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Weird phone call — Brooklynian

Weird phone call

lilbangladesh
lilbangladesh
edited November -1 in Crown Heights/Prospect Lefferts Gardens
I just got this weird phone call on my unlisted number. It was an automated voice saying:

"Hello, my name is Robert Anderson. I'm calling you concerning a utility. Please call 1-800-XXX-XXXX. Your reference number in referring to this utility is XXXXX."

I find this highly suspicious. For one thing, they didn't mention WHICH utility (and I don't think ConEd or Keyspan would have me guess) and they are having me call another number rather than having me hold for a representative.

I just hung up. If a "utility" has a problem with me, they can contact me by mail.

Comments

  • king without a crown
    king without a crown
    That is sooooooooo weird!!!
  • apollonia666
    apollonia666
    Did you try a reverse lookup of the 800 number online? That might shed some light.

    http://www.tollfreephone.com/ has an 800 number reverse lookup you can try.
  • jeffrey
    jeffrey
    Also check out http://whocalled.us

    There may be some discussion there posted by others who have been similarly called by that number.
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    Well, I didn't remember the number they told me to call, so I *69'd it, and the number couldn't be located.

    Usually, if it's legit, *69 will spit out a number, even if it's the wrong one.

    I smell phishing scam.
  • daver
    daver
    lilbangladesh wrote: I smell phishing scam.
    That is what it sounds like to me, too.
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    I got it again! Except this time it said, "My name is Robert Anderson. I'm calling in regards to a letter that was mailed to you concerning a utility. Please call..."

    At this point I hung up. Highly suspicious that the utility isn't specified. Also, why should I care what his name is? Is it some celebrity I ought to know? The voice certainly sounds self-important enough.

    Plus, I have already sorted through my mail. ConEd and Cablevision so far. If they ever call me, it's "This is ConEd" or "This is Cablevision".

    Who the F- is Robert Anderson?
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    It happened AGAIN! This time I did the reverse lookup on the number they wanted me to call. It came back with no results. Of course, I may have had that number wrong because I am aurally dyslexic. It's too easy for me to mess up a number just hearing it.

    I want this Robert Anderson to stop calling my house.
  • crowntheheights
    crowntheheights
    Ive got it before too. It was actuall for a utility. My time warner cable bill was overdue after i closed my account and moved. I paid it off and dont get the calls from robert andersen anymore.
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    Nu? So why doesn't Time Warner actually SAY Time Warner?

    I don't give a crap about Robert Anderson, but if the message said it was from Time Warner, I wouldn't hang up.

    I'm pretty sure I owe them money, but I have YET to get any mail from them and the message always refers to a "letter mailed from a utility".

    *A* utility? Good God, how indirect can you get? How about:

    "This is Time Warner. You owe us money. Pay up!"

    But wait a minute. My phone number is UNLISTED!!!! I know for a fact that I did *not* give Time Warner my new number as I did not even have a new number when I canceled the account. So how would they know which number to call? For all I know, this call is for Javier Ramirez that I keep getting calls for.
  • apollonia666
    apollonia666
    I dunno, but I hope you'll continue to tell us about every call!
  • daver
    daver
    apollonia666 wrote: I dunno, but I hope you'll continue to tell us about every call!
    :lol: Some of us, not having phones of our own, live vicariously through these posts! :mrgreen:
  • alafairnadia
    alafairnadia
    he probably doesn't say it b/c he's a bill collector. I'd give him a call.
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    It's a frickin' TAPE!!

    I'd be much more likely to respond to someone who I know I owe money to than some random "Robert Anderson" who, for all I know, is phishing for my private info.
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    Okay, its pretty simple. Those calls are almost always from debt collectors. Do the following:

    1) Call the number back, if its a bill collector they will have some sort of recording that says that it is an attempt to collect a debt.

    This next step assumes that you aren't a deadbeat so the calls aren't for you.

    2) Get a real person on the line and find out who the hell they are trying to reach.

    3) Let them know that you are not the person they are looking for and ask them to remove your number from their database.

    4) MOST IMPORTANTLY - Get the name and address of the company.

    5) If the calls continue you have to repeat steps 2) and 3).

    6) Under the Fair Debt Collection Act, if you've let them know they have reached the wrong number and asked them to stop contacting you and they continue, you have the right to sue them. Search the internet for information on the Fair Debt Collection Act as it relates to wrong numbers or mistaken identity. There is plenty of info about how to sue for a wrong number.

    You can choose to not deal with the calls, but the only thing that is sure is that they will continue...
  • anonymous
    anonymous

    Subject: Robert Anderson...me, too!

    I've also gotten two calls saying the same thing!!!

    The ID comes up on my phone as simply "631". That is the area code of Suffolk County, which is next to Nassau County, Long Island, where I am from. But that's it.

    Both times that they've called, I wasn't expecting it, so I didn't have time to jot down either the phone number OR the "confirmation number". It says it is regarding some "utility".

    I'd dismiss it out of hand, except I suspect that I MAY owe ConEd some money from when I lived there, ending July 31, 2007. I'm not even sure, but that's all I can think of.

    It seems to me that a debt collector would want to make it EASY to contact them, so they can get their money. But, this isn't something I want to take lightly, since an unpaid debt can really screw with your credit.

    What should I do?! I don't have the number or my "confirmation number" since the machine spoke so quickly.
  • loudonredbone
    loudonredbone
    Last year I was in this situation, where there's not a lot of info in the message and I was unsure whether to call back or not. You should. Get in touch with a person, just be cautious of the information you give out. They already have your phone number, everything else is your own private information.

    The people who called me were with a debt collector for a medical bill that I didn't even know I hadn't paid.
  • lilbangladesh
    lilbangladesh
    I never heard back from them. Since my phone number is unlisted, it is possible that it was for whoever previously had my number.

    It's not as if debt collectors can't reach me by mail.
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    it happen to me many times during summer :p. stupid coned and keyspan bills didn't come in and i'm not a good record keeper. so late payments LOL.
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