It came again this week. The dreaded call from a computer that has linked me to somebody I don't know and have never met.
"We are trying to reach Ann...Call this number immediately..." It's from some company supposedly named MCS. I Googled it and lots of people complain about the annoying calls it makes but nobody seems to know what the heck kind of company it is.
This has been going on for about a year or so. One of the not-so-pleasant aspects of working from home is having to screen all of the marketing calls. This one is dialed from a computer and frequently left on our answering machine. About three months ago I did call back to tell this company I have no connection to this person and don't understand why I keep getting these calls. The person tells me she will remove my name from the list, but offers no other information.
It stops, but then in no time, it resumes a couple of times per month. I called the number again yesterday, hoping to end this nuisance. Given that the calls started again after broken promises the first time, I threatened to contact the PSC and the Consumer Protection Department if the calls continue. "Do what you have to do, Sir," the rep deadpans. That was enough for me to contact the State now.
I followed up on my threat with Wisconsin's no-call center, which we did sign up for. But I may have done exactly the wrong thing by returning the telemarketer or collection agency's call. I got a comprehensive return email from the State of Wisconsin with this advice:
"We suggest that you not answer the calls if possible, do not enter numbers they suggest to "speak to a rep" or "get removed from their calling list", as these too are scams to verify if your number is valid so that they can sell to other telemarketers. This can inundate you with more calls."
Great. But I'm not sure this is a telemarketer. I Googled my home phone number and this person's name they keep asking me about and voila! This lady, Ann, had my home phone number before I did, which is going on more than 20 years ago. She must owe some serious cash. I found out Ann's had 11 residences and is 46 years old. There is a current phone number for her, but I can't imagine she's answering it because all of her annoying calls are coming to me.