I have gotten four calls from this number while at work they never leave any type of message SCAM

Got my number from the phone book because I use my maden name, so when they call I know it's crap and I tell them nobody by that name name lives here.

I got a call from this number, but when I picked up there was no one there. I called back and the number is not in service. I'm confused????

Just got this call.  Isn't there something that can be done here?  When you do call the # it says it is no longer in service, (scam alert), but how can you prevent it from keep calling you??

They call everyday and never leave a message.  I recognize the number so I will never pick up (except to tell them to go f*** themselves).

Just received a call from this number...they said something completely unintelligible and hung up.

This number keeps calling me 3-6 times a day.  I refuse to acknowledge it, but am sick/tired of it and am on the DNC list in Massachusetts.  There should be a way to stop this stuff!!!

Just got a call from this number....they call daily and sometimes more than once......did not have my glasses on and accidentally picked up.  Asked for my husband and when I said he is not here they hung up.  Reporting them to Federal Trade Commission.

got them again, number going into the Google Voice spam list

I have been getting calls from this number almost daily. The first call I got I answered and asked him if he could send me info because we didn't make donations over the phone. Shocking he couldn't, but offered to come pick up a donation. I told him it was a bad time of might and he just hung up. Kees calling, randomly I decided to google the numbEr and found these posts!! I think I will just block the number seeing as he calls when kids are going to bed it napping.  So annoying

I got a call from this number this morning 3/26/2012.   When I called the number back I got a message sayng that his number is no longer in service.   Very strange since I received the call about 1 minutes ago.

why do these people call all the time!!!

Here's how it happens:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-03-01-caller-id_x.htm

they call and hang up the second i answer the phone unable to call back

received a call from this number 1/30/12.    Asked for "Kim Johnson" .... when I advised them that no one by that name was here and asked who was calling, they hung up immediately.     A return call by me to that number generated a "that number is out of service" message.

We got a call from "America Veterans" and the woman, at first, was nice, and thanked me for asking how she was, and then gave a spiel about all the vets coming back from Afganistan needing help.  When I said I don't donate over the phone she said "we don't take money over the phone" and then I said, "I never make decisions on the spot to-", she hung up on me.

Disconnected means the number is spoofed on your CallerID https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing and the caller should be treated as hostile.

My best friend told me she got a call from this number. A male voice just said "there are other fish in the sea" or something like that and then hung up. She tried to call back but it said the number was disconnected, so we googled it and found this page. An hour after she got the call, I got a call from the same number!! I didn't pick up because I recognized the number on caller ID, and they didn't leave a message...it sounds like something out of a Japanese horror movie, right?

Yes I to had a call from this number and was was abused for not donating money to them.

Caller claimed to be from Bay State Vets and asked if we wold be willing to support the charity at the same level as last year. We actually did not recall supporting the charity last year and the caller went on to offer to pick up the donation from our house. We called back the number and it was disconnected. We then called the number found on their website and it was a simple answering machine; nothing with the charity's name recorded.

This is an apparent SCAM looking for phone numbers. Will report to police.

caller asked for me by my maiden name and began questioning my sitter as to when I'd be home.  when i called the number back it was disconnected. my friend recently had a scam pulled where someone called with a young boy in the background and said it was a family member of hers and asked for money.   be suspicious. alot of scams out there.

Got a call from this number. Picked up and nobody spoke on the other end. Called the number back but was told the number is not in service!

Gave a name (of a person) when asked, and claimed to be on behalf of "Bay State Veterans".

Thanks for the detailed information...Although I promised the guy a donation so I could get him off the phone, I immediately thought it was suspicious and went online to do some research into "Bay State Veterans", which was the "non-profit" the caller said he was fundraising for.  

When I googled "Bay State Veterans" I came across a number of entries confirming I had encountered a scam...I checked the "non-profits & charities" database for my state's Attorney General and there was no entity by this name.  

That's when I went into my phone records and pulled up the phone number of the caller to get further details...and this is how I found your post.

Three strikes, they're out...I've also posted a warning to my mothers club chat room.  I'm hoping many will take heed.

Thanks again!

Received two calls while I was not home.  Received a third call on Aug 23rd while I was home.  A man's voice asked me if this was John----.  I asked who was calling and they hung up.

Called, but no one there.

seems like they are looking for valid phone numbers... they called asked for me by name, then hung up. Or if they think they found someone gullible they pull a scam perhaps...

yo i would pick up because they might call to see if your home every day to find out when you are and are not home so they can break in

8/15/11 just received a phone call from 978-656-0232 - I did not answer as I did not recognize the number.
They never left a voice mail message - - - there's my answer right there..........they are not legitimate!
I'll be on the lookout and will notify the authorities if i get another call.

This is a scam tele fundraiser for it would seem multiple charities that are questionable themselves. However, in most states they must start their pitch by saying

"Hello, my name is (full name of fundraiser registered with the SOS or AG) and I am a paid fundraiser with (full name of fundraising company registered with AG or SOS) and I am calling "on behalf" of (full name of charity registered with AG or SOS)

If they do not do this and they claim to be members of the group they are raising money for then they are committing fraud against the donor. It is considered in some States to be "Obtaining Money By False Pretenses" and in others it is considered "Theft By Deception" and still other States considered it to be "Larceny". But no matter what you call it it is stealing from the Donor. In some cases when they get caught they are fined as much as 40 grand per call. I read our States Charitable Solicitation's Act and it looks like very few of these companies are raising money according to the Law's of our State and I will bet that if you read your States Charitable Solicitation Act you will find the same to be true.

When they claim to be a member of the group they are raising money for, as this company is doing, it is damaging all other charities that do not use so called "Professional Fundraiser's" to raise money. They all know this but they continue to steal from "us" the donating public. Fundraiser's like this must be put out of business as they lie to the donor and they do this because some of these so called fundraisers get to keep as much as 99% of the money they collect and they use that money to call us over and over again to ask us for more money that they can use to call us over and over again. If you want to give money to charity then the best way is to hang up on the tele fundraiser committing fraud and search out the charity yourself.

This company seems to be calling for Police Fire and Veteran's groups as well as medical and children's groups. All of which are wasting the bulk of your donation on fundraising and administrative costs like salary's for the charity officials. You can find out more about this scam group at http://www.pfcl.org/

They are the people whose information took out the United States Navy Veterans Association that stole 99.6 million in donations last year. They were also behind the demise of Civic Development Group out of NJ and the FTC's Operation False Charity in 2009 Nationwide based on their book "The Fraud Happen's In The First 8 Word's" which was sent out to all AG's and SOS's. They say they have contacts with the AG's, SOS's ,DHS, FTC, DOJ, FCC and Secret Service across the Country and their tips have been used in some of the largest Charity Fraud investigation's Nationwide as well as other Countries.  You can also find their book called "What The Fundraiser's Say" at a link on their site. They say they are a Church Group and they say this is the Mission of this Church to protect donations going to Police Fire Veteran Medical and Children's Charities. That book is a real eye opener made up of comments by the people calling you. After reading it, I will sure never make a donation over the phone again to any group that use so called "Professional Fundraiser's" that operate outside of the law and use illegal techniques to steal money from little sick kids or cops or firefighters or anyone else who really needs it.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, GIVE DIRECTLY AND CUT OUT MIDDLEMAN COMPANIES THAT CALL YOU!

Oh btw, the do not call list DOES apply to Professional Fundraiser's. Now if the charity actually picked up the phone and called then, yes, they are exempt from the DNC, but that is not what is happening here with this caller. This caller is Corporations for Character out of Murry Utah calling on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police and the FTC just sued them for 26.4 billion dollars worth of DNC violations. That is 16 million violations at 16 thousand dollars each.

The FOP is a good group for the most part but they need to do their own fundraising instead of contracting a company like this one to raise money. So, if you want to help the cops or the FOP, dont do it over the phone and send your check right to your local lodge. They get every dollar of it that way, instead of some telemarketer taking 85% or more of every dollar.

Here is the FTC press release about this company

For Release: 05/09/2011
FTC Charges Utah Operation with Deceptive and Abusive Telemarketing
Defendants Allegedly Made 16 Million Calls to Numbers on the Do Not Call Registry; Misrepresented How Funds Would Be Used
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice today filed a complaint that charges three Utah-based firms and their owner with waging deceptive and illegal telemarketing campaigns pitching movies and soliciting for donations, including calls to more than 16 million phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.

The FTC charged that the companies and their owner, Forrest S. Baker III, committed multiple violations of the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and deceived customers about where the proceeds from their purchases and their donations would go.

According to the FTC?s complaint, Baker controls a group of Utah-based companies that produce and market films and DVDs and solicit charitable contributions from consumers nationwide, including Feature Films for Families, Inc., Corporations for Character, L.C., and Family Films of Utah.

The complaint states that in 2008 and 2009 the defendants conducted a nationwide calling campaign under the name ?Kids First,? in which they offered to send two complimentary DVDs and requested feedback on whether the movies should be included on a list of recommended movies. However, the defendants did not disclose that consumers who agreed to participate would later receive calls pitching DVDs produced by the defendants.

Moreover, the defendants? telemarketers allegedly told consumers that ?all of the proceeds of this fundraiser will help us finish up creating this recommended viewing list to help parents and grandparents, like us, with a list we can trust.? In fact, the organization responsible for the Kids First recommended viewing list, the Coalition for Quality Children?s Media, did not receive all the proceeds. The complaint alleges that the defendants received at least 93 percent of the DVD sales proceeds.

The FTC also alleges that, between 2009 and 2010, the defendants conducted fundraising campaigns for organizations with names related to fraternal orders of police (FOPs) and firefighters. The defendants receive most of the donations raised by these campaigns, and the organizations retain only 15 to 33 percent.

The Commission alleges that, in order to persuade donors to give money, the defendants made multiple false and misleading misrepresentations about the nature or purpose of the organizations for which the defendants requested donations, the way in which charitable contributions will be used, and the percentage or amount of any charitable contribution that will go to an organization. For example, the complaint alleges that the defendants falsely represented to donors that administrative costs are a ?very minimal amount? and that contributions were used or would be used for safety-related officer training, bulletproof vests, or financial assistance to victims when, in fact, the organization for which the defendants were soliciting did not fund these activities, or used only an incidental amount of the contributions for such activities.

The FTC?s complaint also alleges that the defendants have repeatedly called numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry in their telemarketing campaigns. In calls made under the name Kids First, the FTC alleges, the defendants made more than five million calls to consumers whose numbers were on the Registry. The complaint further charges that, since June 2007, the defendants have made approximately nine million additional illegal telemarketing calls to phone numbers that are on the Do Not Call Registry to sell Feature Films for Families DVDs.

The FTC alleges that in another calling campaign in 2009, the defendants called consumers to urge them to buy tickets to see ?The Velveteen Rabbit,? a film produced by Baker and released in theaters before going to DVD. The FTC complaint alleges that the defendants? telemarketers made no effort to avoid calling consumers on the Do Not Call Registry. During this two-week campaign, the defendants called more than two-and-a-half-million consumers whose numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry.

In addition, the complaint charges that the defendants violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule by:

calling consumers who have previously asked that the defendants stop calling them;
failing to provide the name of the telemarketer or seller making the call to Caller ID devices and, instead, providing names such as ?CUSTOMER SVC,? ?FAMILY VALUE CB? or ?VELVETEEN?;
failing to orally identify the seller, the purpose of the call, and the nature of the goods or services when making telemarketing calls; and
abandoning calls to consumers by failing to connect consumers to live representatives when they answer the phone. In many cases, such abandoned calls lead to the recipients listening to ?dead air? when they answer the call.
The Commission vote referring the complaint to the Department of Justice was 5-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District for the Northern District of Florida. It names as defendants Feature Films for Families, Inc.; Corporations for Character, L.C.; Family Films of Utah, Inc.; and Forrest Sandusky Baker III, individually and as an owner and principal of Feature Films for Families, Inc., Corporations for Character, L.C., and Family Films of Utah, Inc.

The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice at the request of the FTC, seeks a court order to permanently bar the defendants from violating the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, as well as civil penalties, and disgorgement of their ill-gotten gains.

NOTE: The Commission approves a complaint when it has ?reason to believe? that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC?s online Complaint Assistant or call
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC?s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. ?Like? the FTC on Facebook and ?follow? us on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mitchell J. Katz,
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2161
STAFF CONTACT:
Michael Tankersley,
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2991
(FTC File No. 1023023; Civ. No. 11-197)
(Feature Films.final.wpd)

And here is the case link
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/1023023/110506featurefilmscmpt.pdf



Plenty of info at www.pfcl.org