Rachel from Card Services

[flyingiguana]

This is a new one for me. They called from MY number. That's what's in the caller id.

 

So if I block the number, I've blocked MY number.

 

(Is that really a problem? I mean, I can't really call my number anyway, can I? I'd just get a busy signal.)

 

(Well, maybe I wouldn't get a busy signal. Maybe -- for only 95 cents -- they'd call me back when I hung up.)

 

Does the phone company really allow someone to impersonate someone else's number?

 

I hate Rachel, by the way.

[Tammi K]

I asked a very similar question a few weeks ago and got quite a few people saying they are getting calls from their own number. I get 'research calls' with a caller ID that identifies the local military base. Apparently the is the ability to spoof the caller id so phone numbers can appear different then they actually are.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Don't answer yourself.

 

I hate Rachel as well. 

[Sharpie]

I too hate Rachel!!  I've never found a way to be removed from their calling list.  Just beware, the caller ID number continues to change as they spoof their number.  It's VERY frustrating!  Just when you've memorized the caller ID they are using, they change it and you accidentally answer the phone.  Argh! 

[Excelsior! Academy]

You have been spoofed. This happened to our phone. We called to report it and were told to call the FCC.

[mamaraby]

Don't pick up the phone. Don't ask them to put you on their do not call list. There isn't one and answering them will only indicate it's a "live" line and encourage them to keep calling. Instead, ignore the call. They will stop calling, but it may take awhile. This was basically the advice my state's consumer protection dept told me. I followed their advice and the calls did stop.

[Miss Tick]

I haven't heard from Rachel in a while, but last week I got several calls in a row from "Steve" who was using a different phone number each time and informing me about some kind of imminent legal action from the Department of Treasury. The message repeats over and over. My dc were really getting worried.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had George.  From India, by the sounds of him.  And he was very adamant that I was being held in contempt for breaking umpteen laws.  I hung up and he called back!   :svengo:

[Katy]

Generally if you call your own number from your cell phone you'll get voicemail.  Blocking it may or may not block voicemail notification, depending on your carrier & cell hone

[Susan in TN]

I haven't heard from Rachel in a while, but last week I got several calls in a row from "Steve" who was using a different phone number each time and informing me about some kind of imminent legal action from the Department of Treasury. The message repeats over and over. My dc were really getting worried.

Did he have a Jamaican accent? Cause he called me personally a few weeks ago from the "Department of Justice" and when I hung up on him, he actually called right back and scolded me for hanging up. He later called back to inform me that I had been selected to receive an $8000 grant from the "US Ministry of Housing and Development". Uh, "ministry? You do know what country you are calling, right?"

 

Rachel actually called me today.

[Orthodox6]

I thought "Rachel" is a recording.  Perhaps that is not the name of the recorded voice that periodically calls me from "Card Services."

 

Currently, my aggravation pours forth in bathtubs-full toward the live people who call me every couple of weeks with the false claim that they are following up on our request for information about their college prep test services.  I ask them how they obtained my name and number, and they claim that my child requested information from a website (alternatively, that I did so).  After the explanation, I lambast the caller with the fact that they are making a cold call -- (marketing research lingo for calling a potential client or potential customer with whom there has been no prior contact of any kind) -- simply to sell me their services, and that nobody from my family either has heard of their company, or expressed any interest.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Rachel is a recording.  But the guy (George in my case) who calls us delinquents who are in BIG TROUBLE with the ministry of whatever (and yes, he used ministry for me too!) is live.  

[Liz CA]

Yup, it's Rachel the Robot...but Jean's George sounds intriguing. :lol:

[Orthodox6]

I had George.  From India, by the sounds of him.  And he was very adamant that I was being held in contempt for breaking umpteen laws.  I hung up and he called back!   :svengo:

 

Tell George how many laws HE is breaking by calling YOU.

[Liz CA]

I had George.  From India, by the sounds of him.  And he was very adamant that I was being held in contempt for breaking umpteen laws.  I hung up and he called back!   :svengo:

 

You are irresistible, Jean!

[Moxie]

Honestly, this is why we are dropping our home phone. The number of scam calls we get FAR outweigh the number of real calls.

[PrairieSong]

I've been getting scam calls on my cell phone...a guy with an Indian accent and an American name (John I think?) who said he was from Microsoft and wanted to fix a problem with my computer. People calling to tell us we have won a free cruise or a weekend somewhere, etc. I have stopped answering any number that is in a different area code and I finally seem to be getting fewer of them.

[Seasider]

I let unrecognizable numbers go to voice mail. Then I can google the number and it often turns up as a scam. Anyone who calls me with a "blocked" number gets neither an answer not a call back unless they leave a message and I recognize the caller.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yeah, I've started to get telemarketers on my cell now too.

[creekland]

I am so glad PA has its own Do Not Call list and will enforce it.  We allow telemarketers to call once - informing them that we are on the DNC list and will report them if they call again.  They rarely do.  When they do, we report it online.  We haven't had a third experience from the same group.  I feel fortunate!

 

Political polling has started though.  We can't stop those.  They don't seem to care that I don't even seriously consider the candidates until the day or two before the election.  

[stripe]

Don't pick up the phone. Don't ask them to put you on their do not call list. 

Yeah, that can lead to the person letting loose a bunch of profanity. 

 

Someone from "Windows Technical Support" (with an Indian accent) called me the other day. I burst into laughter and said, "Oh no, no, no," and hung up. My kids found that hilarious. 

 

I also got a call from Agent Julie Smith of the IRS, with a strangely robotic voice. I apparently am in serious trouble and need to call back. Ha!

 

Shortly thereafter someone called and said, "Hi, this is Allen. How are you doing" ?? Who are you?? I was in no mood and hung up.

[Night Elf]

My mom got a call that showed her own caller ID. It freaked her out so much that she called her phone company to complain. They said they'd look into it, probably to calm her down.

 

I'm afraid I just don't answer any number I don't recognize and that's including ones in my area code. I just don't trust them and I hate confrontations, even on the phone. I figure if it's someone who really wants to talk to me, they'll leave a message and I'll call them right back. So far that's never happened.

[OhanaBee]

I let unrecognizable numbers go to voice mail. Then I can google the number and it often turns up as a scam. Anyone who calls me with a "blocked" number gets neither an answer not a call back unless they leave a message and I recognize the caller.

 

Years ago both my parents and my in-laws blocked their numbers for "privacy".  We have begged them to remove the block, to no avail.  However, I've cracked the code [for the most part].  My inlaws are "Anonymous" and my parents are "Private".  I never answer the phone when Anonymous calls, and answer it about three quarters of the time for Private. 

 

Any numbers I don't recognize go straight to voicemail.  I don't like talking on the phone in the first place; why in the world would I want to talk to people I don't even know???

[Orthodox6]

Honestly, this is why we are dropping our home phone. The number of scam calls we get FAR outweigh the number of real calls.

 

Won't help completely.  Robo-calls attack cell numbers.

[PrairieSong]

Rachel is a recording. But the guy (George in my case) who calls us delinquents who are in BIG TROUBLE with the ministry of whatever (and yes, he used ministry for me too!) is live.

Ministry? That is hilarious. If they call me I'm going to tell them I have friends who work in the Ministry of Magic who will take care of the problem for me (while speaking with a terrible, fake British accent of course.)

[JumpyTheFrog]

We switched to a Skype phone five years ago. Since then, only Time Warner and the NRA have called us. No other telemarketers. That gives us maybe four telemarketing calls per year. Whatever lists these people get their numbers from, we aren't on.

[Baseball mom]

Ugh...Haven't heard form Rachel in a long time.  Just got a call from her..... on my cell!!  Normally she called the home phone but not this morning.  

My cell rang and I almost didn't answer since I didn't know the number.  But it was a local cell number and I thought it might be one of the new ladies in our hs group so I answered.  UGH. I hung up as soon as I heard Rachel from Card

 

UGH 

[Seasider]

Years ago both my parents and my in-laws blocked their numbers for "privacy". We have begged them to remove the block, to no avail. However, I've cracked the code [for the most part]. My inlaws are "Anonymous" and my parents are "Private". I never answer the phone when Anonymous calls, and answer it about three quarters of the time for Private.

 

Any numbers I don't recognize go straight to voicemail. I don't like talking on the phone in the first place; why in the world would I want to talk to people I don't even know???

"Cracked the code," LOL!

[VeteranMom]

Yesterday, they called and my number showed up on caller id.  I thought it was weird and no one was there.  I called my own number immediately (just to see what would happen) and a card services representative answered.  It was very weird.  I don't know how they did that.

[PrairieSong]

Yesterday, they called and my number showed up on caller id. I thought it was weird and no one was there. I called my own number immediately (just to see what would happen) and a card services representative answered. It was very weird. I don't know how they did that.

That is really strange that you called your own number and they answered!! You'd think that sort of thing would be illegal, them using your phone number. So odd.

[redsquirrel]

I talk to them in spanish. I just keep saying Que? Hola? Que?  Only once have I had an operator switch to spanish back at me and I hung up.

 

I rarely ever answer any call that I don't recognize the number, but on the rare occasion I do, I have found that if I chatter at them in Spanish they don't call back.

[saraha]

I talk to them in spanish. I just keep saying Que? Hola? Que?  Only once have I had an operator switch to spanish back at me and I hung up.

 

I rarely ever answer any call that I don't recognize the number, but on the rare occasion I do, I have found that if I chatter at them in Spanish they don't call back.

I am going to try this.  I don't know a lot of spanish, but enough to jabber at them.  I really hope one doesn't switch to spanish on me! 

[SproutMamaK]

Gosh, you guys are being so hard on poor Rachel. You gotta admit, she really puts some effort into her relationships. That girl calls me more than my own mother, let alone any of my other friends. It's a little flattering that someone wants to talk to me THAT badly. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I talk to them in spanish. I just keep saying Que? Hola? Que?  Only once have I had an operator switch to spanish back at me and I hung up.

 

I rarely ever answer any call that I don't recognize the number, but on the rare occasion I do, I have found that if I chatter at them in Spanish they don't call back.

That' wouldn't work for me.  Because of my last name I frequently have telemarketers call in Spanish or Tagalog.  I just tell them that I don't speak it but I did have one Filipina who wanted to sell me international phone service argue with me.  "What?  Don't you communicate with your relatives back in the Philippines?"  Rather than explain to her how an intercultural marriage works, I just told her "No, my relatives don't like me" and then hung up.  

[JumpyTheFrog]

The last time the NRA called, DH went on and on about the "space men from planet X" who were preparing to invade. He wanted to know what the NRA was planning to do to stop the invasion.

[Lolly]

I am so glad PA has its own Do Not Call list and will enforce it.  We allow telemarketers to call once - informing them that we are on the DNC list and will report them if they call again.  They rarely do.  When they do, we report it online.  We haven't had a third experience from the same group.  I feel fortunate!

 

Political polling has started though.  We can't stop those.  They don't seem to care that I don't even seriously consider the candidates until the day or two before the election.  

 

Only it isn't against the law in the countries they are calling from, and is totally unenforcible from ours to theirs. So, they call away! 

 

I really wish politicians hadn't been able to exempt themselves from the do not call law. Makes me so angry!!!! When they want to know who I am voting for, I tell them whoever does not call me and bother me at home. Unfortunately, that tends to leave no one to vote for. Last night, I got a call from a political survey team that said who they were and gave a lengthy, detailed address where they could be contacted. Then, they hung up...I thought that was odd. I had nothing else to do at the time and was ready to mess with their statistics.

[HRAAB]

I loathe Rachel. I hadn't got a call from her for several weeks (celebrating), and then she started calling again. Then there are the people who don'T speak English well from Microsoft. The last one was robot telling me I was being sued. Sue away. And Rachel has my cell number now.

[Evergreen State Sue]

I wish I had seen these posts earlier.  I was so shocked to see my husband's name and our home number as an incoming call on our home phone today that I picked it up.  Alas, it was Rachel from card member services.  Grrr

[mathnerd]

I had George.  From India, by the sounds of him.  And he was very adamant that I was being held in contempt for breaking umpteen laws.  I hung up and he called back!   :svengo:

I got a call from the same guy (?) with a thick Indian accent about me breaking immigration laws and how I was going to be arrested and facing legal action if I did not pay him $5000 - repeatedly at 2:45 pm on my cell phone for a week. I finally picked up the phone and told him that I worked for the USICS too (I don't, but I was POed enough to tell him that) and asked him to give me the contact information of his boss and that my boss could work with his boss to dismiss all my legal issues.

He hung up!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I got a call from the same guy (?) with a thick Indian accent about me breaking immigration laws and how I was going to be arrested and facing legal action if I did not pay him $5000 - repeatedly at 2:45 pm on my cell phone for a week. I finally picked up the phone and told him that I worked for the USICS too (I don't, but I was POed enough to tell him that) and asked him to give me the contact information of his boss and that my boss could work with his boss to dismiss all my legal issues.

He hung up!

Good thinking!

[redsquirrel]

That' wouldn't work for me.  Because of my last name I frequently have telemarketers call in Spanish or Tagalog.  I just tell them that I don't speak it but I did have one Filipina who wanted to sell me international phone service argue with me.  "What?  Don't you communicate with your relatives back in the Philippines?"  Rather than explain to her how an intercultural marriage works, I just told her "No, my relatives don't like me" and then hung up.  

 

Learn some basic french. :lol: " que? Je ne compends pas. Je parle francais.  Parlez-vous francais?"  might go a long way.

 

I might give that a try next time, just for fun.

[stripe]

I got a call from the same guy (?) with a thick Indian accent about me breaking immigration laws and how I was going to be arrested and facing legal action if I did not pay him $5000 - repeatedly at 2:45 pm on my cell phone for a week. I finally picked up the phone and told him that I worked for the USICS too (I don't, but I was POed enough to tell him that) and asked him to give me the contact information of his boss and that my boss could work with his boss to dismiss all my legal issues.

He hung up!

Yeah, I remember once telling someone I was going to tell my husband who was an FBI agent to investigate them. (At the time, I was fairly young and not married. But they didn't know that!)

 

A lot of these calls are generated by dialing random numbers.

 

When I was a kid, we were PLAGUED by crank callers and perverts. Caller ID solved that, but now all these other calls, ugh.