someone soliciting for women with breast cancer

Someone from the following number called me, and left no message.  When I tried to call it back, the number was either disconnected or not in service, according to the recording I heard.  The telephone number is 248-996-1997.  Please investigate.  Thank you.

How do I stop these calls?  Do Not Call List is just a hoax evidently!  More and More are getting through.

received call from this number, and my number is on the DNC list..  left no message. can someone stop this caller?

same here no message, first time tho.

Washington State can't do math 1 of every $4 goes to charity - WS says that's 41%, but I had old math and we know that's 25% and probably not true. MANTA lists AC Services (Associated Community Services) as generating $39 MILLION from it's telemarketing. WS is only aware of $1.4 milion, and the registration claims a grand total of $500K goes to ALL the charities it collects for.

WASHINGTON STATE COMMERCIAL FUNDRAISER PROFILE REPORT FOLLOWS FOR ASSOCIATED COMMUNITY SERVICES (BTW - State of Missouri got a court order to stop the calls)

Associated Community Services
Mailing Address:
c/o Copilevitz & Canter, LLC
310 West 20th St, Ste 300
KANSAS CITY MO 64108     Street Address:
29777 Telegraph Road
Suite 3000
SOUTHFIELD MI 48034
    Registration #364  

Registration Status     Registered
Renew By     05/15/2012
Other Names Used     AC Services
Phone     (248)352-2600
Fax     (248)351-2124
Email     
Web Site     
Federal EIN     38-3457359

The following financial information has been provided to the Office of the Secretary of State by the above-named organization. Figures are for the organization's fiscal year ending Dec 31, 2010.

Contributions     copy,458,848     
According to the financial information shown at left, 41% of the contributions raised by this organization were returned to or retained by the charity client(s).
Amount to Charity Clients     $592,654
Some Commercial Fundraisers are not required to submit financial information. If the financial report displayed contains zeros or outdated information, it is possible that the organization is newly registered. Please contact the Charities Program for more specific information.

Commercial Fundraiser's Comments Regarding Solicitation Report
Commercial Fundraiser's Solicitation Comments
Charities Who Have Retained the Services of the Commercial Fundraiser
Animal Protection Foundation
Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation, Inc.
Big Hope, Inc.
Breast Cancer Charities Of America, Inc., The
Breast Cancer Society, Inc., The
Cancer Fund of America, Inc.
Children With Hair Loss, Inc.
Children's Cancer Fund Of America, Inc.
Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation
Circle of Friends for American Veterans
Disabled Veterans Services, Inc.
Firefighters Assistance Fund, Inc.
FireFighters Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Firefighters Support Services, Incorporated
Foundation For American Veterans, Inc.
Law Enforcement Alliance of America, Inc.
Law Enforcement Education Program
National Children's Leukemia Foundation
Operation Lookout National Center For Missing Youth
Veterans Support Foundation
Vietnam Veterans of Washington State
Youth Development Fund, Inc.
Read more at http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search_detail_cfr.aspx?cfr_id=364

Associated Community Services, Inc
29777 Telg Road # 3000
Southfield, MI 48034 map

BELOW IS WHY you want to contact your state Attorney General's office about this rotten company. And let YOUR AG's office know what Missouri and other states do:

June 20, 2008
NIXON OBTAINS COURT ORDER PREVENTING MICHIGAN COMPANY FROM CONTINUED PHONE HARASSMENT OF MISSOURIANS

St. Louis, Mo. - Attorney General Jay Nixon on Thursday (June 19) obtained a temporary restraining order against an out of state telemarketer preventing the company from continuing to engage in manipulative, high pressure fundraising tactics when calling Missourians who asked not to be called. Circuit Judge Edward Sweeney signed the order in St. Louis City Court against Associated Community Services of Southfield, Mich., and its owner Robert Burland.

Nixon says the Attorney General's Office received complaints from consumers about the defendants, who have made unsolicited telephone calls to Missouri consumers requesting donations on behalf of certain third party entities since at least February 2006. Some of the organizations that the defendants solicited donations for included the Cancer Fund of America, National Children's Leukemia Foundation, National Breast Cancer Society, and various charities for veterans and firefighters.

According to the Attorney General, the defendants used manipulative, high pressure sales techniques through the use of repeated, harassing phone calls to consumers who had previously requested to be placed on the defendants' do not call list. Some consumers complained that the callers were belligerent and rude, using obscenities and intimidation, and would call sometimes in excess of two times a day.

Today's court order prohibits the defendants from continuing to violate the law by repeatedly contacting Missouri consumers who had asked not to be called. Nixon is also requesting that the defendants are ordered to pay restitution, appropriate civil penalties and all court costs in the case.

This is a "charity mill" that calls to raise funds for heart-yanker charities -- but the charity usually gets about 1% of the donation and the rest goes for admiinistrative costs. they are relentless in the calling and lying on the phone. Complain to your State Attoreny General's office.

Watch out -- they post defensive comments everywhere (including charity navigator) and pretend to be recipients of the charity's services.

Here's Manta's description of this company: Associated Community Services, Inc in Southfield, MI is a private company categorized under Telemarketing Services. Our records show it was established in 1999 and incorporated in Michigan. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $34,100,000 and employs a staff of approximately 1,000. Companies like Associated Community Services, Inc usually offer: B2b Telemarketing, Business Telemarketing, Inbound Telemarketing, Insurance Telemarketing and International Telemarketing.

Got another (perhaps the 1,000th call in 20 years) call for "Jillian" NEVER was a Jillian here, but all sorts of looney tunes use internet search engines to hunt for a first initial and harass everyone with the same first initial!!

This guy claimed to be with AV Services for the Vietnam Vets. (NJ requires callers to admit if they are NOT the charity and state the name of the group they are actually employed by that is "representing" the charity.) Contact your state Attorney General's office if callers are not following the rules. States will prosecute when feds won' t sometimes.

He argued with me, said he'd correct the list, but they ALL say that and they ALL lie because it continues.

I HAVE to answer because I am the emergency contact for elderly relative.

Go to charity navigator dot com. The non-profit site lists and rates charities and uses their non-profit tax reports to provide info about total donations, expenses, employees, etc.

Charity Navigator helps you identify many of what I call "charity mills" --  somebody who generates huge donations for yank-your-heartstring causes and keeps 98% of the money for administrative purposes.

You'd be surprised what you can find there. Churches, medical foundations, military charities, etc. Many legit ones get high ranking for using the incoming dollars for the stated purpose.

What really annoys me is that TD Bank has been selling my information to a bunch of non-bank related solicitors who send me junkmail (I can tell -- because they list my name the same incorrect way that TD Bank lists my name on ITS mailings).

I got a call this afternoon here in South Florida...call-blocked it with my Panasonic cordless.

Received a call several months ago from the The Breast Cancer Foundation and I agreed to give them a donation but asked them to send me an envelope.  I realized later that this was probaby not legit and decided to ignore the envelope when it came.  I have now been receiving 2-3 calls per day from different unknown numbers, one of them being 248-996-1997.  I haven't answered but tried to return the call and I get "this number has been disconnected."  How can that be when they just called from that number?  It's so annoying!!!

Be careful if you decide to call back any of these numbers....even if your line is blocked if the company has a T-3 line coming into their building (it's expensive) there is no such thing as them not knowing it's you and if you call back screaming or cursing or are seemingly harrassing to them.....well they tape it and you are screwed..........no the DNC List has no validity I wrote before that it is a scam, for all us good guys, but again if you call back these numbers from a blocked line it's very possible they can see your number.... my friend works for AT&T but privately-he builds lines to establishments-35 years exp... as well as I worked for another phone company (different capacity) ......It's already happened to me I called a tire corporation in San Diego California on a paid blocked number to make a complaint about a new manager not working at a local place that I had went to for 10 years and before I could get out my name they knew who I was from the caller ID, I called the phone company thinking my block was not working and that led me back to the company in San Diego's IT room and they explained they have T-3 which my friend explained to me what it could do and how much it is....I didn't mind they knew who I was because I was going to tell them but I thought my paid block wasn't working and learned a whole new bunch of rules out there--I'm pretty sure now that hi-end local Police Stations like Beverly Hills have T-3--it's pricey but available for private numbers dialed into these places-so don't just run away from calling 800's they can get you if they want to and no does anything for us little guys.

Hi,

I just want to comment on the DNC local and Federal home land line or cell---the entire Federal office is fake....more money from tax payers to pay people to have an office (technically in Washington DC)
Originally there was a $10,000 fine imposed, for every call you can show, save (digitally or on your incoming bill or caller ID) and prove came in from a soliciter to the complaint line, once that was checked/established and you had no dealings with that soliciter on any level and were also currently listed on the DNC list, they(the Gov't) were supposed to get a fine for each call coming from that company or soliciter's base land line (worked for Feds (not in that capacity), and phone company).  Here is a way for our crappy Government to now make money instead of hiking taxes right?--sounds fair if you are truly being harrassed, of course
Example -I did more than my part in at least 10 different numbers reporting...them...not only on line, but calling DC, faxing and writing....finally got some idiot worker, I started demanding why they don't respond to any part of this system they are supposed to have--he said there never really was a staff for this and no enforcement as well so it's all a scam but he finally got off his butt to get on the phone and tell me so-I asked to go up the chain, he was the chain--they collect paychecks and do nothing...even if they could do something, they wouldn't--thus admittedly... no oversight...but $10,000 a call would sure pay for a great system to investigate communication violations, I'd think???  They should contract it out to people with resources and the people being called should split the fine with the contract company given permission to double check things.  Of course the contract company needs to be a security company like retired cops--no salary from the government needed, just a clearance and an ability to ticket and put a lien, which is instant-don't let anyone fool you on that -none of this income should be taxed to all of US based on the fact that we are being harrassed (criminal activity, supposedly now banned) thru a communications line like a computer or phone---simple--idiots in Washington---
FYI --a fine or ticket is criminal--it's simply in lieu of arrest-so if you ever get any parking ticket or code enforcement to your property or a fine for something from a government agency or a company allowed by a government agency to fine you ...like an insurance company or phone company--all of them are low level ways that create revenue-but are all enforcement by finance--thus in lieu of arrest-I did work for lawenforcement....and technically jogging without State ID is a crime--and you can be detained on proving who you are if you should wind up involved in or around something--and yes I know illegals don't have to even obey that--very unfair!!!
Hope you learned something--this government is a joke and the only thing they are good for is military action if they are not giving away our secrets.

Yes, this is from the "Breast Cancer Foundation.  They trick you into pretending that you made a donation last year and are asking for your support again.  They call like 3-4 times a day and I don't answer.  I finally answered and told them to leave me alone and take my number off their list.  Sometimes they try to trick you and call from a different number!!!

They called twice before.  The third time I answered and it was a woman who asked for someone by their first name.  Then she asked the first and last name.  I told her she had the wrong number. She hung up.  Will see if she calls again.  I beieve it is a scam artist looking to steal personal identities.

Got a call

unknown

Got a call from this number - I know of no one in MI who would be calling me.  I did not answer, let the fax machine answer the call, and then looked it up.

same as above. Just the number. we never answer our phone anymore, and let it go to voicemail after 2 rings. Many calls a day, no message. DNC registry is a joke. The only solution we found is just to screen all calls. Shame we pay for a phone that we can never answer!

I've gotten this call before---I never answer any 'toll-free' calls---waste of time.
But I'm getting more unwanted calls now than I did before I joined the so-called, 'Do not call' list!

Got a call and the number shows to be disconnected.

These fund raising folks are a complete & total fraud .Do not cooperate with them and turn them into the FCC if they continue to call once you ask them to stop. They keep most of the money they collect for themselves-just another business for profit!!

Said they were "professional fund raisers" for cancer, had my last name. Hung up on them

same number representing" breast cancer foundation". They said that they will send me a pledge card.

We got that same call and my husband let them send an envelope for a donation.  I threw it out when it came.  Didn't realize it was the same number that generated other "charitable" solicitations.

I got a call from this number. I only know one person in Michigan and this wasn't them. When I checked my voicemail, there was no message from them.

think its my aunt

got a call today/5/13/10

no message.  '248' is Michigan - I know no one there.

I too received a call from this number and they said they were "Foundation for American Veterans".  I was in a hurry and agreed to give them a donation.  Now they are calling every day.  I am going to look up info for them before sending any $.  Probably another scam.  How do we get them to quit calling?