The message starts out sounding like a "final notice" message from a bank, as if I forgot to pay a bill, then it turns out they want to lower my interest rate. Press 1 to speak to a "friendly" representative. Sure thing, so I press 1. After a few rings, a lady says "hello, were you looking to lower your interest rate today?" I started to say "no, I actually just wanted my phone number removed from your call list" and she hung up on me mid-sentence. Unbelievable.

I just got a call from this number they didnt mention any names just the fact that my accts are about to be closed... They connected me to some lady who asked if I want to lower my interest rates and then we got disconnected. Then I tried to call back and they said the number was unreachable...wtf?!!!

Folks, please pass this around. Rachael and Ann are Elan Financial Services which is US Bank. Both companies are recommended by the BBB in Minnesota and North Dakota. Help them lose their BBB listing! They don't deserve it. Report them to the The BBB at: http://minnesota.bbb.org/Contact-BBB

How it works:
http://blog.usa.gov/post/30393077932/answering-your-questions-about-robocalls
http://onthespotblog.com/on-the-spot-blog-stirs-up-rachel-at-cardholder-services/
http://onthespotblog.com/tag/cardholder-services/

People should continually file complaints with their Attorney Generals office and also file with:
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
If enough people keep complaining then maybe something will get done.

The calls are being made from outside the US however most of the call centers (where you actually talk to someone after pressing 1) are in the US and the companies making the money from the scam are owned by people in the US. They will charge thousands of dollars on your credit card without performing any services.

Many of these calls are coming from Costa Rica and India and they are using spoofed (false) numbers, which in itself is illegal. They do cold calling for or sell the leads to numerous companies in this country and they know that what they are doing is illegal. Tomorrow this same number may be selling Cruises, Timeshares or Security Systems but if you follow the money it usually ends up in the hands of an American LLC. Keep complaining to the FTC and FCC, and start bugging our politicians to pass laws to make it punishable in criminal court instead of handing out fines that they don't pay. Another course of action is to contact phone companies to find out why they won't block spoofed numbers. With today's technology that should be an easy thing to do, unless they are somehow profiting from the use of their systems.

The criminals behind this operation aren't going to pay attention to you asking to be removed from their list. Their calls cost them nothing and they can make a million of them a day so they have no intention of ever removing someone. When you press a key to talk to them all that is accomplished is to verify that they have a working number.
Unfortunately blowing an air horn or whistle doesn't work either. Their headset have noise dampeners plus they are expecting it. However with that said if it makes you feel better then by all means give it a shot.

For anyone thinking of using Special Information Tones (or as they're called in the industry SIT tones) to fake a non working phone number, they won't work. Since around 2001-2002, the costs of "digital" business lines have dropped dramatically, along with Voice over IP (Internet) telephone service. Neither of these use the SIT tones as the call information is carried separate from the audio.
This separate call information tells the calling party digitally if the call was answered, busy, voice mail, forwarded, rejected, etc. This renders SIT tones useless. Also the "TeleZapper" products that used to be on the market used this method as well, and were rendered ineffective for the same reasons.
It is also through this separate call information message that the spoofed caller ID information is transmitted.

Robocalls are illegal unless you have given them prior permission in writing (not worded into some small print contract from a 3rd party) and are absolutely illegal to a cell phone.  The Telephone Consumer Protection Act permits individuals who have received certain unlawful telemarketing, such as junk faxes or telemarketing calls, to sue the violator in state courts where they may be awarded up to $1500 for each violation.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/robocalls/  
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/07/robocall.shtm
http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/policy/TCPA-Rules.pdf

Check here first to see if it is one of their phone numbers:
http://telemarketerspam.wordpress.com
Pacific Telecom Communications Group
Follow JD's recommendations in the blog and stop them at the source.

Many of the disposable numbers come from Pacific Telecom Communications Group and they are currently under investigation and in the midst of various lawsuits. (The principles involved have been part of actions by the FCC under other business names).These businesses have ripped people off for millions of dollars, yet have paid only a couple of thousand dollars in fines. The only way to stop them is to throw them in prison for a few years to make this criminal activity less attractive.

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission has revoked Pacific Telecom's certificate to provide telecom services in Oregon.

The Indiana Attorney General?s Office filed lawsuits against:
Consumer Credit Group and Proactive Planning Solutions of Arizona for violating Indiana?s Do Not Call Law and Auto-Dialer Act known as the robo-call law. Both companies violated the Credit Service Organization Act and Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by not obtaining $25,000 surety bonds with the state and collecting money upfront without performing any services.
Debt Zero of California for collecting money up front, failing to provide services or a refund and operating without a $25,000 surety bond.
Clear One Advantage of Maryland and Credit Arbitrators of Texas for violating the Credit Service Organization Act and the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by not obtaining the required surety bonds.
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/EventList.as ... ation_id=107077

Arkansas sues robocallers:
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/aug/0 ... arketing-firms/
Missouri sues robocallers:
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/236974-kost ... nies-over-calls

Proof that current laws mean nothing to these scum suckers, these same people under different companies have been sued in the past and have only paid a minimal fine. Here are just a few:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/12/roycox.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/asiapacific.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/03/asiapacific.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923193/111219roycoxcmpt.pdf
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/donotcall/mediacenter.html
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/02/afl_financial.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/02/voiceblaze.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/03/voicetouch.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/robocalls.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/robocall.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/09/twi.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/02/robocall.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/05/robocalls2.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/jpm.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/08/voicetouch.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/11/sonkei.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/05/ams.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/01/khalilian.shtm

Write your Congressmen and Senators. We need CRIMINAL penalties against the companies that are profiting from these calls. Follow the money, slap them in prison, no one left to outsource to overseas boiler rooms, problem solved. Since they are operating across borders it should become a federal felony and should be handled by the FBI under the RICO Act.

Received a phone call from this phone number today on my cell phone; I was not around to answer it, and they did not leave a message.  I won't call it as I don't call phone numbers that I do not know or if someone cannot leave a VM.

I am also on a Do Not call listing so I don't know why I would start to get these kinds of calls if that is what they are.

Another one 8 days later.  Updated my phone on the National No Call List so we'll see if that has any effect.

left no message....just hung up

I just received a call from this number again. When I answered they just hung up.

They say this is our last chance to lower credit card rates. So does that mean they will never call again? No!

FBI, FCC?  Anybody listening out there?  The agent that takes these b*****ds down would be a National Hero!

I am also on the do not call registry, which I believe doesn't do anything since I receive these calls all the time and file them every single time.

Answered it so I could tell them to take me off their list already. I don't know why they don't ask people, "hey, do you even HAVE credit card debt or are we just annoying you?". But they don't. I pressed 1 to "speak to" someone, to which I promptly asked to be removed from their list and was hung up on.

I have received a few calls from them. Clearly their strategy is to try and emulate my actual credit card company. I agree to speak with a representative each time so I can request being removed from their list but as soon as they know I am not happy, they hang up on me.

Filed complaint with Do Not Call Registry.

Received call on my cell phone from 818 798 1988.  I don't answer calls from numbers I don't recognize.  My outgoing voice message asks that callers leave a message if the call is important because I don't answer calls from unknown numbers.  I called number back from a land line and the message I received was the number is disconnected.  Tried again to make sure I didn't dial the wrong number but I got the same message.

another scam call from 818 798 1988  no name or identification....same ole credit card scam.  I keep reporting to the FTC and FCC  nothing is done.

Tired of phone scams

this # calls me almost every day.  no voicemail.  if I don't pick up and call the number back it says this number is disconnected or not in service.  I am pretty sure this is another one of those robo dialers trying to mask themselves as a debt consolidation company.  DO NOT give them any of your personal info as it is most likely going to be used to steal your money/identity.  also if you do talk to someone and ask to be added to the do not call list they will still never stop calling you, most likely the longer you stay on the phone with them the more they can charge you for the call.  that is usually their ploy. useless.

called left no message.

STOP THESE NUMBERS

BLAH BLAH BLAH, some b*****d

**** BEWARE **** CAUTION **** CREDIT-CARD SCAM ****
This company is collecting all of your credit card information: amount owed, interest rate; card issuer; credit card number; credit card experation date and 3-digit code.   They are collecting and saving as much information on you as they can each time they call and speak to you.  

www.fox59.com/news/crime/wxin-robocalls-lawsu ... s_story_display

lower your interest rate scammers.