If you are still receiving these calls on your home phone or cell phone, you are not alone! A major robocalling 
operation, SBN Peripherals, aka Asia Pacific, recently was barred from making these calls by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The record number of calls per day was quoted as being “2.4 million calls to consumers – more than 27 calls per second”. This company, which outsourced calls to multiple companies in various countries, including Hong Kong and the Netherlands, is responsible for having made over 2.5 billion calls between “January 2008 through August 2009”. The calls were peddling credit-card reduction plans, auto warranties, among other services.
Now that this company was ordered to desist from robocalling, why is it that the calls are still taking place? Unfortunately, SBN Peripherals is just one of who knows how many other companies that are illegally making robocalls to consumers. The way SBN Peripherals was caught is by consumers, who took the time to contact the FTC to make a complaint.
Stopping these companies is a long process and requires a lot of people to make complaints. Complaints can be filed by going to www.donotcall.gov or requesting a form at 888-382-1222. When the FTC determines that laws have been abused and that the public welfare is at stake, they issue a formal complaint and then put it to a vote.
Calls from SBN Peripherals have been taking place since 2008. The first official government action from the FTC took place on June 10, 2010. At that point a statement was issued that SBN Peripherals was in violation of the telemarketing no call rule and contacting consumers via robocall without their consent, among other offenses. Their assets were frozen, and a “temporary restraining order” was enacted. On March 28, 2012, SBN Peripherals was permanently banned from telemarketing and was fined over $5.2 million. Also, they were prohibited “from misrepresenting any good or service, from selling or otherwise benefitting from customers’ personal information, and mandated to “dispose of customers’ personal information within 30 days”.
These calls are still taking place so the FTC will continue to pursue tracking the offenders down. Consumer complaints help in this process. Also FTC collaboration with the phone company helps identify the number of calls on any given day. Please, if you have any information that can help put a stop to whom is responsible for robocall violations, file a complaint!
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2866174300/”>Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photo pin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>
I’m waiting for the day this despicable company is stopped. I’ve complained twice on the donotcall website and just received another call from these horrible people again today. When I press 1 to speak to a person, “Bob Parks” and ask why I’m being called since I am on the do not call list, I am quickly hung up on.
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I get several calls a week by these idiots and I asked to not be called, like all of you I had no luck with this. I’m now trying a different tactic, I’m just keeping them on the phone line as long as possible, lying to them with false information, after all these folks get paid by the hour, I might as well cost them money. If we get enough of us doing this we could cost them lots $$ and maybe put them out of business.
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good idea DMG. Because after calling my federal state senators and congressman including Bob Menendez’s office – it’s clear to me that they have no interest in helping consumers…………the only interest they have is fattening their wallets
Obviously the ‘do not call’ list doesn’t work w/scammers
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I tried that and the guy got verbally abusive with me to the point of threatening me. He thoroughly was enjoying himself. It was amazing. No concience at all. Now I don’t answer my phone unless I recognize the number or the person leaves a message. I have also turned in the numbers ( over 30 to date) to the ‘do not call’ registry.
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I’ve done the same thing.
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I rejoined the National Do Not Call List in Oct. of 2012. We are continually getting calls from Card Member Services. Makes you want to rip out the phone. Telling them not to call doesn’t work. I have been making complaints daily for every unsolicited call we get. This morning I received a call from Card Member Services (again) and I asked, “What do you want?” The Live person (the first live person we’ve gotten) replied, “To call you a BITCH” I saw more than red, and after telling my husband, he was ready to call a lawyer. When will this harassment STOP?
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I just called their number (1-849-963-4864) and was told that that number has been disconnected or no longer in service. This, just a few minutes after someone called me on that number. What’s going on?? I’m getting to the point that I want to destroy whoever is doing this to so many people. May they rot in h#%%.
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I have told them to stop calling me. I am on the DO NOT Call List. I contacted the phone company to trace the calls, they said a judge has to order it. I got woke up at 8am last Saturday 9/22/2012. I am a caregiver for my mom & need my rest. I want to sue them myself.
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Rachel called me 3 times TODAY. I have a new plan. Every time they call, I’m going to speak to a person. Then I’ll put them on hold while I go to find my credit card number. I wonder how long they’ll wait. I could sure use some help. Every time we hang up on their machine, they win. It doesn’t cost them any $. Talking to a person costs them $. Help me turn this into a money loser for them. Let’s all put them on hold.
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I get at least three calls a week, and still getting as of October 2012. I spoke to them and said they will get a whistle in the ear every time from now on. I am on the DoNotCall list. I now press 1, wait for a live person and blow my whistle. I also report the numbers to the FTC. Get yours whistles, everyone! Now they will be as irritated as I am.
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Ann calls me almost everyday from different numbers. When I do decide to press 1 to get a live person and ask what the name of the company is they hang up on me. When they call again I press 1 and when a person comes on the phone I try to tell them to stop calling me and they hang up!!! I also have reported them. Why can’t they be stopped?
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I press “1″ to talk to them and start to lecture them about how they and people like them are bringing down our country, and they would have a more honorable job prosituting themselves, instead of trying to take advantage of the gullible. Maybe if we all told them that, they may choose to stop stealing from the innocent. They usually yell at me and hang up, lol. When I get all the “copier rep”, etc. calls at work, I put them on hold until they hang up. There is no reasoning with these people, asking them to stop calling and “do not call” list is futile. Let’s all give them a scolding.
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Unfortunately all that pressing 1 to talk to somebody does is let them know that the number they have called is a valid one and will just result in more calls. There is little that can be done other than reporting the call, as suggested in the article, every time you get one. Perhaps the more reports the of violations the FTC gets the more likely it is they might be able to trace this scam operators and throw the book at them.
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This company MUST be stopped! It is so persistent and obnoxious. I think I know the words by heart – “Hi, this is Rachel from card member services. There is no problem with your current credit card accounts….” I know that in the past I’ve pressed ’3′ to remove myself from their list. Since that has not worked, sometimes I press ’1′ to talk to an operator. Today and at least once before, when the operator comes on to ask if I’m interested in taking advantage of their offer I begin to tell him/her without screaming that I want to be removed from their list and they rudely hang up and move on to the next victim. What is the point of a “Do Not Call” list if it is not enforced and vermin like this can continue to ignore it? I’m sure they didn’t actually pay their fine. It would be cheaper to buy a representative with our current legalized corruption system.
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OH, and I HAVE reported them multiple times via the FCC site.
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rachel calls all the on a good week its every day. i hate that bitch. This has been going fora year.
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I STOPPED THE CALLS:[I got my first robocall: Sun, Oct 28, 2012 3, 5:15, 5:16, 6:12, 7:25, 8:12 pm]. Checked reverse directory & many internet complaints associated w/Ameritech-IL. I chose 1 of their companies- AT&T ‘cuz if they are paying for robocalls or telemarketers, they are the problem. Went on AT&T chatline & said every time I get a call, I’ll use At&T chatline & send AT&T email til calls stop. Texted caller #:”Stop Calling NOW” for each call on my cell phone regardless of whether they read it. Went to AT&T chatline 2nd time after last 2 calls and re-iterated what I said 1st time & told rep 2nd email coming plus 4 more chats and 4 more emails after this chat (‘cuz I got 6 calls). Within minutes, got call from AT&T rep on my landline. So within an hour of my 2 chats & 1 email, AT&T apologized & calls stopped. I thanked him but promised that I would step up my chats & emails to 2 chats/emails, then 3 chats/emails, write everyone, etc., every time I get a new call.
Whew. Makes me wish everyone would call all those bogus numbers with the most complaints round the clock to see how they like getting MILLIONS of calls (but not spend anytime exchanging dialogue). Just keep them from making these annoying outgoing calls.
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I was wondering if PAT had any success in what she did? I have called AT&T myself and they offered to change my number. Which I had to decline, we have had this number for almost 20 yrs..I have tried the WHISTLE blowing in their ear, which give me a little satisfaction.. I will next put them on hold and “Look for my credit card” but I think they have voice recognition software and if I talk too long, it will disconnect the call. I have also hit #3 and #1, told them I was on the “Do not call list” and they actually told me to go F myself and they are coming to kill me and my family..Which got my wife scared, if they have our number, maybe they do know where we live too?? But none-the-less, it has gotten out of hand…
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Another suggestion – post a warning on Face Book with suggestions as to how to have a way to track them back. Perhaps we could go with their questions showing we are interested and then ask for their contact info (phone #, address) or say we are interested and to send us info in the mail (assuming they verify our address – we shouldn’t give it to them, of course).
I have also received calls from various numbers claiming they are Cardmember services. Today it was from 864 683 1409. When I asked about their company they immediately hung up on me.
I know if my 18 and 20 year old sons who have credit cards received these scam calls they would most likely fall for them.. how else can we protect ourselves and the public as the government doesn’t seem to be doing it for us?
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11/06/2012
Received a call from “Rachel” this morning. We receive calls everyday. We all know that selecting #3 does not stop the calls. I tried #1 again and actually got an operator. Told him I wanted the calls stopped. He actually cussed me out including the phrase,”scum bag”.
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Unfortunately, reporting the numbers to the FCC does nothing. The phone #s are spoofed so even the FCC can’t tell who it is for sure just by the number. They know what they are doing is illegal so they will not provide you with their company name. I have tried. I record all calls that are not on my contact list and have tried 6+ times to get them to give me more info. Even if I say which credit card is this? They instantly hang up.
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Cardmember Service has lousy customer service as well. I canceled my account tonight.
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Sara, do you have any information about the company? The FTC needs to know the actual company involved so that they can go after them! If you have contact information and know it is related to this cardmember services, please post the information so everyone can complain about them!!
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I think she’s pulling your leg!
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just received a robo call from 11-555-000-4477 NAME NOT FOUND.
It indicated that I may have already received a letter in the mail about my credit card rate increasing and to press 9 to connect to a company that can eliminate or prevent this rate increase. There was no identifying information on the robo call for the company. I pressed 9 and connected to a man who sounded of Asian/Indian descent. I asked him what the credit card was and he said “visa, mastercard or american express” and I asked him what the name of the company was and he said “card member services” and he continued to ask me how much debt I had outstanding. When I said none, then he said i didn’t qualify for the program and hung up.
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I received a call with the same caller ID. They asked questions about debt and number of cards which i was fine sharing (nothing too revealing). Then they asked me for the 1-800 number on the back. I knew that would easily give them the specific bank. They said they were with Visa Cardmember services and not acting specifically on behalf of the bank.
When they asked for my card to see if I was qualified I refused. They already had my name and address so if they were who they say they were they already had my card number. He then said he had the first 4 numbers but wouldn’t repeat the full account number because they had no way to know for sure I was who I said I was. They said they would not ask for the security code or expiration date. I explained giving them the first 16 numbers would make it much easier to create a algorithm to find the other numbers. There are only 999 security numbers and probably only 24-36 expiration dates. It wouldn’t take too long.
Then he asked if he read the first 4 numbers to me would I provide the rest. Knowing he could probably have the first 4 based on bank and Visa (all Visa start with a 4) and phone number I asked him to repeat the 3rd set of 4 numbers. He said he didn’t have those. When I finally let him give me the first 4 numbers he was wrong. He tried again and was wrong again. The third time he had the right numbers in the wrong order. This was a huge red flag to me to ended the call at that point. I gave him every opportunity to prove they were legit but they obviously were not.
I did ask about the odd caller ID number. His excuse was they were a verification center and people couldn’t call it directly. Once they qualified me I would be given a toll free number.
He also kept telling me they were legit because the call was being recorded. What good would that do me if I had no idea who they were or how to reach them?
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I was called six times today by these turds! 6 times!!! They’ve been calling me almost daily since 2008. It’s time to ban all robocalls and telemarketing. It’s too easy to spoof a number, you can’t trust anyone is who they say they are on the phone when they are the ones initiating contact. It’s time to put an end to this practice and protect those who are vulnerable that would fall victim to these predators by banning all telemarketing/robocalls, even for charities. There are much better mediums for legit organizations to reach out to the people for help besides a phone.
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Constant repeat telemarketer phone called. We have a non published /private /unlisted telephone number, as well as being on the NATIONAL DO NOT CALL LIST. Yet we keep getting these annoying calls from “CREDIT CARD SERVICES” I have blown hockey referee whistles & I have cussed therm out & I have requested to be removed from the list. They say it could take up to a month. I told them NOW. & they just keep on & on & On for months & years. My blood pressure shoots through the roof when I get theses calls. I pay my bills & want this to stop.
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It would also help to ban political calls too, I get political calls everyday at election time. I have to unplug my phone from the wall from May to November during election years.
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If we can send people to Mars, hunt down the terriorists, why the heck can they not find these jerks and stop them? I don’t think they are trying very hard as its no sweat off their backs. They need to step this up as its gone on far to long.
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I just received a robocall that connected me to a purported Karin Goshay of Cardmember Services. She said her license number was 9126-558, and that the license was issued by the government. When I asked by which government agency, she said, “OK, goodbye,” and hung up on me.
I wonder whether it is a misdemeanor or felony to claim to have a government-issued license to practice a profession when you really don’t.
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AGAIN…another robocall from card member services…”my final chance” again!! As soon as I question them, they hang up!
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Received a call from these jerks at 12:17pm ET on February 2, 2013 With a bogus area code and phone number.
Caller ID is very useful to know when NOT to answer the phone. The Do Not Call List is totally useless in preventing these jerks from calling. Apparently the only thing that will work is if anyone knows the physical address of one of these calling centers is to notify the State Attorney Generals office to take legal action.
Telephone numbers with the prefix 555 are widely used for fictitious telephone numbers in North American television shows, films, video games, and other media, although real numbers do exist in this range such as 555-1212 is one of the standard numbers for directory assistance throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are now specifically reserved for fictional use.
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If anyone can get me a physical address, I have a surprise I want to deliver to them personally.
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I keep an airhorn in my car and in my house now. I look forward to their calls. When they call I push 2 and await the cs agent to get on the phone. Then I blast them. It’s actually quite satisfying. If I am not where there is an airhorn I either ignore the call or sometimes I just screech into the phone when they call. It makes me feel better.
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call from 403-905-8000 Card Member Services. Pressed 1 and someone answered. I asked them could they tell me why they were calling me, He hung up. I HATE THESE PEOPLE!!!!!
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THESE PEOPLE STINK! THEY CALL ME ON MY CELL PHONE AND I HAVE TO STOP MY WORK! ! 1-403-905-8000
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I took the bait and went through the process a bit. They seem to have ALL of my card information, balances, payments and such, just like if talking to the actual CREDIT CARD. WHY would they have all this info, if there wasn’t a bit of truth to this? I don’t know, but I also receive a ton of these calls. I hope for the best.
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The best thing to go is HAVE FUN. Talk to them, act as if you are slow and talk to them, aski them how their mother is doing, hows the weather, . YES, i woul like my rates reduces. Keep them online for 10-30 minutes. then Ask them if u need a credit card to get rates reduced. hahahaha. They hate having THEIR time WASTED. haha
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I keep receiving calls from this company under various phone numbers, but the same card member services. Each time I push to speak to someone and they come to the phone I quickly say, take my name & number off your list. Today @ 12:30 pm the lovely gentlemen replied to me when I told him to take me off the list, “shut up woman”. I said nothing to which he said, “did you hear me?” I just love it. I had no idea they could keep this up for so long under different phone numbers & the same name.
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