I recently opened a new SEARS CREDIT CARD ACCT through CITIBANK.  Been getting SPAM calls for over 4 years, but since opening this account they have INCREASE EXPOTENTIALLY.  Yesterday I got 4 calls, today 2 and this past Sunday got 4 as well.  ON A SUNDAY!

Today I called CITIBANK/SEARS and gave them 'what for'.  Told them I was getting ready to put in complaints with the FTC AND FCC against them.  They were actually very meek and apologetic (they certainly didn't DENY that they were behind these calls) and the rep 'set my privacy settings' to as STRINGENT as possible.  Funny, I THOUGHT I did that with another rep just about 5-6 weeks ago!

SO, if you have ANY CREDIT RELATIONSHIP with SEARS or CITIBANK, maybe you should call them and DEMAND they set YOUR PRIVACY settings to as PRIVATE as possible, and see if it makes any difference.

I wondering if they SELL or GIVE our credit info and PHONE NUMBERS to these b*****ds in their call centers overseas just to see if they can't get EXTRA charges put on our accounts - and make money off us FRAUDULENTLY.  There HAS to be SOME BIG BUSINESS BEHIND this for this to be SO PREVALENT and WIDESPREAD.  SOMEONE IN AMERICA IS GETTING RICH OFF THESE CALLS, or else our politicians would have put a stop to this by now.

In other words, this is a SPOOFED number - a MADE UP number that is DISGUISED by a computer to HIDE the REAL number the caller is calling from.

(Tried to call back on my cell; got a recording that it was an invalid number and to 'check the number and try again'!)

Called at 7PM on 7/18/11.  I picked up and hung up immediately to break the call since "177" is an INVALID area code.  USED to be a toll free exchange, but not for a number of years now.

My husband said I should have let it go to the ans. mach. to get more 'evidence' on them.

We'll see if they call back.

Really?  I'm the first one to get a call from this number?  This is NOT a valid Area Code; this HAS to be a spoofed number.  Since I get calls like this DAILY, from ALL DIFFERENT numbers and area codes, ALL of which are SCAMS perpetrated by CRIMINALS attempting ID THEFT, CREDIT CARD FRAUD, and various PHISHING SCAMS, I no longer answer them, but either allow to go to the answering machine OR I pick up and hang up immediately, without answering to break the call and 'confuse' the ROBODIALER Computer who generated the call.

That's what I did with this call, which came in as "OUT OF AREA" on Caller ID and had an area code of 177 - THERE IS NO SUCH THING!

So, I don't know WHAT SCAM they were attempting to pull of with this one, but I'm SURE its ILLEGAL, whatever it was.