or the Attorney General of your own state as well. To begin to build a case. An ex employee says American Debt Negotiators was sued/shut down by the Attny Gen. State of Georgia as well. Action against Barnea and his organizations, seems to be pending with the Attorney General of PA, as well, according to information informally gathered here.
Clearly, Account Services is engaged in deliberate deception and law-breaking. As noted above, the sales pitch, and indeed the very name of this business, implies that it is linked to our credit card accounts, credit card companies; the term “account services” and “Card Member Services,” even implies that this is the account services office of a credit company (or bank?). This (apparently false), deceptive impression, is furthered by the implication conveyed by their latest robo-call, that they themselves have just sent us an end-of- tax year credit card summary, of credit card debits; though no such summaries were sent to us by Account Services specifically; its statement was false. In the case of the present author, all that actually appeared in the mail, had were standard, end-of-tax-year summaries of my credit status … from the credit card companies themselves. Either Account Services was lying when it said that it sent its own summary; or it (fraudulently?) mean to imply that it was itself linked to the credit card companies and their summary.
Is Account Services linked to any legitimate business? Several calls to credit agencies like Citibank Mastercard, were not forthrightly answered.
But finally: does this agency has any official links to any BANKS? If so, then it is probably in violation of banking regulations, dues to deceptive salves practices. Indeed, the robo-call adds of Account Services are not only in violation of Federal No Call laws; so that complaintants should file a quick complaint with the No Call agency online. But furthermore, the practices of Account Services would also therefore seem to qualify as a “deceptive trade practice” and/or false advertising … relating specifically to banks. Indeed, Account Services seemed to have this author’s cell phone number … which he released only to immediate family, and … banks. It might be good to send a copy of this very letter to your own bank, therefore. Is “Account Services” therefore, illegally obtaining private information/cell phone numbers, from an illegal relationship with banks? Then too off course, likely Account Services is paying off credit debits, thanks to large loans from banks; banks that would be dismayed to hear that they business they are lending massive amounts of money too, it itself engaged in illegal practices and fraud (like violation of the No Call law, etc.). Given the close relation of Account Services with banks, any further legal investigation of Account Services should probably be in part be accompanied with the help of federal banking and credit service oversight agencies; not just the FTC.
What should consumers do? Indeed, letters of complaint against Account Services have been and should be sent by wronged consumers, not only the a) Federal No Call Registry; the b) FTC; and to c) credit card companies; the d) police; and e) phone companies; as well as the f) Better Business Bureau (which gives this business an “F” rating); and g) the Dept. of Agriculture; but especially, h) letters of complaint probably should also be sent to the various government agencies tasked with oversight of specifically financial or banking businesses.
And as for the ordinary consumer? i) you might send a query to your own banks?
Most of all though, it may be that any successful action will be based on large part on federal banking regulators.
Who Am I?
Who wrote this? Who am I? I have a PhD and make a credible witness; I am happy to lend my testimony here, against this business. And I invite any other abused victims of Account Services, to develop their own complaints against Account Services; using the information I have assembled here, as well as their own information. The simplest path to take here, would be for a victim to take a half hour, and file complaints against Account Services with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). And then the National Do Not Call Registry. Though working with the Attorney General may be more useful, ultimately.
With luck and your help, we may be able to shut this abusive business down, once and for all.
To date, the appropriate local and federal agencies had been ineffective; but with more and more detailed information from victims of this business – with your help – it should be possible to at last take decisive action against it. Not so much for its actual credit business … but for false and deceptive salves practices, among other things. And a consistent pattern of deliberate deception, deceptive sales practices, that should certainly now come to the attention not just of local police, but also appropriate major federal agencies.
Good luck!
Dr. G. Gaddie, Ph.D.
On July 13, 2011, the company called ACCOUNT SERVICES or CARD SERVICES, which was actually WORLDWIDE MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT and HES SYSTEMS was raided by the Orlando Police Department in Orlando, Florida. The main office was shut down, but they still have several smaller officers hidden throughout Florida. This is an ongoing investigation and the OPD case number is 2011-39033. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at my work e-mail.
How exciting! Thank you so much for letting us know, Detective Stevens!
I got the call today. # was blocked/masked. when asked name of company, “account services” associated with mc/visa. same shit. got belligerent when I asked about company name and blocked #. send them to jail
Great to have that information and see that there is activity towards quelching this scam. When I received the call today I asked the caller “Fernando” to call me on my home number as I did not want to use up the air time on my cell, so he did. It occurs to me that when he calls me back, and he will, I could just give him a phone number that would lead straight to you or your office (while he thinks he is calling me) may I do that? I’m in San Antonio,Texas, my cell is 213, my home is 210, he questioned it, but i just told him I had my cell from long ago – which is true. What would be your telephone number to give? Thanks, Euge
Also, keep up the good work…without these type of forums it would be hard for us to sell these cases to prosecutors and our agencies….thanks again.
Also, they were using a system which allowed them to show numbers from different areas of the country…I can assure you they are all here in Orlando. You can see the video of the raid if you Google “Orlando Police Timeshare Raids” and look for the July 13, 2011 search warrant at 4401 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida. More to come…stay tuned….
The lastest robo calls from 360-529-6190 from Oct. 1 through today Oct. 26, 2011 are coming from this number which through investigation I have found is actually owned by Stephen Hamilton on behalf of a company called PacficTel at 310-895-0574 and address 12228 Venice Blfd. #559 Los Angeles CA 90066. Apparently there have been several compliants filed against this guy before so looks like he is another Ran Barnea type.
http://www.wesh.com/news/28541464/detail.html
Count me in on efforts to put this unethical Company out of business.
I got a call – long phone number of 907-002-659-717. I spoke to this “lady” who had an attitude because I asked how they got my phone number, why I’ve never heard of them, Where they were based out of, and how do I know they are legitimate? They hung up on me after saying “I don’t have time for this”. They said their company is “Account Services” and they negotiate to lower credit card interest rates – but they say they received my contact information from the companies I deal with….DUH, I wasn’t born yesterday. Why on earth would any company I am dealing with contact a third party to have them negotiate with my company to lower my interest rate? Please do not given these people ANY information. What a bunch of losers! They need to get their behinds out there and get a real job instead of scamming hard workers out of their hard earned money!
“Heather” at “account services” called me again today. I get the automated call from her about every five days or so, each time telling me it’s the “final offer.” I used to get a lot of these calls about a year or two ago, then they stopped for a while, but in the last couple of months I’ve gotten several calls. I would be willing to help put these people behind bars.
Press “1″ – “I ask who I should call to get their cool job” OR sometimes I ask my wife, hey honey, someone wants to know how much you charged today & how many credit cards do we have? People, play the game – Don’t worry, be happy. Imagine, these young people are working!!!!! We can send a man to the moon but can’t stop spam – ironic.
And the SCAM continues… I thought they were but wasn’t sure andc I was curious as I have received many calls from them and also in the mail offering their service to reduce interest rate down to 6%. Today the call said “This is your last chance last time we call you” I asked “Fernando” how I could verify that it was not a scam? His reply was well it is the same as when you pay at a restaurant with your credit card and you turn it over to a waiter, you trust they will come back with it and not charge anymore, plus it is also protected by law thru the banks if there were ever any unauthorized charges so you have nothing to fear. The name of your company “Account Services LLC.” He said he had received information on me from Experian and Equifax and he knew my debt was over $5,000.00 but asked me how much it was and how many cards did I have? What was the lowest and highest interest rate I was paying and would I give him the number and expiration date of the one with the highest interest rate so he could call the bank and verify that I was current and in good standing. I did and he called the credit card company’s automated system which gave him my outstanding and available balance. Since the outstanding is high and the available was $430.00 he said I needed to give him one that had at least $800.00 to $1,000.00 dllrs balance because the credit card companies needed to see that it was a card that could be used for purchases in order to make it worth their while to reduce the interest rate! Yeah! – uhu! I said I was sorry but all of my cards are pretty much maxed out. He said well give me a few and we will combine them to see if you have at least $800.00 to $1,000.00 available in combination. I pretended to check and said NOPE sorry there is not enough. He asked when I thought I would have enough – so I could qualify! I replied in about 3 months maybe, to which he said he would keep my number and call me back then. After that I checked the phone number I had on my caller ID and got “1 666 030-9950 The number or code you have dialed is INCORRECT! No real surprise there! Then I checked the web and found your site, I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity! Of course I called my credit card company immediately and blocked and changed my card number – duh! Thank you one and all for this site, it really helps.
Got the exact phonecall last night from Account Services – 405-014-4455 (Oklahoma came up on my caller id). Girl on the other phone asked me for the 1-800 number of a credit card which I had the best standing in. They give the impression that they were one of my credit card companies until I started asking questions: 1) What is the name of your company 2) Why would I give you my cc# over the phone. I told here that I needed to leave and she could call me tomorrow. Found all this information. I’m hoping they do call back. What a shame that people get taken this way and thank god for the internet and for people who post information on these scams.
I received a call on my cell phone from 407-480-4489 a week after aplpying for a 0% interest rate card from Citibank. They said Hi Jen, this is Cheryl Ott and i am calling from Card Services. Promising to reduce my interest rates. Scary they already had most of my personal info. asked me to confirm my last 4 digits of my SS# and give them my maiden name. Basically they were filling in the blanks. They proceeded to charge my credit Card for $1498. Luckily my cc company denied the charges., They have been harrassing me for days to give them the $1500 or they are sending me to collections.. stating that they will DESTROY my great credit. I have filed a complaint with the FCC, the Attorney General Offices, FBI, as well as the 3 credit bouroughs. What a nightmare. They have my info etc. Apparently out of Kissammee Fla – they open and close businesses go by many including.. AWD, Holz & Lwin Processing, Royal Financial Solutiions, Swan Financial.But they tried to send the money to AWD – Ambrosia Web design of Arizonia. I have contacted Eyewitness News 7 on your side and Dateline. This needs to be stopped. They are probably making millions.
Account services has called me 15 times in July and I told the all 15 times that I am on the national do not call list and to take my number out of their listing, they promise to do that, but it never gets done, they called today at 830p.m. cst and I told them they keep calling even when I have told them 15 times to stop, and I am on the national do not call list and if they call again I will sue their ass, yes I know I cussed but I am fed up with these folks
Actually I have had fun with these people whenever they call. I tell them my name is Ben Dover and yes, I’d like to lower my interest rate on a couple of my cards. Once they ask me for my credit card number, I either say “ready, okay it’s” whatever the phone numbers is they’ve called from plus a couple more numbers. They usually wind up hanging up when they know I’ve messed with them. Some times I just say “okay, it’s” then I hang up like we’ve been disconnected. Then sometimes when someone comes on the line and they ask me if I pressed 1, I start talking jibberish that sounds like a foreign language. I come up with different things to waste their time. Nice way to break up an occassional boring day. Jack with these people. Don’t get mad at them or threaten them…they like that. Jack with them….be creative….have a laugh on them.
I’ve been getting these calls and just hanging up, but today I wanted to put an end to them, so I pressed “1″. A man came right on the line and asked if I wanted to lower my credit card rate. When I told him my number is on the Do Not Call list, he told me that Experian had given them my number because of my good credit. I told him not to call again and he gave me the number to call to speak with the side of the company that would remove my number from the list. The number is 800-429-7399 and sounds like some kind of sex chat line. Very annoying and should be illegal to bother people like this!
Next time I think I’ll have to go with Check’s advice and annoy them back instead.
They now list a number with no name or “Florida” etc. Calling back does no good, the number is disconnected. Talking to them does no good. They won’t give any information only that they work with all banks. Usually when I see an out of state number or if no name or number appears I don’t answer. Hopefully their machine will eventually recognize it as an invalid number.
I just got a call like this, I know it is a huge scam…. I told him I ALWAYS pay off my cards and he said something rude, I could not understand him then he hung up. I am going to think of a good way to mess with then the next time they call. this is the second call I recieved in the past 2 months. this one showed up as a windsor canada number 561-910-4713 when I called it back I got Joe Ortega’s voice mail. I left a message leting him know I called the police. I a lso called back 10 times and let it ring just enough before voice mail picked up. So I guess Canada has it’s scam team working us too!!!!! I am glad I have found this site, I just hope that there are nt many that get taken.
PS. I asked wich credit card they were talking about and they said your visa mastercard…. I said I have a few different companies that I work with and wanted to know which one they were from. He then said something and hung up.
I’ve had 40-50 calls from this mobile boiler room in the last year. Three today alone from three different numbers. All of the numbers have been in use for over a month (see above) and I report every one to donotcall.gov which seems to be totally worthless. A blind man could have nabbed them by now. I don’t know which one is the bigger joke. They go under “Visa & Mastercard Services”, “Credit Card Services”, “Card Services”, none of which exist. Just another scam that marks the continuing decline of America. I waste as much of their time as I can while “I look for my cards”. They hang up but, like roaches, they will be back. Anyone who gives their credit card numbers to a stranger calling out of the cloud deserves to lose their money.
They don’t just hit home or cell numbers. I have been receiving these for years on my work line from Rachel, Ann, sometimes with no name, etc., but all from either Account or Credit Services. Doesn’t appear to be a robo-dialer because our cubicles were issued numbers sequentially and mine is the only one getting these calls. Our building runs a digital phone system and all 1000 sequential numbers show as xxx-xxx-1000 on caller ID to outgoing calls, even though your personal number might be xxx-xxx-1234. Somehow I got on a list and can’t get off it. Recently, the phone numbers have been showing up as cell phones (mostly in Florida) but I’ve received them from all over the US, and one was even in my own area code! If they are spoofing I don’t know if it can be stopped. I’ve reported each one to donotcall.gov for years.
Right; I’ve been filing complaints with the Fed Do Not Call … and they were effective briefly … but are not effective right now.
Looks like the Feds are not acting. My most recent call by the way, was today, from “Ann” at Account Services; offering a callback number that was immediately changed. But by now, from info on this blog, we know who these people are. And attornies general of (South) Carolina and GA have taken some limited actions on them in the past.
So why won’t the feds take action? Apparently the government, specially the Fed DNC, will not take action. But? I believe it is against the law for public officials not to enforce the laws of the land. And 1) specific individuals, 2) agencies, and 3) possibly the fed. gov. itself can be sued, it it does not enforce its own laws.
Is there a lawyer out there? Anybody out there want to sue the Fed DNC – for failing to take action? In your next complaints to the FTC/FDNC we each should take names of irresponsible federal officials; and mention this possiblity of a lawsuit against them, for failure to enforce the law.
Are there any lawyers out there? Let’s go!
I used to get people calling me all the time until I just started giving them a new number to call. I just tell him the person your asking for has gone away for college or moved and I have there new number if they want it. Then I give them the number of the Local Police department. Some times I tell them, that is the dorm phone number and everyone in the fraternity knows him as Piglet. (No disrespect to police). I have been doing this for about 3 years and I have never gotten a repeat phone call from them again. It works great when they have an automated system that calls the police department because they don’t hear them answer the phone. They just pick up a few seconds later and ask for the name I gave them. Must not be a big deal because the police have yet to call me and complained about doing this. Sure solved my problem and who knows, maybe the police can trace it if the get irritated enough.
These people are so ANNOYING! The last two calls I received were from 404-224-9078 and 772-224-3390. If you ask the name of their company or their name they hang up. We are on the do not call list but that doesn’t help. If anyone figures out how to stop them please post it!
Or maybe, after all, the police ARE taking action. Note from the above:
Det. Mike Stevens July 22, 2011 at 6:50 am
On July 13, 2011, the company called ACCOUNT SERVICES or CARD SERVICES, which was actually WORLDWIDE MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT and HES SYSTEMS was raided by the Orlando Police Department in Orlando, Florida. The main office was shut down, but they still have several smaller officers hidden throughout Florida. This is an ongoing investigation and the OPD case number is 2011-39033. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at my work e-mail.
I’ve been getting these calls on my home phone for weeks, despite the fact that I’m on the national Do Not Call list. They usually have no CallerID. Today I got a call from a Knoxville TN number – 865-291-1569 – on my cellphone! I asked to tell me where their company is headquartered and they hung up. What I’m most dismayed about is that now they’ve got my cellphone number.
Can’t anyone stop these idiots?
Almost nothing will stop these guys; I’ve been dealing with them for 5-10 years.
Except? Reporting them to the Do Not Call List ….
Or especially, I have high hopes for Detective Stevens, of the Orlando FLA Police Dept, agove. Who just busted the parent organization of Account Services, it seems.
I got another call from Heather this morning, Aug 16,1011. I get these calls frequently and usually hang up, but today I answered with the 1 and got Tom Jenkins, who soon became suspicious of me when I asked for his phone number. I hope he is so suspicious that he removes me from his list. I plan to trick him into giving me his number next time.
Frank
I just got this same call (from number 575-513-7814) and must have asked too many questions becuase they said they would have to call me right back and never did. LOL. It would not be obvious to everyone that it is a scam especially since we had called the credit company two weeks ago to ask for a lower interest rate. Thank goodness I know not to give personal information out over the phone.
When I asked which credit card they were calling about, the man claimed to work with all credit companies to lower interest rates and that there are no up front fees because they make profit on the interest savings (that noone is paying?). When I gave them information regarding my limit as x dollars and my total balance as x minus 100 dollars, they claimed that I would not be approved because it was so close to the limit. They wanted another card that was the “furthest away from the limit” to get the new low rate on and claimed that it would “apply to ALL open revolving accounts”. A dream come true but too good to be true, nevertheless. Thankfully, again, I gave no numbers out.
This is where the lightbulb went on and I asked what company they were with and they said Freedom Credit Financial or something like that. Then he asked if he could call me back in five minutes and never did. Hmmm… was it something I said?
They’re total con artists and they really like that fact. I got transferred to the “account manager” when trying to get them to take my cell phone number off their list. He was very smart alecky, told me I needed to deposit $10 into their account to get my number out of their system (gave me some bogus set of numbers as an account), gave me their main phone number which turns out to be a porn phone site. Finally, he told me they’re a “really big operation” and hung up on me. Just scumbags at work like rats out at night. Not much anyone can do about it apparently.
These people are relentless. They hang up on me every time I ask to be removed from the call list. It is so frustrating. I am in NC. I may try to call the police dept and see if there is something they can do. It is getting out of hand!
Yep..they almost got me too
lady named Leah called my cell # which I don’t give out.My caller ID showed her # a 407:702-0538.Due to y recent unemployed status for the first time in my 33 years of working. I obviously was looking for solutions to save, cut-back, lower “whatever” rates etc..I asked Leah to call me back in approx. 2hours onmy home phone# & she promptly did. Leah then asked several questions to “qualify me” then connects to Tom Jenkins-the floor manager. I did initially grill Him asking”where are you located-response was”Florida,Tom said they are not a bill consolidation company. I asked what do you get out of lowering my credit card interest rate cuz “nothing is free & how would you stay in business if there is no cost?” He said there is power in numbers, meaning they represent numerous comsumers & because they deal with banks & credit card services all the time etc…Then he said “Account Services makes money on the difference between my current higher interst rate -vs- the new lower rate & nothing comes out of my pocket &they are paid by my card service (Capital One) Oh.. Capital one verified they’DO NOT MAkE SUCH OUT BOUND CALLS TO OFFER LOWER INTERST RATES. IF PROMOTION COMES AVAILABE-CAPITAL ONE WILL MAIL YOU A NOTICE FOR YOU TO RESPOND, IF YOU CHOOSE. BOTTOM LINE”NEVER EVER GIVE OUT YOU CARD NO# LAST 4IDIGITS OF YOUR SOCIAL-ESPECIALLY IF THE ALLEGED AGENCY CALLS YOU!!! WHEN i DID ASK FOR THEIR PHONE# TO CALL THEM BACK & I also “FLATT OUT TOLD TOM JENKINS THAT “I HOPE YOU’RE NOT A SCAM AGENCY” CUZ i DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS & BE DECENT ENOUGH TO HANG UP NOW& DON’T TAKE ME THROUGH THIS -PLUS “GOD’S GOING TO GET YOU IF YOU ARE A SCAMMER etc.. He assured me that they,Account services we legitt. He said he’ll put me on hold to call Cpital One(he already had the cust service phone# too)verilfy if my acct was in goood standards which authorizes him to proceed in getting me a lower interest rate. Oh..He also said I can still use my current card & that it would just be purchases charged at the lower interest rate. I told Mr.Jenkins some was at myf front door&to hold..I quickly googled “Account Services Florida” pulled up this site that alerted me that Account Services is in fact ” A SCAM” 
But as Mr.Jenkins still held the line, I quickly called Capital One’s cust srv./Fraud Dept.on my cell phone-they verified they don’t lower interest rates through any other company/ & they could track if they did out bound called me.(& they hadn’t) Capital One immmediately put a block on my card-closed that account &card & will monitor any future card activity on that account.”Thank God” for me not being completely a fool & for that gutt feeling that “this sounds too good to be true& quickly double checking in enough time that this unfortunate situation did not turn into a complete Nightmare & I pray that it doesn’t cuz I’m posting this “beware comments” immediately after the fact. so I have yet to see what happens in the coming weeks. Thank you for making this alert available to your fellow good intentions human beings. “Bless You” & Good Luck
Part#2 Tom Jenkins the so called Floor Manager fro Account Services was calling from Area Code 347:788-3033 & again the initial phone from the so-called Rep. Leah was 407:702-0538 Good Luck & BE AWARE
I was called today by Debbie fron account services phone number 404 226-7528
she hung up on me when I asked where she was located. When I tried to call the number back (several times it was busy.
I have had the same call…both on home and cell phone….numerous times. I wish someone would find the location of this phone and give it to me!
I got this same call but stated out with “how much debit are you in, in relation to you card limit?” I say 50% of limit, they say “ok we can help you…whats your card number so we can get started” I say are you crazy? they hang up!
Get these all the time. I’ve tried to get info from them and they just hang up. I think they know what’s up with me because last call I got as soon as the rep got on the line he hung up without me saying a word. Must have my telephone number on the screen when I press 1.
I’m thinking of buying a whistle for my next call. Press 1 and when I get a live person “let it blow”.
Not even 30 minutes ago, I answered our house phone and VOILA” it was ” Account Svs of Pittsburg…. phone number of 215-316-1517. I got the recording.. I was already ticked off because we are also on the National DO NOT CALL List. First was the recording, in the last few days, I’ve answered several of these calls and just hung up. I decided to talk to some supervisor and get my name and number off their list. This young black male (for whom I could NOT understand what he said his name was…), was giving me the spiel about reducing the interest rate on my credit cards.. SSS plural. (I have no credit cards, and neither does anyone else that lives here with me.) I was nice at first. I asked him WHO HE WAS… still couldn’t get his name. Who was the company, Acct Svs… I then politely asked him how he got my name and number since we are on the do not call list. He said that didn’t matter, did I want to lower my rate or not. He got a bit edgy with me. He was asking me the standard questions, to which I would answer with a question of my own. He got pissed. I said let me have your companies name, address and phone number.. as well as YOUR name and extension. He immediately fell into the routine of being conciliatory… I wrote down the information.. then told him I was reporting him and that company to the BBC and the Do Not Call registry and FCC. He got really snotty with me then and TOLD me that I had MAJOR debt on numerous cards and I needed to lower my interest and he was the only one who could do it. I came back at him with “That’s strange… I don’t have a credit card and neither does anyone else here.”… then he started telling me my Mother’s and Father’s name and how they have all this debt on credit cards, etc…. I told him he had the wrong people and he needed to go sit on an ungreased pole………………
Once off the phone with him, I immediately looked up the phone number he gave me…which was 800-382-5908… It was a PHONE SEX operator, give me your credit card number….
I then called the number that he called from and low and behold… it’s an unidentified cell phone… in other words.. it’s a disposable phone… although from the Pittsburg area.
Then looked up the company on the net and here I am… with all of you fine folks. I don’t take kindly to calls like that anyway… I mean, if I want something, I’m gonna call for it or go to it. Stupid, I’m not. I gave him no information other than we don’t have credit accounts. He was pissed too. Now I’m gonna call our local sheriff dept and blast the original message up there on Facebook and on a couple other websites.
Thanks so much for everyone chiming in on this subject. Oh.. and if you get a whistle… get a real metal whistle and not one of those plastic things. The metal ones are really loud and when blown into the ear of jerks… it tends to put them off calling back. Especially when you tell them you had the call traced and the police are now onto you and where you are. ( I didn’t, but seriously thinking about it.)
The other number that showed up on my caller ID was
I like the whistle idea. I pushed the number they told me to , to stop the calls, but they haven’t stopped. I talked to an operater today and was told the calls would NOT stop unless I verified certain information! I had no rights to ask to be removed from the list because they were representing the government trying to help me out! Boy, do these people actually have sucess at this scam? I just can’t believe it!
I receive these calls daily, multiple times a day, from “Unknown Number” with no phone number shown. I’m located in West Virginia, USA. Just like the other posts, I pressed 1 to speak to the “rep”. I asked what credit card company the call was regarding, and the “rep” immediately hung up.
Definitely a scam! DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR FINANCIAL OR PERSONAL INFO!
Just got the same call 3 times today and have been getting them for months. Decided to answer the last one and asked one simple question. Do you abide by the DO NOT CALL list. Amazing she hung up. I get everything from Unknown Number to the last one as 753-000-8541. Too bad my phone system is not smart enough to block bogus phone numbers. These guys should be put in jail. Fraud is what got this country in trouble. I think I’m going to take John’s suggestion – WHISTLE
I agree
I received two calls on 08/18/11 and the second time I talked with Renee for a few minutes. The call came from 208-705-3788 and when I called back it was just a busy signal. She said there were “other” companies who were illegally providing the same service so yes I needed to be careful. Of course I had no idea of giving her or anyone like here one ounce of information but it is important for everyone to know that this type of scam is still trying to take from $895 to $1195 in service fees for lowering your interest rate.
I just fell for this today unfortunately but also closed my credit card account before they could charge my card te $495. He convinced me it would be cheaper than a bank’s 4% fee for a Debt Consolidation loan. They were also in Florida but called “Associated Services” out of Port St. Lucie, FL or Associated Accounting of Florida.
ThEY GOT ME TOO!!! I CLOSED MY ACCOUNT TOO
OMG! I just got the same call today. I seemed a little wired to me. I started asking all kinds of questions and asked how did they get my cellphone number, because i don’t give it out. But yet, I still gave my account number and they could get through. I told them to call me back and i goggled them. I then called my credit card company and told them what happen and also canceled the cards and made sure i had fraud protection and monitoring system. Something really need to be done about this.
I just received a call from ‘account services’. I repeatedly asked her what company she works for to which she first said – visa, mastercard, discover and amex..ugh at how they try to such people in. I then said ok but what company, because those are all card types that are issued by various companies. She then told me she works for all the major credit card companies. I told her that is impossible, that her paycheck has to come from one company and that is the question I am asking.. who writes your paycheck.. she kept trying to peddle around it and finally hung up on me. I guess she realized that I was not falling for being called by ‘account services’ of a company that she cant disclose. I feel for all those that fall into this trap.
I just got a call from Account Services 515-421-3101. After I pressed 1, I asked the caller who he was. He said he was from visa mastercard and was associated with my lender. When I asked who my lender was he said “Good Bye Sir” and hung up. When I called the number back it just made a funny noise like it wasn’t connected to a trunk or something..
I get these calls ALL the time! I am so frustrated. I have asked them several times not to call, but they do. I have a droid blocker on my cell so they have to call me from a published number, but when I call the number back, it goes nowhere. The number they call me from is 515-421-3101. It’s the same number all the time and when I talk to someone, they always hang up on me when I ask where they are located.
I have been on the Do not call list for years and I renew every couple of years, but it doesn’t stop them.
They call Canada too! I almost gave out my numbers but didn’t.
I have been getting calls dialy as well, but the last few days I hit “1″ to speak with someone. When the young man comes on the line and I ask to be removed from their list (I am already on a DO NOT CALL REGISTRY) the guy hangs up on me! Or if I ask his name – he hangs up on me! The last number that called is 407-936-9999. Is there no way to catch these people?
I just got the call. I spoke to a man who said you have to be at least 10k in debt and have at least a 12% interest rate. i said i didnt have those qualifications and he said ” okay thanks i will take you off our list.” red flags went up bc he couldnt identify what creditcards i had…. so i dont know i think maybe the way to get them to stop calling is to say you dont meet the requirements?
They will keep calling.
I have gotten these a few times and every attempt to get information from the rep ends the call abruptly. I think the next time I get the call I am going to play dumb and waste their time. I’ll act like I am thrilled, give them the 800 number for my bank, but a fake 16 digit card number. oops I think that is a 6 not a 9… I get those mixed up. let’s just start over. please be patient with me i really want your help with my cards…….. I imagine that they have heard all manner of bile and animosity but that having *their* time wasted is the best way to enrage those criminal operators.
Just got this phone call. I have pushed 3 numerous times to have them stop calling. So I pressed 1 and got a woman, who, when I told her I had pressed 3 and any further calls would be referred to a lawyer for the purpose of suing them, hung up on me without another word. Since we have no credit card debt I was initially stunned to be getting these calls, So glad to get confirmation from this site that it is a scam.
FYI: I live in Ohio so that is another state they are operating in. They are calling on my home phone number and I don’t have caller ID. So I guess I will go to the Do not call registry and report this.
I too have been getting these phone calls, twice today, already in fact. The first time I hung up, as I always do, since you don’t know where these calls are actually coming from. I then called my credit card company, using the phone # on the back of my card, and they told me the call was not from them. Right after that, I received another call from this same recording, and this time I pressed 1. When Rachel came on the line, she asked me if I had more than $3000 in credit card debt, and if so, would I like to reduce my interest rate to 6.9%? I asked her what company she was calling from. She said Corporate Credit services and that they work with all of the credit card companies, Visa, MC, American Express. I told her I just had spoken with my credit card company, and they told me not to give any info to someone who calls offering a rate. I also told her to stop calling me, and she hung up on me. But another time when they called, I pressed 1 because I was interested to see what would actually happen, and I was connected at the same time as another customer, so I could hear her giving her name, etc. I tried to say, “Hey, you have two calls on the same line!” and then they hung up on me. Quite the quality operation!
I recieved the call yesterday as I was returning home from my trip to see my son. I told the guy I was driving and couldnt give him any info right at that time so he said he would call me back today.Lets see if he will. lol
These scammers have been around for a long time. Since they spoof the phone number for caller ID there isn’t much we can do to track them down.
What needs to be done is to have laws put in place that would require the phone companies to block any number that is not legitimate.
I’m in Illinois. Same thing. Air horn maybe?
The FCC filed charges against a large number of these scammers in December of 2009. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/robocall.shtm
The scammers are now back to making millions of these calls again, so obviously they either don’t learn their lessons or it is a new batch of thieves.
Maybe if enough of us file complaints they will go after them again.
You can file an online complaint at http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
I think I’ll tell the next one, “she’s deceased, and I’m just here trying to clean out the house.” WHY DON’T WE HAVE LAWS that ALLOW those people to be hunted down and prosecuted???
I once asked.who they were calling for so I can give them to the right person. (i knew they were a scam) they listed myself, my mother, my sister, my father (those 3 live at all seperate addresses) and my 7 year old daughter. I told them hold on I will get my daughter for them, and put them on speaker. Ít was pretty funny!
Ask them to call you on your other number 407-246-2470 and ask for Detective Mike Stevens.
That’s a good one. I’ll have to try it
Got an unsolicited robo-call asking me if I wanted to lower my rates — pressed 1, and got transferred to an agent who claimed to work for “Account Services ACC”. When pressed, they wouldn’t give me any more information.
The call came up with this number: (347) 260-1495. When I call the number it says: “The person you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.”
I’ve been getting these are recorded messages. I usually hang up but today pushed 1 to speak to a life representative. She said they were Associated Serviced and when I asked how they got my number, she told me they got it from Equifax based on our credit rating. When I started to push for more information she said they’d take me off their call list and hung up on me while I was in mid-sentence.
Same thing happened to me just a few minutes ago. Phone number 3472601495 (my phone said Brooklyn, NY) I could see how people fall for it; this needs to be stopped.
In ohio there is also a scammer calling from a 1-888-839-1716 .He states he is from a company called capital. He said I had several checks that bounced and if I did not call him back I would be summonsed to court the next day for writing fraudulent checks. I knew it was all false.I called the # back at the ext. they left on my machine, It said Mr. Lawson was not available.Which is the man that left me the message. So I called back the next day, same # same ext. It was the same man only he used a different name this time.Right then I knew it was a scam.He had a very distinct voice so I knew it was him….
I just got the same call as the rest of you. This has been happening for months. I used to just tell them to take my number off their list but they would just hang up. Today, I played along. I guess the lady didn’t like my last question when I asked her how they could lower my cc bill when the bank is responsible for that. She hung up. I don’t have any cc debt so I knew it was a scam. I just wish I could make those calls stop coming. I’m on the Do Not Call list so I cannot understand how they are getting my number. Very frustrating.
I just got the call again for the 100th time or so…decided to push 1 to tell them to remove me. Got a fast busy signal but nothing more. Number was a cellular call: 724-205-4945
just got the call from 508-475-1388.
Heather does not call me, Rachel does. Same drivel. Account services has called twice in two days. I think the next time they call, I’ll play some games and lie to them.
I was getting called by “Rachel,” but the last call was from “Heather.” Always the same “final offer.”
The company is called “Card Services” according to their representative. I asked twice because I wanted to be sure I heard them right.
They called on 9-10-2011 @ 9:16am this time, but have called and left a canned message on our answering machine at least 20 times. We have no affiliation with the company.
When I attempted to tell them “We’re on the Federal and State do-not-call lists so stop calling – I am reporting all of the calls you’ve made” they had already hung up on me.
Hi all–there is no point to ask them for company name, company location or telephone number. They will make up answers or just hang up on you–as they have done to many of us. These are companies that charge a service to supposedly negotiate lower rates with your credit card companies—they don’t use your credit card or take money from your bank account. They simply sell you interest rate negotiation services for $495 to $1,495 and then they don’t even bother to negotiate on your behalf. Regardless it is a scam.
Our only options are to not take the call or take the call and waste their time. Regardless of which option you take, make sure you take down the info as to when they called and what number they called from it is available. As Billy above commented, file a complaint:
The FCC filed charges against a large number of these scammers in December of 2009. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/robocall.shtm
The scammers are now back to making millions of these calls again, so obviously they either don’t learn their lessons or it is a new batch of thieves.
Maybe if enough of us file complaints they will go after them again.
You can file an online complaint at http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
Good luck all.
The important thing to do is report them to the DNC registry.
The best way to annoy them is to waste their time. Keep them on the phone for as long as you can but never give them any valuable info. This will hit them their bottom line because they will make less calls per hour if they waste 5 mins with you and others.
We had a call from account services this evening and unlike some phone calls we have caller ID which picked up there phone number 508-475-1337 as I see it is similar to wmd listed in the above reply.We repetively ask them to take us off there calling list but they persist on calling.We are also on both do not call list.
Every damn day I’ve been getting these calls. I just got my 10th call for today and have had it. This time I played a little scam of my own and told them my mom and dad have a “TON” of cards but they weren’t home and that I could give them their work numbers.
I’d love to see their faces when they call my “MOM” at the PA Attorney Generals office and my “DAD” at the Orlando police dept. I sent them right to the officer investigating the fraud that Buster listed above.
I hope this somehow works. I have tried having it removed, reasoning with them and telling them I don’t meet their requirements and constantly being hung up on whenever I ask a question.
I have received dozens of these calls over the past several months as well, all with the same results, getting hung up on as soon as you say anything negative. I reported the numbers to the FCC based upon my number being on the Do Not Call list. Here is a snippet from their response:
===============================================================
Thank you for contacting the FCC regarding possible violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) and the Commission’s telemarketing and junk fax rules… Although the Commission does not resolve individual complaints, each complaint is individually analyzed and assists us in enforcement actions to protect consumers like yourself. You should be aware that the TCPA also provides for enforcement of the telemarketing and junk fax rules by state attorneys general and by individual consumers. With respect to the latter, the TCPA permits individuals who have received certain unlawful telemarketing, such as junk faxes or telemarketing calls, to sue the violator in state courts where they may be awarded up to $1500 for each violation…
===============================================================
So it seems that enough of us are getting these calls to warrant a MAJOR class action law suit. I am working on championing the suit and finding an attorney to file it. Is anyone out there interested in joining on? If so, please email me at anthony@abate.net and I will add you to the list. The more we get the better.
Now, I certainly understand that some of you may feel that this is a scam itself trying to collect email addresses… I assure you it is not, I am a victim as well and just want to punish the people making these calls. I have no interest in spamming your email, and I provided my own personal email in good faith. However, if you are worried about that, use a free disposable gmail address instead of your real one, and the only information I initially need is your first name, an email to contact you back, and your willingness to join on so I can show the atorney the size of the class for the suit.
Anthony
This number came up on my cellphone. 503-902-8297 from Salem, OR. Spoke to Tom to tell him I am reporting him to the Do Not Call registery and I did for both my home and my cell.
I to get thes calls all the time ,I donot have a credit card . when you try to tell them not to call you any more they hang up.
FM VASQUEZ this sounds familiar .the do the same to me. i am going to put them on my church prayer list and i know there is a line to GOD. thanks i feel
better to knoe that i’m not the only one out here who they try to scam. f.v.
503-902-8297 ……… they call about once a week……hate them……I want to find them…….had a long conversation with Tim today….let him give his little speach(5-10 minutes)……then I informed him I do not have a credit card…..he got really pissed and ask me why the f@#% did I push one……I said because one day I want to find him and after that I am going to spend a long time in jail……Tim hung up…..till next week…….
Just received a call (again) and pushed the number to get to a person and Marcell was the name I was given. Told him I was on the do not call list….told him the same story as those before me, but he said ‘he wasn’t selling anything’ ?????? Really?? He said he had no way of getting my number removed – and in my fury I asked for his ‘company’ number and he gave me 1-800-859-1448. I tried to call back and (of course) the line is busy….but this is such a fraud and beyond annoying that I hope someone SOON can see to it they are shut down!!
so i the latest one i received i complained about the phone call and the man was very nasty and says “who cares” and slammed the phone down. You can’t stop this crap, they call my cell phone and home and more than once a day. i am on the Do Not Call list for both phone numbers. so tired of this crap that cost me money every day to recieve the calls.
I just received a call from Account Services (Nicky Woods) (646) 407-3256. Recording asked me to press 1 to speak to a representative. They said it was the last chance to receive a lower percentage rate on my Discover,Visa,MC and AE cards due to the stimulus plan. As I was asking questions I Goggled the web for Account Services and seen the scam alert.
I told them no and they said they would take me off their list. — Fat chance!!
The only call I hate more is a bottom feeder collection agency who bought a dept form someone only to squeeze out a profit. They can all suck air as far as I am concerned.
I don’t have caller ID so I have no idea what number the call comes from. We get automated calls daily from Card Services. First every day at 9 in the morning, then later in the afternoon. A few years ago when I rec’d my first call from this irritating company, I listened all the way through & was shocked there was no number given to stop the calls. Now, I hang up on the automated call. Today I decided to press 9 at the beginning of the call, the svce representative asked if I wanted to lower my credit card debt, I said, ‘No, I want off your call list.’ She immediately hung up the phone!!!! This is so irritating!!!!! Next time, I’m going to press 9, put the phone down & walk away. Ohhh…I just read through other comments. Doesn’t sound like anything will get rid of these lowlife. I like the airhorn idea!!!!!
Haha yeah just got the 2nd one of these calls. Luckily no info given out, so nice to hear from all of you with the same issue. I think wasting their time could be quite fun and soon a valuable source of entertainment as I am laid off. Also whistle was a very good idea, cant wait to try maybe even record some of these conversations and put them on the internet.
No sure what you mean by web site. Anyway, they won’t stop calling me either and when i tell them I am on the do not call list and to take my number off the just wait a few days and call again. Then we repeat the conversation!
Got a call 10 minutes ago. I get them all the time. Can’t get them to stop or to divulge how they got my cell number. I don’t ever carry a balance on my credit cards to begin with! I hit the #1 option and spoke to a guy who offered to lower my interest rate of my cards right out of the block. I said, “i use chase bank, which bank do you use then to lower my rate?” and he hung up on me. I’ve had it! I’ve told them before to eliminate my number from their data base, to no avail.
The number that called me was 347-260-1495. I’ve since signed up for my states “no call list”.
Does having this incoming number do any good?
Have gotten several calls. Today’s # was from 803-307-7391. I pressed 1 and got through to “Theresa”….answered a couple of innocuous questions, then asked to be taken off their list. She acted “insulted” and said I was “playing games with people” (by pressing “1″ when I had not interest in their scam!). Can’t believe we can’t get these people for harrassment or something…maybe the police can just “sting” them by providing all the requested info and then getting taken to the cleaners.
I’ve been getting these calls for 8-10 years. They used to be quite frequent (at least several times a week) and I would always just hang up, never talking to a live person. Despite being on the DoNotCall list, the calls never let up. Finally, maybe 4 or 5 years ago, I did push whatever number it was, to speak to a real person. When the guy came on the line I said something like, “Oh, hold on a minute. Let me go get my credit card and statements.”
Then I put the phone down and went outside to mow the lawn.
This exact scenario happened maybe 10 more times. I always got a real person and I always said, “hang on a minute” and I always put the phone down and went about my business.
After a while, I noticed that the calls were only coming about once every six months. Last year I think I only had one!
A small measure of victory for me.
And it didn’t raise my blood pressure.
They’re not worth even a second more of your time or thought.
Good luck!
I got phone calls on my cell phone today 9/27/11 from Account Services. One showed up as 704-264-5730 (landline in Charolette NC) from a Valerie who then put on Debbie Hall and another was 321-304-3814 Jeanette Meadows (Fla with no real address) who later got nasty with me when I asked for a web site and address so I could check them out. Didn’t want to hear her b.s. speel of what her company does, wanted to know about the company. She was to call me when I was at a computer and go on the BBS web site but never called back. At first I fell for it and gave a bank acct number but called the bank when I was on the phone with them (since they keep you waiting so long) and they said they knew of no such company. I cancelled the card immediately. They must have found that out that’s why they didn’t call back again.
got a phone call from 803-307-7391 &850-472-0533 calling about lowering your credit card rates. Every time I asked for a return phone number I got passed around. Finally the “supervior” became so rude I had to hang up. He was acting like a smart a$$!! I will have to call my credit card companies because I realized I gave out too much information and may have jeapordized my credit.
Got a call from 888-567-1260. Made fun of their company name. Got a snide comment and a hangup!
I get them every once in a while. I press 1 and begin with “I’m on the No Call List and you’re in violation of Federal Law.” They’ve usually hung up my the time I make it to “list” and the calls stop for a good long while after that. I don’t have any credit cards, so I know its a scam every time! No nicey-nice here. Hope it works for someone else.
Received call from Account Services @ 989-854-2368, which is a cell phone in Michigan, 30 minutes ago at 8:15am. I pressed 1. Anita asked how much I was in debt. I said, “First of all it is none of your business.” Then she hung up after saying FU. I will followup with BBC, FCC, DoNotCall list, and join the list here. Thank you guys for gathering our names for a class action suit.
I routinely get the same calls. I ask to be taken off their list and they just hang up. I’ve even tried answering with DON’T HANG UP….it does not work. Why they waste their own time and money recalling and annoying the same people I do not know. At 84 years old it is not easy for me to hurry to the phone for nonsense. Something must be wrong that this can not be stopped!
Received call from Account Services @ 989-854-2368 this morning on my cell phone. These same people call my house on a daily basis. When I pressed 1, the girl that answered asked how much I was in debt. I asked what company she was with and she said Account Services, we service your credit card. Then she asked how much I was in debt. I asked if she had a contact number, and she hung up. That is their usual response if you ask any questions – they just hang up. I am on the Do-Not-Call lists for both my home and my cell. These people need to be taken down. It amounts to harassment.
Got a call from 989 854 2368. A computer said it was Account Services, and told me in a grave tone of voice that this was my last chance to take advantage of their offer to lower my supposed credit card debt.
“Press one to speak to a friendly customer service representative.”
I pressed 1.
A woman answers, “Did you press one to lower your interest rates today?”
I say, “No, …”
CLICK she hangs up.
I have had many such calls in the past. I have asked what company they’re calling from, and either gotten a little bit on horse crap non-answer, or just had them hang up immediately. I have also asked them not to call and to remove me from their list, and they have hung up on me.
I got a call yesterday but their computer actually hung up on itself before transferring me to anyone.
Got a call about 30 minutes ago from these guys. The number came up as 989-854-2368. The man on the.other line identified himself as “corn niblet”. I usually like to play aloe.g with these guys but he Hung up before I even answered his hello. Too bad because I could of had a lot of fun with a name like that!
I just received a call as well from account services. This time I pressed #1. I asked fo the name of the company she represents, in which she replied “Account Services”.
I then told the woman, I’m on the do not call list, and told them not to call me, which they repeatedly have been doing so for months now..I told her to please stop, and take me off the list, and that I would still report them. She then said to me “I am on the national do not CARE LIST” and abruptly hung up…So I lodged a complaint..
The number originated from Salem OR, and is 503-902-8297.
I have been getting these also. recorded female, press 1, then someone wants to lower my interest rate if I have at least 5000 in credit, I don’t , they may still help me if I don’t have 5000 in credit. They must know how much I owe. Exactly? No a ball park figure. What’s in it for you? Why are you doing this? Are you Robin Hood? We have a one time fee. and we bring down your rates to below 2%. How much do you pay now? Around 20%. I went through re-organization a few years ago, and they couldn’t get 2%. The name he gave was Associated Services, I can’t find them on line. the number is 7032565625, (I don’t answer numbers which are witheld.) I hope this helps.
I received call from Account Services (989)854-2368 (which was identified as “MI,USA”) at 10:00 a.m. this morning. I get these calls every several days and have made many attempts to have them stop calling, but they always hang up on me. I have reported them several times to the National Do Not Call Registry… its time some very serious action is taken against these ………………
Our local paper just posted a warning about this scam. The say they lower rates but the scam is to get your info and open accounts in your name . Really, think about it, when has a real credit card company wanted to help you out?
Received call on cell phone on September 30, 2011 at 3:50pm from 503-902-8297. Received call on cell phone on October 4 at 12:06 pm from 989-854-2368. They also call my home phone but I do not have caller ID. They will not leave me alone. Very hateful people. wish the government would take action. I am on do not call list but more and more businesses are taking their chances and calling. They do not care. I guess they figure it is worth a chance to call and no action. In the old days the phone was ours but now days it belongs to whoever wants to harrass you. Thanks.
I have received the calls previously but yesterday (5 Oct 11) is the first time I pressed 1. A woman said her name was Stephanie Butler with Account Services, and was offering to lower my interest rate to 6% if I had a credit card balance over $5K and interest rate over 10%. I started asking her questions, where she got my number, why she was calling, etc. and she hung up on me. The number she called from was 989-854-2368. I tried calling it back but it went straight to a message saying the voice mailbox was full. Quite disheartening to read 700+ complaints about them on this website alone, indicating this has been going on for many years and there are still no consequences for the offenders OR a legitimate way to protect yourself from them.
I get these calls at least twice a day. I finally pushed 1 to speak to a representative. I told them if they didn’t stop calling, I would report them to the FCC. They simply hung up and called back a couple hours later. This is very annoying, and I’m truly getting pissed off.
I just got a call. When I dialed 1 and reached a person, he started talking really fast. I asked him what the company name is (“Account Services”). When I asked how they got my # because I’m on the Do Not Call Registry, he hung up.
LOL… when I get their call I immediately do a conference call to the FCC then I press “1″ and let them chat on their own.
I too have been receiving calls and got the same stuff everyone else has been getting. This time, however, I called the caller ID number (253) 246-8586. I got a recording saying “Thank you for calling back. If you would like your name removed from our “preferred customer list” please press 1. I pressed 1 and the recording said “Thank You” and hung up. We will have to see if the calls stop.
I got a call from 253-246-8510 and didn’t answer. I look online before I answer unknown numbers. So for the hell of it I called it back and the recording said it was the “do not call registry” and to enter my 10 digit number. Yeah asshole how stupid do you think I am? Not as dumb as you!!
These people change thier numbers as fast as I can BLOCK them out…. I got mouthy with one of them , He got really pissed off and said “Now youll really be sorry !” My CallBlocker APP on my phone say 21 block calls at a one time….it picks up and disconnects them so they cant even leave a message, my only issue now is they call with new numbers!! This really sucks, I could just change my number but I dont want to give them that satisfaction !! I hope someone does something about this, Recently they have upgraded to sound even more fooling….. the longer this goes on the more effective they are going to get
October 13, 2011 — they’re still doing it all these years later. Doesn’t the FCC or FTC do anything about these scammers, clearly breaking the law with robo-calls? This morning I got the recorded message, pushed the number to talk to someone, told him I was on the Do Not Call List and requested removal from the Account Services calling list. He said “I’m very sorry, sir,” and said he would remove my number. I don’t believe him, but at least he pretended politeness. In the past, the operators have hung up at the first sign of resistance. (I don’t have caller ID, so I don’t know where the call originated.)
10/20/2011 – I just received the same call. Mentioned they were from Card Member Services and could lower my interest rate. So I pushed 1 and a gentleman got on the phone and said they could lower my interest rate if my debt was above $5,000.00 and my interest rate greater than 12.9%. I told him I didn’t qualify and hung up. But a phone number did show up on my caller id, 1-503-902-8997. Hope this helps some.
They just called me right now 10/20/11 @ 11:30 am. I’m in San Diego, CA. I pushed #1 to see where it went. I got transfer to someone named “Patrick”. I subtly tried to extract information from this clown. He said his company was based out of Nevada, Name of Company: Account Services. I told him I needed a minute to find my credit card, if he could give me his phone #. He was reluctant. I asked for his fiscal address and he hung up on me.
They just called me (10:04am CST 10-24-2011) from the same number listed above
(503-902-8997). I answered all their questions until they asked for my card numbers at which time I told them “I don’t know who you are and I won’t give you my card numbers”, at which time she said she couldn’t get my rate lowered without my card numbers and then read off a list of laws that protected me. When I still refused to give her my numbers, she said she would connect me to a supervisor. A man came on the phone and I politely asked him why they keep calling and bothering me when I had told them no less that six times that I am not interested in their “services”. He was very abrasive as if I was wasting his time and then abruptly hung up on me. I then decided to call the number back and I got the following message.
“Thank you for returning our call. If you’re not interested in receiving future calls about our special promotions and would like to be placed on our Do Not Call list please press 1. Please allow up to 72 hours to be removed from our preferred call list.
I have been receiving calls almost daily for the last year with the same recorded message. When I press 1 and ask for the name of their company, they hang up. Today I did the get the name Account Services and he said they handled Visa and Mastercard. Then they wanted to know my interest rates and what I owed. I aed why they called so much, saying it was my second and final notice, and he hung up. Every call is from a -different number. This one was wireless caller and the number was 818-201-6758.
i got a call as everyone has mentioned. They were very vague as to their affiliation. I almost fell for their ploy when they asked for my mother’s maiden name and the code
# on the reverse of the card.
Philip Davis ,burn in hell you basterd
I just received the same call – thought it was from of my actual cc accounts so I went ahead and waited on hold until I got a live person. When they asked me how much debt I had – I replied told them that I misunderstood and thought it was from one of MY financial institutions and would like to know how they got my number. The chick then hung up on me…hahaha! Caller ID was from Gresham, OR – 971.220.1011
Got call, pressed 1, when he asked about the experation date I told him to hold on that I would have to get my card. Put the phone down and went about my business until it started beeping, then I hung it up.
These days, I’m not getting calls from “Account Services”; instead, I’m getting illegal sales calls from seemingly everyone else in Orlando FLA. When I complain about one illegal caller, to the Federal/FCC Do Not Call List … another, different business takes its place. So that the same business never calls twice.
What’s happening? It may be that the police and so forth are finally closing in on Account Services per se; but now the remaining problem are “nests” of some closely-related businesses.
In particular? It seems to me that the problem now, is that some “sales leads for sale” organization, is behind what is going on now. This is an outdated – and in fact, now functionally illegal – type of business. These “leads” businesses – in the old days before the Do Not Call List – used to gather phone numbers for businesses, of possible individuals, customers, that might be interested in those businesses’ product. Then the Sales Lead company, would sell those leads, to relevant business. As likely customers.
I’m pretty sure our phone numbers are now in the hands of some “leads” business. So what is happening now? If you complain about one of the businesses, like Account Service, some “leads” company it seems, just sells your number, to another, related business. So then you still get illegal sales calls;but now from a different company.
But this can be fixed: the “leads” business, was once at least semi-legal. However, today it is not? Today, most those “sales leads” numbers are no longer good: many of the old customers, are now registered with the DNC list; and no one is supposed to call these customers. Anyone who does, is today in violation of federal law.
So, NOTE FTC: not only are the businesses who call registered phones illegal; in effect, pretty much all “leads” business today are illegal too!
So after taking care of Account Services? The next move for the FTC should be … whatever “Sales Leads” companies there are, that were working with Account Services.
In effect? Nearly all “sales leads” businesses are now illegal, so long as they are using the telephone.
their number today from georgia is 914-224-2233. i should know…they call me three times / day with this scam and wont give their last name or which card number is auto dialing. ughhhhhhhhh
I’ve been getting those calls for quite some time too, among many others. Once it was shortly after I had actually called my credit card company about lowering my interest rate!
Has anyone ever heard of a company called Small Business Solutions, Inc. in Clearwater, Fl. They tell me they want to help me recoup some of the money I invested when trying to learn how to earn money from home by working on the computer. So I thought I’d see what it was all about and I got suspicious when he started asking for credit card info. He went about it kind of backward though, starting with the Customer Service number on the back of my card, then he asked for the 3 digit number on the back of the card. That’s when I told him I wasn’t giving out my credit card numbers. He said they needed it to check my payment history. I asked why they didn’t just do a credit report? He said that would lower my credit score. Wasn’t that nice of him to be thinking of my credit score? Anyway I wondered if anyone has any experience with this company. Thanks in advance for any info you could give me. Roxy
Just received two calls in ten minutes. The first call I hung up but I was really ticked on the second call. She answered asking if I wanted to lower my interest rates. I said sure. She asked if I owed $3000 or more in CCs, I said you betcha. (Lie BTW) I then asked her name and she began a spiel that they were offering new help that was backed by the Federal Government to stimulate the economy. I asked her name and she kept reading. I asked for her supervisor. I told her that what she was doing and who she was working for was breaking all kinds of laws and as I am recently retired, I have all the free time to find out who they are and hope the FBI hangs ‘em high. She said have a nice day and hung up on me. The number is 818-232-1609 and when I call it the recording says the person I am trying to reach is unavailable. Scums….
We get two or three of these calls a day.. I keep saying stop calling me.. real companies will do just that.. Now I answer and connect then proceed to ream em out.. maybe one day it will stop.
Scam..
I got this call too – the number this time was (503)563-0989 (Oregon).
The woman insisted her company was really called “Account Services” and gave me a number to call: (800)847-2911.
When I asked for more information so I could sue them (since the number is on the federal Do Not Call list) she called me a “moron” and hung up on me. What joy!
Got one of these calls from a number in Washington state, account services, going to lower my interest rates. Thet asked me for the phone number on the back of card for customer service.
I said I was not comfortable giving her any more info until I knew who I was talking to
and she got loud and told me the credit card companies are stealing from me etc.
I hung up. They probably don’t care if we know because there’s always someone who will make the mistake of giving them too much info.
11-11-11
I have been getting calls from them on my cell phone for about a year once or twice a month. It’s an automated call. I stayed on the line twice and they would not give me any information on the company or anything. 360-529-6100 is the number that shows on my phone when they call. They aren’t using a blocker when they call. However they also call my home phone. It’s annoying but I just hang up. I’ve been told there is nothing anyone can do about it although I’m on both national and state do not call lists.
Good news! They called me and said you only needed $3,500 in debt and a high interest rate.
Ha, ha….I said I had both. I milked the time of the rep “Henry” I said that ” I need to know who I’m dealing with” he said the company name Credit Card Services, he said the address is Sunset Blvd in Miami, FL 888-311-0279 ext. 133. Google says there is no such company at such address. I told him I was scamming him back! He laughed and then I HUNG up! The best thing you can do is waste the time of these people as long as you possibly can.
After 10 years’ harassment from Account Services and other Card Member services? And dozens of ineffectual complaints to the FTC/Do Not Call list, as well as failed attempts to work with local police?
It is clear to me that the Federal Government will not do anything.
It appears that these callers are using a clever, deliberate scheme to avoid prosecution or detection: if you complain about one, then some kind of Sales Leads or other coordinating agency, simply PASSES ON YOUR PHONE NUMBER, to a different, but related business. So that a different but related business, will call you the next week. And if you complain about THAT business? Then yet another calls you the next week. Ad infinitum.
This could be stopped. But obviously the FTC has chosen not to.
So at this point? It is clear to me that there is no recourse here – except to bring a CLASS ACTION SUIT against the FTC itself. For non-performance of duties/failing to enforce the law.
Any ATTORNEYS out there? There is a provision in the law, to sue government agencies, when they fail to enforce the law. I am guessing there are MILLIONS of Americans who are victims here: a class action suit against the FTC could reasonably sue for say, ONE BILLION DOLLARS, say.
Any interested lawyers out there? I’d be happy to work with you!
This abuse continues, as of this date: Nov. 11, 2011.
11/16/2011: Received two phone calls on my mobile phone today. One from ‘Account Services’ and one from ‘Card Services’. I must have talked with a rookie agent at ‘Card Services’. I was asking for company name, website, if they could send me literature on their company, etc. I did get a toll-free number and a fake website address. This toll-free number works as of this afternoon of this post. 1-877-982-7526. They will answer the phone ‘Associated’. Tell them you talked to a rep and ask them what they do. I was then able to talk to a person for a while and ask them many questions about their credit card interest lowering services, company, contact info, website, location, etc. I was unable to get any information from them whatsoever. The number is 1-877-982-7526 and worked this afternoon as per the date on this post. I will be filing with any and all places that will accept complaints. That is all.
Hey, I just did this….she told me she has now taken my number off the do not call list. Did you do this before and did it work? Have you gotten any calls since? It took all the strength I could muster to be polite to this woman. UGH.
I mean she said she put my number ON the do not call list.
We get these call several times a week and cannot get any info from them before they hang up. Strangulation would not be adequate
I have been receiving these calls from Heather and also Rachel on my land line for a year. They hang up when you ask them questions or when I insist they take me off their list. Now they have crossed the line. They just called my cell. I use my cell for business and deal with government and military contacts who frequently block their identity. I can not block unidentified callers. If anyone has an idea, PLEASE share it.
My mother has been getting these calls on a regular basis and I myself have gotten them on occasion. Because of her getting them they are getting on MY nerves!! This is going to be my suggestion to her as soon as I finish typing this. I have the number for the local FBI office of which I’m going to tell her to make up some excuse for “Heather” and her MINIONS to call her back and when they ask for her number I will tell her to give them the # for the local FBI office!! MMWWHAHAHA!! Maybe if they get enough phone calls they will do something about it. I suggest everyone try it, it can’t hurt as the company doesn’t actually have your number to begin with. I’ll check back here to see if it’s worked for anyone else. GOOD LUCK!!!!!
Federal Communications Commission
File A Complaint
Choose a Complaint Type
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
I have also been receiving calls, and my number is unlisted. It’s definitely a scam and they’re phishing for gullible people. The number has been reported to the FBI, not that they can do anything, as yet, but at least it is logged as a record.
I just received a call again from this group. I live in RI. I can find no information on this company. Account services is a generic name. I do not know how they can help anyone without making their credit ratings worst. I don’t know anything more than what has been exposed already It sounds like a scam to, me.
My mom started to get these calls a while ago. At first it was once a month now it’s everyday, and they are all showing up as unlisted. At first we were just ignoring the calls and now I take them and allways press 1. At first I started with the standard against the law, on the do not call list, then i started to be creative. I tried the air horn which resulted in the guy cussing me but i would blast it whenever he started to talk. The next time they called I tried to selll the guy on the other end Avon stuff, and i dont even sell it. The next time i played along and told them i couldnt really talk at the time and i gave them the local police office number to call me back on. Another time i repeated everything they said to me. That call didnt last long. Then recently I’ve been reading a passage or two to them out of whatever book i am currently reading, one woman let me read her a whole two pages of the Hunger games before she asked me if I was intersted in her service, I told her no but that if she wanted to I would continue reading to her, and she said no. So from now on I am going to answer and pick on them as much as I can.
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone who has received such calls has been participating in any kind of online surveys.
The reason I ask this is because I also received such a call, but my # is private and unlisted. I received the same scam call less than 24hrs after completing some online surveys. Credit card company don’t know how the scammers even come accross the partial card info. I shred everything with my name on it before throwing it out, so how? IP address?
This whole thing is just disgusting. About a week ago I received a call promising to lower my interest rate on my credit card. The person already knew my credit card account balance, the interest I was paying as well as my last credit card payment. They also called out the first 8 digits of my card and asked me to call out the last 8 digits for ‘verification purposes’. I didn’t want to, I felt like they should already know this.
So I was ‘put through’ to an ‘associate’, and it was while I was ‘on hold’ to speak with this other ‘associate’ I hung up.
The man had a light east-indian accent, he gave me a phone# where he could be reached. Said he was from LTA-Lindquist Tax and Accounting.
Of course the phone# he gave(214#) as well as the # appearing on my phone( a 1-877#), were both invalid.
They called back at least 8 times within the space of 1 hr, and then a couple more times after that, but I never picked up.
One message was left asking me what had happenened, in this pathetic desperate voice.
So after I hung up I notified my credit card, cancelled and called my local anti-fraud orginaztion, had identity on watch alert, because before I realized it was a definate scam I had confirmed my name, address and DOB.
I honestly don’t know how these ‘people’ can even stomach themselves, doing what they do. They are pure scum, and may they all loose double-fold of what they took or tried to take in all aspects of their lives
I’m so sick of getting these calls. Anything I can do to stop it? Every time the man answers and I say “oh yeah, can you please take me off your list” he hangs up. I try to call back the number that came up on my phone and it takes me to a DNC line…I’ve entered my phone number in MULTIPLE times (probably 10) and this keeps happening. Any advice???
I receive several calls a week from these scammers.The calls come from near Seattle and from Florida.When you try to call back the numbers the operator tells you they don’t exist.What I do when they call is waste their time.I tell them I have a large debt and keep them on the phone for a while. THEN,AT THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION ,I TELL THEM I’ M ON A DO NOT CALL LIST AND THEN USE THE BEST PROFANITY I KNOW TO GET MY POUND OF FLESH.
Just received the call. Not the first. I pressed 2 by mistake but it still went through…lol Mine was a 248 area code. They said my account started with a 4…duh. Wanted to verify the rest. I said no. They said we send you statements with all the info on the statement, no one can do anything with that alone. I asked them to hold and she called back after I didn’t get on the line. Usually these calls are computer generated and they don’t even know who they call unless they get your account info, so how did she know my number…got it from a list I expect. This is my cell number because I only give out my cell to those people that I don’t want to have my personal number. Then while I had them on hold I looked up this web site. Thanks for the info!!! Oh and by the way, she claimed that there is only one Visa and Mastercard and they cover all accounts. So wouldn’t you think you would only have one interest rate if that was true…hmmmmm
I’ve gotten HUNDREDS of these calls. Many of these calls are 1) total scams; 2) others may be related to semi-legitimate financial services. Who are still a problem. Since they can call you ENDLESSLY. And if you complain about one? They just pass your phone number on to another one.
Why can’t we stop them? The problem may be that any FINANCIAL SERVICES that you have had a business relation with, recently, are EXEMPT FROM THE FEDERAL DO NOT CALL LIST. They … and their partners. So? Your BANK, your CREDIT CARDS, apparently can often turn your phone # over to “affiliates” AND EVEN “non-affiliate” financial operations.
To be sure? Banks are required to send you a “Privacy” Options statement once a year or so; allowing you to opt out of many of these calls. Make sure you opt for any and all privacy options offered.
Elements of these calls to be sure may be semi-legal. However? It seems various credit cards and banks, are giving out our numbers, to bad financial “partners.” Who give out fake called ID; use illegal robocallers; whose “services” are a ripoff; and so forth.
THAT seems to be the case to mention to the FTC, on its quick, online Do Not Call complaint forms.
The FTC seems to want to come up with stonger rules here; but is prevented from doing so by … the banks and credit agencies, no doubt.
In the meantime, how do you get rid of them? Be sure you’ve taken all the Privacy options you can with your Credit Cards and Banks. But? So far, I’ve tried everything – and nothing gets rid of these guys.
Next? Cancelling all credit cards; don’t give you phone # to the bank?; change your phone # might help.
Or maybe not.
These guys are incredibly persistent.
Got the call number posted was 503-468-5531
I don’t have Caller ID on my landline, but the person said his name is “James Cole, #10112″ of “Card Member Services of Experian Financial Services.” When I told him I have asked repeatedly not to be called, he hung up on me, just as others from “Card Member Services” have always done.
I have been getting these automated calls to my cell (I only use it for traveling or in emergencies) for the past several months, at least 10 calls already. The number listed is: 800-847-2900. I just filed a complaint with Do Not Call Registry, but don’t know if that will do any good. I have asked to be removed from their list, but obviously they don’t honor one’s requests. This is harassment. I have called my cell phone company and they say there is nothing they can do. I suspect my bank or real estate company sold my number out (I used my cell number as a contact number when I moved).
I think they just call randomly since I just had another phone line installed and the same day I got on of their calls. Anyway, I called the Federal Trade Commission @ 1-877-382-4537. Everyone who gets these annoying calls should call the FTC and report them.
Account Services 949-527-1674 keeps calling telling me it’s my LAST chance to reduce my credit card interest rate. Hmmm. Won’t tell me what credit card and when I told them my LAST chance has been going on for several months now , but they keep calling and I would like my last chance to be now and they should stop calling, they hung up on me. But I bet my number is still on there list.
12-23-2011 — Merry Christmas
I just got another call from good old Rachel at “Account Services”. They don’t even give you a break on Xmas. So I wen thru my normal routine of wasting as much of their time as I could before she finally go disgusted and hung up on me. I will now go thru the motions of reporting the call to the FTC and donotcall.gov, but as usual, they will do nothing about it. But this time, I have decided to try something new. The well known TV show, 60 minutes, is always looking for human interest stories, so who knows, they may want to do a segment about this wide spread scam. So I e-mailed them and I am hoping I get a response. Perhaps if this outfit hit the national news, it just might lower the demand for their services and it just might knock them out of business. I’ll post again if they reply.
P.S. Today’s call came from 206-214-5578, which is a Seattle number.
Thanks for the idea. I think it is wonderful to expose him publically! I will also call 60 minutes and suggest it. The entire nation should call 60 minutes!
Then 60 minutes will get tired of our calls and suggestions tying up their phone lines, they won’t have a choice but use their corporate lawyers congressional connections to sue this shlthead.
60 Minutes SHOW
PO BOX 27
WILLOUGHBY NSW 2068
By fax: 029 436 0527
Phone: 029 906 9999
I received a call from 9495271674 which my phone states is a California number. A recording says to press one to lower your interest rates. I did so. The person said they were with Account Services and wanted to lower my interest rates. I asked again the company name. I was transferred to another person. That person again stated the name was Account Services. I asked for the website. I was transferred to another person. He said they worked for Master Card and Visa. He said their web site was mylirc.com (My Lower Interest Rates ???). He stated they are a credit counceling company in Orlando Florida that will negociate a lower interest rate for you with your credit card company, They get paid base on a percentage of the interst that is saved as a result of having your interest rate lowered. They want a person to “qualify” themselves by a conference call between them, you and the credit card company with the highest balance. Obviously when you call your credit card company and give the credit card company your secrect information that allows access to your account, you are also giving the Account Services people the information to access your account without you being present. What a Scam! They said they will take my number off their dailer. Yea, Right!
Spread the word… My search indicated that this new number, (303) 217-1074 is being provided by a company called, MCI Metro Access Transmission Services whose d/b/a is Verizon Access Transmission Services (AKA: Verizon Business). I have filed complaints with the FTC several times, and did so again after getting 2 calls from this number, but this time, I decided to contact the provider of the number, after getting the full voicemail box notice for “Mike Anderson”.
After calling Verizon’s regular customer service number, I was directed to the Verizon Unlawful Call Center, which apparently is dedicated to these types of issues (link below). Unfortunately, I was 2 minutes too late (they close at 5pm), but I will definitely try again during regular business hours and suggest you do the same.
http://www22.verizon.com/residentialhelp/phone/general+support/support+tools/general/95622.htm
If you want to establish a case, call the Verizon Unlawful Call Center at
1-800-257-2969, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. with your complaint number to open a case.
Got a robo call from 949-527-1674 stating that they were calling about my credit card and wanted to lower the interest rate.
Pushed “1″ to talk to the operator who asked me about my credit card debt, did not have a specific card to discuss and said he was calling from “Account Services” in Orlando, Florida.
The number is out of Orange County, California, I am on the do not call list, they called my cell phone, and I think this is a boiler room waiting to be shut down.
everytime between 12 and 2 i get a phone call from these morons asking me to lower my interest rate i ask them to stop but they dont i press 3 to stop they dont police cant do nothing and phone company cant do nothing the number they call from cant call back too. i wish they would stop when they call they wake up my 2 yr old and it makes me really mad. i have contacted everyone i can think of and nobody wants to help. there number is 1-971-217-9513 the phone company says from oregon but original from equador come one this is what is called being harrased i am sick of it. if someone has info on how to stop please reply. thank you.
Just got one of these calls. My mom made the mistake of giving them her card number and the last 4 of her SS#. We ended up recording the end of the conversation, during which the man speaking effectively threatened my mother. Plus she has gotten around 2-3 calls per day, and they continued to threaten her even after she told them that she was not interested.
Does this count as a crime? From what I remember(although I haven’t read much about it in a few years) threatening someone was a crime, and while I am not sure that this would be considered it threat, it might be.
Let me know if you want me to upload the file.
i got a calll today … but i got a phone number on my caller id
9495271674 maybe u can do something with that.
I just got a call (about the 5th one over the last few months) from 949-527-1674. Same deal.. and my favorite is how they are like yelling at you in the recording.. THIS IS THE LAST ATTEMPT WE WILL MAKE, WE HAVE SENT YOU INFORMATION SEVERAL TIMES..etc. I pressed 1 to speak to an agent and she said “Are you responding to the offer to lower your interest rate on your credit cards?” I said, I want to know who you guys are, because you are NOT from one of my credit cards, right? *crickets chirping for a few moments*, then CLICK. She hung up on me.
I just recorded a complaint at:
https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2
We shall see.
I am so sick of these people calling several times a week. It is definite a scam from overseas. The FBI should be involved but I am sure there is nothing they can do. We can only waste their time, keep them on hold for as long as possible..give them fake information. Also, block your number from “Unknow” callers…
We need a Class Actin Sue against them!!!!
We get the same calls, and when i tell them to take us of there lists, i am told it will cost me 15 dollars, and how would i like to pay? Ya right?!!! Like i would give them the info!!!!
Just found this blog and I too have been getting bombed with these calls, number is always different and calling it back is useless. Some of the numbers I have in my call log.
967-000-3325
800-847-2900
949-286-3973
281-217-0241
360-529-6151
619-279-1287
503-468-5235
received a call on my “do not call” blocked cell phone from 281-217-0241. Same scam as above, but when I called back, the number belongs to “Mark Anderson” whose mailbox is full. Go figure!
I just received a phone call from (407) 702-0538. While fumbling with the phone to see who was calling, I inadvertently pressed the “talk” button. I listened to part of the message and, realizing it was a scam, I hung up. I tried dialing the number to see if anyone would answer with a company greeting, but I received a recorded message that “this phone number is not accepting phone calls at this time”!
(201) 267-5646: Automated call from this #. Phishing scam. Female voice: “About your credit card account…Lower your interest rate…Last Chance…” Violates several laws. National, could be international. Fake company. Do not answer, do not reply, do not push a button to talk or be “removed from list” — it is an infamous trick. Never provide info. Search other reports and complaints online, confirm widespread telephone Phishing attacks. GoogleMap the area. Contact relevant enforcement authorities and their phone provider. Contact local TV News consumer help reporters & give them the story. Get on TV! Alert local newspapers. Keep a log for possible police, FBI, FTC and other actions.
I just got this call. Pressed 1 for a scammer. They offered to lower my rate to 6.9% on all my cards. I’m half a sleep, so I answered a few of their questions. Red flags went up when she said it wasn’t a loan offer and they wouldn’t run a credit check because it could affect my credit score. She asked questions about cards that are past due or over the limit. In order to process, they had to verify one of my cards that was still in good standing. Asked for the expiration date. And then asked for the card number to ensure that the card was in good standing. Really? When I asked for the company name and a call back number, she said that wasn’t how the company operates. She got aggravated when I recited the number one rule of credit cards “Never give out a credit card number to an unsolicited caller.”
Also, the first clue that a company is legit is the recording that the call may be monitored or recorded for training purposes
1-17-12 12:18pm Just received first call in the new year from good old
Account Services. This after hearing from them no less than 6 times in 2011. Looks like they have another new location as this call came from 949-527-1674 which checks out as Costa Mesa, California. Oh, and this time after hitting “1″ on my phone, a male came on and did not give his name, but went right into the normal spiel (6.9%, etc). I wasted as much of his time as I could until he finally figured out that he was being scammed and hung up on me.
After the last call I got in mid December of 2011, I decided to write up
a story about this scam and send it to the television show “60 minutes” to see if they might want to do a human interest story on them. That was a month ago and I didn’t get a reply so today I sent the story to John Stossel who does a show on consumer issues on the Fox business channel hoping that he might pick it up. We’ll see if he does. If not, does anyone else agree with me that this would make a good tv show in this age of reality TV. If so, are any of you aware of some TV personality that might want to do the story. I believe its the only way we’ll ever get this scam stopped.
I got a call yesterday from 720-539-6698. I kept him on for a long time. He kept asking if I had a credit card that was still in good standing and he needed that number. I kept asking him what company he was with. He told me Account Services. I asked what bank he was with and he said he was not with a bank. He finally hung up on me. I tried to call back a got a message saying “the mailbox belonging to Mike is full”. I googled Account Services and found this web site. There has got to be something that someone can do to stop this. After 2 calls per week for 2 years I am tired of it.
I have gotten several calls from these people but usually let them go to voice mail. Today I was feed up with getting the calls and ansered the phone. The guy was very smooth and sounded professional. He asked if I had a visa or Master Card and if I had a balance of over 3K. The first thing he asked wa for the experation date, them the last 4 digits of my social, THEN the card number. I asked him to hold on for a moment and found this site. I challenged him and told him according to this site he was a scam. Oh No No No he said i am just trying to lower your card rate. So I said OK if your legit do you mind me calling my credit union ans checking on you. Well guess what… IT”S A SCAM as I thought. The number on my caller ID was 512-247-8202. Also it’s a wireless call. I did a reverse look up on the cell number and it’s from Austin, Tx.
They spoof the numbers from anywhere in the US. most liekly the number they used is legit but the person who owns it has no idea.
Received an illegal recorded message about my “credit card.” Pressed 9 to talk with someone. Claimed to be with “Card Services” and started to ramble on and on. I asked where they were located and they claimed Orlando Florida. Claimed they represent Master Card, Visa, Discover and Federal Express. Asked which card I held. Asked for the number of the card to “verify” the account (I gave them a made up number that started with 5. Then asked for my social security number and mother’s maiden name. Yeah right, like I’m an idiot. When I started asking more questions, they got nasty and said I’m asking the questions, not you. I ripped into him then until he hung up. I’m on the do not call list.
i have been getting these calls about once a day for a couple months and everytime i tell them to take me off the call list the either hang up on me, tell me no, or act like i dont know what im talking about. there has to be some way to take of them. most of the time there is a phone number but when i try and call back it says, “the mailbox is busy please try again later.”
if anyone has info on how to get rid of these pests please let me know.
This spam scam organization is most recently using the name “Card Services” and implies that they ARE the credit card services (VISA, Master, etc.) but when you question them which credit card company they are or represent they just say “all of them”.
While the calling is based on computer assumptive dialing, and has the distinctive lag while the computer links a real person in their network, there is no recorded message and you are talking with an actual (often foreign sounding) individual of fairly low understanding, who will not or can not explain much.
The calls I have been receiving seem to come mostly from an NJ area code, but based on some questioning I have been able to do with these various individual callers working for the scammers, the locus of the criminal operation seems to be Orlando Fl.
I have called the Florida AGs office to report this racket operating out of their state, but with no detectable interest on Florida’s part to do anything.
There also appears to be some connection between this “Card Services” scam artist and various On-Line Shopper (Colorado Springs, CO), or Smart Shopper Savings Club (Scottsdale Az. telemkt center, and Van Buren St. Chicago, IL supposedly Corporate address, which I coxed out of an “on-line chat” agent’s supervisor) groups that may be parts of this overall criminal enterprise, or allied scammers on the internet offering chances to win “prizes” (like iPads. I have also noticed that there is a connection with something called “The Daily” (with a Wilshire Blvd. LA and/or Avenue of Americas, NYC address).
In researching the Orlando addresses and phone numbers of anything with “Card Services” in its name, I have found several variations of names and phone numbers (all of which are “no longer in service”).
I even sent an email to a Orlando Sentinel reporter who specializes in reporting on scam crime stories and suggested that there might be a larger story here if Orlando is the center of a tele-crime area, and that both the Orlando Chamber and major outfits like Disney might want to avoid their business area being known nationally as the center of un-wanted tele-scam calling.
FTC/BCP appears to be well aware of “Card Services” spam scam (and possible credit card fraud), but they certainly have not stamped out the whole problem, what with the stealthy and networked nature of this beast.
Best luck to all,
Alan
BTW, I forgot to carry-on the tradition here of noting the date.
It’s 1/26/12 that I am reporting this GD criminal outfit.
BTW, I think it would be just as justified for Obama to order a Predator strike on these bastards, and put a Hell Fire missile up their arses, as it was to send in Seal Team 6 and assassinate OBL.
Just saying — they are causing lots of trouble right here in River City.
I just got a call and acted interested because they have called several times before. They said the company name was “financial services”. I told them that I have been called several times and I wanted it to stop. The girl on the phone laughed and said “Oh you gunna wish u ain’t no bi*ch, I am gunna haunt u and u gunna be scart.” Whatever that means. I filed a report with my local phone company and with the DNC list. I hope that they can be caught!
Wonder if there is a way to set up a “fake” credit card such that everyone can give them that number and the bank can trace who is accessing it. I assume we’d see some purchases – so that is a crime, right? Then the feds have the crime AND the information.
I get these calls at least once a day during business days. They always ask me to get my card – so i leave them muted and go back to work. Eventually they cuss at me and hang up. At least I’m being entertained.
I just got one of these calls today – they are pretty slick and said that they worked in the rate department and were verifying my information because I was put up for review since I had such good standing with my credit card. Funny thing is they were not able to say which CC or bank they were reviewing me for?! When pressed for the name of their company, I was told “Account Services”. This must be a scam!! I did this online search while I was stalling them on the phone and finally they just hung up on me when I kept asking questions.
Date: 2/2/2012
Phone number: 503-457-1085 (I used *69 because no number showed up on caller ID)
Phone On Hold Marketing Systems, Inc., is the company that is being investigated by the FTC for these robocalls. Peter J Turpel is associated with the company. The company phone number is 1-805-214-0927. Call and ask for Rachel, or Heather, or who ever called you!
BTW
They are:
Phone On Hold Marketing Systems, Inc.
Address: 810 Lawrence Drive Suite 120
Newbury Park, CA, 91320
Yes, I get them every few days. I just got one a few minutes ago from the number 920.602.0879. So apparently they figured out how to do this with a real number, which is the only reason I answered. But it was the same message about pressing 1 to speak to someone about lower my interest rate to 6.9 on “your account”….. It’s horrible!! I know if my bank wants to offer me a lower rate they will JUST DO IT. Who in the world would say no to a current creditor about lowering the rate??? It’s craziness. I’ve never pressed 1 as I would just be very PO’d!!
I keep getting the exact same calls about once a week on my cell phone. The numbers always show up, but no name shows up on caller ID. The pre-recorded message from “Account Services” says that if I want to lower my rate, press one now. Each time I have pressed 1 and gotten a human being on the line, I have asked them-first time nicely and then subsequent times DEMANDED—that they remove me from their list, and each time they hang up on me immediately!-
The numbers that they have called from are:
920-602-0879
720-539-6698
Somebody please stop these #^@** people!!!! I get calls all the time. When I try to talk to them, they hang up. Today I finally got someone to talk to me. He told me that he could not remove my number from the “call” list. I had to call a 1-800-number to be removed. Well… I did call the number and it was for a dating service.
Frequently I find messages on my answering machine saying something like “this is about your credit card.” No call back number is left. Today I anwered the phone and a female voice instructed me to press #1 to talk to someone. I did so and got a man on the line. This is obviously a boiler room operation as I could hear a large number of voices in the background. I was suspicious from the start. The man I was talking to told me they wanted to get a lower rate of interest for me on my credit cards. I asked the name of his organization and he said “Account Services” and they could get a lower rate of interest for cards issued by Wells Fargo, Chase, Discover and all Visas. He wanted to know what rate of interest I was paying and I checked one of my cards and told him the rate. He said they could get me a lower rate and that because I always paid my cards on time I was eligible for a lower rate. I told him that if the card company wanted to offer me a lower rate they would send me a letter to that effect. He claimed I had received a letter (which I did not) and then asked if I was some woman, not my name, in Minnesota. I said I was not that woman. He asked for my ziip code which I gave him and somehow he was able to access my name on his computer. He did not have any card info and I did not give him any card info. I finally told him that I thought he and his company were a bunch of crooks and hung up. I later called my credit card company and was told they get complaints about the “Account Services” people all the time. My card company rep told me the scammers are just fishing for info and if a customer falls for it the scammer sets up a conference call with the customer and the card company and with the customer’s permission the card company has to give all the info to the scammers.
The scammers then do a balance transfer to some other card and charge the customer $999.00, for their service. As we all know we can do a balance transfer on our own for a few dollars, certainly not $999.00. Just be careful and don’t deal with these scammers.
I get a phone call from them every month. The first call, I was really wondering why visa was calling me and asked all kinds of questions. After finding out they were ‘account services’ I googled and saw they were a scam operation. Really, this has been going on for months. It’s the only solicitation phone call I get. 10 am on A SATURDAY morning they called today.
It’s frustrating. Whenever you ask them a question, they hang up on you. It’s like getting sucker punched in the dark, then your assailant runs away. You think “Thank goodness they didn’t steal my money. But you still feel violated. And I think of it for hours afterwards. With so many complaints, I don’t see why the Govt. hasn’t shut them down.
There should be a class action suit against them.I’d like a cut of the settlement for the disruptions they have caused me.
I am very WARY and even to me these guys played it very cool. They asked me about my balances on different accounts and my rates for those accounts. They were very patient when I looked things up. They had a lot to say about legal protections and how no information I provided could be used fraudulently, since the law requires that either my signature or my voice authorization is required for any transactions n the card. They were slick, but I refused to give them any account numbers without more assurance of their authenticity. The result is that they put a “supervisor” on to chat me up more. Instead, I asked her the company name, which she said was “Account Services”. I asked where they were incorporated. She said Delaware. When I asked for the corporate address, she refused. I asked how it could be a legitimate business if they couldn’t even provide their address. She promptly hung up. Their numbers listed on caller ID were: (248) 494-2135 and (800) 200-1052. I think from now on I will just start giveing the caller a lecture about honesty & ethics, the ten commandments and the Bible. I bet they take me off their list! ha ha ha !
Yeah, I called that 800 #. It’s a fax machine.
Keep in mind that the folks you reach after pressing “1″ are probably making minimum wage and would *love* to find a different job/career. If you’re not one of them, count your blessings — I sure do.
The guy I spoke with tonight, it was his first day on the job. He could not have been more polite, and answered my questions as best he could with the info the company had given him. At the end of the call, I gave him the name and web address of the company I work for (we’re hiring!) and wished him luck.
Okay, as for “Account Services,” let’s nail those guys! Someone in an earlier post suggested trying to get a human interest story going with CNN or FOX, which is brilliant. Share your experiences with your friends and family, too, to make sure that they all know that this is at best a bad deal and at worst a very dangerous scam.
Just be gentle on the folks you talk with on the phone — even though they don’t have great jobs, they are just doing their jobs…
I’m afraid you’re wrong about that. If you read through this thread, it’s full of descriptions of these people being super nice… until you call them on the BS of the scam, and then they curse at you, laugh at you, etc. These are not minimum wage telemarketers who think they’re working for a legitimate company. They’re in on the scam.
Thank you BohRev!!
I hear what you’re saying, but I have been cursed at, laughed at and hung up on. I have never gotten the impression from any associates at this company that they are just hard working folks doing their jobs. In fact, most of them seemed to be really enjoying what they are doing.
I’ve received 3 phone calls from these people. When I ask what credit card company they are with, they hang up…..How can we STOP THEM from calling???
I got a call one day. Knowing it is a scam I decided to press 1 anyways. He asked me for my name and I pointed out he called me. Then I asked which credit card was this in reference to? He told me that it was confidential and he did not have access to it. I told him to try this one, I don’t have any credit cards! He hung up. I really don’t have any cards that is one BIG clue that it is a scam. But I would really like for the calls to stop. I have registered all of our phones on the do not call list.
FRUSTRATED!!!!
Oh my gosh. Thank GOD for this site. I felt like I was losing my mind. They call me at least 10 TIMES A DAY and have since about Halloween 2011. I try to ignore it and when I have answered, I have gotten the EXACT same responses as many of you have posted. They hang up when you even start to ask to be removed, if you do try to “trick” them to find out info, they hang up as soon as they catch on, they have told me they are located in DE (where many of the credit card companies are) but will not give me the 800# to the company until “we make sure you still qualify for the offer,” there apparently are no supervisors, and my favorite so far is one gentleman (and I use the term loosely) started singing “who’s afraid of the big bad wolf” when I told him that I was going to report him for violating the Federal laws for telephone harassment. This was after he told me he hasn’t broken “any fu***** laws…hahaha.”
The telephone companies cannot do anything because they call from cell phone numbers, that are conveniently out of service or mailboxes are full when you call back, and they can’t be traced. The “do not call” registry does not apply because they do not call from registered 800*888 numbers. It has reached the point where I want to change my number, but we’ve had it since we moved into our home 5 years ago and I really don’t want to go through the trouble of changing my number with every business, school, doctors office, etc…that has it. I’m also realizing that they are harassing everyone, so whose to say they won’t call the new number. I’m ready to get these people and I’m all for supporting the gentlemen above who wants to send it to an investigative reporter. I love the guys on NBC and maybe somehow we can pick one of them and all submit our stories. There are almost 840 posts on here and I’m sure if we started a FB page or something asking for people’s stories, we will get an overwhelming response. What do you think??
New Number for you: 801-647-0293 from Utah.
Number received on my phone today was 920-602-0879. Start to press them for removal from call list they hang up on you! COWARDS go earn a legitimate living.
I, too, am on the no call list but continuously receive calls from Credit Card Services, at least two each day. The automated message says press 3 to remove my name, but that doesn’t work. Hopefully someone finds a way to stop them and slap the company with a fine for violating the no call list.
Account Services is another name for Cardholder Services and/or Card member services and any number of similiar named companies where they change the name every few months to stay one step ahead of the law. The owners/managers/? also use aliases to hide from the law. ‘Heather’ or whoever may be giving their real name but their bosses have multiple business cards with multiple business names and multiple aliases.
The law that allows the use of aliases is a federal law. We need to get on our reps in DC about this. Inundate them and your state reps with complaints, etc. Somethings got to finally give!
Just talked to a friend who said the internet is ‘hidden’, make your complaints to TV and radio station news departments and newspapers. Some of which will have investigative reporters which will then question why nothing is being done. Thousands of news agencies asking the same question openly, on the air, in print, in the public eye, out of hiding, for everybody to see and hear will force the authorities/government to do something so they ca get back to doing nothing.
P.S. My friends cousin blames it on the Republicans/Tea Party.
I am from Canada, Sean has been calling my home phone since over a month now. If you are Canadian, here is the process :
- After each call, you hung up, then you take back the phone and dial *57.
- If you want the authorities to be serious about it, you need to keep a log on the date, hour, conversation resume and whether or not you did the *57 after this call.
- After a few days and occurences. You need to call the 911 and file in a complaint with a police agent.
-Thereafer, a detective will call you to start procedure and get your phone log from your phone company. The reason why you need to keep a log on each call is that these people might use a whole bunch of different lines to reach you.
I do have a police record open in my own city for the purpose of tracking this *** downn ’til we meet in Court. Should be willing to help by sharing your story with me (only if you are willing to give name and log to complete the file we are working on).
I got a call from 8014-647-0293, and afetr pressing 1 to get more info about reducing my credit card interest rate, I was on hold for about a minute. As other people on here stated, they asked for just one credit card number. I asked about the company and the website, she said she didn’t have that info and that a credit specialist would giove me that info only after she verified my card number and balance. I asked for proof and some jerk got on the phone and kept avoiding giving me direct answers. After he got frustrated, he said “Enjoy your high interest rates” and hung up. Definitely NOT a legit company
Also, I tried calling the number and got a personal voice mail box for “Air Head”
FEB. 21, 2012
After many years, abuse still going on. Hundreds of calls from “Heather,” and “Rachael,” and a hundred other financial services. Nothing stops them. NOt even my 29 complaints to FTC.
It’s time to conclude that the FTC is actually cooperating with this; the FTC is in leaguewith the banks. To try to capture Credit Card debt.
Time to sue the FTC for failing to enforce the law.
They have been arrested but haven’t learned their lesson yet.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/press/2010/02-18-10c.pdf
Also, there are more out there than just these folks that are doing this. There is another group outside of the United States (and therefore not under the US laws and do not follow the “do-not-call” list), such as one out of Canada. Forward your information to the FBI. Better yet, when they call, graciously let them know that your “husband” or “Wife”, etc is the one who handles your finances, and is who they will have to speak to. They will ask for their number, tell the caller your husband/wife is at work. They will ask for their work number, I promise. Give to them the phone number at the FBI. This will do two things.
They will never call you again.
The FBI will have yet more usable information. They are working on this case.
I receive calls several times a week about “lowering your credit card interest rate.” They come at all hours of the day and night and have become downright threatening. They even leave messages – “this is your FINAL chance” – and then they call the next day!
Today I hit “1″ to take advantage of the offer in order to talk to a HUMAN! I did get a human and asked to be taken off the list permanently. The snotty girl said, “Would you benefit from our lower interest rate?”
I said, “No, take me off this list. We get called every other day. Let me speak to your supervisor.”
She said, “Our supervisors are busy; why would you need to talk to them anyway?”
I said, “I want to talk to your supervisor.”
She said, “Well, ma’am, we all want things in life we can’t have.” Then she hung up on me.
OMG, the AUDACITY of these people!!! The number is 800-200-1052, and of course you can’t call it back.
If I ever find out who is behind these calls I am going to take them to court for violating my rights!
Just today I received such a phone call! Interestingly enough when I asked “Chuck” (of “Account Services: who said he was “sanctioned by Master Card, Visa, Discover, and American Express”) who he was trying to reach – there was a hang up. The caller ID said call came from the following #702-439-2402. So nobody answer that!!
I called the FCC and was told to contact he Federal Trade Commission because they are asking for your credit card information. I called the FTC (877-382-4357), spoke with someone and registered a complaint. The more people that do this about “Cardmember Services” and provide whatever phone numbers your caller ID shows about them, the more likely these guys will be taken down.
I have been getting these calls since I switched phone service to Verizon. today from 909-374-9789. Also one on 2/25 407-702-0538; on 2/21 502-632-4428; 2/10 801-647-0293; 1/31/ 802-775-2835; 1/24/920-602-0879. I just want it to STOP!
They are calling anyone and everyone, mostly elderly, and even those on the “do not call list”. WE HAVE TO STOP THESE PHISHING ATTACKS
I get these calls daily. I’m telling the agents to “whistle blow” on the company by calling the FBI about the scam. They may be rewarded as much as $1,000,000.00. Hopefully, the employees will help stop this scam.
I have been getting calls from ‘Account Services’ for about six months now, on the average twice a week. It is annoying and obviously a scam. To this point there have been six different numbers used with different area codes. I am going to try the representatives at our states senate, attorney general,then on to D.C. This crap has gone on enough and lots of people would be hurt by this.
Recording to press 1 if I want to lower int rate on my credit cards… I pressed 1… Person answered and asked me if I had “2″ Sears Cards, and a BofA card. (not too many people have 2 sears cards but I do).. He told me to get the cards so he can verify some stuff.. He said do you have the card ending in ****… “Yes, I do” – then he asked me what the full account numer was.. OK, not Im not an idiot so I told him he wasn’t getting that info. He said – “Are the first 4 digits ****?? I said yes, and he put me on hold. (Remember, he told me not only the first 4 digits, but the last 4 also) … He came back and said that he can reduce all of the rates on my 3 cards to 6% – saving me over $15000 in 7 years. He then asked me the balance…. I said I wasn’t sure … he said he needs to put me on hold again… He came back and proceeded to tell me the following: My current balance, my credit limit, the date and amount of my last payment (Which, by the way, was only 6 days ago in the store) !!! – the correct interest rate, and – the last 4 digits of my SSN !! – He did this for all 3 cards – with totally accurate information! I asked him how he was associate with Bank of America, and he stated he wasn’t – he was with MC/Visa Customer Service. Now, if I want to save all this interest, it’ll only cost me $699 service charge, charged to one of the Sears Cards.. I hung up. – Immediately called BofA and verif it’s obviously a scam, but they were extremely interested on how he knew all this information about me. So was Sears when called. I’m getting new cards with new numbers for all 3 cards, and we now have a password for any phone conversations. I played along probably a little too long, as this actually happened to me a couple years ago, and it was legit…… My bank called me about 8:00PM one night and stated thay wanted to help me and lower my interest rate on my Banks Gold Card to 2% for a year … I agreed, and in fact, they did, and I paid that card off in a year thanks to that adjustment, so I always had that in mind when talking to this guy, but they didnt’ charge me anything either.. After I hung up on the guy, I sufered 11 return calls from him that I didn’t answer.. My story isn’t much different than others, except the amount of informaiton that he had on my accounts when coming back from being put on hold. .. THAT’S
Sorry hit the ‘enter’ button by accident.. was going to say that “THATS” the scary part – how much current info he had, and as accurate he was….
Got that call once again, and some how I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of this offer….
now I am petrified, as I went on line while I was on the phone with Sheryl. Has anyone experienced the results of going this far here?
Account Services call many times a day. I talked with ATT they suggested calling the FCC. I hope it works. I ask them to stop calling, they just hang up.
Just got off the phone with someone from “account services” who was rude when I began questioning him about his legitimacy. I hung up on him and he proceeded to call back 4 times in 5 minutes. Would not tell me how they profited from lowering my interest rates nor would he tell me the name of the company he was representing just “account services.” He wanted numbers from my card to begin the process! Run, run very fast from this scam!
Law enforcement agencies seem to have a hard time tracking these guys. As private citizens, we are left with the alternative to try and consume as much of their time as possible.
Every time I get these kind of phone calls, I tell the caller that I really am interested in the offer, but I need to answer the door first and I’ll be right back………………..
Been on this list for 1.5 years. I can’t get off it no matter what I do. I waste there time, I play games with them. Lead them on for a long time and waste their time and screw with them giving them false information then I tell them to shove it.
I’ve yelled, acted nicely, politely, filed complaints. Nothing will stop these (&#@ calls.
The one I just got was from 612-222-7091
Please help for the love of God.
Ted-
The 612-222-7091 number is the same one I have been getting calls from too. Seriously, for the love of God, take me off!!!
Wow – 1.5 years???? Is that what I have to look forward to? It has been a few times a week for maybe 2 months for me. I finally started searching the web – I double checked that I was on the DNC list which I was, I filed a complaint on there, and then I came across this post and all the replies.
Ugh….it seems like there is no hope based on what everyone has said here.
Props to you for all the things you have tried with them. I am simply just angry and they immediately hang up on me.
I have received numerous calls. and when i say i’m not interested or don’t call back they immediately hangup. It comes from numerous area codes. How can i get this number blocked?
I’ve called the numbers back…get the calls from different area codes about 3-4 times a day…and you can’t get thru to anyone. I’m starting to think those cans that sound like a horn that you use at football games and such would be a great idea in the phone. they’ll either take you off the list, or go deaf.
air cans (horns) its what I use daily. I love it now. I wait for them to call and press 1 the minute I hear the recording. mmmm mmm good times.
I’ve been getting these calls for about 2 years now, and all I know them by is “Lower Interest Rates”.
I too am on the do-not-call list. In the beginning, I would click 3, the option for removing myself from their list. After the aggravation of it not stopping, I attempted to dial 1 to talk to an “agent”. To this day, I’m lucky if I get a person who won’t hang up on me and even luckier that when I do talk to someone, they stay on the phone long enough to hear me complain, nicely or otherwise before then hanging up on me. I’m assuming that they’re trained to do this as they are indeed scamming people and don’t want to stay on the phone long enough to get into a conversation about who they are. Today was the longest I talked to someone and when I asked how it was that I keep hitting the “remove me” number that it doesn’t work. She only answered with an explanation of who they are ( which was in itself, vague ) and why they call me, why I qualify. Just as I began to explain that their number 3 removal system isn’t working, she hung up on me.
I’ve tried to be nice about it after the first year of bitching them out and that doesn’t work. I’ve even had them shoot back at me with rudeness when I would begin to tell them that I wasn’t interested in their services but rather I am requesting that they once and for all remove me.
I an be just as stubborn and will find a way to get this to stop. I’m going to check out the links posted here. Hope to find a way to put a stop to this crap.
HEREs’ the scoop on CARD HOLDER SERVICES …. IT DOSEN’T MATTER WHERE THEY CALLL FROM, it dosen’t matter if its a land line or a cell phone and it dosen’t matter if you call god…… they will just keep calling until you do what i did……… Card holder services is owned and operated by terremark co………. now hold on to your hats …….terremark is wholly owned and is operated by…………VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC, LOWELL C.McADAM—-CEO 140 west st. ny. ny 10007 i could not find a phone number that i could talk to him on, so my next best bet is his “mouthpiece” his name is DEMETRIUS POLINICK the number is 1-888-483-7770 ask for him by name i told him the problems i was having with C.H.S. , ie: terremark co, owned by verizon……i told him that i wanted ALL the calls to stop NOW or i was going to sue someone and or everyone involved……….. this was approx. 3 months ago and C.H.S. hasen’t called since…. and i was getting calls all hours of almost every… day and night. this worked….so if anyone out there has a facebook account spread the word i read theres a page for this subject..and i have been posting now for hours on every blog site i could find and need help to SHUT THIS COMPANY DOWN thanks ME
This information regarding Terremark and Verizon is incorrect, they do not own CHS. I spoke to Mr. Polinick and he was very nice and he gave me the following links. Hope this helps. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-977A1.pdf
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/asiapacific.shtm
Hopefully we can get this stopped!!!
You guys have been reporting these a-hole scammers for years and what has been the result? NOTHING. I know that because I’m still getting the calls.
What I am starting to do is each time I get one of these calls I will call my member of Congress and complain. Each and every time. If we would all do the same, then maybe the FCC would do something.
http://www.loansafe.org/at-ftc%E2%80%99s-request-court-shuts-down-credit-card-interest-rate-reduction-scam
FTC seems to be aware of this scam, but the scammers seem to be a step ahead of the FTC. Hopefully they can find information from blogs such as this to support their cases.
More information from the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt178.shtm
They clearly understand the scam, and also know that the scam is associated with violations of the FTC’s rules on robocalls law:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt162.shtm
But it’s been two years and the scammers are still robodialing like crazy. You’d think (hope) that they caught, convicted and incarcerated these crooks by now.
I am 68 years old with heart and lung problems and because of this have very irregular sleep patterns. I get two to three of these phony calls per day. After trying most of the things I read on your site, I finally got into the habit of simply cussing the live person I got by pressing one as filthily as I could. Interestingly enough, periodically I get a callback from someone who is offended who tries to pay me back in kind, WHICH IS A CRIME! Twice my caller ID showed a real number. The FCC cannot stop you from being obscene to a caller but has made it illegal to call someone for the purpose of being obscene.
I figure if I make their job uncomfortable enough they may switch to pouring coffee or flipping hamburgers. Whomever offered the idea of making it illegal for politicians to make these calls is also excellent. I simply tell the caller that I NEVER vote for someone who calls and disturbs me. That actually works.
My wife just got one a few minutes ago and hung up the phone. I talked to one last friday and they are so brazen, I said i will report you to the fcc, and he said go ahead they wont do anything, we will just change the name of the company and start over again. I asked where he bought my telephone number and he said probably from your credit card company. The call my wife got a few minutes ago was fro 800 421 1000. I called it back and call cant go through. I did reverse search and found nothing. What are we supposed to do? Bill
I purchased an air horn to blow in the ear.
I do this daily so this is my stress breaker. The guy kept telling me this is not play time. stop it.
I love this idea and I think everyone should start doing this…if nothing else it makes you feel like you are getting back at them. I don’t feel sorry for the people working there they know what they are doing is wrong. I will be getting my air horn today!
That’s a good I idea shane. I gatta find me an air horn. Maybe if you piss them off enough maybe they will quit calling.
I have been trying to get rid of these calls for a few months. I’m on a no call list but that has had no affect. I have filed a complaint on line with the FCC. At least it makes me feel good to let the “agent” know. Yet, today, 2 more calls. Come in as a “cell” number and the number appears. Will forward the 2 new numbers to the FCC. Can we all band together and flood the FCC with complaints? Would that have any impact?
I get these almost daily. Two today from card services. I hang up. I have done everything and nothing stops these people. Why are they allowed to harass people. I mean they call at 8 pm at night sometimes and my husband goes to bed at 7pm. I am on the no call list but these people change their number all the time. They are scum!!! I am venting here because it’s gotten to be so bad that I want to kill someone. really!!!
I’ve been getting calls for two years, at least once a month but I’ve had as many as 3 in one week. The last couple of times I pushed 1 just to be able to tell them I knew it was a scam, that I had contacted the credit card they claimed to represent. Each time as soon as I told them I knew they were frauds, I was hung up on. After the second time, it was weeks before I received another phone call, that was just a few minutes ago, and when I told the woman I knew she was a committing a fraud and threatened to turn her in to the law, she said and I quote “they won’t do anything about it” and then she hung up. But Shane I love your idea, going to buy a air horn, this could get fun.
The calls I have been getting were 3 -4 days a weeks from “Ann at Account Services” I started blocking their numbers in my phone. First they came from Wisconsin, I blocked that number. Then Ohio, I blocked those numbers. Then they were coming thru Oregon and I blocked that. I had a week break, now I just got one that said it was from California. I have spoken to someone 5 different times, and each time they hang up on me as soon as I mention that I’ve been getting other calls or to please take my number off their list. Each number has their own message box, which is always full, but sounds like the same voice that’s slightly altered saying their mailbox is full. It is a complete SCAM.
I have been blocking their numbers in my phone when they call. They then manage to get me again from another number in a different state. I block that, and the cycle continues. Today I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission giving then every number I kept a record of. I will not give up until they are caught. The FTC said that they ARE INDEED A SCAM!
DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR PRIVATE INFO!
I also get these calls at least twice a day. I punched #1 to talk to someone and try to find who the company was. I told James I was going to report them if the calls didn’t stop. He hung up on me. He then gave my cell number to any one who did what I did. He told them my number was the No call list. My phone rang every few mim tell i had to turn it off. I have reported it to the police, verison, Attorney General. No one can help.
I keep getting these calls too. When I press one to talk to someone, as soon as I start to ask to be removed from their list they hang up. The number on my caller ID is 303-249-9700
Voice Broadcasting Corp.
1527 South Cooper St. Arlington, TX 76010
Sales and Services: 800-231-5629 or 817-462-0717
Fax: 817-273-5950
Email: jfournier@voicebroadcasting.com
Jeff Fournier
Robo call led me to a company in Florida and after a little “persuading” the owner said he used the above service.
Locate you local FBI field office.
Write down the number.
Call the telemarketer, listen to the full mailbox message.
Press 5.
Select change call back number.
Leave FBI office number.
Enjoy pleasant thoughts of angry agents kicking in telemarketers door. 8D
I just did this for the 785-207-6317 number (Topeka, KS), but it did not work for the 303-249-9700 or 313-204-1037 numbers, which did not allow for me to change my call back number.
The last couple of times I have gotten calls from them I played along with them making them think I was interested. I asked if they needed my credit card number and when they said yes I said “could you hold on until I get my credit card” they said yes and I laid the phone down for about ten minutes until they hung up. Today when I did it the idiot was still on there after ten minutes so I laid the phone down again. I’ll do anything to pi$$ these people off!!!
Call History for anyone who wants to nail these assholes. Time to call in the big guns.
303-249-9700 4:56 PM Apr 10, 2012
303-249-9700 7:05 PM Apr 5, 2012
785-207-6317 9:06 PM Mar 29, 2012
785-207-6317 1:16 PM Mar 29, 2012
303-249-9700 3:44 PM Mar 27, 2012
303-249-9700 12:04 PM Mar 26, 2012
513-417-0498 11:36 AM Mar 23, 2012
513-417-0498 8:32 PM Mar 22, 2012
513-417-0498 6:00 PM Mar 21, 2012
513-417-0498 11:23 AM Mar 19, 2012
513-417-0498 8:50 PM Mar 14, 2012
612-222-7091 4:17 PM Mar 13, 2012
I have been getting harassing telephone calls about 2-3 times a day for over a month now. The phone numbers are from around the country. They are: 785-207-6317, 303-249-9700 and 313-204-1037. The call begins with an automated message asking if I would like to lower my interest rate on credit cards. If I press 1 to speak to a person, I have asked that they stop calling me and the person hangs up. If I ask what company these calls are from, I am told “Account Services for Visa and Mastercard”. If I ask for a business address, the person who answers hangs up the phone. This is a criminal level of harassment and I need help to get these callers to stop calling me multiple times a day. It is causing a lot of undue stress and disrupting my life. I submitted a tip to the FBI website listed above, but want to know if there is anything else I can do.
This information is not correct, I called Mr. Polinick…Verizon and Terremark are not associated with CHS. He was nice enough to provide a couple of links that he found on this…not sure how much it will help, but here they are anyway; http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-977A1.pdf
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/asiapacific.shtm
Good Luck
Nathan
I have been recieving phone calls from account services for over a year. I will press the #1 and ask the representative their business name and who I am speaking to, I have recorded them calling me horrible names but most of the time they hang up. I had the phone company try to trace their phone number and they can’t because the send random numbers to your caller id through a computer. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION
The only way to resolve this is for someone to use their service as a ploy to get their business information. Then file a class action criminal complaint and lawsuit against them.
Keep me posted
I got a call from “wireless caller 1-303-249-9700″ about “your account”, and saying if I wanted lower rates on “your account”, I needed to hit number 1 to talk to an agent. Further the recording sternly warned me, “This is your final notice!” Obviously a scam. They pose as a “wireless caller” to make it seem like an individual person is calling rather than a robo-caller. I called back the number given and it “wasn’t taking calls at this time.” BTW, when they call people with “Do not call” registered numbers, they a liable for stiff fines for each call, regardless of the scam they are up to.
Here is a list of numbers that have called me:
216-712-1591
303-249-9700
785-207-6317
219-331-5356
612-222-7091
513-417-0498
507-421-0725
407-702-0538
They call almost daily, i rarely get through to a real person and when I do they hang up when I ask to be taken off their list. They have even called at 7am on a Saturday. These people need to go down.
I keep getting calls from a 303 area code or 785 area code daily. I did a reverse number look up on one dufus butt and found out his carrier is AT&T. I’ve filed a complaint with the Kansas State’s Attorney’s office but I’m not expecting a miracle!
I’m getting these calls from (303) 249-9700.
I have been getting these harassing phone calls for over year. The person I just talked to said she worked with Omega Debt/First Financial/Account services from Atlanta, GA. She tried to get my “account number”–really my credit card number, and promised me that giving it out could not in any way be used by someone else to purchase things. She also gave me the contact information of her manager, Jason Williams, at 1-877-867-5218. I talked to him and he at first denied knowing anything about a list of numbers they could remove me from, and then I finally got him to say he would remove me. I’m not sure why he lied to me, but if you all are still having problems, you might consider giving him a call. There appear to be a bunch of companies working together on this scam, and I’m sure that most of them don’t really understand what is going on.
They have been calling me for ages. I haven’t carried any credit card debt until recently so I never was interested. Today I considered lowering my rates and so I started to ask questions. They wouldn’t answer my questions but just kept asking for my full name and credit card number. When I told them I wouldn’t give them my credit card number they just hung up the phone. What crooks!!! Thank goodness I didn’t fall for that one.
305-202-1132
306-214-9021
313-204-1037
406-219-2389
407-218-5892
425-390-8126
612-222-7091
617-390-4562
657-202-6870
678-514-2548
682-936-4503
800-281-2526
866–972-9310
866-206-5823
888-786-6201
940-585-1945
952-367-5601
971-217-9538
They call me everyday, the numbers shows up, but when I call back the VM is full and it gives a name.. When I have hit 1 and talked to someone, they either hang up immediately or we get in an argument and we tell back n forth!! I called AT&T, they can’t do anything but change my number..
New call number they have (617) 390-4562. Shows up as Massachusetts.
Was told by caller from 216-712-1591 that they are Omega Debt in Florida. Would not give any other information before hanging up.
These are really stupid people. Why call some one 5 times when they first time they said no. They are not wasting just my time but their own as well.
Ya, Maybe if they call me 10 more times I’ll give in and say ok. Or maybe I will just get angry and post things on line that worn others not to buy or deal with them.
I’ve been irritated by this for some time and I’ve asked to be removed from the call list. They WILL NOT do it. So, when I have the time, I see how long I can keep them on the phone to waste THEIR time. My record is about 15 minutes. I keep thinking they will remove me just to avoid wasting their time but they won’t. It’s a game for me, and if they EVER quit calling, I WIN!
I have had the same problems. I now have a list of 15 different numbers they have used so far. I can’t find any such company anywhere. Some numbers are carried by various land line carriers yet when I call them, they trace the numbers to cell carriers.
For me, it all started when I signed up for a “Do Not Call List” on the internet that looked official. Once signed up the calls started coming—once, twice, and sometimes three times a day——-SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO PROTECT US, THE CONSUMER
i GET THESE CALLS ABOUT ONCE A WEEK AND THER IS NOTHING THE POLICE,VERIZON OR THE fcc CAN DO ABOUT IT! VERY FRUSTRATING!
Just received a call from Charlie at “Account Services”! When asked what the company name was they stated “Account Services”! When asked the address they hung up! Called back the number on the caller id and (971)373-2993 it was a disconnected number belonging to Pacific Telecommunications Group. How do I stop these people from calling 4-6 times a week and leaving messages? Saw on tv (don’t know if it’s the same company) that the Rhode Island attorney General fined a company for 20k for calling people on the do not call list
Just got another one today (402) 204-6209
the company, she said, is “Account Services” when I asked her to take us off their list, she just hung up without another word.
I reported them to the FCC.
I have gotten too many calls from account services and card holder services. We do not have a credit or debit card!!
The one difference is there are many addresses and phone numbers for CHS and none for Account Servicees.
I have tried to send complaint to BBB about both but they need address as well as name of company.
I click 1 and when someone – usually a man answers and I ask him to take me off the call list. He hangs up without saying anything.
I don’t give out information unless I have called the company and even then I am careful.
Since we don’t have a credit card the main thing is that it is very irritating to get these calls. I got 2 this morning – maybe from the same place as the first one had noone on and the second was the recording. account services.
Thanks for the ideas on here.