I finally found out these calls supposedly from Virginia Dept of Health are coming from a private contractor employed by CDC via individual states to survey the health of people in each state.  The actual survey for Virginia can be found at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/OFHS/brfss/docume ... RFSS_121212.pdf
plus there is an explanation of same. One can also query CDC about BRFSS or Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.  Since it is a private contractor they cannot show the individual states's telephone number.  Your state will answer inquires about the survey.

I will not answer question from this contractor.  Virginia Dept of Health, respect our privacy!

From the VA health department website, http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/OFHS/brfss/faqs.htm:

Why does my Caller ID show an out of State number (212-448-5501) or a toll-free number (888-735-0673)?
The Virginia Department of Health contracts with Abt. SRBI, Inc. to conduct telephone interviews on our behalf. They conduct similar interviews in several other states and are very experienced in telephone surveys. The company has several locations throughout the United States, and the two numbers above are used on their display.

Thanks Verizon FIOS call block, another scammer thwarted

I am so tired of these "unavailable" numbers showing up daily.  The day a person or business name shows up, I may answer.  When they become a person or business name, no "unknown," no "unavailable," or "private."  I was raised not to speak to strangers and these numbers are just that.  If I didn't give you my number to call, don't call me PERIOD.

I get these calls several times a day. If I don't recognize the number and they don't leave a message I never answer the phone. This is not the only company calling daily some several times a day. Just so they know......IF YOU DON'T IDENTIFY YOURSELF I DO NOT ANSWER MY TELEPHONE...GOT IT???

THESE PEOPLE CALL ME SUNDAY FROM THE, "VA HEALTH DEPT.",  I ASKED THEM WHY THEY WERE CALLING SUNDAY AS THE HEALTH DEPT. DOES NOT WORK SUNDAY.  "WE MAKE THESE CALLS AFTER WROKING HOURS.  I HUNG UP.

CALLED AGAIN TODAY, MON, AND ASKED TO SPEAK WITH OTHER HOUSE MEMBER.  OTHER STARTED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND HUNG UP WHEN IT STARTED TO GET JUST A LITTLE PERSONNAL.  INVASION OF PRIVACY USING THE VA. HEALTH DEPT AS COVER.

WHEN YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER IS REVEALED THE CALLER EASILY CAN LOOK UP YOUR ADDRESS, NAME, AND EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT YOU, INCLUDING YOUR HEALTH REPORTS.

THE "NOT PERSONNAL"  AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALLER STATEMENT IS CRAP IN THE SMELLIEST SENSE.

Yeah, they can't list it because it is a PRIVATE CONTRACTOR.

When uninformed victims respond to this invasion of their privacy, they are sharing information with a private company who then turns it over to the goverment. You have no idea where this information really goes or how well it is protected. You don't know what the private contractor might do with it, nor the government.

STOP INVADING THE PRIVACY OF CITIZENS. Otherwise you're just proving that government represents corporation --- AND it hires them to do its dirty work. The phone is a vector for scams these days. And anyone can SPOOF your number and PRETEND to do a survey. Bottom line is, the victims of these calls have no reliable way of knowing who is really calling them or what happens to the information they disclose because they don't know any better.

THEREFORE the best option is to REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE in this INVASION OF PRIVACY. No one is obligated to respond to this crap. NO ONE.

Thank you for your comments.  Due to legal restrictions within the State, we are unable to list a Virginia Department of Health name on the callerID.  We have attempted to do this unsuccessfully.  I agree that it would provide useful information to households that are being contacted.

I will add this number to our Virginia BRFSS website and appreciate the suggestion.  

Thank you,

Susan Kennedy Spain

answering Susan "Spain"s response -- if this is government business, why do you hide behind a "unavailable" caller ID ? why does the 888 number appear nowhere in the VA DOH web site or the CDC web site ? sounds like you're the caller trying to repeat the BS you tried to use on the phone.

if you really are legit, why not put the 888 number you are using on a VA-controlled web site, explaining what you are doing. then people can google the phone number while they are on the phone and find out what is really happening.

absent that, try phish-ing someone else.

I've been getting a call from this number every day for nearly three weeks.  They'll even call on the weekends.  When I first picked up, there was dead silence.  I use PhoneTray Free to zap the calls and even though they get zapped on the first ring, I see the call still come in when I'm not home.

It's all the more painful that our tax dollars are funding this crap.  The government should not be exempt from the DNC registry.  One more number I have blocked...

Hello,

My name is Susan Kennedy Spain and am the coordinator for the Virginia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance study (BRFSS).  This is the study your household has been contacted to participate in.

Each year, we conduct BRFSS interviews with approx. 5, 000 Virginia adults requesting information regarding their health practices. This information is used extensively by our programs for program planning and evaluation. Each of the 50 states conduct the BRFSS. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/brfss.  Virginia has participated in the BRFSS project since 1989.

Abt. SRBI, in West Virginia, was awarded the contract to conduct our data collection for us.   The number that appears on the caller ID is not a Virginia number.

Each month we receive a sample of telephone numbers in the state. This may include unlisted numbers, businesses, non-working numbers, etc. These numbers are randomly selected of all numbers available. Abt. SRBI receives this sample of telephone numbers and attempts to complete interviews with adults in the household. The protocol is very specific and they may make repeated attempts to identify the randomly selected adult in the household and complete an interview.

Feel free to contact me with additional questions at 804-864-7654.

Thanks,
Susan K. Spain

I finally answered after receiving daily multiple calls and two calls this afternoon within 30 minutes.  The caller is taking a general health survey; I answered the questions in the hope I get no more calls.  The survey was all health related and asked no personal questions that would identify me.  So, I don't think there are telemarketers involved.  The questions did not ask what medications I take or specific illnesses I might have.  So, I have my fingers crossed that I will never hear from them again.  'Tis unfortunate that one can't opt out of such a survey - it was provide answers or we will continue to call.... forever.

This is the first time I've been home to answer this call. But, I've seen this number show up on my caller id several times throughout the day while I'm at work. They told me the same thing, they were from the Virginia Department of Health doing a survey.  I answer a couple questions but then when they started asking about other phone numbers and household income. I told them that I was discontinuing the call and hung up.

Receied another call from this number.  Answered it and ask them to remove my number, the female voice said that they could not do that but would make a notation that I was not interested. (?)   I ask for the callers name and where they were located.  She is calling from Huntington, WV?  I also ask for her supervisor and she said to call this number and connect to ext. 4881.  When asking her questions she was not very friendly.  These callers have another purpose than a survey.  Could be telemarketers.

This number called last night and tonight.  They propose to be taking a survey for the Virginia Department of Health.  It was a female voice.  I told  her that I was expecting  another call.  Then hung up.

I have a better way to stop them --- get a whistle and blow it as hard as you can!  I've just started getting these calls that claim to be from the VA Dept of Health.  I told them my health was none of their business.  Since I moved, I can't find my whistle, but it looks like I need to start looking!  Personally I don't trust the CDC.  Now we are hearing that the swine flu scare was overblown.  I think they are in bed with the vaccine manufacturers.

They call all the time and never leave a message. I called them back to get them to stop and they said the are calling residences only and this is a business line. They said they would take me off the list and they called again today.

I checked this number on another Website. Feedback over there says it is a health survey from the CDC , it sounds like a scam to me. I have sent email to VDH about this . What I did was answer the phone and told them to hold and then left. It didn't work so the next time I sang a lullaby to them (can't sing worth a lick) . They quit calling!!!!

Fight back!!!!!! that is the only way you will stop them.

This number has been calling and asking me to participate in a health survey. They claim to be the Virginia health services or Virginia Health Department. I did not participate, and I asked them to remove my name and number from their list, but they continue to call. Does anybody know the purpose of this survey?

The calls have been coming here too, one time it was a gentleman wanting me to participate in a health survey

Sorry.....I made a typo in my last post, above. I meant to say she claimed to be CONDUCTING a health survey.

I get these too...never anyone on the other end and if I don't answer, they never leave a message

This number calls every day, sometimes as many as five times a day...Saturdays and Sunday's too.  Only rings once.