It's a collection agency and private investigator trying to track down people that skipped out on various consumer debts. If you call the toll free number on the postcard and enter in the tracking number then that verifies for the collection agency and private investigators that you are still at that address. If you called their toll free number from your home, office, or cell phone then they also captured your current telephone number along with all billing and account information. Anyone that calls the toll free number should expect a process server, attorney, or private investigator at their doorstep in the near future with a civil or criminal court summons to serve on you.

Who is it?

Dear Sir ,

I am Rupali from Meerut City.

We have a complaint against Midway Courier. The Service of Midway Courier in Meerut is too Poor. When we send or bring any material , material will be in their office but they dont deleivered that material.
When we call him , they dont recieve  call or switched off. So tell us what we do?
So, please sir Take Strikely action against Midway Courier.

Trace America Inc. located in Florida is the company responsible for sending postcards and placing package calls to people like us! I have no energy to waste so I'm gona leave it alone.

Trace America, Insurance Investigation- Estero, FL

Beware of scammers, criminals, telemarketers, collection agencies, private investigators, and other unsavory types that ask you to call their toll-free telephone numbers.

Here is additional information you need to know when calling any 800 number/toll-free calls. You are not able to prevent the display of your phone number when you call 800, 866, 877, 888, and 900 numbers. The called party, which pays for the call, may be able to identify your phone number using Automatic Number Identification (ANI) technology. When you use a toll-free number to call a business with which you have an account or to inquire about a product or service, your phone number may be captured by a system called Automatic Number Identification (ANI). This technology automatically identifies and stores the number from which you are dialing. By matching your phone number with other lists and street address directories, your name and address can often be discovered and added to the company's calling and mailing list. Not only will the company that captured your number be able to use it, they can sell or share it with their affiliates. Always assume that when you call a large corporation they have your phone number.

Many times toll free numbers are used by ligitimate companies and organizations, but a toll free number can also be used by criminal enterprises or people with ulterior motives to invade your privacy or steal your identity. You have been warned!

You are the one that is truly nieve. You admit you received a 'decoy or bait' postal mailing, and you called the toll free number contained in that mailing. Then you found out it was really sent to you from law enforcement looking to arrest someone that you knew. You have just confirmed that everything I have stated is factual.

The fact of the matter is, that when anyone calls a toll free number the following information is captured by the owner of the toll free number 1)The billing name on your phone bill 2)The billing address on your phone bill 3) The type of phone service you have (landline, cell, voip, etc.) 4) The address where your service is located 5) The name of your service provider 6) The date and year your account was opened. Once this information is captured, then an expanded investigation can be done on you. More information can be collected to invade your privacy or steal your identity.

When you called the toll free number as you were instructed by the sender of the 'decoy or bait' mailing, that confirmed to the sender that you are still at that address and receiving mail there.

Next time you receive a strange postal mailing requesting that you call a toll free number I suggest you use a public telephone in the street. If the sender of the postal mailing requested that you enter a tracking or code number then DON'T DO IT. That number is unique and assigned to your mailing and will signal to the sender that you have received the mailing at your address. I suggest that you enter in a random number with the same amount of digits, then wait to see what happens.

If protecting yourself against scams and identity theft is important to you, then you'll make note of this information.

Wow Jack, for someone that claims to have so much knowledge on the inner workings of law enforcment and PI tactics, you seem to have it all wrong. Let me start by setting the record straight:

If you recieved one of these cards guess what, It has absolutely nothing to do with any sort of account info. Nice try though. The people that send these cards care nothing about your finances and have no way of obtaining your personal and protected information. To think that your personal financial identities can be retreived simply from retaining a phone number is rather nieve dont you think Jack?

I heard of a company several years ago that used this same method, although I beleive they had a different phone number and business name. From what I gather, they were using this method simply as a means to contact potential witnesses in ongoing criminal investigations. I too receieved one of this cards referencing a package to be delivered to my home, and thought it was odd. However, four days later I was contacted by someone who wished to speak with me about an old neighbor who was on the run from both criminal and civil penalties. They simply asked me if I had seen or spoken to him recently. no harm no foul. I asked the woman who called me if her inquiry had anything to do with the postcard sent to me, and to my suprise I got an honest answer from the woman. I dont beleive anything they are doing is a violation of rights simply because no financial harm or any other means of harm has come from reciieving this card.

Move on guys, because I bet whoever sent this to you has already forgotten about you.

Warning people about invasion of privacy issues, identity theft, slamming, and cramming, associated with the misuse of toll free telephone numbers is a worth while way to spend a few minutes of my time.

I have discovered that the toll free number 888-872-7520 is owned by CallSource (company information below) and leased to one of their clients. Calling that toll free number captures all your billing information and account details connected to the phone you used to place the call. It further confirms to the sender of the 'decoy or bait mailing' that you are receiving mail at that street address. You should known that whenever you call any toll free number your telephone account information is captured by the owner of that toll free number, thereby invading your privacy. It is a fact that people who have called toll free numbers have been the victims of CRAMMING, SLAMMING, and IDENTITY THEFT. I suggest, if you know a crime or fraud is being committed that you contact the appropriate law enforcement authorities immediately.

Phone Company Information:

Number Status: WORKING
Status Date: 06/29/05
Company:  CallSource  
Contact Number:  800-500-4433  
Website:  www.callsource.com  
Description:  CallSource provides call-tracking technologies and advisory services to increase their marketing effectiveness.

Don't you people have anything better to do with your time?

In answer to your question... Is there any way we can find the real address through the phone # or something??  

Answer...YES. You can pay a company like INTELIUS.COM to tell you who is the owner of the toll free phone number 888-872-7520 and what is their actual location and address, what kind of business or agency it is, etc. Also you can run alias names through Intelius such as 'Midway Courier International' and it might come up with a hit.

Now you're thinking. Someone diffenately wants to find you. If you allowed a so-called friend to live with you and use your address to run up bad debts then that problem may now back into you. The creditors may try and hold you liable for the bad debt since your home and address were used. The postcard containing the toll free number that you called would be addressed to the person that is wanted for civil or criminal liability.

I have knowledge on how law enforcement and private investigators operate and use toll free numbers and postal mailings to find people. When anyone calls a toll free number from their own phone all that billing and account information (name, address, telephone number, etc.) is captured by the owner of that toll free number. You received a postcard thinking you had a delivery from your son, but obviously you were wrong. You claim to owe nothing but it's evident that someone wants to find you, it's either a Creditor, Private Detective, or Law Enforcement Agency.

I received a call at my office. The District Attorney. I advise consumers about scams and could not believe I got one at work. The company said they were from Nationwide Shipping. When I returned the call I only got a message machine. The message on my phone was they were verifying my home address which she had correct and said they had a package and no one was home to receive it. I know that was not true because my husband was home. Two days later I got the postcard from Midway Courier International. Coincidence? I was concerned about my real property and the scams going on with forgery deeds and taking over ones property. I am not sure of the actual scam here besides trying to get address information. I just warn anyone returning calls verify the area code. We have area code scams where you are actually calling out of the country when you think its a legit business and your phone bill has huge per minute charges. You can file complaints with the fcc or department of consumer affairs. Good Luck and be careful. SLO DA.

Has it occured to anyone, with the political message that this is a dirty campaign trick? How many of you have been polled in the weeks leading up to this. I know we have been repeatedly. We live in an area where environmental issues are a big concern. We live in a state which has gone Republican in each of the last 4 presidential elections and holds a wide republican margin yet there is a great deal of money being spent by the DNC here locally. I assumed campaign hijinx not collection agency. Perhaps I was wrong, we shall see.

Jack or anybody:    Is there any way we can find the real address through the phone # or something??    We can not do anything until we have a valid address:
Re: Midway Courier International

Thank you for contacting the BBB regarding your complaint. The complaint was received by the BBB on September 18, 2008 and has been assigned case #94198744 in our files.

We regret to inform you that we are unable to process your complaint as it appears the company address you provided is invalid per our BBB investigation findings. Please be advised that the BBB requires a valid address before we can accept a consumer's complaint against a company. Therefore, we are closing your complaint at our Bureau as Invalid at this time based on these criteria. However, we would be willing to reopen the case if you are able to supply a valid address for the company in question.

Thank you for contacting the BBB.

Denise Hines
Manager - Intake Services
dhines@chicago.bbb.org

I sent the following information to C.B.S. news today, 9/10/08:
NAME:    Midway Courier International
BBB MEMBER:    NO
CONTACT:    
ADDRESS:    Midway Building #4A, Fulton Market Square
Chicago, IL 60607
PHONE:    888 872-7520
These people sent a post card saying I had a delivery that I was not home for and to call 888-872-7520. When you call it asks for a tracking # listed on the post card, and then plays some save the rain forest garbage. This is what I found out about the phone #: It?s a collection agency and private investigator trying to track down people that skipped out on various consumer debts. If you call the toll free number on the postcard and enter in the tracking number then that verifies for the collection agency and private investigators that you are still at that address. If you called their toll free number from your home, office, or cell phone then they also captured your current telephone number along with all billing and account information. Anyone that calls the toll free number should expect a process server, attorney, or private investigator at their doorstep in the near future with a civil or criminal court summons to serve on you. Since I owe no money to anyone and have no litigations going on of any time, this is harassment.

I would like to know what information they got about me by my calling them back, and what in the world they wanted. I owe no money to anyone and have no litigation on any kind going on. I want to know what in the world they know about me and what they are going to do with that information now that I have returned their call.
To add to the slime factor of this company, I tried to find out who they were and found that the address on the post card is bogus: Midway Building #4A, Fulton Market Square, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. This street does not exist at all, nor does the building, and it seems the closest thing is an empty tract of land by the 290 & 294 junction. The post card was mailed from Ft. Myers Florida as well. I did a search of the business name and it does not exist in Chicago or Florida. I did a search of the phone number as well and it comes up as no match, or a RESIDENCE!!! How did the Better Business Bureau have the number on file with the bogus company name attached to it?? I would like to know what they know.

Information found out by looking up the number on line:
It's a collection agency and private investigator trying to track down people that skipped out on various consumer debts. If you call the toll free number on the postcard and enter in the tracking number then that verifies for the collection agency and private investigators that you are still at that address. If you called their toll free number from your home, office, or cell phone then they also captured your current telephone number along with all billing and account information. Anyone that calls the toll free number should expect a process server, attorney, or private investigator at their doorstep in the near future with a civil or criminal court summons to serve on you.
I just remembered that about 6 years ago we had a former friend live here with us for a few months because they hit some hard times. This person used our address for a time, and got into more financial trouble. We had collection agencies coming here looking for this person for a year after they left and then it all stopped. We have not seen this person for over six years, and I am thinking that this is what it is all about.   I think that I cannot be served with anything because this person has not lived here for over six years, and I have no idea where this person is.   Sound reasonable??

I just filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I will tell you how that goes. I did allot of investigation, and the address on the post card is bogus. It does not exist in any form.  The address is in Chicago, and the building {Midway Building #4A} and the street {Fulton Market Square, Chicago, Illinois, 60607} are from the twilight zone. Also note the post card was mailed from Ft. Myers Florida. I also did a search for "Midway Courier International" in Florida and came up empty handed. What is interesting; however is that the B.B.B. has them on file already, so the company must exist in some form somewhere?

Twist: What happened to you??  Is what Jack said true??   I will be posting everything I find out as time progresses.   I am following through with the complaint with the Better BUSINESS BUREAU, AND IF NEEDED FIND OTHER AGENCIES TO FIND OUT WHO THESE IDIOTS ARE. They have pissed off the wrong person!!

I just filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I will tell you how that goes. I did alot of investigation, and the address on the post card is bogus. It does not exist in any form.  The address is in Chicago, and the building {Midway Building #4A} and the street {Fulton Market Square, Chicago, Illinois, 60607} are from the twilight zone. Also note the post card was mailed from Ft. Myers Florida. I also did a search for "Midway Courier International" in Florida and came up empty handed. What is interresting, however is that the B.B.B. has them on file already, so the company must exist in some form somewhere. I am going to find these b*****ds and ream them a new a***ole !!!

Jack:  Just remembered that about 6 years ago we had a former friend live here with us for a few months because they hit some hard times. This person used our address for a time, and got into more financial trouble. We had collection agencies coming here looking for this person for a year after they left and then it all stopped. We have not seen this person for over six years, and I am thinking that this is what it is all about.   I think that I cannot be served with anything because this person has not lived here for over six years, and I have no idea where this person is.   Sound reasonable??

Jack: How did you find this out??   I got that postcard and called it thinking it was a delivery for my son .  We owe nothing to anyone and did not skip out on anything, and have no litigation of any kind going on.   Wht in the world do you think I got it??  Do you have any inside info??

These folks dont call, but send postcards with tracking numbers that lead to a rainforest speach.