Don't Get Mad - Get Even

[lixnaw]

I wonder if Skype phone numbers can be traced ?

[Key_of_D]

I wonder if the people who take part in this illegal (well in the U.S. anyway) act enjoy getting junk phone calls personally themselves. I bet they wouldn't. So If I'm in a friendly mude, I'll tell them that. If I'm not.. You'd better wished you hadn't called me.

[Will O'B]

, so I've decided to get even instead.

Tyg

"Getting even" may not be the best policy. Just ask Stinky McGuire. He was mad at the principal of our school so he lit stink bombs all around the building one day. The smell was awful. They evacuated the school and several kids got sick. The junk that he used to make the bombs must have gotten into his skin or something because that smell still follows him around. He's not a very popular kid anymore.

Michael

[Tyghress]

Still getting the calls...

For those who missed the detail, when they call it is NEVER a person. Its a message saying call the number.

Two different messages, one for if you pick up the phone, one for if it rolls to an answering machine, both saying call that number for an important message.

I am probably going to drop the phone company. They aren't providing me with decent service if they won't block a harassing call just because the caller claims to be a collection agency.

[Cynth]

Maybe things have changed, but I don't understand why the phone company would think a collections agency would only attempt to communicate with you via recorded messages. It seems like this would be an obviously poor way to actually collect money from people which is what a real collection agency is in business to do. It is scary and weird that a person can get harrassed like this and I can see why it would be driving you crazy. I think changing your company, although it is a lot of trouble, is the only hope. If they start losing customers maybe they will start paying attention. Good luck!

[Lambchop]

As annoying as it may be, just don't call them. If they're serious, they'll send you a letter.

I recommend you get a Zapper. It emulates the tone that tells a computer dialer your line is disconnected.

At first glance, it sounds about as useful as a Popeil's Pocket Fisherman, but it truly does work. It's done wonders for my sanity. It's probably the best $39 ever spent.

www.telezapper.com

My phone used to ring every 10 minutes. I installed the Zapper and the calls dwindled daily until, after a week, there were only a few. Now it goes for days on end without a peep.

I've had it for years. It's still running on the original battery, too.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why EVERYONE does not have one.

[Scott McCallister]

Still getting the calls...

For those who missed the detail, when they call it is NEVER a person. Its a message saying call the number.

Two different messages, one for if you pick up the phone, one for if it rolls to an answering machine, both saying call that number for an important message.

I am probably going to drop the phone company. They aren't providing me with decent service if they won't block a harassing call just because the caller claims to be a collection agency.

Well, Have you ever talked to a live person in this process? You sould be able to get somewhere even if it is only identifying yourself by telephone number with them (which they obviously already have) Rather than go through all this nonsense of changing your telephone comany because of their stance on collection calls (which by the way are not covered by any do not call list and are infact quite legal) it will serve your interests to simply have the caller lose interest in you. By communicating with them you will get this sorted out.

Honestly I don't think you can call it harrassment if you have never given them the opportunity to differentiate you from the person they are looking for.

Sharpen up those tygher claws, dial the phone, have a conversation and get on with your life.

[hyldemoer]

With sales calls I either:

* pretend to be a crazy person and talk nonsense until they hang up (they rarely call back)

Oh. So that's my secret! They think I'm crazy.

[anniemcu]

I hadn't realized that you haven't actually talked to a real live person yet. I agree that a return call may help in this case, as it may be that you are mis-identified as their target. However, I would definitely log all the calls, make recordings of their calls, and any you make to them. You do legally have to tell them that you are recording, but that won't present a problem to any legitimate folk. Ask them for evidence of the specific account or transaction they are calling about, why they think you are responsible, and for specific identification of the person you are talking with.

Good luck!

[Azalin]

With Vonage I can block anonymous calls, or specific numbers, for free. There's a whole set of features, like *67, which are also free. I'm sure most VoIP and cable companies offer the same services.

I would personally never try to call these guys. Even if it were true, and you owed some company money, I would never want to reimburse a company that's using such techniques to recover their money. They should send you a letter, or at least have the decency of having a human person calling you or leaving you a message.

[Cynth]

You guys, she has already called the number back.

If you call the number, you get an Indian call center that says it has important personal information, and claims that you owe money. They will not remove the number from their list. They want you to pay up (provide personal info...etc).
Tyg

It sounds more like a phishing scam.

Some comments here
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-469-0136
http://whocalled.us/lookup/8004690136

It looks like they claim to be a collection agency called Worldzen Holdings Limited.

From the links I.D.10-t posted, you can look up a phone number. Here is what they say for the number 800-469-0136 that Tyghress is being told to call. Maybe the company is really a collection agency but, if so, they are going about the job in a seriously bad way. Leaving computer messages that sound like telemarketers is not a good way to collect debts. I realize people may owe money from a long time ago and have forgotten about it, but if someone calls you and tells you to send them money without offering any proof that you actually owe it---well, would you just go ahead and send them the money? I don't know what kind of personal information they would need. I wouldn't feel like giving any information out under those circumstances.

800-469-0136
Did you get a call from 800-469-0136? Read the posts below to find out details about this number. Also report unwanted calls to help identify who is using this phone number.
Comments about 8004690136 number:

Rating: 0 Lady Bug - 23 Apr 2007 8:04 PM
An Indian man called from World Zen. He said we owed a debt from 10 years ago and that they had been trying to contact us for the past 7 years. He knew my previous address, and my full name, and that the debt is with a phone company. I asked him to proved proof of our debt by mail, and he refused! He said they don't do it, and started pressuring me into paying by phone now. I hung up, but don't know what to do now. I don't even remember what company we were using back then.
Caller: Scam
Caller Type: Collection Agency Reply

Rating: 0 C.A. & Kay Fabian - 30 Apr 2007 10:40 PM
We receive a call from this number every morning around 8:10 a.m. I have no idea why they call us and when we answer we get a recorded message to call 1-800-469-0136. I have called and only got a recording. I left a message telling them not to call us again. We are on the "Do Not Call" list. Can you give me suggestions on how to stop this harassment?
Kay Fabian
Reply

Rating: 0 Michael - 9 May 2007 3:52 PM
I have been receiving the same calls for over a month. I finally returned the call and spoke to someone who removed my number from the list. Not sure how it got on the list in the first place.
Reply

Rating: 0 Alycia - 11 May 2007 7:33 PM
I have been getting several calls a day asking me to call this number. it is getting really frustrating!
Reply

Rating: 0 Metzler - 12 May 2007 12:24 AM
I keep getting calls from World Zen 1-800-469-0136. They have been leaving me messages on my machine for the past month and I can't get them to stop. I have tried to call them and every time I get a recording. I'm really annoyed by this. Don't know what we can do to make them stop.
Reply

Rating: 0 AB - 17 May 2007 4:26 PM
Same story here -- I'm reporting them to the district attorney and going to try to have the number blocked at the phone company.
Caller ID: Unknown
Caller: Unknown

Comment On Calls From 800-469-0136
27 Comments

2006-11-03d bowl
Worldzen is some dirt bag collection agency. Talked to some Indian...they didn't have the right guy but they harassed me for two months with an autodialer before I called the number they left.

2006-11-16Goose
I literally got into a screaming match with some dirtbag named David Costner calling from World Zen for around 5 minutes...He got the wrong number but told me he would not stop calling until I told him what my address was, or gave him info about who he was calling for (who for as far as I know doesn't even exist!!!) He wouldn't tell me what his institution was accept for World Zen and the phone number...So I told him tell you what, give me your home phone number, address, and contact info for those close to you (mother, sister, girlfriend, etc.) and I'll tell you mine...He then said some incoherent profanities and hung up! Disgusting company!!!

2006-11-17Unbelievable
An Indian man called from WorldZen. He said we owed a debt from 10 years ago and that they had been trying to contact us for about 7 years to collect. Bull-crap!! This was the first time I even heard of this. He had one of our previous addresses and even asked us for our current address. Stupid me, I gave it to him thinking he was legit. He told us we owed a phone company $150 from an account that was opened in ____ city in September of 1996. Well, we did not move to that city until a year later. We asked him to send us an itemized statement by mail and he said he could not do so, but did want to know how we wanted to pay the balance. What is going on here??

2006-11-23Mad
Someone called our no for the past 2 months, and my answering machine picked everytime every morning at 10:30 and every night at 7pm and never left message until last night we finally picked it up and someone name Thereza with heavy Indian accent calling and asked for some name we never heard of and need our hm addr. We got so mad and insisted her to out their co name and tel #. Same result as "d bowl" and "Goose" got, she refused. I told her I would report them to the do not registry right away. They are such scam and I hope others will do the same to report them, and much enough to get the violation complaint by state law.

2006-12-141 angry mother
these people call several times a time (4 to 6) i called back this afternoon and was hung up on 3 times and i swear the 4 people i spoke with were all the same person. It is my house as i explained to them and i want them to stop calling. Any suggestions?

2006-12-23Dave Johnson
Ricky Josesph from Worldzen wanting to collect $700 from a debt owed Sears. He requested my bank info which I did not do. I called several days later and offered to pay by money order because I did not want to reveal my bank info. He gave me the address: Worldzen; 36341 Treasury Center; Chicago, IL

2007-01-03Oregon
I keep getting messages to call 800-469-0136 on our home phone. Driving us nuts - so we called the number and got put into voice mail. We have a blocked number which has been "ours" for over 8 years - and we frequently get calls for some past loser that didn't pay their bills. Irritating.

2007-01-11Harrassed
These people are scammers. They harrass you to try and get personal information. They actually told us they would accept half of what they said we owed if we paid now. Of course we don't owe this amount oe account. SCAM!

2007-01-12 vick
This number has called our home for about 2 months on a electronic caller. Finally I called back to the number, a woman with a heavy Indian accent answered the phone and said she could not talk to me or tell me the name of the company without my wife' permission. I told her to not call again, and that we were on the federal governments do not call list. She said she did not have a do not call list. She said she would continue to call untill she spoke with my wife

2007-01-16george
I have received an average of two calls a day and today a live person called.'ANDY' from WORLDZEN was insulting and harrasing me with threats of calling until i gave him the information he demanded. I called the FTC with my complaint (877-382-43570) and perhaps we should all do the same. With a lot of pressure maybe we can accomplish something.

2007-02-22annoyed
I've only had my current phone number for a few months and only friends and family have it, and I've been getting weird auto-dialer calls for someone else since day one about an auto loan (I don't even own a car!). I'm sure it is the same problem, where they just harass people about old debts based on outdated contact information. I'm submitting a second complaint about them on the FCC website. It probably helps to keep track of when they call too, as they often call on weekends or early in the morning, when telemarketers are not even allowed to call. Any other ideas are welcome. Can anyone share an address for them? Thanks.

2007-02-22not my loan
Found the following addresses for them:
Worldzen Collection and Recovery LLC , 500 Park Blvd., Suite 350 Itasca IL 60143- , (630) 773-6777
12414 , Worldzen Collection and Recovery LLC , Global Business Park, Tower B, 1st Fl. Mehrauli Gurgaon Road Gurgaon, INDIA 12201-6 , (888) 284-1022
14134 , Worldzen Collection and Recovery LLC , Unitech Trade Centre, 6th Floor Sector-43, Sushant Lok Phase I Gurgaon, India 12200-1 , (800) 401-6070

2007-03-23chud
I called and asked them to stop calling me. After getting my phone number, the woman asked about a person unknown to me and I said I'm not that person nor do I know that person. And she asked if I live at a particular address in town, and I don't, so I told her. She said it might take 24 hours to get off their list. She was polite. I'll see if I really get off the list.

2007-03-28ticked off
these jerks call continuously, put there number on my answering machine and then when I call back, all I get is either put on hold or "leave a message." Guess what? No f#$%ing way. All I want to do is get a live person, Indian or not, and get livid with them. I have no idea who these people are and I don't care. When I do find out, I'm thinking class action lawsuit against harrassment is in the cards.

2007-04-03Leon
Calling every day in the early morning.

2007-04-04Frustrated
I have been harassed by by automated calls and messages from this number for over 4 months. I've routinely ignored it. I finally called and they were inquiring about someone i've never heard of who lives nowhere near to me. The woman claimed she would remove my number. I'll wait to see if the calls cease.

2007-04-05Horse Lady
Wow. All these comments sound like mine. I happen to tell them that they had to provide proof of the debt they told me I owed (I don't). They keep telling me they can't. I got a different address than all of those listed.
P.O. box 4019
Itasca, IL 60143
I'm sending them a letter to formally request they not contact me any more by phone. I refuse to give them any information (they have my physical address but no mailing address). I truly believe they are a scam. What a way to make money?!?!?!

2007-04-10Betty Jones
I have received a recorded msg. from these people, leaving their number. They call several times a day, usually early in the morning and later in the evening. I reported their number on the "Do Not Call" website today. What a pain in the gazonda!

2007-04-12Betty Jones
Update--I ended up filing a complaint on the "Do Not Call" website AND with the FTC re: this number yesterday evening. Ah ha, they then called me--yep, Indian sounding lady--and I informed her of the complaints that I had already filed. She said they would immediately take my number off their calling list. This was after she had asked me if I lived at an address I had never heard of. Today, I have received no calls from them. Thank all of you for taking the time to respond on this site--at least I knew I wasn't the only person being harrassed by these folks. Good luck to all of you; hope you all get rid of their annoying calls!

2007-04-21Tired of It
I called that number (800-469-0136) back and harrassed them with profanity and a threat to report them to the FBI and the Better Business Bureau. I suggest that anyone who gets a call from Worldzen do so and also to report their number to the Do Not Call list.

2007-04-23DD
computer to call back this
#. out of area on id.
several times a day.

2007-04-26kim
He calls nightly around 8.Says i owe on a credit acct. dating back to 1990. he's very rude,insulting,and never shuts up.In 16 years of being married to my husband I had never heard him say the "F" word.The other night he said it twice to Kristy Fernandez (interesting name for an Indian man). Let's stop them!

2007-04-26Tired of the BS
I'm sick and damn tired of coming home to hear this bull sh*t recorded robotic message for me to "return this important call." I've placed this number almost every day of two weeks as a complaint on the National Do-Not Call Registery's "File a Complaint" page. I called the number back once and only got another robotic message. I called again and finally got some lady (with an Indian accent-not that I care who or what the caller's identity is) - I argued with this ridiculously bureaucratic communications peon for alomst thirty minutes, all the while she claimed the call was regarding important financial information for my wife. She couldn't tell me what it was about but I was supposed to tell her a better contact number for my wife! (I wasn't born yesterday!)
I'm going to persistantly harrass them as I feel that they are harrassing me, in the privacy of my home. My number is on the Do-Not Call List... Last time I checked that meant DO NOT CALL ME!!!
I called another time and simply played their automated message back to them until they hung up!
Fight 'em back with their own dirty tricks!

2007-05-04hunter
I too threatened an Indian named Jason with a call to the FTC BBB and told him there was an entire website devoted to complaints about his " company " My husband is an attorney which seemed to shut him up. for now.- I can't figure out what is gained by harrasing people like this ! 6 calls today ! These folks are evil !!!!

2007-05-04Tired of It
Worldzen called again. I called them back and told them "The number that you have called is on the Do Not Call List. Do not call this f-----g number again or your a---s will be reported" and then I hung up. I encourage everyone who gets such a call from Worldzen to do the same.

2007-05-04tire as well
ditto to all above. Im tired of getting these phone calls I dodn't have any business with these people and Im tired of them calling my phone. Im tired of messing with these Idians they think they can just harrasse people I wish someone would find a solution to this harrassment

2007-05-05Irritated
I have been receiving a call every day for the past 2 weeks from the 866-383-0986. With a Indian accented woman named Jessica. Stating that she needs to discuss a very important business matter with me. Please call back at 888-284-1022.

[I.D.10-t]

I wonder if Skype phone numbers can be traced ?

Currently, it looks like it may provide confidentiality but not anonymity, in other words, you can place an encrypted secure message, but they will know who and where you are.

With the way the are reinterpreting CALEA, perhaps confidentiality will soon be eliminated.

[Nanohedron]

As annoying as it may be, just don't call them. If they're serious, they'll send you a letter.

I recommend you get a Zapper. It emulates the tone that tells a computer dialer your line is disconnected.

At first glance, it sounds about as useful as a Popeil's Pocket Fisherman, but it truly does work. It's done wonders for my sanity. It's probably the best $39 ever spent.

www.telezapper.com

My phone used to ring every 10 minutes. I installed the Zapper and the calls dwindled daily until, after a week, there were only a few. Now it goes for days on end without a peep.

I've had it for years. It's still running on the original battery, too.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why EVERYONE does not have one.

The Zapper is the bee's knees. It's a rare commercial call that gets through any more, and those are local. IOW, almost nothing. I'll hear from one to four rings, and then............sweet nothing. I still smile with satisfaction at it. I don't even pick up the receiver unless someone I want to talk to starts leaving a message for me. Gotta love it.

I've had mine for maybe four or more years, now, and it still works like a champ.

[BrassBlower]

Kristy Fernandez (interesting name for an Indian man).

(This is probably the telephone equivalent to a spoofed address on a SPAM e-mail.)

[anniemcu]

OK... I strongly suggest that you let your local state representative know what's going on. Fax or email them the transcripts posted above, and any links to the sites they come from. Note how often you are being hit with this and ask them to do something about it ASAP. ... if they don't make any effort, then I have another idea... "Who? Oh, *him*! Yeah, I know who he is. You can reach him here..." and give the local law enforcement number... or better yet, your local state representative's home phone number. That ought to get some response.