I work out of my home studio, and once every few days I will get a phone call with a number that does not show up on my caller ID. "Hi, would you like us to lower your interest rates?"
Most of the time I hang up right after the first few robotic words. Today I was felt like taking a bite out of someone, so I pushed "1".
"Hello, would you like to lower your credit card rates?"
"Ah sure. Are you with my credit card company?"
"No we are not affiliated with your credit card company."
"So how are you going to lower my rates?"
"We will negotiate with your creditors to lower your rates."
"But how do you make money?"
" We take a percentage of your savings from the renegotiations. We don't take a penny out of your pocket."
"Ummm, but you are since you are taking a percentage of my savings."
"No we aren't, we are taking nothing out of your pocket."
"Yes you are if you are taking a percentage."
Click.
After I was rudely hung up on, I did a google search for "card services", and came up with over 744,000 websites. The internet was mad. Everyone had a story. As I read the comments and blogs, I felt a kinship with everyone whomever picked up the phone and heard "Hi! Want to lower your bills?"
Back in the day of Frankenstein's Monster, where the villagers would band together and chase the monster out of town with pitchforks and scythes, it had to be a communal effort. They all banded together because as a mob they got the job done. Now with the internet we band together by writing blogs. Each keystroke is a digital pitchfork poking the Monster. If we poke enough, it will go away or we can at least keep it at bay.
If you want to read what other people are saying here are two sites with pitchforks raised and ready:
Kirk's Card Services Scam
Stopping Heather
Image: Ophelia Chong / Why? (corner of 4th and Western)
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Wow, I am impressed you had the temerity to go through the process. I tend to not be able to get past the intrusiveness of the call to be coherent enough to have a civil conversation. Have you noticed these calls happening on your cell phone too? My daughter told me an 800 number showed up on her cell phone--it was for a carpet cleaning contract--meant to save you money.
Dear Tracy,
That carpet cleaning call is crazy too. Supposedly someone named "Diane" calls. Another scam call. I had a few minutes and I was tired of their calls, so I spent some of my time wasting their time. :O) Ophelia PS. Keep the pitchfork handy.
I'm always getting car warranty calls... sigh, who are they trying to kid. The scam must work somehow if they continue to do it.
Dear Danh,
It's like the guy who asks out 100 women, his odds are that at least one will say yes. We need to keep our older citizens and more vulnerable friends aware of these scams.
:O) ophelia