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Warning: Scam Telemarketers at Large |
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Oct 28, 2008 - 11:33 PM - by GreNME
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I have been repeatedly received calls from 626-259-5579. The caller states their company is called Gold Coast and that they (the callers) are located in Phoenix, AZ. Their scam is that they're going to send me a gift card for $300 to use at any gas station for my car, supposedly for free... except for the $4.00 required for shipping and handling of the marketing materials they want to send me as a condition to getting the card. The callers are always people with the last name "Brown" (and pretty obviously a false name) and as far as I can tell from searching for other instances of these calls elsewhere they can tend to get pretty pushy trying to get your credit card number so that they can send you your "free" gift card for gasoline purchases.
Unfortunately for them, I'm the type of person who decides to go on the offense when strangers try to push me to give them money, and I don't tolerate scams.
After the first couple calls I went to my local Radio Shack and purchased a phone recording device and digital voice recorder. The phone recording device is fairly cheap and easy to use, and like I said can be found at your local Radio Shack or online at Radio Shack's website [link]. The device I bought is for typical cell phone headset jacks, and it requires batteries to operate as well as a separate voice recorder to actually record the conversation. You can also buy a unit for home landlines here or here, also from the Radio Shack website.
Since I bought the device I was repeatedly called and hung up on by these individuals. On the 25th of October I received a call from Gold Coast where they didn't just hang up, and the caller identified himself as "Mark Brown." He gave his initial pitch at first and then I began shooting him questions like where he was calling from (he claimed Phoenix, AZ), why his number was showing up as a California number (it's a CA exchange), what this company did (he claimed marketing), and where this company was located (again, he claimed Phoenix). I also asked him how he got my number, but the only answer he could give was his company's "research department" and that he didn't know how they got it. After "Mark's" answers began to get repetitive I asked to speak with his supervisor. His supervisor, who said he was "Steven Brown" (and sounded remarkably like "Mark" even though he said he was not related), tried also to convince me to take their company's offer. He also attempted to verify my contact information and name while I was questioning him, but I made it a point to neither confirm nor deny his questions about my name or any other personal information. After a few minutes of making it clear I wasn't interested, he stated equivocally that he could add my number to his do-not-call list and I would never receive a call from that company again in the future. I made sure to have him answer in as clear and as absolute language as possible that a) he would be adding my number to the do-not-call list and b) I can expect to not receive phone calls from their company again.
Since this wasn't the first time I've asked them to do this (but was the first time I had it recorded) I look forward to repeat calls from them. The reason I look forward to it is because each infraction from this point forward will cost their company money (as long as I manage to obtain proof of the call) when I take the company to court for FCC violations, and I plan on pursuing this to the fullest extent that the law will allow me. Additionally, I'll be making calls to the local as well as the Arizona and California Better Business Bureau to report the company and the name of the business, in order to file a complaint. I also plan on trying to offer all of this information to the FBI in the case that this company is actually a scam they aren't aware of, at which point they can pursue it to the fullest extent they deem necessary.
Know your rights to privacy when it comes to telemarketers[link]. The first step is to contact the Do Not Call Registry, either by calling (888) 382-1222, or visiting their website. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you're bothered by telemarketers after you've registered with the Do Not Call database you can sue the telemarketing companies for $500 (or actual damages, whichever is greater) for each call they make link]. Also, a company is required by law to transmit its originating phone number and, if possible, its company name to your caller ID when it's making a telemarketing call [link], so if they call with a "private" or "unavailable" or some other unlisted or obfuscated method they are in violation of the FCC rules-- another $500 infraction that is payable to the consumer through the court of the law. Also, don't believe any lies about your cell phone being exempt from Do Not Call lists, because the FCC covers cell phones the same as land lines [link].
The phone numbers to watch out for:- 626-259-5579
- 909-842-9142
The company name: Gold Coast
Keep in mind that this is an outright scam. Do not give out any personal information to these people if they call. Report them immediately and document the calls as much as you can. Protect yourself, and make scum like this pay for bothering you. This is the only way to make these people stop their marketing practice, and the government has made available plenty of tools and regulations for you to use.
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8 Replies | 148 Views
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"why Ron Paul will/won't save America and the World" |
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Nov 07, 2008 - 1:56 AM - by dodeca
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ExitthePig
You are, like, totally entitled to your horribly mistaken opinion. I am sure Ron Paul wisking us back to the 19th century in his political time machine would have saved us all.
*No offense to any people who like Ron Paul, Hulk...*
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How do you get that my logic is flawed? I'm a conservative republican but this time and last i could not vote republican because my choices were not conservative. so i vote 3rd party. If enough people voted 3rd party the other parties would try to be more like them.
Say what u want about Ron Paul. He was the only candidate that really cared about keeping our freedom. He also knows the economy. You are one of the sheep my friend.
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23 Replies | 152 Views
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I’m Still Going to Like You, Even If You Vote for that Blinkered Idiot |
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Nov 04, 2008 - 12:44 PM - by GreNME
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Scott M. Roberts, a smart, funny, and talented writer (as well as an all-around nice guy) posted the following in his blog Thus Sayeth the Lord on his Lord of All Fools website. He calls these things his "Frivel and Shleck," and if he ever collects them and publishes them they'll make for a hilarious collection of poems and songs for coffee table reading.
I’m Still Going to Like You, Even If You Vote for that Blinkered Idiot
Quote:
We argued for months about taxes and war,
Immigration, abortion, and the needs of the poor,
The bailouts and handouts, and moral decay,
What should we give, and what should we pay
But I’m still going to like you,
I’m still your good friend,
Even if that stupid ratfink
Wins out in the end.
I really don’t blame you
For putting him there
You’ve wrecked the economy,
But, bud, I won’t care.
Of course I really will blame you, if you decide
To turn on good graces with words that are snide.
It would be just like your party, to throw that away
Bunch of supercilious, panty-waisted, bigoted, propagandist, whiny, co-dependent, elitist, MORONS.
Still I say,
I’m still going to like you,
‘Cause I know who you are,
And deep down inside you
You think I’m a star.
It must be really deep down
‘Cause that smirk on your face,
Makes me want to punch you
And vandalize your place.
Why can’t we get along? Why so much rage?
I heard that your candidate likes to date underage!
And he eats little children, and spits on the flag–
He plays Warcraft on dial-up to induce server lag.
I’m still going to like you
Through the next four year term
Even if you waste a vote
On that grimy, spineless worm.
I think you’re upstanding,
But you haven’t got a clue
And even if you hate me,
Even if you really really hate me
Even if you look upon me with a disgust that amounts to absolute detestation
(Props to you, Mssrs. Gilbert and Sullivan, wish you were still with us today)
Even if you hate me,
I’ll still be liking you.
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If you like this, then definitely check out his website for more stuff. Also, while you're at it, go ahead and spend a few bucks to check out his published story ("Blackberry Witch") in the Writers of the Future anthology. 
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1 Reply | 63 Views
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Election Season 2008: A Reflection |
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Nov 03, 2008 - 8:08 PM - by GreNME
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So, election day is finally coming up. Our two main choices this election for the position of President of the United States of America are Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. I don’t think it’s really a surprise to anyone who has read my thoughts on the matter that I’m choosing to vote for Barack Obama this election, and I think I’ve been pretty clear that I honestly think this is the first time I can remember where I actually prefer one of the candidates not because I think they’re the lesser of two evils but because I think one of the candidates is really the right person for the job.
The reason I’m writing this is because I wanted to reflect on the campaign. In my own opinion, this campaign didn’t go anywhere close to what I expected back in August. I thought McCain was the best choice among the Republican candidates back in 2000, and to be honest I think of the Republican candidates this year McCain was probably the best choice. While I didn’t really want John McCain to win the general election, I felt that he would bring to the election process something that the last few elections in particular and for a much longer time past has been lacking: honesty, candor, and respectful disagreement. I wasn’t sure which candidate on the Democratic side would be the best example of those same qualities to complete the election as I’d hoped it could have been, at least not at first. At first I thought that there were several candidates who could have been the right choice—Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, and Barack Obama seemed good, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards seemed a bit too much on the divisive side—but eventually my choices on that mark whittled down to Senator Obama. Mike Gravel was way too much a longshot and Dennis Kucinich seems to play well to those well into the left-of-center people but less so to everyone else. Like I said, though, my main hope was that this presidential campaign wouldn't be marred by the disgusting and ridiculous behavior from the last two elections for the highest political office in the country.
Suffice to say, I was sorely disappointed.
Now, to avoid the accusations of obvious bias, I will say ahead of time that there were disappointments on both sides. That doesn't mean I won't be accused of bias, but that's going to happen because I've made up my mind and some people disagree with my decision. If anyone thinks I couldn't have gone either way on this at the beginning of the election cycle, though, then that person is off their rocker. As recently as this summer I thought about the possibility of voting for McCain. While Obama's win in the primaries pretty much had me solid voting for him, McCain's choice for vice-presidential running mate eliminated any possibility of choosing the other side of the ticket from Obama. Still, since McCain was the top of the ticket I thought we'd get a decent campaign. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
I think the most unfortunate thing about this whole election that has marred the process even more than the swiftboating sickness from 2004 began happening in the primaries. The whole "Obama is a Muslim" thing was disgusting from more than one angle. First and foremost, for a country that isn't supposed to have a religious test for its political offices, some of the politicians in this race sure did allow for some of the most sickening religious bashing I think I've ever seen in my life. Second, Obama's been completely clear what his religious beliefs are, which makes the attempts to link his name to terrorists—namely, those in al Qaeda—all the more obvious and disgusting. Third, and what really seemed like one of the most tragic parts of the entire election cycle, was that this kind of BS originated from Obama's own party and no politicians went out of their way to speak out against the obvious bigotry that was being fanned in public by these statements. By September, people supporting the McCain campaign had picked up that baton of bigotry and were running with it. Something every member of the Democratic Party needs to keep in mind, no matter how this election turns out, is that they were the ones who made that particular monster. Sure, the McCain campaign picked it up and couched it in their "how much do you really know about him?" rhetoric, but that's ammunition that they picked up from the Democratic primaries. When people make fun of the Democratic Party for being their own worst enemy, this was really the epitome and the embodiment of those kinds of statements.
On the Obama side of things, I think he really stayed too focused on trying to argue that McCain was George Bush. I found that argument to be almost completely unconvincing. I did come to the conclusion that a McCain presidency has a higher chance of making similar mistakes to the Bush presidency, but not because I think a McCain presidency would be a... [Read More]
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9 Replies | 164 Views
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