So one of the joys of not-so-modern technology is the Caller I.D. feature, which has saved me an inordinate amount of time over the last few weeks avoiding political calls, sales calls (despite being on the no-call list) and who knows what else. But recently I've been getting calls (that go unanswered) from Pay Day Loans, which have prompted quite a bit of head scratching. Really? I'm no gazillionaire but I *am* working at the moment, and given I am currently sans heroin habit and/or the need for pricey home renovations involving car elevators, how the heck did I land on THAT call list?
On the exact opposite side of the scale, I've also been getting direct mail from an outfit that wants me to buy a 1/16th share (or more) of a private jet. I have about as much need for that service I do for a pay day loan, but it makes me wonder. If these two outfits are sharing the same calling/mailing list, I'd love to see the schizophrenic algorithm that created one plus one = huh?
2 comments:
Payday loan scams ask for a friends name when you get the loan. That way if you disappear on them they start driving your friend nuts to put pressure on you to pay up...
A former friend I had long lost contact with put my number and name down once, no matter how many times I told them they had been scammed themselves and I had no clue how to contact the person they kept calling. Finally had to call the phone company and block the number.
I get tons of illegal telemarketing from South Asians, often pretending to be from reputed companies. One time a guy called offering to sell me a cellphone. When I told him "no" and that I knew he was a telemarketer, he denied it: "No, man, I just wanna give you this phone" (all relaxed and stuff); he wouldn't take a "no" and that was kind of creepier.
Another time, some lady pretended to be from the do-not-call list or some government agency or something and wanted some info from a guy who would call me next and was very upset when she called a second time and I wouldn't give it to her. I can't imagine what happens to folks with dementia or something. It's sick.
The worst was my mom getting a call from a guy claiming to be from Microsoft who said he detected a problem with her computer; he asked for her computer's details and when she realized he was lying and trying to get ready to hack her computer, she said, "bye." Unashamed, the guy calls back, I pick up the phone, and he says, "Why'd you hang up on me, m*therf*cker" and a bunch of other expletives. I shouted that I wanted to talk to his supervisor. The whole thing was pretty scary.
I'm lucky they're all fellow South Asians, so it's easy to tell they're probably not from companies with which I deal. What's upsetting is that Interpol or something isn't dealing with this; they can go after file-sharers, but not loser telemarketing companies?
Perhaps the most annoying thing is when I'm stressed or lonely and hear that long-distance ring and can't wait to talk to a family member and pick up the phone and it's someone trying to sell me something. That's a real let-down.
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