These people are completely evil!  I've pressed the button to be taken off their list at least 20 times.  And I've pressed 1 several times to talk to a real person and as soon as I ask them who I'm talking to or the name of their company they hang up.  They've called me twice just today.  Aren't there laws against this kind of thing?

THIS IS A PHISHING SCAM ... the goal of these phone calls is to get your credit card number. Please write to you state's attorney general and ask him/her to conduct public information campaigns to alert citizens to this scam. It comes from many many states and phone numbers - appears to be a large and well-organized enterprise with one goal, to defaud the most vulnerable.

got the same phone call no caller id at my end same exact message in London, Ontario. Won't go away calls every day. pressed 3 doesn't work.

does anyone know what happens if you press 3? I did this, the automated said 'have a nice day"

but is that it?

I'm in Toronto, receiving a number of these calls. I googled portions of the telemarketing 'script' and came up with what's below (do that yourself, too). The company's name in this recent story repring from Global TV Calgary about these calls (telemarketing scam victim's name was changed):

Telemarketing Calls Come with Hefty Price Tag
Tony Tighe, Global TV, Calgary
Published: Friday, May 18, 2007
The call sounds like there's a problem with your credit card but it's really a sales pitch by a debt repayment company.

Most people hang up but those who stay on the line to learn more say the message is misleading. Either a live operator or a recorded message has a warning about your credit card account.

Here's part of the pitch taken from an answering machine.

"There are no problems currently with your account however it is urgent that you contact us concerning your eligibility for lowering your interest rates to as little as 6 point 9 per cent. Your eligibility expires shortly so please consider this your final notice.  Please press 1 now to speak to a live operator and lower your interest rates."

Mrs. Gigi Topp took one of those calls and thought it was Visa at first.
She said when the operator explained they could negotiate lower interest rates for each of her credit cards and save $2500 she agreed.

She says someone sent her some forms to fill out and send back and two weeks later someone called and set up conference calls to each of her credit card companies.

"They made the call and I was listening until they got a hold of someone. There was a three way conversation."
     
However she says none of the credit card operators would talk about her account with someone else on the line and she says she actually negotiated to lower her interest rate on her own.

Then on her next credit card statements she'd found charges from Mutual Consolidated totalling 250 dollars.

"If I had understood that they were charging me I would have never never went through with this but they put it so I didn't understand", says Topp.

A customer service supervisory with MCS in Tacoma, Washington says Betty signed a receipt and knew about the upfront fee.

The supervisor says they have agreed to refund her money but say the fee covers more than just helping consumer lower their lowering interest rates.
 
"The lower interest rate isn't all that they're paying for. They pay for several different programs. What they pay for is $2500 in savings. If that can't be obtained through lower interest rates, then another one of our programs is our debt stacking program", says Rachel

  The supervisor also says Betty wasn't charged the full price.  She says the $250 dollars was all Betty could afford but the normal rate is $695 U.S.  However Gigi Topp says that wasn't explained to her at all.

"They were talking about how much savings I would be making and I agreed, yes yes. They talk so fast you don't hear anything.  All your thinking about is lowering your interest.  They were mentioning about $259 and something about $600. Apparently they were telling this is what they were charging but I thought it was what I would be saving."

 The Better Business Bureau has been fielding a lot of calls about this telemarketing campaign.

 They advise people that many of the services being offered by the company are available for free in Alberta or can be accomplished by calling on your own.
 
 "This is a misleading and confusing call, coming from another country that's trying to sell you a service that you can do your self for free", says BBB President Ellen Wright.

 In Calgary, Credit Counselling Services of Alberta offers free debt repayment and financial advice at 265-2201 or 1-800-294-0076.

 Another resource is the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada at 1-866-461-3222. If you feel you've been misled by this call you should contact the Service Alberta Consumer Line at 1-877-427-4088.

Read this article: http://www.canada.com/globaltv/calgary/featur ... b9-99858b8783e9

I keep getting this call, although mine says "UNKNOWN" caller but it's the same message. Same offer to lower interest rates.
I have spoken to a person a couple of times in hopes of getting off their list. I've asked to be removed from their list, one just hung up on me even before I finished the sentence, the other just yelled, "We don't have a list!!" But first I asked him which card he was referring to, and he said "Well, we lower interest rates and all and every card you may have, like Visa, Mastercard, American Express"
I probably should have never pushed the 1 botton to talk to a customer representative, now I'm a target I suppose. At least I didn't get a chance of cursing them which in exchange would have brought some serious harrasing I imagine.

Same, they said i was rude and i hung up.  they continued to call me right after i hung up and swore at me.  hung up and they continued to call at least 12 times.  days later the same Chinese women called and asked what i was doing and i hung up.  This is retard they need to get charged

same as others. calling me constantly. finally answered and person on phone was unspeakably rude when i asked to remove my number from their list. flat out refused to do so and then accused me of being rude. unbelievable!

Trying to get Personal information on my credit card.

same information as above re push l or 3 and lower rates, call received May 10th. 12:14 pm

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/internet/index.cfm?itemID=1258&lg=e

Here is a link I found on another website.

Since its a U.S phone number this more direct link might help. I would read all and see whats there.  I don't have time right now my self.  Hope this helps.   I hope this helps.

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

As above, "Rachel" from "Cardholder Services".

Received a cut-off voicemail from 712.429.0273 stating to press 3 to stop further notices.

Location: Edmonton

Same deal here.
Didn't listen to more than four words of message before hanging up.

may 7 2007 same as above.  Do the police know about this? calgary

The same 'credit card account problem, press 1'.
Yes, sure, scams as usual

Usual BS, "Rachael from Cardholder Services".  STOP CALLING.  The worst is when I don't manage to answer it, and their stupid autodialer leaves a 20 minutes voicemail message on my cellphone.

There needs to be some laws regarding international phone spam.

I've reported this number to my credit card company and to the RCMP here in Canada so hopefully they'll be able to track these idiots down. I get this call about once every 3 weeks from different numbers. The most annoying thing is after I hang up it actually ties up my phone line (meaning I can't actually call out again) for about 5 minutes.

Forgot to mention that the recorded message said that it was "Rachael" from cardholder services

Vancouver, B.C.
Call left on my voicemail at 9:30am, from "cardholder services" It states that there is no problem with my credit card, but that this is the final notice to lower my interest rates.  Press 1 to lower interest rates, 3 to stop further notices (uh, I thought you said this was the FINAL notice?)

I assumed that it was a telemarketing scam to find "live" numbers. In other words that if I had taken the call and tried to press 1 or 3, I would then start getting a lot more calls since my response would tell them when and where to call to find somebody at home who wouldn't screen them out.

Received a voicemail from phone number 712-429-0273 but the beginning of this automated message was cut off.  All I got was that it was urgent that I hit 1 or 3 to get someone regarding my eligibility to lower my interest rates and that this was my final notice.
I used 411.ca to do a reverse search and discovered it originated in Iowa.  I have no US credit cards and haven't lived in Iowa since I was 3 years old!

1:10pm PDT - Voicemail identified call from 712-429-0273.  Same recorded message as above.

Same info as the others, asking me to call to lower interest rate, and this is final notice ???

Scam to try to get credit card numbers. Niagara Falls Ontario.

Same as above.Lower interest rate.
Edmonton AB

Message left on answering machine 18 Apr 07 at 11:24 AM. Have had a similar call from Maryland but the beginning was cut off. This one said there was no problem with my account but this was my last chance to lower my interest rate etc.etc.
I don't have any accounts in the U.S. I don't know anyone in Iowa. I don't even know where Iowa is.

It was a cut off message saying it was my final notice or my interest rates would go up.  "Please consider this your final notice. Please press one to speak to a live operator and lower your interest rates. Press three to discontinue further notices."
I didn't recognize the area code so I never answered the phone.  I looked it up in the phone book and saw that it was from Iowa.  I called back and the line was busy so I figured it was a scam because I had no credit cards from the states.

Exactly the same thing is happening to me also. How do we stop this?