Harassing phone calls

Right after posting, I recalled that a few weeks ago, I got a call from a telemarketer, or I guess telefundraiser for something like "The national association of Police Officers". I was a bit rude to the guy when he wouldn't take no for an answer, I told him that I thought the police allready had enirely too much money, and that when they stopped buying pepper spray and storm trooper outfits to intimidate citizens I would consider donating, but in the mean time I was not going to fund my own oppression.

So, now I'm wondering if there is some connection--maybe my number was added to some list of people to harass?

after I said no I couldn't afford to donate to the brotherhood soliciting to help prevent "so many police officers being injured on the job" whatever that means... my business started getting a higher than usual number of hangup calls... interesting that the person didn't actually harass, just said in a creepy voice, "I'm sorry to hear that" and hung up right away.

Here is my experience with this number. Back in November 2002, when it became apparent Bush was hellbent on taking America to war with Iraq, I being an American that opposed such, began sending e-mailed messages to president@whitehouse.gov and cc to a number of other government flunkies. Soon thereafter I too began to get these mysterious phone calls. Pick up the ringing phone, silence, then a click, then silence, and finally if you stayed on line long enough, the sound began that of a line reaching a faxline. This happened late at night, and then early in morning, odd hours, multiple times a day. I naturally thought it was some government assholes, and so rigged my computer up to screen my calls, and then in spite of their no-number block, I managed to get the calling number of 1-800-379-8414. I have a relative that works for the government and made inquiry. What I was told was that if one writes a caustic, nasty, or very anti email, letter, or phone call to Bush @ White House, then it's noted (no reply is ever given...it's like your communication is ignored) and passed on to Homeland Secur- ity, FBI, Secret Service and no doubt others. They have data base that matches YOU up to their known threat data bank, and decide you're not an immediate threat, but are likely CRANK, a peace activist, a social activist, or some sort of person that isn't fitting their mold. They then have the regional or area Joint Terrorist Task Force (I think that's what they're called) to "check you out" and if necessary, to give you intimidating communications that will naturally arouse the suspicions of a thoughtful person, yet isn't possible to determine where it's originating, un- less one is willing to go to lots of effort. All this under the theory that it's easier to deal with crank-writers or the crank-caller by neutralizing their "crankiness" by mild intimidation tactics such as this. IF, this isn't enough, then you'll soon get a phone call from someone claiming to be from some "police benevolent group" with a hyper- aggressive old coot trying to pitch you into contributing to some bullshit fund. Frankly, these old character's are usually retired ultra-rightwing cops willing to work for p/t "security reasons" for the government, and they'll either do this from their home phones, or from the "safe phone" provided by the feds. The feds then make contributions to this old bastard"s pet "benevolent project" or slips him a few bucks so he can still afford to get beer/cigs, as his retirement might not afford him these "luxuries". When I got set up to where I could recognize the incoming call as originating from 1-800-379-8414, and wouldn't answer for those calls, then this tactic lost it's cachet, and soon I'm getting calls from different number from this poor old bastard fumbling his way through a beg for some police faternal organizations fund. I played along so I could get the telephone originator info for my computer so I could then trace it back, and then I got short and snappy with him. He got aggressive and short back. I hung up. Two of three days later, I get another call from same dude (I later confirmed it, as it matched voice pattens of the first caller) and it like a "fresh call". I pointed out to this dude that he called the other day, and he says no it not him and on and on, all the while in a hyper-aggressive voice and in no way tipping off exactly who he was or the real why of the call...still the now wornout pitch for contribution. Then, would you believe when I began writing more nasty emails to Bush & company, and especially to local political characters (Katz especially) after a long pause, it wasn't long till I started getting these calls again. First, it was the computer generated/hung-up calls, and after I started my own countermeasures, they shifted over to have live person call again. When I got this live call, it was a different old bastard than before. I decided to deal with him "differently"...after listening to his pitch, I happened to have been taking a shower when the phone rang (was expecting call from family over a serious family issue anyway) and was nude, and also had built up a big quantity of gas in my system, I listened till he got to the point where I'm expected to respond...I simply put the phone's mouthpiece to my butt and gave him a good old fashioned fart as reply. Must have done something, as he never called back! I still occasionally get the other kind. I'm told by my friends with the phone company that this number is indeed as I've been told, and they are probably doing illegal wiretaps as well. My friend told me that if truth be known, what really is going on is that these JTTF's are being staffed by good old boy networks who view this all as "featherbed work" and to justify their "existence" salaries, job titles, game-playing and this line of work is not likely to get them in line of fire for actual RISK as they're probably normally used to, so they like the work (even if it's chicken$hit" and it's great way to ride out the system till time to retire and collect their pensions. SO, in order to keep this RACKET going, they need "potential terrorists" or people who are sufficiently crank enough to be on their every growing list of "individuals to watch"...this way, they keep the featherbed job, stay out of harms way, mix 'n' mingle with their pals (or as I've been told...fellow religious followers) and serve the "interests" of the Homeland Security. I've managed to make audio tapings of these conversations with old bastards, taped the hangup calls a num- ber of times, and built a tracer log on my computer's dial up/dial out file system. Naturally, I'm NOT that stupid to keep this in my home. I've put it all together and put it in the hands of an individual that will bring it out and make sure it sees the light of day should it become necessary. Like, if these bastards trace this comment back to my phoneline/ISP....but I'll know they have, as my system is up-to-date. In spite of their bullshit, theirs is NOT! Folk's it's a game...it's a bullshit game, and these bastards are quite willing to violate your RIGHTS to further their own selfish aims...all the while, excusing it by cliaming it's due to NATIONAL SECURITY. Really? HERE IS WAY TO GET THEIR GOAT>>>use a dog whistle...the high ptch type that is not audible to usual range of human hearing...and blow as hard as you can into your mouthpiece with this whistle when you get one of these calls...it plays hell with their sensitive equipment, and will draw them mad as hell when they realize one of their "targets" is onto their game and is playing back with them...besides, it hurts their ears to hear this sound remodulated back (thanks to touchtone) into their headpieces and they've got to scramble to get their headsets off or be driven mad or deaf! So! Hope this will help you. Keep us informed as to your experiences, and for all those other's out there too that have receieved these types of calls, write in and share your experience. While these assholes do their work in the shadows, they can't stand the open exposure and the upfront out-in-the-open talking about them that our beloved Consitution affords us ALL. So, let's hear about it here....

site, can you be traced? surely many of us write anti-government stuff here. (also, no dog whisles if a dog in the house)

A year or so ago, there were some big trolls on this site, and a lot of flame wars going back and forth. People were posting dumb comments using popular names to discredit eachother. I rememeber one case where someone traced a couple comments that purportedly came from different people to show that they actually originated from the same computer. They posted the phone number that the computer used to dial the internet and the name and address to which the phone line was registered. So it's at least possible to do a trace on postings here--but I don't know any of the technical info. perhaps you need editorial access to indymedia?

I would appreciate it if any tech people could clarify this issue.


In regards to the other comments, I don't believe that I have sent any negative e-mails to the white house or government in general--I generally don't think stuff like that is worth the time. But I have written several letters to the editor of different papers and some have been published with my full name (these letters included criticism of police tactisc at PDX protests and US foreign policy in the middle east). I also have been quoted around the internet in various stories about police brutality, so I would guess that any marginally competent cop with too much time on his hands could figure out my home number.

Checked back, and yes, you are quite right. Don't dare blow these whistles in a house with a dog inside. It can do a
lot serious damage to them. They're intented for outdoors use anyway. As for cats, birds and little children, I just do
not know the ramifications for them, as neither are in my home when I've blasted the bastards with the whistle. So,
as .... says, do use this tactic with caution. But, if all is OK in your useage, do enjoy!

"it hurts their ears to hear this sound remodulated back (thanks to touchtone) into their headpieces "

Thank you for revealing that you know nothing about audio engineering or how the phone system works.

Blowing an ultrasonic dog whistle into the phone, as suggested in the long rambling post, can be expected to accomplish absolutely nothing, because the bandwidth of the phone system is deliberately limited.

Even in the days of all-analog switching systems, phone transmissions were low-pass filtered at just above 3 kHz, to prevent sounds picked up by the phone from interfering with out-of-band signaling, and to prevent out-of-band signaling tones from annoying phone users.

Now that the switching network is nearly 100% digital, with the standard being mu-256 law encoding with an 8 kHz sample rate, the network is simply incapable of passing frequencies above 4 kHz (the Nyquist frequency corresponding to an 8 kHz sampling rate). The dog whistle won't ever get past the antialiasing filters at the SLIC.

The maximum signal level a phone can generate is also deliberately limited to reduce crosstalk in the analog portion of the system. If you pop the earpiece out of an old-style 2500 telephone, you'll see a widget with leads coming out of each end connected across the earpiece. That widget is a varistor- a voltage limiter, in essence, and it's there to limit how loud a sound the phone can blast into your ear. There are similar devices elsewhere in the phone to limit the maximum signal level transmitted by the phone.

The digital switching system also imposes an amplitude limit. Once the A/D converter reaches its full-scale value, no greater level can be encoded- pushing higher signal levels into the A/D will only increase the distortion.

Now, if you want a quick retaliation method for crank calls and telemarketers, just reach out and start dialing while they're on the line. DTMF tones are in-band, they will make it all the way to the other end of the conversation and they're usually loud enough to have annoyance value. If you have a phone with speed dialing, so much the better. Punch a speed-dial button and send them a nice sequence of fast DTMF signaling.

Or, get an answering machine and let it take the crank calls. They're handy for keeping telemarketers out of your hair as well. If you have a cell phone, use your landline only for Internet access (if you use dial-up) and make sure that anyone you would actually want to talk to has the cell number.

I never even answer my landline anymore. I just check the message machine each night to see if anything of interest happened to come in on that line. Everyone who actually knows me knows to use the cell number.

I keep getting these calls from 800-379-8414 day, night, morning, evening... as amny as eight times a day, everyday. When I answer, they hang up. This has been going on for months. I have caller ID so I know every time they call and don't answer. I even tried an air horn once but the calls keep coming!

Someone told me that it is a telemarketer service that calls just to find out the times you are home, which sounded right to me, but sthese jerks sure are persistant!

I signed up for the national Do Not Call list but the calls still keep coming. They have now proressed to 11:00 pm. midnight, 6:30 am. They just don't seem to stop!
I called the phone company and there isn't anything they can do to stop them, call block doesn't wrok because a return number shows.

I simply don't answer anymore! I just think it stinks that we have no control over this problem!

I too am getting lots of calls from these stupid sh!ts. Any lawyers out there? Let's start a class action suit.

Just like to add something here, people. I have filed a report with my local district attorney and had sent a email complaint to the US Department of Justice. I would suggest you all start a email campaign to DOJ and get something done about this. And NO, this jerk is NOT associated with any government agency. He's probably a scam artist based on the way he operates.

In my search for the perpretators of these calls I found this listing for that number: "Assholes for Rent or Contract", the address is "14325 Brea Av, Los Angeles, Ca. 10249....the business function is "Adult". Maybe these guys are contracted to make these calls.

We are starting to get these Prank calls in Delaware, also. Every day @ 5PM and 9PM. If you call it back-- it either rings or it's busy. Will have to call the Phone Co. and see who owns this number

Recently I've gotten a lot of calls from these numbers...

800-379-8414
201-793-1694

No idea what they are, but they never leave a message so I don't bother answering. 201 is a NJ area code.

>In my search for the perpretators of these calls I found this listing for that number:
>"Assholes for Rent or Contract", the address is "14325 Brea Av, Los Angeles, Ca. 10249....
>the business function is "Adult". Maybe these guys are contracted to make these calls.

Don't get too hopeful with that address. "Brea Ave" doesn't exist in Los Angeles, but "La Brea Ave" does, but that building number isn't valid for that street, according to MapQuest. Also, that zip code isn't for Los Angeles. The Los Angeles area is all within 91xxx. It's simply a fictitious number. I'm in Los Angeles, and would be more than happy to do a bit of recon (nothing illegal) on the building, if it did exist.

A friend of mine, not in California, began getting calls from the 800 379 8414 number after posting some possibly controversial materials online. It would be kind of silly for the government to be calling people with phone scams, but believable if they wanted to get an idea of the persons personality, and hours that they're at home answering phones, without identifying that they are a government agent.

Yes, the government has nothing better to do than make prank phone calls to your home. Could you BE any more pompous and self-important?? Nobody cares what you think except for you.

Best thing is I have been getting calls from them here in England as well. If they are paying their phone bill the joke is on them.

For what it's worth about the only peopole from the US of A that ever try and sell me things are in computer software. Must be some of the brightest sparks in their racket; the nonsense probably costs more to ship than to make!

Maryland checking in -- get a call from the 800 number at least 3x/day over the past week or so. Only picked it up one time - but they hung up.

I get the calls several times a day through out the week. When the answering machine picks up, it's a dial tone. I pick up and it's a dial tone. Tonight my hubby picked up after the first ring and there was someone on the other end, finally, who asked for me by my first name. He told the person I wasn't available and the person said ok. That was it. But I'm peeved!

i have been getting them for the past month but from diffrent number and also the 18003798414 how can we make them stop

we recieved 4 calls from this phone # today and decided to look up # on internet because when trying to call back I got a busy signal 2 or 3 times, a disconnected # one time ( I may have misdialed the # though) and i have called 3 times and it rang and rang with no answer.

I too have been getting these persistantly aggrevating calls at all hours of the day. Thank god for Caller ID; we at least no have the option NOT to answer these harassing phone calls. I find it very hard to believe that there isn't SOMETHING that we victims can do about this. Then again; Big Brother has his hand in EVERYTHING now, doesn't he? So much for our right to privacy. It's a damn shame that we can't stand up to the Feds and take back this country that our "forefathers" fought to keep! The Feds have way too much control over way too many things in this world! Unfortunately, I haven't found a solution to this annoying phone call issue; but it's good to know that I'm not the only one being harrassed by it. Although, I did like the fart in the phone idea.. That was ingeniously good timing!!! I don't think my dog would appreciate the whistle though...

MY insigificant other called from a visit to PAGE arizona from what he claims is a pay phone in front of a kentucky fried chicken. I called it back to ask him something and it must be an amazing pay phone. The same woman ANSWERS AND even more amazing has an Inet hook up. IN the interest of fairness, if someone in page could check this no. out ..it would end this debate over whether that is an actual pay phone or pay for hire's phone. thanks

I have also recently been recieving these calls at all hours of the day and night. They never leave a message and when I call the # back I get an automated answering service for an unnamed business, there is an oriental woman who gives the supposed office hours of 7-11 tuesday through sunday and asks for caller to leave a message-which I havent done because I dont want to give whoever anymore unauthorized access. Anyway I have called repeatedly and noone has ever answered plus the calls keep coming- I would love to be able to stop theswe dumb sh*ts from calling my house all day and night. Any advice/ideas?

Previous comments from November of 2003 concerning being anti-war targeted don't wash, as I
would be classed pro Bush. I have been getting these calls recently about two per day.
With so much nationwide activity, can we get the FCC in on this?

We have been getting this annoying call too. Sometimes 3xday 3-5 days a week. Then It will stop for a week or so and start up. On Many occassions I have answered and been asked to donate to the "Police" fund and the most recent was for disabled Veterans.

Recently have been getting an 847 number that comes up on Caller ID as "Illinois Number". I was able to answer it yesterday and a guy comes on and tells me to hold on, he kept repeating okay now hold on just another minute (4-5 times this went on) I was curious so I kept holding on. Then it seems like I was connected to another person, and a Woman said Hello, and the line went dead.

So much for the National Do Not Call registry.
Anyone else have the Illinois problem?

It's the Fraternal Order of Police. Call the closest branch and give them hell. They have a computer to call and determine when you're home. They finally called and were on the line.

I decided just for fun to put it in Googles search field and arrived at this site.
I didn't read all the other posts here so I apologize in advance if anything I'm saying is redundent.
It really ticks me off that I pay for an unlisted phone # but these jerks can still reach me, the man gave a name (probably made up)& since I didnt want to identify myself (he knew my first name by the way) I told him that I was babysitting for the family that lives at this #, with that he promptly hung up on me. Anyway I was tempted to call him back and ask him what his problem was (with more colorful language though) but I'm assuming from what I've read here so far that I wont get any answer
I'm not inclined to do anything about it now but if they call again I'm going to go after them,
too bad we cant go after them as a group.

Thanks for letting me vent, Meebs.

We have received calls from this no# all week, and they always hang up too. If you find out who this is, please email me to let me know! Thank you!

"...cowardly...liars will find their place in the fiery lake of burning sulfur." - Revelation 21:8

So quit calling and hanging up on people. You (I know you read this stuff) are the telemarketers that have given the industry a bad reputation. REPENT! and ye shall be saved. Or, keep calling and eventually we'll find out who you really are and be forced to destroy your butts.

You are an IDOIT!

I've been getting this number on caller ID too. Nobody is ever on the other side when I've picked up. When I call it it just rings. I live in the Baltimore region of Maryland. I wish it would stop.

Is there a lawyer who is willing to go after the phone company? start a class action suit to gain the owner of the 1-800-379-8414 number. then as punishment make them listen to britney spears 24hr/7days a week. or have nothing but phones ringing 24 hours a days 7 days a week

Apparently the Mohegan Sun phone number:

Aug. 11-12, 2004
International Challenge of Champions
Mohegan Sun Casino
Uncasville, Conn.• (860) 379-8414

Does anyone know exactly what that number is 800-379-8414? I looked up on googles and it came up with different sites and one that has to do with sex and nude and all. I called and just kept ringing. I am curious to why they keep calling or not leaving messege when machine picks up. thanks.

I've been getting these calls a lot - sometimes up to three times a day, usually with the first one coming at 8:30 a.m. or so. Normally, I've left for work at that time and come home to find three calls/hang-ups on my answering machine. Well, I *69'd like the rest of you and got the "number" which, of course, is not a real 800 number (it's the same number most of you got - 800-379-8414). Googled the number, got this site, read the Fraternal Order of Police thing and got pretty irked.

I received a solicitiation call from them a few months back and actually gave a little money (about $30) figuring that a little good police karma might be a good thing. Of course, they've interpreted this as a sign to harrass me with a (seemingly) endless number of phone calls. Thinking it might be a scam of some sort, I called the National office of the F.O.P., who directed me to the local D.C. branch of the F.O.P.

The woman there (Linda Sevilla - 202-408-7767) was very nice and helpful - she said that the D.C. F.O.P. has been using a West Virginia telemarketer to contact people for donations and provided me with their number. Their number is 800-226-7986. I contacted them and, after I gave them my name and number, they confirmed that it was them who was making the calls. I told them to remove me from their list and to never contact me again and, supposedly, they will do so.

The telling part of this is that I asked them why *69ing returned a fake number instead of a legitimate number for someone to reach them and stop their calls. The woman read a prepared legal statement stating that the new telemarketing rules exempt religious, political and governmental agencies from the new Do-Not-Call registry (which I knew) and exempting them from the caller-ID rules (which I did not know). So, essentially, the police's telemarketers are using a fake number to make it hard for people to contact them and ask them to stop soliciting - in my case, even after we have donated to the police.

Hopefully, my call will stop the calls I'm receiving. I recommend calling the D.C. F.O.P. to express disatisfaction with the nasty manner by which they are consucting their fund-raising drive - if they hear from a lot of people about this, maybe they will rethink their approach.

I too have been receiving these annoying calls at all hours of the night and day. Mostly around 9 or 10 PM, and sometimes at 8 AM. I have caller ID, and it ALWAYS comes up as 800-379-8414, so I dont answer it anymore. But it is still incredibly annoying! I have called my local phone company and they say there is nothing they can do about it. Im wondering if there is a way I can have this number blocked from calling me at all?

Matt, that DC number that you have here, is that for anywhere in the country? Im in NH.

Also interesting to find out about the police thing... I have donated to my local force in the past, and they usually call me every year for donations. I have stopped recently because I have heard about such scams. I always thought this was legit, because WHY would my police dept. scam me?? LOL guess we trust too much...

I think Im going to try calling this number and see if I can get them to stop calling me as well. Every day without fail I get these calls and its becoming more than harassing and annoying.

For the folks who have been receiving the (201) 793-1694 phone calls, I too have been receiving these annoying phone calls from the Jersey City New Jersey area code. I've heard the oriental lady's recording too. :) Hope this helps someone out there.


Chilling

I have just received my first 800-379-8414 call.

Amazingly, this follows a volley of criticism I sent to  president@whitehouse.gov.

Just got a weird call from this #. Can hardly understand what she was saying, but what I could make out was she was trying to get in contact with one of my neighbors and wanted me to pass a number on. She kept trying to get me to confirm my address and confirm my neighbors name and address... Apparently I wasn't being very helpful and she gave up and never gave me the # to pass on to my neighbor. It all seemed very bizarr, so I *69 and I got this NJ# 201-793-1694. I think she said her name was Gard, Gord? Something like that. Guess my instincts were right, it's some sort of scam.

I have been getting these calls for the past month. I have received up to 8 calls a day. I have actually talked to a gentleman on the other end. He said he is from the Fraternal Order of Police. We have asked them to stop calling to no avail. Still calling. I like the whistle idea.

I'm developing a computer software for voice calls, so that when I see that number (201) 793 - 1692 calling my place, my computer will pick up and play a nasty tone that will blast their ears....the program dials the number back and plays the nasty tone...so, whenever they call, I call them back through the internet telephone and multiple times.....I'm just having fun bugging them as well.

This number is used by one of Dell Computer (Dell Financial Services aka DFS)'s collection agencies. They are a thorough pest indeed; they do not appear to react to polite requests to stop calling -- even when they are calling in error. They also call with their numbers identified as "Private". They have called me more than once, sometimes on the same day. The calls are made from India, and though the callers are fairly obtuse, they were not impolite (at least the ones I got). One did indeed fax me a document purporting to me what the call was about. None of the callers from this number would ever tell me the name of the company for which they were working, give me their real names nor give me the number at which they could be called back in India. They did give me the correct Dell customer (dis)service number, as well as another number I couldn't verify: (866) 662 4298. I have not succeeded in getting a postal address nor a name at which to write them to have them stop calling me. Maybe someone else has that and would be kind enough to post it here..

I've been getting a lot of calls from this 800-379-8414 number too, so I Googled it and arrived here. I spoke to the DC FOP @ 202-408-7767 and the lady who answered the phone said the name of the company making the telemarketing calls is "Civic Development Group" ...so I Googled that and what do you know, they're not new to the "stretching the legal limits of telemarketing" game, as I found this article describing a FTC settlement they agreed to way back in 1998:  http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/03/cdg.htm ...and then another settlement here:  http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/03/cdg.htm ...and then another settlement here:  link to www.atg.wa.gov and so on and so on. In summary -- CDG has demonstrated a willingness to sink to lows that most telemarketers wouldn't dream of, in addition to angering call recipients and employees alike.

I called the 800-226-7986 number for CDG and spoke to a "Jennifer" in an attempt to get my number removed from CDG's lists. She explained their number removal process thusly: The company maintains a central "do-not-call" database that applies to all campaigns they conduct. When you call 800-226-7986, provide the number they've got in their list and confirm your name, they "immediately" add you to the company's central do-not-call database. However, CDG operates call centers at many different locations across the country, and each location has to "synchronize" its own local do-not-call list with the central one on a regular basis. According to Jennifer, it may take up to "a few days" before each of CDG's call centers has synchronized its local do-not-call list with the company's central list. I've got my fingers crossed.

I also plan on writing letters to Fraternal Police orders to let them know I will not be making any donations so long as they use CDG to collect them.

THEY JUST CALLED ME! I said hello, and waited and it just hung up! What kind of scam is it? I'm not calling it back, I refuse to use my long distance for that mess!

They just called me at 8:45 a.m. I can't get anyone to answer at the numbers listed above. If it's the police then I only have 1 thing to say....F@#K THE POLICE!

I just gave the 1-800-226-7986 number a call, got an answer on the first ring, and 30 seconds laters was told that I had been added to the "Do not call list". I've been getting the 1-800-379-8414 calls twice daily for quite a while, annoying as hell. Thank god someone posted the 226 number here. I'll report back if I keep getting the calls...

I made the mistake of donating to the police 2 years ago. When they would call me while unemployed last year, they just wouldn't take "no" for an answer. It also got me put on lists for related groups like the "police chiefs", "fire chiefs", etc.

The only cent any of them will get from me in the future will be thru taxes.

Yes, the wonderful Google search sailed me right here, too. I decided to forego the other few sites like "weblog directory jennifer torant modelflats dasha 800-379-8414 tesha mullen ... " that Google found.

The east coast seems to get hit like this by our (I assume) FOP "friends." Baltimore area seems to get nailed by them, too. So far, I have just noticed that my name, address, rank and serial number has moved to the top of the (dung) heap of people they choose MUST give them money in order to command and control us. I got on the list because in my days of naivete, I gave them money because they strongarmed me and all but threatened to pepperspray my face if I didn't donate to their cause of the Brotherhood. What seems to happen is they scramble for funds after a recent tragedy or two. We in this area just lost two patrol and one Commish; one to a shooting (Baltimore City), one to a fatal crash by a guy who had a terrible driving record, and one who took trips with his call girl to New York City off the city's slush funds while wifey stayed here (yes, we miss you, Superintendent Norris. Hope your cell mates treat you better than you've treated your wife & family). So these VERY KIND (yeah, right) TM's scramble into action, saying they're trying to get money which will help the families of the deceased. I felt like they raped my virgin @ss over the phone, and they all but did it again when I told them I'd put a check in the mail to get them off my back. Shortly after I said it, they freaking sent me a pledge notice complete with a nice FOP sticker you're supposed to use whenever Big Blue stops you so they can smile and tell you not to drive (blow the red light, cut people off, whatever you've done) so terribly.

Ooh, did they put ME on their sh!t list. Made me feel like I had to send it since they targeted me until I paid them. Well, I gave up, and a year after that one, they called again. "No," I told them. Was it the N or the O they didn't understand, because they started getting angry that I wouldn't budge!

So now that several years passed since I told them I wasn't donating, they have begun. I should call the police and report the number! Well, maybe not. I may make this into a story suggestion for a columnist at our newspaper. We're always looking for interesting articles, and this one may be generate some interesting feedback here in Baltimore. In the meantime, if you FOP TM's are reading this: Call Baltimore City, or better yet, former Supt. Norris. I'm sure they have plenty of money they can donate to you.

Finally answered (800-379-8414) after weeks of 2+ calls a day and asked to be taken off the list. Here's another FOP number that's been appearing several times a day; 800-809-2109 . This is apparantly for the Maryland FOP - I didn't stay on long enough though to ask about the fund raising co.

I appreciate everyone's help on the issue of the FOP telemarketing phone calls and especially Google for allowing us to share our frustrations and to figure out a solution.

I've been getting calls at home for weeks from 800-374-8414. Thank goodness for Caller ID. I couldn't figure out how to stop them until someone suggested I do some research on Google.

I was fed up. Thanks to one of the postings above, I called the telemarketing company in West Virginia (Civic Development Group 800-226-7986),and got my name removed. Not completely satisfied, I also called the Fraternal Order of Police in DC and told Linda Sevilla (202) 408-7767 that her organization needs to know we won't tolerate the repeated calls. I told her I used to contribute to FOP but I was stopping because of this phone abuse. I told her to let her bosses know real people are sick and tired of the repeated calls.

Yes, the obnoxiousness of the FOP telemarketing is a large part of why I no longer contribute. But, it is also part of the reason that I ignore all calls that are not described by my caller ID.

In fact, my computer is my fax machine (vgetty), and I have it disregard any confirmed telemarketer calls. And I confirm that through search engines rather than answering the phone, which could consume 15 minutes of my life for something that I almost invariably would rather not hear. And it turns into an argument that gets me all steamed, if I don't agree to whatever it is they are trying to sell.

Also, just answering any of these calls gets you on a list to be called by similar organizations. "Sure we'll take you off of our list." They'll just put you on everybody else's list.

Certainly, any organization that uses aggressive telemarketing is never going to see another dime from me. Or at least, it will be intensely difficult for them to prove that they've changed, because they've lost my ear for their cause.

Original post:
I too get these calls! 15.Nov.2003 12:42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
here what I been told... link


Here is my experience with this number. Back in November 2002, when it became apparent Bush was hellbent on taking America to war with Iraq, I being an American that opposed such, began sending e-mailed messages to  president@whitehouse.gov and cc to a number of other government flunkies. Soon thereafter I too began to get these mysterious phone calls.

My response:
Absolute nonsense. Next you'll be telling us your experiences with alien abduction and Area 51 government conspiracies.
The phone rang a few minutes ago, and I answered. No response, then a click. Caller ID gave the number as 800-379-8414. I called the number twice: first time, bust. Second time, it rang numerous times, followed by an odd beeping. The only other call I received -- perhaps 15 to 20 minutes before this mysterious call -- was from a "state police fund" for "officers injured in the line of duty." I note that at least one other poster mentioned this obviously bogus charity. (By the way, the caller ID gave this "police fund" number as "Unavailable.")
So, despite the poster who is convinced that the Right Wing Conspiracy Machine is responsible, I repeat: Absolute nonsense. Unless, of course, the evil Bush Administration chooses to harass not only those who send complaints, but also those who send donations to its re-election campaign!
Ooooh! Wait a minute! I DID send some rather unflattering emails to the Kerry campaign! Maybe THEY are behind MY mysterious telephone harassment!!!

Uh huh.

Apparently, the number IS associated with the "police fund" scam. When I told the caller that I'd like their number for verification, guess what? HE HUNG UP!

So, sorry, conspiracy theorist. No black helicopters. No Right Wing Conspiracy (the Republicans don't have an Al Franken to tackle hecklers, does it? Or an Al Sharpton Gang of "Brothers" to handle them? Didn't think so); just a CON MAN RUNNING A SCAM in the name of a "police charity. Something in the caller's voice tells me, however (OK - vocal profiling!) that the solicitor who called was NOT a Republican. Gosh! Imagine that!

I just received my fourth call of the day from 1-800-379-8414. For the first time, there was a voice to go with the ring. The caller identified himself as representing the Federated Order of Police and wanted a liberal contribution.

Having fallen for these pitches in years past, I have learned that they do not have tax exempt status and therefore do not qualify as legitimate recipients of MY charitable gifts.

Another Maryland'er checking in. I'm getting these phonecalls up to 6X per day.... AT WORK. They're not calling me at home, they're calling my damn office number for whatever reason. I'm going to call CDG's number right after I post this. Thanks to everyone who posted info on this issue & thanks to Google for getting me here.

I just called the 800-226-7986 number, & the woman who I spoke with told me that my work number (the number I've been getting calls on) isn't registered in their database...

We get these calls at the rate of 3,4,5 a day - every day, Sunday included, never anyone there - thank God for Caller ID - I am in Massachusetts - so this is far-reaching - pain in the ass. I have not sent any comments about President Bush to the White House, although I have sent some to someone I know who is a newspaper reporter - I would hate to think that puts me on a hit list.

800/379-8414 came up on the Caller ID 3 times yesterday 8/20/04. 8:45 am today too. Haven't picked up the phone, don't plan to. We also pay for an unlisted # & have added our number to alleged "do-not-call" list. Haven't sent any scathing mail (snail or otherwise) to any government bodies, have never made contributions to any "organization" that pitches over the phone. But we do wonder (w ith the timing of these calls) if there is any correlation to having recently signed up with a free Mail Opt Out service in Seattle( 888/5OPTOUT) that we recently signed up for. This allegedly prevents unauthorized solicitations based on your credit report-mortgage/loan/car financing/insurance etc.-each time one of these companies inquires,your credit report reflects a "hit" & this can lower your FICO score-not good when your're trying to refinance! Thanks for your input.
PS-These telemarketing scammers should have phone ringers permanently implanted in their heads.

Checking in from NE Ohio...Received 1st call today, will see what happens during the next few days. Did a call-back with no luck, just a continuous ringing. I am a highly creative individual, sooooooo, this may be fun rather than annoying. Need to find a baby's squeal, a touch tone noise for each number hmmmm, could also go for pulse, a fax or modem connection noise, AND a click noise(hang up type)

Thanks to all the posters on this "supposed" problem, obviously if it becomes a problem, there are stones to walk on through the mucky world of scammers, telemarketers, and gov't rules.

Let us get creative rather than seething mad...If you are not creative, fake it; be corny, tell all your friends, have a laugh -- have a connection. The more "they" call, the more enjoyment you will have, rather than the seemingly, ulceric, symptoms. Yep, I just made a new word! Let's say it all together, UL-CER-IC! Good. Now, avoid it like the plague! weeeeeeeeeee!

I recieved a call from 201-793-1694 a few moments ago.

I have caller ID, free long distance, and all my outgoing calls are automatically blocked... So I called the # back and got this message:

Call.. no ring...

Music plays for approx. 13 seconds.

"Thank you for calling, all our representatives are currently handling other customers. Your call is valuable to us. Please stay online. However if you wish to leave your name and number, we will call you back as soon as possible. Please dial 1 to leave your message"

The lady had a foreign accent.. I'm thinking India, China, something like that. Hope this helps.

I called that 800-226-7986 they said my number is not registered with their database. Whatever! I did call my phone company(Comcast)who offered me call screening for 1.00 a month. I just dial *60 and enter the phone number that I want blocked from calling my house. I'll take it for a buck! It's better than someone hounding me for 50.00

I just the call from 1-201-793-1694. I screamed at the woman and she called me back and told me I was rude. So I started researching and found this board. I said screw it and called it back. I got a woman from altec technology. She was located in India and the NJ number is just a router. I asked to speak to a person in charge and she said I could wait but it would be a while and was there anything I could help her with. I told her that the caller swore at me and I was very upset. She was very nice and apoligized and said she was taking me off the call list and putting me on their do not call list immediately. She apoligized once again for the trouble and that was it.

P.S I'm in CT but your board was very helpful

I am a stay @ home mom and I get tons of calls daily.I get them all (6am - 11pm) including the hang up's.
I found a telephone that allows me to block ALL unwanted numbers (including UNAVAILABLE #'s) with a * in front of the saved number and a # in front of the saved one's I want to come in.
The blocked numbers just DO NOT RING! The callers keep on calling but I don't hear the ringing anymore. The answing machine in the phone will answer the call but I don't hear it.
I also added a ZAPPER for the computorized calls.

So far it's been working and I found a big reduction in the calls I have been reciving. Somedays my phone doesn't ring at all(or at least I don't hear it).
The phone cost about $50.00 @ Lowes or Home Depot and the Zapper was $14.99 @ Walmart.

The phone is a BellSouth 2.4GHz Analog with caller ID and a Digital Answering machine(model # is GH9488SL) it holds 40 saved numbers and 4 mail boxes(I don't use them)I leave the automated OGM(out going message on).

When I found this phone I also found there are a lot of these telephones available,some with the prices well into the hundards of dollar ranges.

And as far as FOP or any other telemaketers who call and catch off gauard just say to them " I'm in need of money myself and if they would be able to HELP. It would be going to a GOOD CAUSE and it is NOT a TAX DEDUCDIBLE CONTIBUITION." I'm sure they won't be calling back,if they THINK your are BROKE they won't call back and WAISTE their TIME. $$$$$$ TIME is MONEY $$$$$$. If there is no money on your end then they will stop calling. More then likely they will take your name off thier lists. I do it all the TIME=$$$$. <;p)

I hope this info helps some people who are tired of answering ANOTHER UNWATNED phone call.

Hi there - I don't have caller ID on my landline and I am hoping to find out who has been calling me at least twice daily for the last couple days. The calls are similar to others described above - silence, then a click and hang-up. I got one tonight, (on a Saturday!), one earlier today, one last night around 9 or so, leading me to believe it's not telemarketers. Also, I am on the national Do Not Call list. I've made an online contribution to the DNC, have made several anti-Bush statements online as well as silly anti-Bush searches on Google, all of which can probably (?) be traced back to my ISP and therefore phone number - is this right? Should I assume it's this government thing, or some wacko who found my name and number online screwing with me? Any tips? P.S. the cheaper the better - no extra funds for this endeavor at this time. Thanks!

The last week or so I've been getting calls from the above number. I never answer because it comes up "out of area" on my caller ID. The machine always picks it up, but the only thing it gets is a dial tone. I've given to the police charities in the past, and from what everyone is saying here, that is the likely culprit this time. It is a shame that "good" organizations use crappy solicitors who end up harrassing would-be donors to the point that the charity gets a bad name. On another note, I am not anti-Bush and have never made any vocal statements, so I don't think this is a government issue. Thank you all for posting here, so that I know I'm not alone in this problem!

I'm so relieved, as were many I see, that I am not the only one being aggravated by these people trying to get money for the police. My calls are coming from a (513) area code in Ohio where I live. The "office manager", as he announces himself, sounds like the same guy who's been calling for months. I actually agreed to donate twice (my mistake), but after the 2nd time decided not to give them anything more. My husband and I ignored several months of calls - most of the time at least 2-3 times a day. Finally, on Saturday, both my husband and myself got on the phone and requested we not be called anymore. On Monday they called again. Tuesday they called twice. The second time they called Tuesday, I spoke to him again. I told him I had already requested not to be called and that if they didn't stop I was going to complain. This guy then told me there was nowhere and noone I could complain to that would get them in any trouble. He also let me know that if I had been home when they called, they wouldn't have had to call so many times. I will be interested to see if there are calls on my caller id when I go home tonight. Anyway, I found a form called the "Cheritable Organizations Complaint Form". There is actually a division of the Ohio Attorney General's office that receives such complaints. Maybe they'll at least be able to stop them from calling. Charitable organizaiton or not, if you specifically request not to be called in the future, you shouldn't have to put up with their simple refusal to do so. I really don't understand the point, anyway. Long ago they ruined any possible chance they had to get another donation - so what's the point of calling?

Okay, I am confused - is the Fraternal Order of Police really representing policemen, or are they just claiming to?


Thanks,
Jen

I suggest we, who received these annoying calls (1-800-379-8414), start filing complains to the FTC at  http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm; since we now know who they are. FOP, are they real?

Because as mentioned by somebody here before, they already got nailed once in 1998 by FTC. Since they still keep doing this to us, we should start filing tons of tons complains to FTC again.

I have received 7 calls in 4 days from 800-379-8414. I got two within a couple of hours. Usually, I ignore these calls, but I wanted to get them off my phone line. The first time I picked up, the recording said they were the Cancer Fund of America, and gave a quick 888 number that I did not get written down before they hung up. The second time broke the camel's back, the guy was obnoxious. He asked for my 87 year old mother. I explained she does not take calls any more. He asked for me with my maiden name. I told him was Marian, but not with that last name. I figured he would wise up, but no he kept asking for my mother. He got so frustrated from the game he was playing that he said he would call back when someone else answered so he could talk to my mom. At that point, I was going to tell him to remove us immediately from the list, but he was through and hung up on me. Yesterday, a nice man named Alex called from the same number, and he said he would have my number removed as soon as we hung up. I emailed the Cancer Fund of America today to make my complaint known to them. Now, I'm waiting to see if they acknowledge where this call originated or whether I'm speaking on a deaf ear. Thanks for listening and allowing me to find this valuable information, and remember to keep trying we will stop the harassment...

When an organization calls and wants you to donate to them, simply ask them what percentage of the money you donate actually goes to the so called charity. If they are fake or a third party org they will usually have to rattle off another 800 number for you to call to get those stats, and then they will ask you to read the number back, and then they will hang up. I have done this once to the FOP callers, and they never called back. It is worth a try.

These people call me at 8:05 AM sharp & about 3 more times the same day, seven days a week. Sometimes I answer thinking it may be somebody I'd like to talk with (in the morning when I cant see the ID), then, nobody is there. How frustrating! I am going to call that 8002267986 number and try to get removed. I normally dont answer 800 #'s, unknown numbers, blocked calls, ect......., but this is getting annoying. they should be glad nobody is on the other end when I do answer because I will tear them a new one.

Since I posted my first comment, two days ago (it hasn't shown up on the site yet), I was able to answer quickly enough to get a live person on the other end. He asked for me or my husband by our first names. I asked "Who's calling, please?" He asked whether I was "Mary." This went on for a couple of rounds, during which I told him I knew he was from the outfit that has been calling us repeatedly for several weeks, informed him that we were on the "Do not call" list,and asked him to stop calling. After I asked two or three times who was calling, he said he was with some police organization and again asked whether I was Mary. I asked him to stop calling. He said, "Mary, we're exempt from the the 'Do not call' list." I asked him to stop calling as a matter of courtesy, since I had asked him to stop. He repeated his previous answer. I asked him again to stop, said good-bye, and hung up. At lest he didn't call back--and hasn't so far (an hour or two later). If we get any further calls from that number, I'll let you know!

We just started getting these harrassing phone calls within the past month and they too call at 4-5 different times per day and are on the National Do Not Call list, but it doesn't have seem to have made any differentce at all, as the stupid calls especially the automated ones are still getting through finding the holes and the bugs are chewing away at them. something has to be done and like you I hardly use my computer other than emailing my friends and sisters. I too, like you Jason, hope that something soon can be done. I live here with my parents and son in Massachusetts and are sick and tired of harrassment on computers or via the phone! nothing has been done in congress or the senate as they're so stuck up in their old fashioned ways to go along with what's happening right now never mind yesterday! Thank you!

I have been getting a strange call several times a day for about 1-2 months now from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. It says private caller on my caller ID. When you answer it, it is a LOUD alarm beeping noise. I can't *69 it. Has this happened to anyone? Does anyone have an idea of what this is?

I got calls every hour from 201-793-1694 and 201-793-1698. This is such a pain!
Does anybody know where these numbers are from?

I rec'd a call from this number at 4:49 PM EST today (4/10/05). They purported to represent some sort of fundraising for the CT State Police. I refused to do it over the phone & told them to send it in the mail. They wanted to "confirm" my intent to contribute by giving them my credit card or ATM number but I refused. I checked with the State Police who stated they do not solicit by phone. I tried to call this # but got no answer. I searched the reverse directory but without luck. From the dates on your website, I guess that this bunch has been active for a few years now.

Geez louise! As with everyone elses comments on here - I'm relieved I'm not the only one getting this phone "hang ups" from 800-379-8414. For awhile there I thought my lovely ex-husband was pranking me! Good thing I didnt go and pop his tires after all! ;)

Like everyone else, I gave $ to the FOP 2 years ago and didn't renew. BUT - I did that under a totally different phone number. Not the one they are harrassing me day and night on. And for those of you who are single like me, I HATE HATE HATE being awoken at 7:30 am on a Saturday morning! I don't have kids and there's a reason for it - I like to sleep in dad gummit!

I'm thinking there is a class action lawsuit in the works here. Lord knows my caller ID is FULL of that blasted number. Not only am I going to ban giving $ to the FOP ever again - but - they are gonna make me boycott watching "Cops" too!!! Bastards. :)

We have been receiving mysterious phone calls ever since we recently moved and were issued a new phone number. These calls come at all hours during the night and day...and whenever we answer the phone it only beeps. I will hit *69 and a message will come back saying this number is unobtainable from your location. I then called my phone company to complain...they referred me to the FBI phone harassment division. I was told by them to use *57 instead of *69 the next time I got one of these calls. Within 10 mins of talking with this guy at the FBI...the phone rang and when I answered...it just beeped. I tried the *57 like he suggested and got the very same message as before stating that the number was "unobtainable". I called the phone company back very irate at this point...I mean..if the FBI can't tell me where these calls are coming from...something just doesn't jibe here, you know? Finally the phone company admitted that sometimes a telemarketer can have a fax machine that randomly calls people and it was posible that our phone number was in that fax machine listing as a fax number. He said that if that was the case and the origin of our beeping phone calls...we had absolutely no recourse whatsoever. There is no way to trace these types of calls. He suggested that I would either have to deal with it...or pay the phone company a fee to have my number changed. I was wondering if anyone else out there has had these "beeping" phone calls on your home line? Something needs to be done about this...it is a form of domestic terrorism if you think about it. It can be very traumatic to be awakened from a deep sleep by the telephone ringing at three in the morning....your first thought is...this is going to be bad news....

i don't believe these calls are in response to anyone sending emails to the gov't or police solicitors. this happened to me several years ago and i got more than 100 calls in a day! when i started getting these calls, i thought the same issue was happening...some companies have computers intead of actual people making their telemarketing calls. what happens is, for some reason when you answer, the computer is not there to connect you to the actual person. since the computer is dialing your number, no one will answer when you call back. you get a busy signal when the computer is calling another number. these computers are set to call the numbers on a certain list and it will continue to call you back. apparently, the national do-not-call list doesn't pertain to toll-free numbers!

resolution...first, call your local phone company and see if they can do anything about it. my local company is Qwest, however, they cannot put a trace on 800 (or toll-free) numbers, but you can. you can do *57 to trace an individual call, but you have to do this right after you get a call, and if that doesn't work, you can do *78 to block specific numbers from calling you.

hope this helps you!

The scam is simple and yet it's legal...and anyone can do it ..

You call a person and tell them that you represent a certain charity such as a police, fire , or medical charity...
You ask them for a donation such a 50 dollars...They send you 50 dollars, you give 5 or 10 dollars to the charity and keep the rest for yourself...Any legal charity can hire you to raise money for them with a contract stating that you get to keep a certain percentage......If you call a charity and ask them what percentage of a donation they get to keep, they should tell you.

I once donated to what I thought was our local volunteer fire company only to find out that our fire company got 10 cents on every dollar that was donated through a 1-800 driven fund raising company...
The calls you are getting are from a computer and not from an individual dialing your number..They can be programmed to call at specific intervals and on certain days...
If you want to give to a charity, get the name and address of the charity and make a check out to them directly and mail it..NEVER, EVER give a credit card number over the phone to someone who has called you...

By the way, if you give to one of the " 1-800 We're calling for Donations"
you will get other calls for other charities by the same company using another 800 number
BEWARE

These jerks are the worst. They keep calling my cell phone costing me time. I think I am going to give up my phones (I have 4) and not pay my bill. The phone companies could but refuse to controll this crap. If everyone will follow my lead, The bull-crap will stop. Its all about $$$. Maybe if we could set up a month to not pay our bill in protest, and get enough people to do it, they will get the message. You can always pay it next month. ???????? or get short-wave radios.

I just called them back for the millionth time and got a representative for some Visa card. It took only a minute of yelling before they asked what number I wanted removed from their list.

201-793-1698 just called me. It was a representative of Aspire Visa trying to sell me credit protection (I was selected LOL!). Told her not interested in credit protection for a credit card I don't have & to remove me.

I have been wondering about this number for a while.
I also donated to the FOP and received the decal and letter. When I read the letter and realized it was sent NOT by the FOP, but rather a professional fund raising group, which then passes on a small percentage, I resolved not to donate again.
When they called again I told them I had donated directly to my LOCAL Sheriff's
Department - which I have. The gentleman at the other end was very irritated and wasted no time in letting me know about it.
Since then we receive calls at all times of the day, I guess it's their computer trying to figure out when we are at home. I have called them back to no avail, but there is the 1-800-374-8414 number on my caller ID day after day. It has stopped being a curiosity and has become more than annoying. Now I would like to do something about it.
I have contacted a local consumer advocate - Liz Crenshaw on WRC-NBC4 here in Washington DC who is very adept and enjoys solving riddles like this.
I wonder how many people donate in the belief it will help their chances of avoiding a ticket or because they have to. Sort of like a shakedown.

Unbelievable, right after I posted my message guess who called?
1-800-374-8414!

Shortly after I posted my comments on the 8003748414 number - I was called AGAIN!

SouthernMD, I just checked through my caller ID log for the past few days, and that 800-379-8414 number has called me 11 times in the last five days. I work out of my home and the distraction of these phone calls is really getting irritating.

I tried calling the 800-226-7986 number someone listed upthread to remove my number from their list, but of course no one is manning that number during the weekend... even though their damn automated dialer can call US endlessly on the weekends.

$%#@&*% :-P

The number in question belongs to Aspire Visa, and, when I called, they informed me that the phone call was from, probably, their telemarketing department, and, the very nice lady offered to put my number on their "do not call" list.
The entire conversation, from "Who are you, people" to "We won't call you ever again" took about 60 seconds.

Easy!

Funny how I came across this forum and that its been around since 2003, yet people didn't know what it was until recently (two days ago, July 5). I too called the number back and was put on the do not call list. I think they're very knowledgeable about getting phone calls like, "i got a call from this number" because he seemed to be reading a script after I said that. He first told me that when I get another call to tell them that I already have an Asipire Visa Card, but then I had to specifically ask to not be called an dhe put me on the do not call list. Hope this helps for everyone who also goes through this!

Another victim... received a call from them wanting to access my credit report to be approved for an Aspire Visa. I think it is a hoax, I wouldn't give these people any information. I told them I wasn't interested nicely and the non-English speaking moron apparantly didn't understand me and persisted I do this. I asked to speak with someone I could understand and he said he wasn't able to this. I ended up hanging up on him and I couldn't believe 2 minutes later he called me back! I knew at this point that it isn't just an ordinary telemarketer.

WATCH OUT!

Does anyone (besides me)who has an Aspire Visa card think they have the worst customer service department? Thanks to all who revealed that they are the source of 201-793-1698. They call 3 times a day and say nothing.

On your search engine, type in tips to get unknown callers to quit calling. Click on #4--Andy Rooney's tips. I haven't tried it yet, I too work 3rd shift and am tired of this. Good Luck

I get a call and a hang up shortly after 8am and a couple of calls in the early evening each day. The caller id reads Dell. I called the number got a recording that I could be put on their no call list, but it didn't seem to
work. I just unplug the phone most of the time. Maybe I'll just move my internet connection to cable and
cancel the pbone all together.

I'm to getting calls from this number. Not as much as most of you, but when I saw the number on my caller ID (they are calling my cell phone) I knew it had to be something. I have an Aspire card so it makes since. Its prob the same damn woman that suckered me into getting one 2 years ago. Whatever you do dont accept. They'll give you a card witha good interest rate then before you know it raise it to the max. I'm at 29.9% APR right now and I have good credit. I wrote a letter to the office in GA about why it went sky high and I never heard back. I'm currently filing a report with he BBB on them.

I have been getting the 206-278-8691 calls for a week now. Never a message and if you dial back you are asked to leave your name and phone number to be taken off the list. Of course the message ends with the recorded voice denying your ability to add yourself to the list. Umm...like I was going to tell them my name... and they obviously have my number. Glad to see I'm not alone with these call. I'm in Virginia and was surprised to see the other comment coming from Florida.

Hey everyone. I'm getting the 201 number. They try calling me at least 2 times a day. If you are on the national do not call registry file a complaint here  https://www.donotcall.gov/Complain/ComplainCheck.aspx

Even if they can still call people file anyways. If enough people file complaints and they see that they are harrasing enough people they may do something about it.
I have filed a complaint.

I got one over the weekend, too. I just ordered a PC from Dell so not sure if that has anything to do with it. Could it possibly be people checking to see if the numbers are legit and then passing them on?

Just like many of the rest of you I had been receiving ALOT of calls from an Out of Area number (201-793-1694) at different hours and when I would answer they would hang up...well, tonight I answered and I got some guy named Andrew (I think) telling me he was from Customer Care Mortgage and he wanted to verify the worth of my home becuase I had been approved for a "cash out loan"...I was sceptical and told him I didnt call HIM for a home loan...he was persistent and kept trying to get me to verify that I wanted a "cash out loan". He said that I was preapproved for a minimum of $10,000. After every answer I gave him he would say "yeah okay?, great."and then giggle. So finally I hung up on him. He called me back 3 times...I told him I wasn't interested to leave me alone. I looked up Customer Care Mortgage on www.bbb.org and there is no such company. After I told him to leave me alone he CALLED BACK again and said that he thought we must have gotten disconnected! I thought YA THINK? I hung up on him yet another 3 times after that. THEN, a different guy called about 10 minutes later and asked for me by name and said he just needed to get a few more details to get my loan underway..I said.."LOOK, WHAT PART OF I AM NOT INTERESTED DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?" and I hung up on him! He called right back...I ran into the other room to give my husband the phone to see if he could handle it and when he answered the jerk hung up! So after all that I did the google search and found this site. I called the 201-793-1698 number like some of the previous phone terrorist victims suggested and the guy said...Are you calling to uh, um, apply? And he laughed. I said NO I WANT OFF YOUR PHONE LIST! He said okay, he would handle it. So we'll see. If the phone company cant do anything about it maybe we should all do as the previous person suggested and give them a taste of it by not paying for phone harassment for a month!

Over a span of several weeks, I saw an increased number of incoming calls daily from 800-379-8414. (6-8 times daily.) After reading the various comments at different sites, I utilized the *57 function. Be prepared, my phone company charged $7.99 for this. I would encourage anyone who uses this, to have a pen and paper handy. There was a recording that indicated the charge AND a number to call, if you wish to file a law-suit. I regret not knowing this before-hand. I would have persued that option, as well as including the number here. I can happily report, I have not received any more calls. (It has been just over a month.) Good Luck

I also got the phone call from 206-278-8691. The person whose name is "Joseph" made a phone call to me by pretending a kind of agent of DELL computer. He intorduced me the service of Verison's DSL and said the number 1-877-483-5859 to activate the service. I dialed the number, but it didn't work. In addtion, he gave me several questions, and my answer, which was only "Yes", were recorded by him.
It seemed that my personal information was stolen by the person because I purcahsed the pc from DELL. I will talk about this matter with my corporate attorney.
If you got any problems from the same case, please report on this site.

I also got a phone call from the person whose telephone number was 206-278-8691.
He pretended the agent of DELL computer and introdused me the service of Verison's DSL. I worried that my answers to his questions were recorded by him. Those were only "Yes". I recoginized that my personal info was stolen by the person, so I changed Credit Card information immediately. Actually I purchased PC from DELL a week ago. The purchasing record might have been gotten the unrelated person.

Got several missed calls (at work) from 206-278-8691. Haven't had any problems with them yet but it seems they are persistant.

So far I've received one call last night from this number, and two today (one in the morning and one at night). No message left. I never answer the phone anymore unless I know who it is.

I've had my Dell pc for 5 months now.

just received a missed call at work from this number. i googled it to see where it came from and this site came up. glad it did....wouldnt have given him any info anyway.

did some more research and found out that this number is provided by Marathon Communications and they can be contacted at 1-800-919-1000....and let them know that they are providing service to a scam.

I got a call yesterday and it only says it's from Washington State, on caller ID. All the white pages online say they don't have it listed.

I started receiving calls from 206-278-8691 on September 2nd, at my office number. Usually they called outside work hours. Today (Sept 7th) they called after lunch and asked to speak to Ian. When I said "this is Ian" they hung up.

This is annoying as hell! I get calls from this number 5-6 days a week, usually after office hours but the one time during office hours they hung up when I answered.

I called the number back and a machine answers that says to leave name and number to be taken off their call list but if you just leave your number and not your name they continue to call! I called once and left my name as Bill Brown but yet they still call!

This should be illegal, who can you call to report this? Make me wish I could reach through the phone line and choke the living shit outta whoever runs this harrassing company!

I called Marathon communications at the number in the previous post. This is a sales line, so I chose to speak to a sales rep rather than use the menu system. The customer support rep transfered me to customer service. I had barely finished explaining these prank calls when she interrupted me to say they were aware of this issue, were receiving huge numbers of complaints, and that their legal department was looking into the matter. She took the 206-278-8691 and my phone number and said they legal department would inform the owner of the number not to call me again, and that I should receive no more calls within 48 hours. She declined to give me the name of the company but said it was some type of telemarketing organisation. I suggest everyone call to keep the pressure on this company.

I got called by this number too! I've had my Dell pc for about 5 months now also. Is there a connection? I missed the call. Is there anything that I should say when they call back?

Dell Agent called using 206-278-8691 number. Had my personal info. Asked me about upgrading to high-speed. I questioned the caller and they hung up.

Has anyone called Dell? I will.

Glad I put this phone number in my search bar. I didn't know what the heck this was about.
I also got at least 4 calls from this number, knowing it was a telemarketer by the delay in responding to my 'hello'. I hung up. My son who also picked it up at the same time says, "Ma, they're from Dell." I thought, if they really wanted to talk to me, they'd leave a message next time. Yeah right, they call agoain, I dial back and request removal from the list, but with my name! From the post here, I see this isn't going to work. I will also notify Marathon Communications of their annoying customer. Thanks for the previous posts. This helps alot. Thought I was loosing it with my incessant quest of the matter. :>)

My son has been getting a phone call from this number for the last two months. When he answers or calls back he/we get hangups or a VISA outfit that says to call back later. It is definitely becoming annoying. If anyone knows how to stop this please please please post us!!!

I've answered the call everytime but no one ever spoke to me, it's just a silent line.

Thanks for the info everyone, I'll call Marathon too.

Just got the call again, this time a guy named Dennis De La Cruz(?) tried to get me to sign up for Earthlink, and after I grilled him a number of times he still swore he worked for Dell. FYI,

first thing that i notice or hear when i pick up the phone is they dont say my name correctly,,,but they do leave messages on my machine saying for me to call back but not who they are or why i should call,,,so i never return the call.
i googled the 201 number and found all these pages on it,,,so just wanted to add my two cents..
i also am on the "do not call list" so why do these people do this to us?.
katie

Googled this # tonight and found this. I am also on DNC list but have suddenly received lot of nuisance calls- day and evening but have never answered. I have caller ID and have also been getting a lot of "out-of-area" calls with no #. When I have been home, they hang up before the ans. machine comes on (4 rings). I bought a Dell in January and it does seem to be a common thread. I also have Earthlink- the free 4 mo. and haven't changed it yet.

I have received more than 10 phone calls from 201-793-1698. I have not once answered the phone, but whoever is on the other end just sits there until my answering machine is almost done. I am on the do not call list, but they still call. What should I do? Please help, this is really annoying!

I had been getting all of these calls from (201) 793-1698, and like everyone else I couldn't pinpoint its origin. Now, I turned on my phones ability to allow only calls to ring my phone if they are in my phones address book... if its not someone I know, it doesn't ring. NICE! It is a Motorola phone. See if yours can do that.

After the forth phone call of the day, I called 201-793-1698, and found it to be Aspire Visa. The guy in the other end told me that I had pre-approved for a Visa. I informed him that I was on the National DNC and he told me that he would take my number out of their system. After confirming my number, he said that I should not be hearing from them again. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Yep, it's in Utah too

Yep, it's in good ol' Sandy, Utah too.

after about 1mos of receiveing about 4 calls a day, i decided to call them back. i told them to not call me anymore and to put my number on their do not call list. took about 15secs, will see if it works.

 http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/03/cdg.htm
 http://www.wweek.com/story.php?story=5792
 http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/disabled.htm
 http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/press/njfund.htm
 http://www.atg.state.vt.us/display.php?pubsec=4&curdoc=539
 http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff99400.htm
 http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/consumer/press_releases/disabled.html
 http://www.atg.state.vt.us/display.php?pubsec=4&curdoc=386
 http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff51882.htm
 http://old.hartfordadvocate.com/articles/charityscam.html
 http://www.atg.wa.gov/releases/rel_charity_010798.html
 http://njconsumeraffairs.gov/press/njfund.htm
 http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=2850&id=17433
 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/149824_fundraisers25.html
 http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/press/suefu.htm
 http://www.fairopinions.com/news/index.asp?id=159788
 http://www.harmoncurran.com/navigator/pdf/1999/jan1999.pdf
 http://www.detnews.com/2002/nation/0212/01/a09-24219.htm

I'm also having problems with this caller from Dell. The number that shows up for me is 206-278-8803, so obviously the same area code, etc. The person who called was trying to sell internet service, for which I said I was not interested. She wouldn't accept the fact that I was saying no, and kept insisting that I purchase internet access from her. After 10 mins of her asking why I wasn't interested, and trying to tell me more about the plan, I asked to speak to her manager. Of course, the manager was in a meeting. So I asked for the manager's name, phone #, and while giving me the phone #, our connection was disconnected after hearing a lot of background noise (intentionally?).

I'm pretty ticked off over it, mainly because I was harassed and have no way to call this person back or trace back to who actually called me. Dell has no record of it.

If anyone has any advice or information, please contact me at  dustin_atm_99@yahoo.com. The person's name was Amanda, and she claimed she was in the Nitro department, whatever that is? I'm actually debating whether or not to return my laptop, I know it's 6 months, but I might just insist they take it back because I'm so P.O.'ed over the whole situation.

More follow-up on this for anyone who had a problem. This is in the Dell ISP services, and more specifically, the outbound calling department that calls people to sell internet service. I was able to get a phone #, (800)879-3355 x7238664. This took about 2 hours of my time to hunt down, a major pain in the butt, but in the end I was able to express my displeasure. Still waiting to hear back from them as they're conducting an "investigation."

The lady I spoke to said she was in the "Nitro" department, which means nothing unless you're specifically in the outbound calling department of ISP at Dell, because it's some internal code that nobody else in Dell knows about. What a chicken sh** way to answer my questions without giving me any information. I'm glad I was persistent.

Here is my problem... I own a Trash hauling company in Kansas there is a collection agency in NY that has been giving out my phone number by mistake to all the people they are trying to collect from. This has been going on for about 7 years I have called them probably 20 times or more but they just basically tell me i am full of it. Here is my question "Is this considered phone harassment?"

A company called Allsec Tech is calling my house. Not Once, Not Twice, but so far 6 TIMES TODAY.
We have asked to speak with the supervisor. But get hung up on each time.
This has been going on for a few weeks and could most likely tell you their hours about now. It is obvious they had off the the New Year..... THANK GOD>>>

I am on the do not call list.

Is there anything I can do to stop the insanity?

I have a child here and my Step Father who isn't in the best of health. I am sure this isn't the best on them. I know the aggrevation isn't the best for me.

201-793-1698

A company called Allsec Tech is calling my house. Not Once, Not Twice, but so far 6 TIMES TODAY.
We have asked to speak with the supervisor. But get hung up on each time.
This has been going on for a few weeks and could most likely tell you their hours about now. It is obvious they had off the the New Year..... THANK GOD>>>

I am on the do not call list.

Is there anything I can do to stop the insanity?

I have a child here and my Step Father who isn't in the best of health. I am sure this isn't the best on them. I know the aggrevation isn't the best for me.

201-793-1698

I have been fighting telemarketers for 6 months now. My main problem came from telemarketers using a 206 area code. A Seattle phone company, Marathon Communications (800 919 1000), provides phone numbers and acts as a buffer for the telemarketers. They use a fake name on caller ID (TMC,card services,Sat.inc etc) and a fake number you can't call back (206 415 8940,206 415 8880, 206 415 8547 etc). When you call Marathon they won't give you the identity of the business that called you unless you subpoena them, which is what my Attorney General did. One company was Guardian Communications (309 277 1222) 3322 38th.ave Moline IL.61265. They called people on the DNC list,used illegal recorded messages,and called cell phones.They sold the numbers they got to DirecTV and Dish Network. North Carolina sued them for this a few weeks ago. Calls from illegal telemarketers are a huge problem 206 278 8691 and 206 278 8803 are just two of the dozens I have collected. Visit  http://www.anti206.blogspot.com/ for more info. or to join the antitelemarketer fight.

I am getting these calls also. I have tried most of the things you have tried also. 2-3 rings and hang up. Number is 206-278-8980 and caller id is MARKATA. i SURE WOULD LIKE TO PUT AN END TO THESE CALLS.

Ditto Reverse directory check brings no results. The closest I've come is the seattle phone co. I don't answer the phone when I see Markata on my ID screen. Maybe the purpose of the calls is to establish a valid phone number for sale to interested users.

Illegal surveys:
(206 278 8980) Markata (206 278 9169)(214 446 1600) (214 446 1900) Markata Group (214 446 1901) CMI (214 446 1605) Nexcall (214 446 1622) Manor Hse Assoc. (425 256 3734) Cookies Extreme, recorded message "asking if I wanted more info on charities to which to donate". (425 256 3734) Double Eagle D, recorded message "a public service message" to " stay fit and exercise". (206 415 8733) "Mortgage questionnaire". (206 415 9499) recorded message advises that I can get a "flu shot at a local county clinic" then disconnects. (253 218 3406) My first survey, (253 218 3412) (253 218 3413) K&V Surveys.

These calls may be from Intelius- Bellvue WA, an online reference service specializing in locating people. They also provide telemarketing lists. They probably use the fake surveys to gather info. Call 877 974 1500 to complain. If anybody has information, please post.

Posted at DMA
DMA Releases Latest Ethics Report; Refers Listing Service to FCC

December 20, 2005 -
The Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Committee on Ethical Business Practice reports that three companies, none of which are DMA members, failed to cooperate with DMA when asked respond to DMA's request for information on their business practices in an attempt to reach appropriate complaint resolutions.

In addition, one of the three companies, SND Marketing Listing Service of Spring, TX, was referred to the Federal Communications Commission for possible action.
"The vast majority of cases reviewed by DMA's Ethics Committees are resolved," said Patricia Kachura, senior vice president for ethics and consumer affairs at DMA. "When companies fail to cooperate with DMA and the Committees suspect a possible legal violation, it is our policy to refer these companies to federal and state agencies for appropriate action, and that is what we are doing today."

The following companies failed to cooperate with DMA's Committee on Ethical Business Practice:
Intelius of Bellevue, WA, an online reference service specializing in locating individuals. The DMA Committee on Ethical Business Practice alleged that the company failed to confirm that sources of information for the reference service do not include marketing data, or whether and how consumers can remove their names from the service.

Primary Issues of Concern Based on 20 Current Cases:

1) Marketing information should not be used in individual look-up or reference services. Online reference services should not include information relating to consumers' marketing transactions. Consumers would not reasonably expect that information about what they purchased, or how they responded in a marketing survey, would result in their inclusion in an online look-up service.

I just recieved a call from 201-793-1694 on my caller ID with Allsec Tech. They did not leave a message. I didn't answer either. This was the first call.

I began doing a search on this number months ago. Most people get the hangups more often than not. When someone responds, they claim to be the Fraternal Order of Police for whatever state the call recipient lives in. This is a long running phone scam. If you connect with one of these guys, give them all hell, and report it to your states DA, the FCC, or the DOJ. I live in Baltimore, MD, and know the MD State Police FOP calls from MD area code 410. This number is prolific on the east coast, and parts of the west coast as far as I can tell.

As if it were not bad enough that the legitimate Police and Fire charity calls go directly to their unions, and not at all to your state or counties PD or FD, these people (800-379-8414) are going nuts with this.

In reference to the 206-278-8803, did anyone get this issue resolved with Dell? I am getting calls from this number and I bought a dell pc about 5 months ago (as did other people with similar calls).

I have been getting three phone calls a day, which show up on Caller ID as "out of area" but no phone number. They're within telemarketing hours so that's probably what it is, though I have received harassing phone calls, including hang ups in the past.

Most of the time, it's a dial tone or just nothing until it hangs up, but yesterday, there were voices of two men on the line. One saying, "No, no, no, no, no" and the other saying, "yes...(something unintelligible), then click. That was strange.

The 800 number looks familiar. The only 800 number that showed up on my CallerID was from a collection agency that calls me three times annually looking for someone with a different first name, my last name. It takes numerous phone calls to get off their lists, then they resume the phone calls up to four times daily, a few months down the line.

I also went through the MCI telemarketing calls four times a day, called numerous times to get off the list, including one time when I called the 800 number and was switched unknowingly(until I got the bill) to a long-distance number. They ultimately removed that charge. Then after I resolved that mess, SBC started calling.

I've used the free online forms at  http://www.phonesearchcentral.com before with great success in looking up phone number information, that might help ya'll find out who these telemarketing scam artists are...

Randy Jacobs

I am so sick of getting these calls! I finally Googled the number and came up with this website. I am glad to see that I am not alone!

I recently moved into a new home in January and promptly began getting phone calls from telemarketing companies. The first caller was the Virginia State Police and they knew both my husband's and my names and knew we just moved in. They were persistent for donations. I finally told them to mail me something and I would review it. Anyway, after that I have been receiving at least 5 calls per day from various places. Allsec Tech (201) 793-1698 is one of the main culprits. I looked up the company online and found they are a call center company operating out of India. I also have been getting calls from a number which comes up on my caller ID as "Quebec" (514) 958-0000. AS Pacific was another one (248) 913-3110. A few times I will listen to my home voice mail and it will be a recording of someone saying something like "Hey, it's Steve. I wanted to tell you about this awesome bill consolidation program...." or something like that. It is so annoying I don't even answer my phone anymore, but I have going through my voice mail and finding nothing but hang ups or "Hey, it's Bob" calls.

I've recieved 8 calls to date from AS Pacific (248) 913-3110. ive been spouted to by automated machines and busy singnals when you hit any number.. Ive even called the number back twice to get a voice greating saying to either leave a msg at a fast busy signal or press 2 to have my number removed.. The always call late at night. and the only comment ive seen about them is on here.. Someone has to put an end to this madness before I find the person & blast thier a$$ away with a sawed off. If i thought there was anything i could do legaly i would but noone know anything & cant get info from the telephone companys. Anyway i would never buy from a telemarketer & hope the rest of you do the same. If you wanted to hear thier BS line you would have called them.

I just moved to the States (GA) from England and I too keep getting calls from AS Pacific on (248) 913-3110. I never answer the phone, their name and number come up on the TV caller ID and I always ignore it as I don't recognise it. Who are they and what do they want?

This company calls a couple of times a day and from 2 different numbers; 201-793-1698 and 201-793-1694. My dad picked it up one time, we usually ignore it, and they hung up right away. The next time he picked it up there was a pause and then they asked for me. When he handed me the phone, they had hung up and there was just a dial tone. What is going on.

Just got another call from these "lovely" people! I called very sternly and complained to some lady saying that I DO NOT WANT TO GET ANOTHER CALL!!!! She was polite and said sure no problem. We will see what happens. I told her I was on the DNC list and if I got another call on any of my lines I will make a complaint.

I hope together we can get these people to quit calling!!!!

So I'm not alone. I get calls from all these numbers; some with the Allsec Tech on my caller ID and some without. (I googled "Allsec Tech" and found this site) Like so many others on this site, I'm on the DNC list but obviously that makes no difference. Mostly, I use caller ID to screen calls and do not pick up, but some of our phones don't have the ID display. If I accidentally pick up, there is always that characteristic pause before they ask to speak to me. I hang up of course, but it's game over - - they now know there is a live body at home. Then the calls really start coming. I just don't answer after that but MAN OH MAN is it annoying.

I may have overlooked it, but I don't see any posts on this site where someone asked them not to call anymore and it worked - - lots of "I just asked them not to call and I HOPE it works." But did it? I have to wonder whether these persistent jerks would really take such a request seriously.

And like a couple of people on this site already asked, I wonder what's in it for them? After irking you, do they really think you will buy whatever it is they are selling? (I've never had a conversation with one of them, so I have no idea which scam I am being targeted for--the FOP, Dell, Visa, or something else) I liked the post that tried the "I'm broke" approach: If they think you don't have any $$, maybe they'll stop.

So I guess I'll try the straightforward "do not call" request, and if that fails, the "I'm broke" approach, and failing that, go buy a phone that screens the calls from specific numbers (I saw a couple of post suggesting that solution), and failing that, complain to the State Attorney General (remote, long-term approach that I doubt will get immediate, if any results), and failing that, play something loud back into the phone (not the stupid dog whistle idea), and failing that, destroy every phone in my place, and if they get to my cell phone, GOD HELP ME.

I bet these jerks from Allsec Tech monitor this website for ideas on how to get around every idea posted here. Like a bizarre arms race.

I can't believe I'm wasting my time and effort on this.

I'm from Kentucky and we get "hang up" calls all the time. We don't have caller ID or the *69 option, or I would've many times tried to call these pieces of crap back.

A year or two before my husband and I met, he made a "donation" to the FOP or "state police", but hasn't since then. Every year we get a few calls "thanking" us for our previous donationS and asking for another hand out. Well, not so much ASKING, but demanding we make another donation. We've done well to not get hoodwinked into it again over the past 5 years we've been together because even if we wanted to donate, we just can't afford it while supporting a family of four on 1 income.

About a week ago, it was 7:30 at night and we got a call. I answered and the guy told me his name, though I don't recall what it was, and then said "Good Afternoon, Mrs. ______." I was like, where the heck is this guy at??? It's not afternoon here....so I just said, "Ooookkkkaaaayyy???" He went silent for a few seconds and so I just hung up. The very next morning around lunch time, the SAME guy called,...still didn't catch his name...but he addressed me again by my married name, stating he was with the KY State Police wanting to thank us for our previous donationS (capitalizing the S because they are ALWAYS under the misconception that we've donated more than 1 time).

I let him do his schitk about how our donations help injured-in-the-line-of-duty officers and so on. I cut him off about midway through this and told him that my husband had made a donation once before, but that was years before we met, and that he(as in WE) haven't made any donations since, nor plan to anymore because we can't really afford to. He proceeded to tell me that it didn't matter WHAT my husband's decision, that I could still make the decision to do so to do "my part" to help. I was like, EXCUSE ME????

I told him that I don't just spend our money without discussing it with my husband and as I was saying it, he started talking OVER me, saying, "Well, I tell you what Mrs. ______, I'm going to put you down for the minimum amount and send you...blah blah blah..."

I practically SCREAMED into the phone, "OH NO YOU AREN'T!" but he just kept talking and saying crap to the affect that he was DEFINITELY going to send me the decals and basically try to force me...threateningly, to make the donation he wanted me to. I said, "NO!" once more and since he wouldn't shut up, I just hung up on him. I felt like he thought that because I was a woman, he could just hound me into it. Didn't happen.

Haven't received another call from them since then, but it won't suprise me IF and WHEN we do.

Glad I'm not the only one dealing with this stupidity. I had added our unlisted # to the no-call-list too, but then found out, after the fact, that things such as this aren't included and since my husband has dealt with them before, they can't be taken off the list. Telemarketing solicitors are some of the lowest scum on the totem pole.

Next time I get a call like that, I'm going to tell them straight up that I KNOW our state police don't solicit donations over the phone and that if they keep harrassing us, I'll report them to the BBB.

Thanks for letting me share my "irksome" tale of telemarketing terror.

H.M.

I came upon this site by accident but perhaps someone can help me. I am listed on the "do not call" registry and that has helped with a lot of the telemarketers but there is one that continues to call. It is an automated call at first telling me about some satellite company and to push one to speak with a representative. I have pushed one and when I got to a person the first time I simply said, "I would like more information on your company." and he hung up on me! The next time I talked to a person I said that I was on a "do not call" list and not to call but before I could even finish my sentence I was hung up on again. The number is 800-741-5484 and when I call it back it says "Your call cannot be completed as dialed". I have three week old twins and I could do without the phone ringing constantly. I would really like to sue this company or something, but I'll settle for any advice to get them to leave me alone. Suggestions?  missfit_angel_86@hotmail.com

This number is not assigned. The user is a bandit, he has found away to utilize this # for illegal telemarketing. He sells his leads to Hughes Internet Company, who in turn sells the info to local internet installers. If found the user of this will face reprecussions from the phone company, FBI,FTC,State Goverment,...

for two or three years my mother was receiving harrasing calls asking for my dad - he was elderly and not well, she does not have caller i.d. but knew they were telemarketers - she asked them everytime to remove their phone # from the calling list - when the third call came in during the week following my fathers death, i had my mother keep the guy on the line, grabbed the canned air horn that my dad had, got the phone from her and motioned for her to cover her ears - one long blow of the horn into the phone STOPPED the calls - that was three years ago - maybe he is still looking for his ear drum - i have always heard a regular whistle works too but why mess around with the little stuff - may have been cruel but it worked

We have gotten 14 calls from this number since June 8, 2006. They will not speak to me and only ask for my husband. One time they did talk to me a little bit, but stated something about a state troopers association or police or something. At one time, we donated to the Texas State Troopers Association, but I don't think this is that group as we have moved and changed phone numbers since then.

Interesting side note, when we displayed the TSTA sticker on our vehicle, I tended to not get stopped as much <G>

Any ideas on how to stop this harrassment?

i work for the fraternal order of police. theres apparently one for every state. they pay us 12 bucks per hour to sit in front of computers that automatically dial numbers in call lists. they give us a script that we have to follow. they encourage us to sound like police officers but if we are asked, we are supposed to say that we arent. lots of people wind up donating just for the decals that we send out.

also, we 'technically' work for the police organization but whats really going on is that the fop pays CDG (the largest telemarketing company) a consulting fee to run their fundraising centers. all the rebuttal posters and forms in the office are labeled with a CDG copyright. before i started working here, i had never heard of the fop, so who knows if its just a messed up angle that cdg is taking to get into your wallet. in our office, theres a puppet retired police officer who dubs himself the state's 'director of fundraising'. all he does is stand around and sip coffee. everyone else there, except the callers, is a former employee of cdg.

also, the managers dont care if the people donating money are living in poverty, old, or sick. all that matters is meeting the quota for a each list. i was talking to one of the managers during a break, and he was telling me that CDG sent him to oversee this fundraising operation and that what we do is barely inside the bounds of the law.

rumor has it that the fop pays cdg up to 85% of all funds raised for its consulting fee. thats alot of money, considering we often raise over $100/hr per person. and theres 20-40 people working the phones at any given time, 12 hours per day.

i feel bad working there, but i need the money. i try to do just the minimum to not get let go. you feel pretty crappy on the phone knowing youre basically screwing people out of their money and filling cdg's bank accounts. but we have to if we want to keep working, cause the managers are listening into our phone calls and berate us if we arent pressuring people and rebuttling each and every phone call.

i would advise against donating to the fop, seeing that most of the money doesnt even go to the charities supporters want to help. also, since its really just a big telemarketing company behind the fop facade, all your information (address \ phone) is probably being sold to someone else for commercial use.

hope this answers some questions as to what is going on here.
ASK TO BE TAKEN OFF THE PHONE LIST OR THREATEN TO SUE!

They called my cellphone today and mumbled a random name at me, at a cost to me of a quarter. Mumble mumble Ria? Mumble. So I entered the number in google and here I am. They call my cell again and I will threaten to sue. In fact, I might really sue, since I don't have anything better to do at the moment, and I can read and write legalese pretty well.

ID shows a company called Allsec Tech

I have been receiving calls from 201-793-1698 and when I called it back it was something to do with VISA. Anyway they say that they have put me on the "do not call" list. We'll see.

I have tried and tried and tried to get my name taken off. I have told them several times to take me off their list. They call at LEAST once a day. The next time they call I am going to tell them I am going to sue them for harassment since I have asked on 3 separate occassions to be removed from their lists. They are really pissing me off.

In recent weeks we have received 11 calls they say Private, Anonymous,
on our callerid, 10 times I answered and the caller hung up.
the 11th time I answered and a woman said this is the Republican party,
may I talk to, she said my husbands first name, I looked at the callerid
it said Private. I said he's busy right now will you call back later.
she hung up, and I don't know if this will be of help to anybody or not,
I've decided to ask for phone number of caller, before I talk any further.
I sure do hope this helps somebody that last call was at 8:30 pm.
and I also got a private hang up call as late as 12:30 in the morning,
good day, Rose

Question will the note i wrote be sent to my email? Rose

I started receiving calls from this number yesterday. I have received 3 today so far. I called the FOP number and had them added to the do not call list. I also told them my PBX(Asterisk) is now programmed so whenever callerID says the call is from 8003798414 the call will be redirected to the FOP 1800 number so they can pay to talk to them.

I live in MN, and I have been getting calls from "Anonymous" for about a week now. I have a 9 mo. old son, so I turn my ringer off a lot and one morning I woke up to see that my caller ID light was on. I'd gotten 8 calls since 10:45 or so... the last one ending at about 3:30 a.m. The calls have continued throughout the last week and again last night (Fri.) the same thing happened where I woke up this a.m. to see that I had calls all through the night. I'd answered some here and there at different times and on different days throughout the week and they always hang up. It's SO irritating! I want to stop it and I don't know how. Seems from what I read that there's nothing one can do. ?? (I found this site based on googleing "harassing phone calls recourse".)

I was looking online for help with what I think is a fake organization collecting for Disabled American Veterans. I checked the website of the real DAV and it said it never solicits money by telephone. SO when the called called back, I expressed my belief that this was a bogus rip-off organization and not to call me anymore. Since then, a number that shows up as unavailable, just as that number did, calls every two hourse all day long. I see them on my caller ID box. Starts firt thing in the morning and goes on until 10pm when it promptly stops. And it's creepy, they call you by your first name like they know you, they told me my address so they know where I live. It's freakin' creepy. How can this be legal?

Well I came across this discussion tonight after getting a week of these phone calls. I guess they have started up again. I've never heard anyone say anything, just nothing there. The call comes in from a Allsec Tec... 201-793-1698 .. most of the time i answer it without thinking. Going to just let the machine get it from now on. lol

I have been recieving calls from the 201-793-1694 for many weeks now at my work. They don't say anything, just simply hang up. For a while I've been thinking it was a disgruntled employee, knowing there was one living in the Oregon area. I am in Hawaii, so I just as much assumed. After many weeks of enduring these annoying calls, I googled this number and to my suprise there is lots of people getting harrassed. I just called the number and some guy with an accent picked up the phone. I was kinda shocked because nobody else has had any luck speaking to anyone. I will call them later and do a little investigating. The 800-379-8414 is disconnected by the way.

I get calls from these people every day at least twice a day. Sometimes more than 10x. I have told them repetedly not to call back. I have told them I would like them to put a note in my file, screamed as if I was being killed and asked them if they got that or need me repeat it they still call back, I bought a police whistle and that didn't work so I tried an airhorn... they are still calling back. Next step I guess I will buy blanks for my gun and when they call say "I can't take it anymore!" Fire a blank and drop the phone.

I am on the do not call list and they have been reported. If anyone has any other ideas of how to get these people to stop calling it would be greatly appreciated.

I have been getting over 4 calls a day from this number. I have asked them to put me on their do not call list only to get another call from them during the same day. I think they said I have to call a number to get on their do not call list, but I can barely understand what they're saying for the foreign accent.

I received the call from 201-793-1698 - and called them back - phone answered "thank you for calling card services" - I called them 5 times and will call them daily since I can dial out for free with nothing better to do - let's harrass them for a while. xrl