(202) 234-3930

[Demosthenes]

This number calls me between one and three times daily. They never leave a message.

My phone tracks the calls but doesn't go higher than 99 calls for any given number.

I have called the number and left a message to put me on their DNC list and they claim to be a telemarketing company for non-profits. Here are the call logs for every time they dialed my home number in the last couple of weeks.

PDR2 (202) 234 3930 Today, 06:31 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 Yesterday, 08:29 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 Yesterday, 07:17 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 Yesterday, 06:49 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/11/12, 07:14 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/10/12, 04:48 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/09/12, 02:07 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/08/12, 10:47 AM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/07/12, 06:35 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/06/12, 06:54 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/06/12, 10:06 AM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/05/12, 03:27 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/04/12, 02:25 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 09/03/12, 05:26 PM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 08/31/12, 10:44 AM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 08/30/12, 09:28 AM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 08/29/12, 10:24 AM
PDR2 (202) 234 3930 08/28/12, 09:26 AM

From now on, Share Group, every time you call me, I will call the personal residence of your CEO. I have also filed 99 separate complaints to the FTC.

[webhick]

Not sure about your state, but in NH fundraising organizations have to register with the Charitable Trusts Division of the Attorney General's office. You also, as a charity, have to report whether or not you're using one and (IIRC) who you're using for your fundraising.

[Kestrel]

I haven't been hit by that one - yet - but I was hit a few times by another DNC fundraiser number out of the New Orleans area: 504-273-7424, used by Meyer Telemarketing.

I've also been hit for 2 years by the scam, "Rachel from Card Services calling to lower your credit card interest rates." These scammers called me 2 or 3 times a day from at least 30 different numbers, using VoIP and Caller ID spoofing to disguise themselves. The FTC has been unable to keep them shut down. Filing a Do Not Call list complaint gives the FTC ammunition for the next courtroom go-round, but doesn't stop the scammers from calling now. Here's a more detailed 4-part column about the Rachel calls.

Merely answering a Rachel call is enough to let them know they've reached a working number, which guarantees frequent callbacks. All you need do is say "Hello." I did notice, however, that if you say nothing their computer doesn't play the recording and hangs up a moment later.

I did find a way to at least SLOW the Rachel call frequency. I reject all calls from numbers I don't recognize. If the caller doesn't leave a message I google the number. Any number which checks out as a Rachel call gets programmed into my phone's auto-reject list.

The auto-reject function has slowed the Rachel scam call frequency from 2 or 3 times a day to 4 or 5 times a week. It has also throttled down the frequency of incoming political calls.

[webhick]

I prefer to pick it up and leave it off the hook. I like to think that it's tying up one of their outgoing lines and/or racking up the long distance charges.

There used to be a number out of Canada which used to annoy me. Something about switching to MCI or AT&T. After a few times of leaving them hanging, they stopped calling.

[Burnaby49]

We get our share of these up here. I'm constantly being phoned by a recorded message saying it has "important information about your credit card". My wife, not having my policy of hanging up on all phone calls not clearly identified in five seconds (I've hung up on friends and family when they have been a touch slow) actually stayed on the line and got connected to a real person. She was about to give personal information to identify who she was so they could her the "important information" when I walked in and made her hang up.

[Kestrel]

We get our share of these up here. I'm constantly being phoned by a recorded message saying it has "important information about your credit card". My wife, not having my policy of hanging up on all phone calls not clearly identified in five seconds (I've hung up on friends and family when they have been a touch slow) actually stayed on the line and got connected to a real person. She was about to give personal information to identify who she was so they could her the "important information" when I walked in and made her hang up.

Yep. Those are the "Rachel from card services" scam calls. I heard that line hundreds of times before I started blocking their calls.

I suggest you show your wife the links I posted.

If you want to start a call block list of your own, here's the list of numbers Rachel & Co have called me from since April. They typically use a number for only 2 or 3 weeks before dropping it, but some numbers get recycled every couple of months.

802-230-6357 (this was used in April, June and August)
701-264-5001 (this was used in August)
619-306-9089
612-222-7091
818-798-1988 (this was used in August)
720-409-2532
209-249-1930 (this was used in August)
202-499-1488 (this was used in August)
971-295-9768
802-488-3051 (this was used in August)
915-217-5883
360-474-3968 (this was used in August)
360-529-6177 (this was used for six weeks in June and July)
812-962-9332
425-406-9024
206-496-0985
973-273-7822
480-982-3626
360-529-6956
971-220-1032
773-432-7423
832-377-3059 (this was used in August)
609-227-4849 (this was used in September)

[fortinbras]

Can somebody identify where I can find Rachel from Card Holder Services, so I can stalk her, abduct her, and torture her to death??

[Burnaby49]

Can somebody identify where I can find Rachel from Card Holder Services, so I can stalk her, abduct her, and torture her to death??

Stop being pushy. You're second in line since my wife actually responded to her. That, I think, gives me precedence.

Ok, fine, we'll do it together and make a buddy movie out of it, "Dumb and TortureHer".

[Kestrel]

I've got an idea. Let's get the scammers to start scamming each other.

Someone "press 1" on a Rachel call, talk to a person, then tell them you're very interested, but you can't talk now; please call this evening at (202) 234-3930.

Bonus prize goes to anyone who can convince Rachel's minion to give you a real callback number. "I really want to talk to you when I get my break and get away from my super-tightass boss. Can you give me a number that works for incoming calls, so I can reach you in about 45 minutes?"

Then call Share Group's number and tell them to call you back at Rachel's number.

[fortinbras]

I got on the Federal Trade Commission's list of do-not-call numbers, yet I still get Rachel (and others). What should I do? (I mean, apart from self-immolation as a form of protest)

[Kestrel]

I got on the Federal Trade Commission's list of do-not-call numbers, yet I still get Rachel (and others). What should I do? (I mean, apart from self-immolation as a form of protest)

Rachel/Heather/Card Services is a scammer and doesn't give a f**k about the Do Not Call list. File DNC complaints anyway if you like; the FTC uses complaint stats in court every time they locate one of the Rachel principals.

The ONLY way to slow down the Rachel calls is to put them on auto-reject, and manually reject or block every new caller you don't recognize. This eventually gets the Rachel computer to mark your number as non-working.

The auto-block tactic works. It takes a while but it works. I was getting called by Rachel two or three times a day in April when I started blocking. Two weeks later it slowed down to once a day most days, sometimes twice a day. In August I got 20 Rachel calls. This month I've only been called three times.

Don't worry; if it's your friends they'll leave a message. If it's someone else you want to talk to you can call back; google the number and you'll find out if it was a Rachel call in seconds.

[Kestrel]

The do not call list does not apply to non-profits (I believe), which means that if your number gets swapped amongst various non=profits, they will continue to call you.

Actively blocking or rejecting DNC-exempt and scammer calls DOES work in most cases. Most cell phones have a reject list. I can store up to 30 numbers on mine.

Blocking calls to your home phone is a little more difficult; an answering machine alone may not be enough. To block calls to your home number (and prevent the ringer from sounding)you'll need to use the Star-60 (*60) feature or maintain a reject list through your local service provider's website. AT&T home phone service allows you to block up to 10 numbers at any given time.

Q&A: The National Do Not Call Registry

When I register my phone number, how long until it shows up on the National Do Not Call Registry?
After you register, your phone number will show up on the registry by the next day. Telemarketers have up to 31 days to get your phone number and remove it from their call lists.

How long does my phone number stay registered?
Telephone numbers on the registry will only be removed when they are disconnected and reassigned, or when the consumer chooses to remove a number from the registry.

If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?
No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls. However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request. You should keep a record of the date you make the request.

Are calls from political organizations or calls soliciting for charities covered?
Political solicitations are not covered by the TSR at all, since they are not included in its definition of “telemarketing.” Charities are not covered by the requirements of the national registry. However, if a third-party telemarketer is calling on behalf of a charity, a consumer may ask not to receive any more calls from, or on behalf of, that specific charity. If a third-party telemarketer calls again on behalf of that charity, the telemarketer may be subject to a fine of up to $16,000 . Demo: you may need to answer one of those nuisance calls to identify the particular charity they are calling about before you can get them to stop.

What about telephone surveys?
If the call is really for the sole purpose of conducting a survey, it is not covered. Only telemarketing calls are covered — that is, calls that solicit sales of goods or services. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call Registry.

[LaVidaRoja]

And today's Washington Post has an AP story in the Business section regarding robocalls....

[Demosthenes]

When I answer the nuisance calls, there's no one on the line.

[webhick]

When I answer the nuisance calls, there's no one on the line.

That's because they're already in your house.

[Demosthenes]

That would explain my missing coffee cup.

[Demosthenes]

Secretary of State Awarded $115,000 Judgment Against Professional Fundraiser
Share Group failed to pay administrative fines and file required financial reports

8/23/2011

(COLUMBIA, SC) -- Secretary of State Mark Hammond announced today that his office was awarded a judgment against the Massachusetts-based professional fundraiser Share Group, in the amount of $115,280.00. Share Group, which also conducts business under the name of “Share,” was previously registered in South Carolina as a telemarketer for numerous charitable organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States, the United States Fund for UNICEF, and the National Parks Conservation Association.

The judgment was awarded after the Secretary of State’s Office filed a petition for injunction against Share Group with the South Carolina Administrative Law Court. The petition alleged that Share Group had failed to pay administrative fines for failure to register over 40 individual telemarketers with the Secretary of State’s Office as required under the South Carolina Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act. Furthermore, the petition alleged that Share Group had failed to file joint financial reports from fundraising campaigns on behalf of the aforementioned charities, as well as numerous others.

The Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act requires the registration of individual solicitors in order to protect the public and the filing of financial reports to provide transparency and accountability.

In addition to ordering Share Group to provide all outstanding registrations and joint financial reports to the Secretary of State’s Office, the Administrative Law Court ordered Share Group to cease and desist from holding itself out as a professional solicitor for any charitable organization in the state of South Carolina until the administrative fines totaling $115,280.00 are paid and until it is properly registered with the Secretary of State.

“This ruling should serve as a reminder to South Carolina donors that professional solicitors like Share Group are obligated to comply with state law when soliciting on behalf of charities,” said South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond. “Not only are professional fundraisers required to register with the state and file financial reports, but they are required to disclose certain information when calling to ask for donations. For example, telemarketers calling on behalf of charities must disclose whether they are a ‘paid’ or ‘professional’ solicitor. They must disclose the true name of the professional fundraising organization for which they work as well as the true name, location, and purpose of the charitable organization for which they are soliciting. Donors are also entitled to ask how much of their donation actually goes to the charity and how much is paid to the professional fundraiser. If a telemarketer does not disclose this information, it is a violation of South Carolina law,” said Hammond.

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding a solicitation for a charitable donation that they have received may contact the Secretary of State’s Office at (803) 734-2170.

[Demosthenes]

http://www.ftc.gov/os/comments/dncpaper ... egroup.pdf

[Demosthenes]

http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/p ... _for_scam/

Many states require professional fundraisers to report how much money from their campaigns actually goes to the charities. New York publishes these results in an annual “Pennies for Charity” report. Here’s how much money Share’s raised for HSUS over the years, and how much has actually gone to HSUS (where it at least has a chance of helping an animal):

YEAR GROSS NET to HSUS PERCENTAGE
2009 $1,950,521 $103,141 5.29%
2008 $1,679,763 -$5,358 -0.32%
2007 $1,562,814 $113,686 7.27%
2006 $2,730,720 $545,843 19.99%
2005 $1,466,145 -$175,360 -11.96%
2004 $1,031,103 -$173,726 -16.85%
2002 $1,299,087 $291,826 22.46%
2001 $1,083,871 $16,543 1.53%
2000 $1,373,078 $257,017 18.72%
TOTALS $12,226,581 $870,471 7.12%

[webhick]

In California, Share doesn't appear to be legal to operate as a professional fundraising organization. Looks like they let their license lapse in January of 2011. What's funny is that there's a letter from the Atty General on their record in March of 2011 in response to a Notice of Intent to Solicit, which basically says that they can't solicit because they let their registration lapse. This letter was sent directly to Share and yet they did nothing to rectify the situation.