I love having callerID (the callerID I *don’t* have), really, I do. Anyway, over the last several weeks, it seems the number 866-660-6940 has been calling me constantly. Of course, the calls have always happened to come when I wasn’t here. Until yesterday.
I was sitting here at the desk when the call came through. I answered and there was just dead air. I said hello a couple of times and was a second from hanging up when someone answered. She asked me if this was “Hollyfield web design.” Now, first of all, if you’re going to call me, at least say my name right, please. Second of all, the second she asked for that, I knew where they’d gotten my number: the whois information on any domain registered by me for me or by me for someone else.
So I am trying to find out who they are and I just can’t understand anything she says. Finally I ask her where they got the number and I can’t understand what she says. I say we’re on the no-call lists and she just ignores me and starts in on her speal. So I say not to ever call me again and hang up.
Then today, they call me again. I can’t tell if it’s the same lady, I can’t hardly understand her, either. Again she asks for “Hollyfield Web Design.”
I cut her off immediately and ask her where she got the phone number. She says, “we have a variety of sources.”
“Like Whois information on domains, right?” I say.
She won’t admit it and I’ve got to repeat myself and she starts in on how she’d like to verify business information for “Hollyfield Web Design.” She asks me a question about the phone number and I don’t understand her, she repeats herself, and I tell her, look, the only place that I am listed by web design is on Whois information for domain names and that by calling me and soliciting she’s violating the terms of service for Whois lookups. Of course, I don’t know that it’s true, but I say it anyway. She says they’re not selling anything, but — and I cut her off and tell her that, look we’re on the no call lists as well. She ignores me and starts her speal. I cut her off again and say, “just take me off your list, okay?” Then I hang up.
An internet search on the phone number turns up several interesting sites, http://www.lissakay.com/index.php/weblog/comments/hello-experian/ being the most interesting one, imo.
This is unfair. :P
I have been getting all sorts of mail for years regarding domain name renewals and such (from stupid people that try to tell me my domain expired in 2004 when it was really 2005 at that time, etc.) and now that mail is starting to expand to credit card offers, etc. So, obviously, the people getting my information off my Whois are not only bothering me, but selling my name so that other people can bother me! And now I’m getting phone calls. I can’t remember if I posted about the guy who called me about little-light.net? He was trying to sell me search engine optimization or something.
So, I’m required to keep my Whois information on my domain accurate, but yet those people are allowed to pull my information and bug me, even when I’m on the no-call lists (Missouri and national). It just doesn’t make sense.
And, yes, you can get services to privatize your info – but at GoDaddy’s that’s another $10 per domain. And when you’re renewing/registering many domains, that’s just out of the question. And plus, isn’t GoDaddy under fire right now for turning over some guy’s “private” info to a lawyer, “just like that”?
Oh, don’t get me started.
21 Comments
This is why I use RegisterFly and their service ProtectFly. They often have sales giving you ProtectFly for free, and all the other times it’s only 99 cents. All my domains are protected…no way I am going to let people (like Sybil Sighco!!) have my info :/
Bummer mail/email/phone spammers, I don’t even answer my phone anymore, unless I recognize the caller and have it on one number now.
If they don’t get it from whois info–they have options! I don’t pay to block the service as I’ve been doing this crap for so many years, it is impossible to avoid it, and not worth paying money for since they can still get it from numerous other sources), such as your local/state business records, match names to public phone listings, credit card companies DO sell marketing lists if you haven’t opted out… and of course, Dun and Bradstreet, as well as the major credit bureaus sell contact info for businesses as well (that’s where most of our garbage comes from). If someone is flying under the tax radar, then blocking the info may be of some use because there’s probably nothing in paper elsewhere to connect a name/business.
Oh and if that weren’t enough–jerks like this: ZabaSearch go straight for the throat with personal and identifying information. Put your name in there–just once..go ‘ahead ;) That information is obviously from the major credit bureaus. Mine lists my “house I grew up in” address (as a minor!) and most everywhere else in this lifetime. Freaky.
You should consider looking into legal action against Whois databases.. what those people are doing is obviously illegal.. You shouldnt have to put up with that at all!
Ah yes, who doesn’t love the nonexistent caller IDs? Tell me about it Valerie! I’ve gotten one call, and letters and I knew they got it from my whois information as well. That’s what ticks me off too, you are required to keep it accurate but in the process you’re being susceptible to unsolicited calls, letters, etc. It really does suck.
People who don’t leave messages obviously don’t need to talk with you that badly, but getting these calls so many times, I imagine, is really, really frustrating. This lady seems very stupid, calling you repeatedly, not listening to you, pretty much attempting to BS you. The chick that called me did the same thing, and couldn’t understand her either. Ack. I swear they think we’re a bunch of morons.
Yes, people getting the name wrong is so annoying. We have gotten some really strange pronunciations, that just are not even a possibility.
I usually am just pretty blunt and end the conversation really quickly, which is what you seemed to have done. I hope you scared em’ off.
P.S. I liked your ’she’s violating the terms of service for Whois lookups’ comment. Good one. ;) And that other person’s experience is definitely interesting, haha!
That blog was real interesting but like someone said on that other blog, I doubt that it’s experian, why would they be calling? I’d be careful and worried about a scam myself.
LOL… as if we don’t all hate experian and credit reporting agencies enough… we had some problems with experian listing my brother-in-laws medical bills on my husbands credit report (they have similar first names)…. they sortof have an IRS attitude though… “we never make mistakes” etc..
Tell them they’re calling your cellphone #, or you’re listed with donotcall.gov
That always stops them from calling back, EVER.
Happy Thanksgiving!
wow sucky. how annoying too..especially when they start calling you up in real life. nothing is safe anymore
:( good luck~
blah! “these people” always know how to bug you, guess there is no way to stop them completely :( And that’s too bad!!
My domains are reg. in US too, but I guess they don’t want to call internationally…
I just received a call from this number as well. I checked it out and determined it is connected with Experian – a credit reporting agency. They were doing business verification calls. They asked me to confirm information only and the info they wanted to confirm was basic – business name, address, owner’s name, years in business. They had all the information and I did not provide them with anything.
There are an info miner. They called me too and asked questions like who owns my domain and how many employees are in my biz. I believe this is the first step to spam slam. I will pay russian database to crash their servers for a month if they proceed.
Hey, I just got a call from this number too – and there was no one there. I decided to call the number and see who answered. It is indeed Experian, but all I got was voicemail. The strange thing was the message said their offices closed at 5pm EST, however I received this unmanned phone call around 7pm EST.
I suggest everyone who ever comes across this message to go ahead and give them a call! Perhaps as frequently as you like, and you should proabably ask them a lot of personal info as well if they answer.
I found your blog by doing a search on this annoying-ass 866 #. I wanted to comment that although I also have domains registered, none of them provide my correct phone number or address.
I recently filed for a ficticious business name at my county courthouse. Since then I’ve been hit with many obnoxious solicitors. Perhaps these a-holes are finding people thru the legally required publication of new business names?
I had to leave another comment. Many blogs out there are asking themselves what the motivation is of this group to call so many and be so unconcerned about the negative response they get.
I’m not a paranoid person but at this point I think it would be reasonable to assume that the NSA is not only building a database on phone numbers but on business names and domain names as well.
The Total Information Awareness network went down in flames at the Dept of Defense but does anyone really believe that this administration would just give up because of bad publicity? I think they’d move it to the NSA, which has no oversite, a classified budget, and has led the wire-tapping/phone calling database projects.
You know, Suzy, I’ve been wondering the same thing about the ficticious name. I had to get one a little over a year ago myself and since then we have been getting more and more solicitations by phone whereas we’d pretty much gotten off all the lists by being on the no-call lists for several years. And now I wonder if that no-call list thing applies, since I use the same phone number for home and business.
i received a call too from that number then nobody there. so i call em back and it’s the voicemail, which askin me my ph no. i called em today which the date today was 06-06-06 hehe. so i put the number (666)666-6666. and never receive any call *wink wink*
I love it when I get a call on my cell phone, that is so obviously mined from Whois information from my web design domain name, trying to solicit building a website for my business. And by love, I mean hate.
I found your blog re:866-660-6940 and I called them back, freaking idiots kept hanging up on me, so i searched and called Corp. 714-830-7000 and gave them a mothful, they know exactly what they are doing, i asked how come every day, you people call my #, each time ask for a diff. company other than mine, (got no answer) I said I will be contacting the Govt re: harassments and I question how they can handle our credit reports and act so shamefully, still no answer, I am supposedly going to get a phone call from a Corp. manager, plesse call them and lets all start calling them.
I just received one of these phone calls a minute ago. The person on the other end is hardly understandable and I believe it’s not a real person; sounds more like a computerized voice. It seems as though telemarketing has evolved… lol
I received a phone call from a computerized voice. I can’t hear it properly and it mentioned 1-866 something or maybe it’s 1-800 something. The voice is computer generated, much like using a voice disguiser. It has low pitch, like it has been lowered several pitch down, similar to the voice in a slow-motion movie. Davin, did you receive something like this?
I’m kinda freak out, I couldn’t hear it properly and it only repeats the message twice. What if it’s something important? It’s just so weird receiving a phone call like that.
Add this number to your list as well: 800-556-2210. They just called me and it would be a repeat of what’s in the post except I told her the company she was asking for (that’s on the WHOIS) does not exist… kind of a lie, kind of not. Anyway, so she wanted to know, was it a personal number then? I said, yes, and don’t ever call here again. She proceeded to tell me to call some number to get myself removed but she read it so fast I didn’t get it, then she hung up on me.
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