Home / In Real Life / Extended Warranty Scammers
My cell phone keeps getting bombarded with these BS calls about extended auto warranties. What pisses me off the most about it is that it is my emergency work phone that causes me to do an OJ Simpson impersonation when it rings.
The call starts with a phony pre-recorded message about how it’s the 2nd and final attempt to contact me about extending my auto warranty and that it’s a bad idea to drive without a warranty. Then it tells you to press 1 to talk to a jackass or press 2 to pretend to have us remove you from our call list.
I like to press 1. Not that it matters. The “agent” answers by asking for the make and model of your vehicle. If you ask them pretty much any question, they will hang up immediately. The guy who I spoke with today hung up when I said I had two vehicles I was wanting to get extended coverage for… I was just saying that because I was hoping to reel them in a little before playing around with them.
They have used the following numbers to call my cell phone:
909-691-9104 (Woodcrest, CA – wireless provider?!)
404-537-0427 (Alanta, GA)
443-574-8441 (Ellicott City, MD)
603-214-3656 (Errol, NH)
202-527-6024 (Washington DC – wireless provider?!)
231-732-2334 (Morley, MI)
205-561-2815 (Tuscaloosa, AL)
People I know have reported getting calls from the above numbers and/or:
803-798-0305 (Columbia, SC)
626-207-9104 (Pasadena, CA – wireless provider?!)
256-261-7788 (Huntsville, AL)
For being a somewhat large organization that is breaking the laws, it’s quite amazing that they have lasted as long as they have. The douchebags, or some douchebags that sound just like them, were sued more than a year ago by the state of Missouri.
If you are getting calls from these shitbirds, let the FCC and the FTC know. You can file complaints if they call your cell phone or call your home phone if the number is listed on the do not call list. I’m pretty sure it’s reportable if you’ve asked them to remove you from their call list (which is pointless).
File a complaint with the FCC.
I don’t know if filing the complaints will do you any good (it hasn’t helped me as of yet), but it least it gives you a little something to point that rage at for a couple minutes while you stumble your way through those clunky government websites.
UPDATE: I posted this 5 hours ago and there has already been a large influx of hits coming in from google for those phone numbers. Apparently a lot of people are getting the same janky calls.
If anyone is interested in trying to get more info about the calls, try http://www.fonefinder.net. It’s a nice little tool that will tell you the city and provider of a phone number. Because of the number portability stuffs, I don’t know how reliable the provider information is. Also, there are ways to spoof your phone number….
To quote my childhood hero; knowing is half the battle. Of course in this case, the other half of the battle is probably surrendering.
I’m just wondering where Herb Weisbaum (AKA ConsumerMan of MSNBC) is on this? His old article is probably seeing a lot of new traffic thanks to the new flood of douchebaggery by what sounds like the same people (or someone using their model of scam). He finished his May 2008 article about this issue all hot and heavy with a “must be stopped and brought to justice.”
Update: Apparently US Senators don’t like getting robo calls about extended auto warranties.
Yet another update: Thanks to all that reported these asshats. They are being sued for the 1+ billion calls they have made. Unfortunately, the owners will likely flee with their cash and the robo call call center douchebags will be standing next auto workers in the unemployment line.
