Yes I called this number back and it says it is disconnected.  I think it is a collection agency for the person who used to have the phone number I now have.  I get a lot of collection calls for the previous owner of my phone number.

I am now convinced this is a scam artist using Harvard Collection Services as a cover.

Contact information for Harvard Collection Services, Inc. is as follows:

4839 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
Phones: (773) 283-7500 & 800-295-5875, maybe this reported number, maybe 800-822-2232, & probably others.
Fax: (773) 283-5086

They have over 75 agents making calls and processing accounts.  Two I know about are Alan Jacobson, Mgr. & Tanya Vanable.  

If you are having a problem with them contact the Chicago BBB at (312) 832-0500 and complain.  They are a member company so don't expect too much in the way of a resolution of your personal problem with them.  However, every little complaint helps paint a picture.

On the other hand it may be a scam artist at work using Harvard as a cover and a phone card toll number that happens to ring out of Chicago.  That could be the reason a number of others who call the number back get a recording saying it is disconnected.  The 800-822-2232 number I was given to respond to actually rings to a condo called Bella Vista in Puerto Cancun. Sound pretty fishy to me.

calls frequesntly, never a message, picked up this time, hung up the moment i picked up.

They have just called me>>no joke 5 times in a row now>>>twice since i wrote this!! this is crazy!!!

Recorded message from 773-202-4177 demanding whoever answers to call
800-295-5875.   I'll hafta get right on that, yah sure.

I answered and they hung up so I called it right back and got a recording saying the number was disconnected or no longer in service

I get this number all the time and in our small town we got flyer's sent out that say a lot of numbers are calling our homes and its basically scams!! They say some prisons have found ways to dial out and use our numbers for phone calls for themselves. Kind of like a middle man to use our numbers. I am not sure if that is what this number is or is doing but I am not sure how to stop it!!
I also have other numbers calling all hours of the day and night from all over the U.S.! This is crazy>>No one is on the phone!!
Also I have heard things like its the computer telemarketers reg. our numbers in different systems/also can come from our own computers.
   Yahoo even claims in their "new mail" that our private info is being used for basically free handouts!! So if you think you are totally secure>>YOU ARE NOT!! THIS SUCKS!!

This number keeps calling me every hour. Rings a few times and hangs up. Tried calling it back and a prompts indicates the number is no longer in service. This is annoying.

They have called me for the past month from this number and 1) No one ever speaks when I get the telephone in time, 2) the telephone is never allowed to ring more than twice and 3) they never leave a message.

Frsutrating to say the least.

This number has called my phone evry day this week during the time frame of 10:06 and 11:18am. The phone rings once and the caller hangs up. I have never actually spoken with anyone, but when I called the number back I got a recording saying that the number is disconnected. The recording is one that has been created as a voice message, it is obvious that it is not from a phone company or operator. I wish that the caller would either say something instead of hanging up or stop calling me.

this caller called me at 8:30 pm on march 15, 2008 and it says this is not a sales call and it say we like to speak to you but it does not said who they want to say.
i am wondering why they waste my time with this crabb

this number always calls me and then hangs up?? i was wondering who it is and why they are calling? i try to call back but no one answers? thanks, melissa

Rings, and hangs up when I answer; doesn't leave a message either.

Rings several times and hangs up. Never leaves a message.

Just wondering why they keep calling and who they are.

I called the 773-283-7500 number someone listed above, and talked to "javier"? He said he didn't show my number in his database and started asking for my name and my wife's name, etc. I asked him if my number was not in his system, why were we getting calls. I also informed him that there are people out there contacting the BBB. I know it won't do any good, but he said he'd 'be sure that all calls are stopped'...

Get calls all hours of the day and night.  They never answere and when you call the number back it says it has been disconected.

This is an auto-dialer. It waits for a human to answer hello and then will connect you with a live agent. Must be messed up. Collection Agency, I think they work with student loans too.

This number called me 2 times now and more - on 10/4 at 10:04AM and 10/22 at 8:15PM. A pre-recorded message follows to hit 1, supposedly to "MY LAST CHANCE" to address credit card problems. When you call this number back, you get THEIR recording, mimicking a phone company recording, that the number has been disconnected or is no longer in use. IF you choose 1, you are connected to a person who prompts you to ultimately give them information about a person who doesn't live with me - they are a debt collection service.

I have already complained to the Illinois BBB and filed a complaint with the federal Do Not Call listing.

My next move is to purchase a VERY LOUD distress boat horn and when I manage to get through to a real person, blast the crap out of it, and say sorry - must be a bad connection or something!

It's a collection agency out of Chicago Il.  I finally talked with a very nice person trying to do her job. Which is to collect money for another company.

Yes I have a outstanding bill from 2005.  So this company is trying to get the money owned to them.

In my Case it's a Workmen Comp Case.   And the WC should have paid the bills and they did not....So they are trying to get it from me.

I continue to receive a call from this number on my cell phone.  I have no idea how they got my cell number.  They are wasting my minutes.  They never leave a message; just rings a couple of times then hangs up.

Hang up calls without leaving a message.

I am really tired of this number call my phone, they call and when I answer they say hold on for a important message, and then it hangs up. I call it back and it says it is no longer in service. I get this call all the time, like 10 times a day.

Apparently this number is all over the internet for harrassing people with "hang up" calls! I am so sick of it! Tonight I called it back and got a message that the number has been "disconnected and no further information is available about this number". I think I have finally figured it out! My guess is that they are using "Grand Central" a voice mailbox on the internet that allows the caller/receiver to click a "play disconnect" message if they don't want to get a call back. I could be wrong but I can't figure any other way they can call from a number and a few seconds later have that number "disconnected" it just doesn't make sense!

Ugh this is so annyoing! Yesterday they called me 4 times in a row! Finally, I answered it in hope they would shut up but they just called me again. Left a message about an important business matter. What garbage...

Has been calling my folks numerous times a day, never leaves a message. My folks don't pick it up because they don't recognize it and all I know is the area code is Chicago.

keeps calling and leaving the same message as above "Recorded message from 773-202-4177 demanding whoever answers to call
800-295-5875."

Ditto, NOT gonna happen.

Mr. Ortiz, Harvard Collection, left 2 message within minutes of each other,  about audit taking place the following day and that it was important for me to get in touch with him immediately 800-295-5875 x2074.
I'm slightly confused if this is real or not.

yo just stop it man.

Rang twice and then the caller hung up.