|
Between those annoying car warranty robo-calls that everybody seems to be getting
lately and the pharma-marketers (such is how I refer to the chuckleheads who call
and try to sell you Xanex at over-inflated prices) who annoy you at all hours, it
is getting challenging to track down the egregious telemarketers. To be successful
in finding out who is behind them, you must do a little social engineering.
Warning: There some times wherein you are just plain out of luck.
The folks making the calls are all based overseas (usually in or around Bangalore
in India) and the folks behind these companies are also based overseas. (Anecdotally,
I have come to the conclusion that such are usually from the United Kingdom or Mexico.)
In these types of situations, it is generally best to simply pray that they will
eventually stop calling you. They will use all sorts of nefarious tricks -
changing their caller id number, etc to defeat any efforts you may put in place to block them.
There are the times wherein it appears rather difficult to track the egregious telemarketers
(whether the call centers are overseas or not) but with a little effort, one can
actually get the core information needed to pursue a case in small claims court
or file a complaint with the FCC or the FTC. Use social engineering...
When those bloody calls come in, your blood starts to boil and all you want to do
is scream at them. I tell you right now...DON'T! These people are trying
to make a sale. Convince them you actually wish to buy their crappy product
or service. They will be so happy that you have not cursed and hung up on
them - like the previous callers - that they will love to stay on the phone with
you. The key is to get the information as to who they are (or who is contracting
out their services, as such folks are equally culpable) and thus failing the complaint
or taking them to court.
You most definitely DO NOT want to give out real information about
who you are, such as your name, social security number, etc. Instead get yourself
setup with an online fax account (see links on the right of each page pf this site).
Tell the telemarketer that you are REALLY interested in whatever
overpriced garbage they are trying to sell you, but tell them that you must receive something in writing (use any excuse under the son - say you have a hearing impairment
- whatever it takes). If they will send you something in writing (via facsimile
or email), than you will have more information to track down the responsible parties
or to file a complaint. In the case of those awful car warranty calls, ask
them for a copy of the warranty to be faxed or emailed to you. Unless they
are a 100% scam-based outfit that is just taking money but not actually selling
anything, the warranty paperwork will have the name and addres of the company underwriting
the warranty. Bingo! There is the party you take to court or file a
complaint against.
A few years ago, I became supremely sick of the massive number of telephone calls I would receive from telemarketers. My standard response was to curse them and hang up on them. As we all know, such tactics do not work. Those companies that are attempting to sell you a new garage door, a mortgage refinance, a new furnace or who knows what else are persistent. They will keep calling until they make a sale. As we all do, in frustration I looked on the internet for information. I learned that one can actually sue telemarketers. Unfortunately, many of the websites will give you only a little bit of information and then ask you to buy an e-book or purchase a subscription. Being the kind of guy that I am, I delved into the code and figured it out myself.
Many people believe that by placing their telephone number(s) on the National Do Not Call Registry they shall be insulated from the intrusive telemarketing calls that have plagued us the past few decades. Although the Do Not Call Registry has had some beneficial impact, it is not by any means the panacea that some may have envisioned. In fact in many cases, I would see the practical results of the Do Not Call Registry to be a total joke. Unless the company making the telephone calls is making enough calls to numbers listed on the Do Not Call Registry to warrant a multitude of complaints to the appropriate authorities, nobody is going to do a bloody thing about going after these firms (trust me...been down that road...gave it up as a lost cause).
Luckily for those of us who are besieged by the bloody mortgage firms wanting us to "refinance before the interest rates go through the roof!", the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 gives us the right of private action. This means that we can sue the crap out of those telemarketers who just do not understand the meaning of No!
As I have told friends, associates and Bob Sullivan of MSNBC, despite first thoughts, it is not at all difficult to pursue legal action against those telemarketers who refuse to acknowledge your (just) demands to be left alone. In fact it is actually pretty bloody easy! As long as you know the law (which is - surprisingly - clear and brief) and follow some pretty basic steps, you stand an excellent chance at lining your pocket with potentially a few thousand dollars with maybe an hour of total time invested and about $50 in court fees.
I am not a bloody attorney! I am certainly not giving legal advice. Unfortunately, I must make such a statement for two reasons: 1) I really have no desire to get in trouble with the Bar Association and 2) I need to protect myself from the random nutjob who comes to this site, files 10 lawsuits in small claims court, loses them all due to their incompetence and then tries to blame me. There are no guarantees in life and as my grandfather used to say: "there's no such thing as a free lunch". Do your own due diligence as pertains to your individual situation and it is always a good idea to consult with an attorney. By utilizing the materials on this site, you concur that you hold your own fate in your hands and any actions you may take and the results thereof are purely due to your own devices/machinations/etc...
|
2009-02-15
My Elevator's Car Warranty is about to Expire
Reverse Phone Searches to Chuck Telemarketers
All Articles and Postings
Feel free to perform Google searches below for information on specific telemarketing firms, phone number lookups, etc. Any advertised links you click on slightly help to defray hosting costs for this free site...
This Telemarketing Call Sheet has a synopsis of what you should do when you receive a call as well as fields in which to hand-write the specifics about a telemarketing call when it comes in. Print a few of these out and place them by the telephone. These are perfect for evidence when you take the telemarketing company to court!
Favorite Artist: Wilfrid Daleus
Column: Red Tape Chronicles
Reporter: Bob Sullivan/Identity Theft
Friend/Reporter: Mel Payne
Like-Minded: Amy Alkon
|
February 20, 2009 --> Social Engineering - Figuring out who the telemarketers are...