Feb 12, 2010
This is a Credit card scam. These are criminals and it will be difficult to track them down. They do not follow any rules about Do Not Call lists. I hear that it is possible (although illegal) for them to manipulate such that the calling phone number is something other than what they are really calling from. Only if the phone company can do a trace can they get closer, but with VoIP it would be difficult. They hang up on you after you ask to be taken off the list.
Here's how I deal with them and you can follow the same:
- get into discussion with their agent, pretend to be interested, claim that you have a large credit card balance on multiple cards
- do NOT give the card numbers away, just say you have Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, etc.
- say you have to look for the bill and ask them to hold. Put them on hold for 15 so so seconds. Then get back and give some other info. Repeat putting them on hold.
- After a while they would hang up but you will have at least annoyed them as much as they annoy all of us. If everyone they call does this then they have less time to harass others and with some luck would take you off the calling list (OK, has not happened for me but we can always hope).