var json_comments = new Array("
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chris_d
May 6, 2009 3:27 AM
Moderate | Flag for review

Great! I know someone who'd like to call them. What would be best is to set up a conference call between them and US Fidelis. Then they can pitch their warranties to each other.

Reply
1 replies
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Sheogorath
May 6, 2009 3:33 AM
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Posting on every raid and invasion board I know of.

The Internet Hate Machine is gearing up for battle.

Reply
6 replies
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RecordStoreToughGuy_starcommandseries.com
May 6, 2009 4:12 PM
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@Sheogorath: We are Anonymous, and we are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.

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Quimosabe
May 6, 2009 2:46 PM
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@Sheogorath:

You should also pass along PrankDialer.com with the phone number. Then they can get automated calls just like us

Reply
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Lucky225
May 6, 2009 5:39 AM
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@Sheogorath:

Asterisk.annoy [www.voipphreak.ca] + caller ID spoofing all day tomorrow ftw

Reply
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YamiNoSenshi
May 6, 2009 12:07 PM
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@Lucky225:
Can somebody call and see if they have this game... fighting frogs or something...

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LadySiren is murdering her kids with HFCS and processed cheese
May 6, 2009 1:02 PM
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@YamiNoSenshi: The comments in the Reddit thread are hysterical. I *almost* feel sorry for the robodrones working the lines over there. Sampling:

\"I called, and to everything he had to say, I said \"OK\", or \"sure\", or \"why\". He said something like \"you shouldn't be playing with phones\", and I kept saying \"why\" etc. Eventually he got upset and started a lecture with \"Look, I'm telling you\", at which point I slammed the phone on him, a taste of their own medicine.\"

Also, found this info halfway through the comments:

Auto One Warranty Specialist
310 Commerce Ste 150, Irvine, CA 92602-1361
Contact Phone: (714) 832-1228

Lastly, it does look like there are several people in the thread claiming to have accessed voicemail over there. While I myself would never advocate something like that (no, not me, no way), I do have to say that I giggled over it. Shamelessly.

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JayDeEm
May 6, 2009 4:30 PM
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@LadySiren: Wow, I used to live down the street from there. I think a great prank would be to get a few hundred volunteers in that area to wake up early the next few mornings and go fill up their parking lot before the employee's arrived. Good times.

Reply
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KyleOrton
May 6, 2009 4:52 PM
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@JayDeEm: Arrange a full-scale hippy music festival in their parking lot. All you need is a drum circle and pot.

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*
May 7, 2009 6:11 AM
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@KyleOrton: all you really need is pot - then anything becomes a drum

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nerdtalker
May 6, 2009 4:03 AM
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@Sheogorath: Charging its lazer, you mean.

I'm charging all my lasers, and I just put on my wizard's cap and cloak.

Reply
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CumaeanSibyl
May 6, 2009 4:52 AM
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@nerdtalker: Its power levels are OVER 9000!!!

Reply
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StitchPirate
May 6, 2009 3:33 AM
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I have received two calls a week from these jerks, for the past two months. The last four calls or so, I have waited for the human, and said \"Hi, I do not want your service, but I receive these calls constantly, please take me off your list.\" Their reply is to hang up. I feel like I am at least owed a lie like \"I am not authorized to do that\" or something. It's incredibly rude, to say the least. If their dumb call didn't work the first 20 times, why would it work now, especially after they made me mad?

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3 replies
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WiglyWorm must cease and decist
May 6, 2009 12:17 PM
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@StitchPirate: They hang up before you can get the words \"take me off your do not call list off\" so that they aren't obligated to do so.

Reply
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trujunglist
May 6, 2009 7:29 PM
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@WiglyWorm:

That's not possible. One time, anticipating that they would hang up when I said such a thing, I said it as fast as humanly possible, like Micro Machines guy fast. You could hear the other person breathe and then hang up.

Reply
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idip
May 6, 2009 12:44 PM
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@WiglyWorm: Which should be illegal.

Every time I ask for company name, address, and phone, (to report to my Attorney General) they always hang up.

One person actually said they would remove me, now I just get ghost calls. Like they'll call me and it's all quiet and no one is on the line, it's really frustrating.

Reply
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XBL: Legend xKWx (Kyle)
May 6, 2009 1:28 PM
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@idip:
\"One person actually said they would remove me, now I just get ghost calls. Like they'll call me and it's all quiet and no one is on the line, it's really frustrating.\" Actually thats just me. Sorry about that! j/k j/k

Reply
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FuryOfFirestorm
May 6, 2009 3:35 AM
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Is it wrong that the thought of these \"warranty callers\" getting a taste of their own medicine is getting me hard?

Reply
4 replies
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Bruce
May 6, 2009 10:32 PM
Moderate |Flag for review

@FuryOfFirestorm: Be a good Netizen and please send them a photo of your chubby!

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supercereal
May 6, 2009 3:53 AM
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Ah, the internet effect seems to have already hit them, since their voice mailbox is full. I just might feel bad for them once digg and /b/ are made fully aware of this...

Reply
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Radi0logy
May 6, 2009 3:56 AM
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Now if someone could give me the phone number (and translation) for these %#$@damn mexican calls I get on my cell all the time. So freakin irritating, especially because I can't tell them to take me off!

Reply
6 replies
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econobiker
May 6, 2009 3:27 PM
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@Radi0logy: If it was the cash register coin sound then the Spanish lady this is what I found a as the translation someone else posted:


I JUST GOT A CALL FROM THIS NUMBER, IT WAS A SPANISH SPEAKING LADY SAYING, \"THE CASH REGISTER IS RINGING YOU JUST WON $1,000 PLEASE PRESS #1 TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE\"


Everyone dial 1 and complain to them when they call.


They hit the 615 area code early April as people even with cell phones got the calls. They basically war dial through the entire area code and exchanges...

Reply
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Trai_Dep
May 6, 2009 6:04 AM
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@Radi0logy: They want your women, of course.

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HeldForRansom_GitEmSteveDave
May 6, 2009 10:58 AM
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@Trai_Dep: No, first they get your sugar. Then they get the power. THEN they get the women.

Reply
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theodicey
May 6, 2009 5:32 AM
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@Radi0logy: I can't tell them to take me off!

Why not? Have you tried using babelfish?

!Quíteme de su lista!

Reply
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Radi0logy
May 6, 2009 5:02 PM
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@theodicey: I can't even understand what the lady says so that I can get to a human :P The most spanish I know is Bibliotecha, Agua, and Sabado Gigante.

Reply
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Keter
May 6, 2009 3:57 AM
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Has anyone figured out if there is a number sequence you can hit to put the robocall system into a diagnostic or suspended mode? I've been pushing random buttons, but so far no luck...

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3 replies
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HeldForRansom_GitEmSteveDave
May 6, 2009 11:03 AM
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@Keter: Oh, listen to the gibberish they have you saying. You were supposed to let schoolkids know of snow closings and the mayvins! Let's hope your wheels still work:

Reply
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Underpants Gnome
May 6, 2009 1:14 PM
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@HeldForRansom_GitEmSteveDave: two direct-hit simpsons quotes in the span of 5 minutes. I salute you, sir.

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snowburnt
May 6, 2009 2:32 PM
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@Underpants Gnome: with your screen name I would have figured a \"Simpsons did it\" would be in order

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HeldForRansom_GitEmSteveDave
May 6, 2009 1:41 PM
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@Underpants Gnome: @Sanspants: Thank you, thank you. It's comments like these that make my literal months of watching The Simpsons \"worth it\".

Reply
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Fujikopez
May 6, 2009 3:59 AM
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Let's just hope that whoever posted the number got it correct, and the whole internet isn't harrassing some innocent person...

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1 replies
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starbreiz
May 6, 2009 5:47 PM
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@Fujikopez: I read the entire reddit thread. it's not an innocent person, they're speaking to reps who are rude, and also going through all of the employee mailboxes for info.

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diasdiem
May 6, 2009 4:02 AM
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4chan will eat them alive.

Reply
4 replies
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RecordStoreToughGuy_starcommandseries.com
May 6, 2009 4:15 PM
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@diasdiem: Maybe. Depends on whether /b/ thinks there will be any lulz to be had. They're not exactly a tame message board, you see.

Reply
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trujunglist
May 6, 2009 7:31 PM
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@RecordStoreToughGuy:

Even the most /b/tarded of them surely realizes that this = epic lulz

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oneswellfoop
May 6, 2009 6:33 AM
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@diasdiem: It's going to be a beautiful thing. I sort of feel bad for some of the people that work for them, almost.

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Powerlurker
May 6, 2009 4:28 PM
Moderate |Flag for review

@diasdiem:

Maybe we'll finally be able to learn if these warranty companies like Mudkips or not.

Reply
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courtneywoah
May 6, 2009 4:10 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

These jerks call me 4 times a week and fill my voicemail with junk. Plus they are using up minutes that I paid for. Anyone know how to get it to stop?

Reply
4 replies
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jswilson64
May 8, 2009 7:56 PM
Moderate |Flag for review

@courtneywoah: They only use your minutes when you answer - so don't answer if you don't recognize the number.

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snowburnt
May 6, 2009 2:34 PM
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@courtneywoah: you could sue them and report them to the FTC. It's illegal for someone to call your cell phone unsolicited unless you've done business with them and given them your number for that purpose.

Get the # and if you can answer it when they're calling, remind them that it's a cell phone.

Reply
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econobiker
May 6, 2009 3:29 PM
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@snowburnt: They often spoof the number showing on caller id.

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idip
May 6, 2009 12:46 PM
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@courtneywoah: I called AT&T, my cell provider, and they said that since the number is \"unknown\" there is nothing they can do to prevent the calls from coming through. I can't even block the number because supposedly AT&T doesn't even know the number.

Which is mind boggling, how can they allow a call to go through their system without knowing where it originated from?

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Shadowman615
May 6, 2009 4:19 AM
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That's the best news I heard all day!

Reading some of the comments on the reddit link, it looks like at least one woman who answers that line is incredibly pissed about all the calls she's getting.

That alone makes it worth it.

Reply
1 replies
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kathyl
May 6, 2009 5:39 AM
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@Shadowman615: The cheek of them getting angry because they're receiving calls they don't want when they spend ALL DAY placing calls that we don't want...

...Well, that's frankly filling me with a sense of glee that won't be equaled for quite some time.

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Skaperen
May 6, 2009 4:41 AM
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I want a new law...

Require that telephone companies program their switches to validate the caller ID and ANI data being passed through their switch from any telephone customer (except certain customers exempted in the law, such as law enforcement). If the customer connection allows transmitting caller ID/ANI data, that data is to be compared against the telephone numbers assigned to that customer. If the data is present and does not match a number assigned to the customer, the call is not connected. If the caller ID data is omitted, it is treated like a blocked ID (that's a different issue).

The numbers to check against are the numbers that telephone company assigns to that customer. This allows a customer to use a main number for all calls placed from any phone, for example. If the customer has service from multiple telephone companies, the customer provides a list to the telephone company, and the numbers on the list are verified every 3 months as still being assigned to this customer. These numbers are added to the list that customer may use in the caller ID.

The same goes for company name info. Every possible string the company may use must be verified as correct and entered in the database used by the telephone company switch to validate the caller ID name. Any mismatch means the call is not placed.

Calls to any emergency service or law enforcement are never blocked.

Law enforcement may originated calls with fake caller ID. Few other entities should be allowed this right. This law would not apply to calls without caller ID or blocking the transmission of caller ID.

And, as is usual with all laws I propose, violations result in jail terms starting with 3 months for each offense the first time around, and doubling each time offenses are repeated after serving time (e.g. the next round of offenses is 6 months per offense, and so on).

Reply
6 replies
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jozhua
May 6, 2009 11:10 PM
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@Skaperen: This is already a practice in some companies with ISDN service. It's called call screening. The originating number a PBX sends when making a call is cross checked against a table of a customer's valid numbers they can send across as CPN(calling party number). If the number is not found in that table, then a default phone number is sent out as CPN. The problem is this is not employed by all telcos nor is it available in every type of central office.

And just to touch on everything else everyone has said, the versatility of VoIP is only going to make this worse.

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calchip
May 6, 2009 10:14 AM
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@Skaperen:

It's a cool idea, but as the previous callers stated, not practical at this point. Not to mention that as services such as Google Voice become more common, it will become near impossible, since the lines the calls are actually originating from won't actually match the ANI/CID at all.

Of course, a relatively simple solution is what Google Voice and a number of other services do now: it can be set so if the incoming call is blocked ID, or doesn't match a number in your phone book, it asks the caller for their name. I'm sure it won't be long before the voice detection algorithm will be smart enough to detect a robot dialer and simply terminate the call.

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UX4themasses
May 6, 2009 4:14 PM
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@calchip: What companies are doing now is just putting '[insert state name here] call' as their ID. This avoids tools like Privacy Manager while maintaining the required anonymity for success.

I would like to convert my home number into a conference bridge. When people call and they are not in my address book, they are forced to create an entry before being connected. \"Thank you for calling, you will be connected to 847.555.1212 in a moment.\" \"To continue, please say your name after the tone and press # when complete\".

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FLConsumer
May 6, 2009 6:03 PM
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@UX4themasses: The state name shows up when your local phone co doesn't have the line records to display proper CallerID (or the idiot managing the company's PBX didn't enter a valid one) so it slaps on a generic geographical name for it. The detail varies by telco provider. Mine usually shows city & state on malformed CallerID entries. My PBX then snoops around the 'net to see if it can match it any better via Google, Switchboard.com and others.

Asterisk PBX (open-source, free) has the anonymous call screening feature built in. I have this set up on my personal/home lines for numbers without a proper or valid CallerID. The PBXinaFlash distro's quite good and is a good solid platform. Definitely requires some technical skill to get started successfully, but not as much as a traditional phone system.

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FLConsumer
May 6, 2009 8:05 AM
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@Skaperen: It's actually far more involved than this. Just take my main office for example. There are 3 telco providers servicing the PBX. 9 incoming numbers between the 3 different providers. There's a primary, secondary(backup), and my own personal home phone service provider.

The system sends outgoing calls in about this manner.

Outgoing CallerID is based upon: 1) the phone extension being used, 2) number being called, 3) \"line\" chosen on the phone.

Imagine trying to get a phone co to recognize all of your phone #s across multiple telcos in multiple area codes, especially a legacy ILEC. Verizon wouldn't let me keep my own phone # when I moved down the street in the same zip code. It'd completely blow their mind that I have 3 different providers feeding a single PBX, with some incoming #s being out-of-the-country. And this is just a small 20 person office. Larger office have even more complex systems and arrangements.

I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not that simple, especially at the enterprise and carrier level.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
May 6, 2009 11:52 AM
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@FLConsumer: \"Outgoing CallerID is based upon: 1) the phone extension being used\"

It drives me crazy when businesses with lots of phone lines can't manage to set it up so ALL outgoing calls come out of a couple of numbers. I know it CAN be done since I've seen it done. But, for example, my ob/gyn calls out on TWELVE different numbers (so far) when I can only call in on ONE, and since I don't pick up the phone from unrecognized numbers (and many doctors block their ID, which I'm okay with), I never know they're calling and only pick them up after they leave a message from that number.

Or, on the flip side, businesses that have direct dial to executives but their calls go OUT on whatever line the system happens to pick, not their personal number (so I never know when my husband's calling from work). WTF, guys?

Not such a problem if they're using caller ID, but if they're caller ID-free, I have to guess based on the number.

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FLConsumer
May 6, 2009 5:56 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): Most smaller businesses have \"key systems\" for phone systems. Think of these as glorified 2-line telephones you'd have at home. So that office has 1-24 regular analog phone lines and a mess of wires going into their phone system. Each line is separate from the others, and probably has been set up to roll over to the next phone line if busy.

The other style that's used by larger offices are Private Branch eXchanges (PBX). These use digital connections (often T1 lines) to the PSTN and have channels instead of dedicated lines. These are far more flexible. Think of this as how the internet works. The phone line info for a call is just a packet, not a physical line. In the case of your husband's office, businesses usually have it display the main phone # for outgoing calls. Our execs have direct #s BUT only shows up as the main # for outgoing calls.

I've also given them the option of which office (city) the outgoing CallerID# will show as. There's times you don't want people to know you're in town. I've provided for that. Similarly, I'm sitting out at the beach right now, Cisco phone sitting on the desk next to me and no one from my office is aware of it. :) They know I'm not in the office because my butt's not in my chair, but calls to my extension still ring to me & my calls to them still show my office extension #. I love technology.

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shepd
May 6, 2009 1:59 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle):

It's the incompetence of the employees at Bell (or whatever) that causes this for smaller businesses.

Now, 12 lines means they probably have a PBX. But smaller companies with 2 or 3 lines probably just use ringdown. And, considering how STUPID the employees working the phones are now, they probably can't do that right. Wouldn't surprise me at all...

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Cocoa Vanilla
May 6, 2009 7:38 AM
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@Skaperen: I take it you're not too familiar with the PSTN. For starters, the PSTN is not set up to transmit data other than the voice call and header information to go with it (caller ID/ANI). A typical long distance call will go through several facilities. You'd have to rely on each of these facilities to pass the data through properly. Additionally, you have a signaling issue. And how is Verizon (for instance) supposed to have any details about an AT&T customer?

For an example of the signaling issue, Google \"blue box.\" (Hi, Steve and Steve!)

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CumaeanSibyl
May 6, 2009 4:52 AM
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UNLEASH ANONYMOUS

Reply
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Justin Wolford
May 6, 2009 5:00 AM
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This made my night so much happier. :)

Reply
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Skaperen
May 6, 2009 5:01 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

Play the new telephone game \"hang the telemarketer\".

When you get a robocall, wait for the human to come on the line. You might need to repeat \"hello\" to make sure the cheaper equipment realizes someone is on the line. Once you get a real live human, do NOT yell at them, do NOT curse at them, do NOT hang up, and do NOT ask to be taken off the list. Pretend to be genuinely interested in what they are selling. It's OK to act dumb. But the objective of the game is to keep the call rolling as long as you possibly can. The number of minutes is your score. Post back here with the longest you manage to keep a telemarketer on the line before THEY hang up on you. Anything goes in the conversation, but in most cases talking about the product or service they are selling, or helping them hone their selling skills, usually keeps them on longer.

Recording the call is even better.

Who will be the first to keep one on the line for a full hour?

Reply
1 replies
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The_IT_Crone
May 6, 2009 2:11 PM
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@Skaperen: I've done more than an hour in the past.

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smirkette
May 6, 2009 5:05 AM
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This same company does a \"this is your last chance to obtain a lower interest rate on your credit card!\" line, too. Sometimes I have both messages back-to-back on my machine. Same woman, same delivery. I love how they don't think we'll notice.

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1 replies
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idip
May 6, 2009 12:49 PM
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@smirkette: OMG! I got that one last month.

There were all like, We can lower your interest rate on your Bank of America credit card!

I was all like,

OMG! (cheerful) I don't have a Bank of America credit card! This is the shit! Lower interest rate on an imaginary card.

They hung up on me, the bastards, lol.

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Skaperen
May 6, 2009 5:16 AM
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I want their street address ... oh wait ... [tinyurl.com]

Reply
1 replies
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bohemian
May 6, 2009 12:19 PM
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@Skaperen: They have a website.
[www.autoonewarranty.com]

You can fill out the form to get a free quote
[www.autoonewarranty.com]

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I_have_something_to_say
May 6, 2009 5:22 AM
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I just called them on the 949 number and left a long voicemail message for extension 400. Just sat there wasting their time telling them about the services that I offer. Maybe I'll call them tomorrow and see if I can get a human.

The best part is it's no charge with Vonage :)

Reply
1 replies
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bibliophibian
May 6, 2009 10:52 AM
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@I_have_something_to_say: The services that you offer - brilliant!

Off to make a list...

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Lucky225
May 6, 2009 5:36 AM
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Asterisk .annoy [www.voipphreak.ca] + caller ID spoofing to them tomorrow morning am all day ftw!

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stevejust
May 6, 2009 5:57 AM
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State AG's are gearing up to do something about them.

[www.instituteforlegalreform.com]

In the meantime, why is CNN playing the US Fidelis commercials??? I hope one of the state's AG's looks into charging them with a crime for allowing the b.s. ads to be shown on their network.

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2 replies
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oneswellfoop
May 6, 2009 6:38 AM
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@stevejust: States attorneys general take time to put together a case....the appeals can go on for years.
A mob of vigilantes though, that can get things done.

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stevejust
May 6, 2009 11:30 PM
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@oneswellfoop: I agree. No doubt that 4Chan and reddit and the crazy pranks they've generated will be way more effective at the end of the day than the lawsuits. But it's nice to know that the car warranty people haven't totally escaped the notice of the people whose jobs it is to protect us from this kind of stuff.

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ideagirl
May 6, 2009 6:37 AM
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that reddit link is now the top of the google search for the phrase \"Your car's warranty is about to expire\"

rock n roll

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Happy13178
May 6, 2009 6:54 AM
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Has anyone been reading the posts on Reddit a bit further down? A few people figured out how to get into their voicemail system and are wreaking havoc...think a couple of them changed some of the outgoing voicemail messages too. This totally made my night, gotten at least a dozen of these calls over the past month or so.

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bohemian
May 6, 2009 11:52 AM
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Fax machine set on redial. Let it call them and call them all day and night long.

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LostTurntable
May 6, 2009 1:03 PM
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These aren't the bastards who are annoying me I think, I'm getting calls from \"Car Warranty Service.\" If I could track them down I'd buy a plane ticket to torment them in person.

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zandar
May 6, 2009 1:16 PM
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how long before this number starts blowing chunks, though?

Anyone tried adjacent numbers yet?

Reply
1 replies
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PittsburghJen
May 6, 2009 1:50 PM
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@zandar: It's still working as of 10 minutes ago...

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Dave on bass
May 6, 2009 1:32 PM
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Seriously - I don't understand. The link in this article is to the comments page of the Reddit article. Clicking on the title from the Reddit comments page leads back to the comments page.

Where do I have to click to read the actual article on Reddit?

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2 replies
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PittsburghJen
May 6, 2009 1:46 PM
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@Dave on bass: The comments are where the info is. Read the third comment down (or so) by someone named syntax_error. The rest are just everyone's shenanigans since he posted the numbers.

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Chantillian
May 6, 2009 2:36 PM
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@PittsburghJen: Thanks. I've never been to the reddit site before and it wasn't clear to me how to interpret what I'm looking at.

Next, I need to get up to speed on who's 4chan. They sound great.

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HogwartsAlum
May 6, 2009 2:08 PM
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The picture for this article rocks. :)

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zlionsfan
May 6, 2009 2:35 PM
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@HogwartsAlum: Agreed, but the tag is a little confusing to me.

The Robot The?

:)

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Hello_Secaucus
May 6, 2009 2:13 PM
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For the toll free number, the best thing to do is use a pay phone.

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Donathius
May 6, 2009 3:15 PM
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The last time my wife got one of these calls I had her tell them that she has a 1967 Aston Martin. I think the guy on the other end just about wet himself when she said that. We kept him going for about 30 minutes - then we explained that's what we named our '92 Honda Accord.

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synergy
May 6, 2009 3:25 PM
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I've already posted this to the general public on Facebook and Livejournal. The internets will have its revenge!

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GeneticDisorder
May 6, 2009 3:39 PM
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Currently there's no answer at the 800 number. I probably get 7-10 a month and try to keep them on the phone as long as possible. Once answering in my old man voice I laid into them with, \"I drive a 72 Dodge Dart and I've been waiting for you assholes to call for 37 years! What's taking you so long?\"

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Donathius
May 6, 2009 5:27 PM
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@GeneticDisorder: I just called them about 20-30 minutes ago and someone (who sounded very tired btw) picked up.

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Farquar
May 6, 2009 4:11 PM
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This has made me so happy today. So happy indeed.

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ElizabethD
May 6, 2009 4:44 PM
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I'm just here for the Star Wars visual.

Blasting droids ftw!

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philipbarrett
May 6, 2009 6:10 PM
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It'll be interesting to keep an eye on their homepage, can't see that remaining intact for too long.

[www.autoonewarranty.com]

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FuryOfFirestorm
May 6, 2009 6:48 PM
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When these guys call, I tell them I have a DeLorean, then ask if they cover Flux Capacitors and if I can add Doc Brown to my warranty.

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trujunglist
May 6, 2009 7:47 PM
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God yes. If only my 3400c or Lombard were still functioning, I'd totally boot to 9 and do some good ol' fashioned war dialing/message bomb early 90's style

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BillyDee_CT
May 7, 2009 1:44 AM
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I can tell you how to get this stuff to end in a hurry ...

All it will take is a bunch of us to go screaming to our representatives that this \"fatal flaw\" in the nation's phone system will aid individuals and groups wishing to harm us in any sort of terror-related or crime-related activity - once Homeland Security gets involved you bet they'll make the phone carriers fix this nonsense in a hurry with our Xeroxed-a-plenty money.

Remember, if the car warranty guys can spoof phone numbers, so can the (other) criminals, too! Unless the situation gets resolved we as a country will be in a big world of hurt!

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skb1976
May 7, 2009 4:49 PM
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While I find all of this incredibly amusing, am I the only one who feels bad for the telemarketers themselves? Who knows what personal circumstances may have led them to that job? They may have very few options right now. My company laid off 10% of our workforce nationwide...and the only places hiring around my area are the telemarketing firms.


Hate the company, but not the employees who are only doing their jobs.

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Anonymous
May 12, 2009 7:27 PM
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I used to get these kinds of call several times a day on my home phone. Here's how I dealt with it:

First let me preface that by explaining how the process generally works. Robo callers are looking for a connection and as long as you or your voice recording answers the call, a connection has been made, which tells the robo caller that your number is a valid one. And, it will continue to call every time one of those type of connections is made. For weeks or even months.

Although I realize this won't work for every or even most people's situations, there are three things that helped me get rid of them: 1) I work out of my apartment. 2) I have caller ID. 3) When I see a number that I don't recognize or it shows up as something like -'caller outside of area' or 'unknown caller', or from a state that my friends or family doesn't live in, I simply unplug my phone for about 15 seconds. I do this for each and every call. It was a big hassle and an inconvenience for a couple of weeks, but eventually the 'robo' calls did go away.

And, if I need to step out for awhile, I just unplug my phone. Face it, if you get an important call and the party can't reach you for an hour or two, they will call back later or will call your cell phone, which luckily I haven't had a 'robo' problem with... yet.

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