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First I receive a text on my cell phone the other day which turned out to be a scam and was reported in the local news since they were using Bank of the Cascades as the cover for their scam. Then I come home tonight and there is a call on the landline from 'Allied Collection Agency' . I called back but the recording said I was calling after hours and to 'call back during normal hours' . Well at first I was a little stressed over this but then I though about it - other than normal bills I owe nothing. No medical stuff or anything that would generate a collection call so I Googled the number (1-800-258-8074) and the reports of it as a scam (using the name 'Allied' as a prefix for this or that) started at site # 1. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed any increased scam activity lately.
 
About two weeks ago I had a call that when I answered was a recording saying I have been "selected" for a cheap trip somewhere. I hung up. About a week later same number called and I heard the same recording. The only reason I answered is it has the same area code and prefix as my cell number.

This time I called back and got the standard 'leave a voice mail' recording from AT&T. So I left a message saying they had my number and probably my name, so they needed to put it on the DO NOT CALL list.

A day later same number called. I didn't answer but got a voice mail. On the voice mail, I expected to hear that I had been "selected" again. But this time it was from an apparently confused female saying she didn't call me and had no idea what I was talking about.

So far that's the last I've heard from this number. I hesitate to publish it here as the possibility exists this female is herself a victim of some sort of robot attack or something.
 
The collection agency one is a new to me. Good to know thnx.

I did run into a scam while looking for a job.
I inquired about a shipping and receiving position I got an email saying that I could start right away. I just had to email them my personal info and resume.
They wanted me to buy stuff with money from a check they would send, then ship it to buyers at their address. I did a search on the company name and found it on a scam website with about 10 different names and the same company name with about 10 different names as the owner.
 
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Thanks for sharing. Will be on the look out for this kind of stuff. When I was younger, and my middle kid as just learning how to talk, I would ask them to hold on and hand the phone to the kid. He would talk and talk for a long time. It was awesome. They eventually learned not to call.
 
got about 4 calls last week from an 801 area code number - no message left but a search of the number said it was linked to about 15 other numbers all used by the same scam claiming they have a pre approved education loan or that you owed money on education loans. Apparently most of the numbers "called" from were disconnected when called back or belonged to people who did not make the initial call. I guess the scam artists are somehow tweaking the number that shows up on caller ID
 
Seems the scam calls are getting to be the norm, we have really noticed an increase. Probably has to do with the economy also. They seem to come from anywhere with all sorts of weird numbers or no numbers at all and for all sorts of subjects..
I have given up on the no call list, a waste of time. My phone will allow me to block up to 15 numbers but all they do is use a different one, I guess they are computer generated and the caller incurs very little cost.
I have tried to deter them at times when a 'real person' calls and talk about their Momma's....not too much success there either.
Oh well thank goodness for caller ID and cancel.
 
Well after exhaustive research on the internet it turns out this 'Allied International' is in fact legit but a 2nd or 3rd party international collection agency and it is thought they buy old debts for pennies on the dollar and follow up any leads, no matter how small, to find someone. Most common it seem is when the person calls back (as I did this morning) and the person on the other end say they are looking for, ( In my case a Jean [same last name as mine] and I said "same last name but I do not know this person" she thanked me and said my # would be removed within 48 hours. This, according to many, was the most common interaction with them.
 
Well after exhaustive research on the internet it turns out this 'Allied International' is in fact legit but a 2nd or 3rd party international collection agency and it is thought they buy old debts for pennies on the dollar and follow up any leads, no matter how small, to find someone. Most common it seem is when the person calls back (as I did this morning) and the person on the other end say they are looking for, ( In my case a Jean [same last name as mine] and I said "same last name but I do not know this person" she thanked me and said my # would be removed within 48 hours. This, according to many, was the most common interaction with them.

Yep. Wifey has a fairly common last name, I bet those agencies you refer to are calling hundreds of people with that last name. For instance, Jane Smith gets called because they are looking for John Smith or Jamie smith. I'm guessing those folks aren't dummies. They search to find any clue that they may have found some deadbeat and and then follow up by harassing deadbeat to get any money they can, can't hardly blame them. Generally those types are not NEAR as annoying as the "I'm from Windows, your computer has a virus" group of dipsheets!
 
Another scenario many said was real common is someone you may know, at sometime in his or her life used you as reference, POC etc for something and that is now coming back to haunt YOU after this person defaults on a debt. Another one is someone simply gave a false Phone # as a POC or reference for whatever reason and it happened to be your #!!
 
My divorce from my first wife was final almost 15 years ago, yet to this day my new wife and I continue getting phone calls from collections agencies looking for my ex. A Google search of my name, address and phone number shows my ex as a "relative" even though she has never lived at this address or had this phone number. A Google search of my ex-wife name has my current wife listed as a "relative" of my ex! Needless to say my current wife is less than pleased at this state of affairs, but there is little that we can do about it other than to be grateful that our finances are in order and that none of the calls have anything to do with us.
 
The collection agency one is a new to me.
One person had a most logical response to a potential collection agency scam - simply ask them the name and number of the business/organization you supposedly defaulted on. IF they give you it to you immediately hang up and call them to see if it is legit. If not or they give an excuse for NOT giving it to you hang up just the same.
 
If I don't recognize the phone #, I transfer it immediately to VM.

No message left?
Then in my mind they didn't call.

My importance is not dictated by how many VM's /phone calls I get in a day.

My importance is dictated by how many "Likes" I get here:);):confused::p
 
Took care of those phone calls years ago. My land line is connected to a fax so when someone calls guess what they hear ;) problem solved.

If someone that knows me wants to chat they call my cell phone and this has worked out just fine over the years!
 
My divorce from my first wife was final almost 15 years ago, yet to this day my new wife and I continue getting phone calls from collections agencies looking for my ex. A Google search of my name, address and phone number shows my ex as a "relative" even though she has never lived at this address or had this phone number. A Google search of my ex-wife name has my current wife listed as a "relative" of my ex! Needless to say my current wife is less than pleased at this state of affairs, but there is little that we can do about it other than to be grateful that our finances are in order and that none of the calls have anything to do with us.

I used to get calls from time to time from collection agencies looking for my ex too. She never could manage money. Anyway, I readily gave them her contact info. And told them the best way to reach her is at work.........in person. :D
 
I used to get calls from time to time from collection agencies looking for my ex too. She never could manage money. Anyway, I readily gave them her contact info. And told them the best way to reach her is at work.........in person. :D
I have no idea where my ex lives or what her phone number is. And I like it that way.....
 
I have no idea where my ex lives or what her phone number is. And I like it that way.....

I'm in the very same boat.......now. Blissfully unaware of where she is. Took her a few times to realize where the collection agencies were getting their info, and instead of ASKING me not to give her info out she went on the lam. Now she's in contempt of court for not keeping them (the court) informed of her address, phone number etc.

Who says divorce is bad? This one is the gift that keeps right on giving. :)
 

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