Fun with disposable phones



In December 2008, for no particular reason, I got a disposable cell phone, from Cingular. Since then I've used it sporadically, nothing major, mostly to talk/text with a friend who is also a Cingular customer -- Cingular <-> Cingular calls are free.

It turns out that the telephone number assigned to my new Cingular disposable cellphone had previously been assigned to a woman whose first name is "Lynn" or "Lynne" (or something like that). I also know her last name, but I'm not providing it in the information I give below.

It appears that some entities believe that this "Lynn" owes them some money. I have no idea whether this is true or not, all I know is that various debt recovery companies are calling my number and asking for "Lynn [lastname]".

So I decided to try a little experiment. I decided I would answer any incoming calls to my disposable Cingular cell phone [other than calls from my Cingular customer friend (see above)] as if I was "Lynn [lastname]", just to see what these debt recovery companies would do. Would they verify (through use of her SSN, or something like that) that I was really the "Lynn [lastname]" they were looking for, or would they just take my claim at face value, and share with me, an uninvolved third party, the details of her alleged debts?

It turns out they have no interest whatsoever in verifying the identity of the person they're talking to, and they are willing and eager to share the details of "Lynn [lastname]"'s alleged debts with an uninvolved third party (me). See below for details.

Note that each one of these disclosures is a violation of the appropriate section of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 USC 1692 et seq., and that "Lynn [lastname]", wherever she is, can collect statutory damages for each and every one of these violations.

As for the appropriateness of my actions (i.e., lying to various debt recovery companies), note that the FDCPA does not say what an uninvolved third party should do when a debt recovery company calls in error. In fact, the FDCPA doesn't mention uninvolved third parties at all, but requires the debt recovery company to verify who they're talking to. As for my lying, note that at no time have I lied under oath, or to a legal authority.

Note that I purchased this disposable cell phone for my own pleasure, not for the benefit of some debt recovery companies. If these debt recovery companies, or their employees or agents, are too sloppy to follow the law, then my pleasure will come from winding them up.




Some observations:

Almost invariably the calls from CNU would arrive between 9:30 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern time (see below for details). Apparently they have decided that being predictable about their calls is beneficial to them.

Note that all of the problems listed below stem from a fundamental misunderstanding between a telephone company (in this case Cingular) and everyone else. The telephone companies are limited by the NANPA in the quantity of telephone numbers available to them to allocate to customers. So when a customer abandons a telephone number, for whatever reason, the telephone company will, as a courtesy, put a recorded announcement ("This phone number has been disconnected") on the line. After a limited time, the telephone company will make the number available for re-use. The time between abandonment and re-use can be very short, about four months in this case (Lynn presumably still had this number in late August when she is said to have obtained one of the loans mentioned below, and I was assigned this number around Christmas).

Everyone else, in this case debt recovery companies, believes that telephone numbers, once assigned, are fixed and immutable, and will always be answered by the party who had the number when the initial contact was made. Everyone else also believes that telephone numbers are always assigned de novo, and not recycled except in extraordinary circumstances. Everyone else also believes that when a telephone number is recycled, the new holder of the number will always Do The Right Thing by notifying the caller that the number has been re-assigned. Debt recovery companies, in particular, are notorious for not accepting as accurate any such notification (that the person in question is no longer at this number), but they don't seem to have contemplated what happens when the new holder of the number formerly held by one of their (alleged) debtors is someone who doesn't Do The Right Thing but instead strives to exacerbate the situation.

I also received a number of text messages from various friends of Lynn, friends who were close enough to obtain her phone number but who were not close enough to be told that her number had changed. None of these text messages from her friends are mentioned below.




The CID information in the call from Joel Williams on 19 May 2009 (see below for details) gave me enough information to physically locate him, so on 20 May I sent an anonymous postcard to him at the address in Buffalo, encouraging him to visit this webpage, where he and his efforts were being laughed at. Presumably he received the postcard, and visited this webpage, because some communication using my real name ensued (see here for that communication), and after a little while the debt collection calls to my number intended for "Lynn" stopped.

Note that *all* of the debt collection calls to my number for "Lynn" stopped. Not just the calls from Joel Williams's company, but all of the other companies as well. Presumably Mr. Williams notified the others about this webpage out of professional courtesy.

What is fascinating is that the SMS spams, most of which were advertising payday loans, appear to have stopped at the same time. Why would that happen? Could it be that there is some sort of connection between the debt recovery companies and the payday loan companies, something like "this person has shown himself/herself susceptible to financial flim-flammery and we can probably make some more money by tempting him/her with more of the same"? Perhaps, and perhaps not, I have no way of knowing. It's just fascinating to watch it happen.

Presumably after realizing what had happened, Joel Williams and his colleagues, at his and the other companies, tracked down "Lynn"'s correct location and contact information. As to whether they would acknowledge to her how they fell for my imposture, and revealed all sorts of details about her business to me, well, that's another question. Since in order for them to tell me that, they would have to violate the FDCPA (15 USC 1692 et seq.) by revealing details of their interactions with one of their clients ("Lynn") to an uninvolved third party (me), and this time intentionally, I will probably never get to know. Oh, well.

Nevertheless, this whole experience shows that if you get a presumably new but actually recycled telephone number, and either the callers won't give up or you just want to mess with them, you should: Based on my experience this will get them to shut up and go away.




Well, not entirely. It turns out Mr. Williams didn't inform his colleagues at the other debt collection companies about my imposture, and on 7 July I received a call insinuating (but not stating) that legal proceedings against Lynn are being prepared. Calls along this line continued.






It wasn't until 26 October that, for the first time, one of the callers from one of the debt recovery companies actually made the effort to check my imposture of Lynn (see below for details). Ten months of calling me for someone else's (alleged) debts before someone bothered to verify. Astonishing but nonetheless true.






The calls stopped in November 2009, about a year after I had obtained the phone, and I assumed the callers had either gotten bored, or had figured out their error. However, in June 2010 the calls resumed.






In the table below, the first column shows the category of the call:
  Date/
Time
CID number Incoming message Notes
m 06.01.2009
19:05
877-533-3109 "This message is for Lynn [lastname]. If Lynn [lastname] cannot be reached at this number please call us back at 877-533-3109 so we can remove it. If you are not Lynn [lastname], please hang up or disconnect. If you are Lynn [lastname], please continue to listen to this message. There will now be a three second pause in this message." (At this point the voicemail stopped recording). This appears to be MRS Associates (http://www.mrsassociates.com), a debt recovery company.
s 08.01.2009
13:07:07
58259 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.srvy32.com - Reply STOP to Unsub" "www.srvy32.com" [IP address 38.98.27.230] redirects to "walletonempty.com" [IP address 68.69.185.77]. Both domains are registered pseudonomously, but both are hosted at redrockcolo.com in Las Vegas.
c 12.01.2009
12:51
+223-987-5001 A male with a horribly thick accent asked for "Line [lastname]". I said I could take a message, and he hung up. Googling said that the number was impossible in NANP, but that MRS Associates occasionally use the number in Caller ID when making calls.
c 13.01.2009
10:58
+223-987-5001 I had to say "Hello" about 5 or 6 times before somebody asked for "Lean [lastname]". I said "speaking" and they hung up.  
m 14.01.2009
09:51
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Mr. Sherman calling from CNU. We need a response from you today at 888-801-9078 by no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time. Please be advised that this is a very time-sensitive issue at this point and any available representative will be able to assist you when you return this call." Presumably Cash Net USA (http://www.cashnetusa.com)
s 15.01.2009
12:53:10
58259 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.srvy32.com - Reply STOP to Unsub" See above.
m 15.01.2009
09:32
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Mr. Sherman calling from CNU. We need a response from you at 888-801-9078 by no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time. Please be advised that this is a very time-sensitive issue at this point and any available representative will be able to assist you when you return this call." See above
c 15.01.2009
14:44
+223-987-5200 I answered the call with "This is Lynn". No response, so I said "Hello" several times, until a man with a Bengali accent asked for "Lean". I said I was Lynn. He said "Lean [lastname]?", and I said I was Lynn [lastname]. He then asked if I could bring her to the phone, and I said that I was Lynn [lastname]. He seemed somewhat doubtful, but then he went ahead with his business. He said (in his Bengali accent) that his name was Jimmy Stewart (yeah, right), and that he was calling from LVNV Funding. I asked him several times to repeat it [my unstated reason was so I could write it down correctly], then he said he was calling about my HSBC household account. I again asked him to repeat it several times, then he suddenly broke in to say that the call could be monitored or recorded for quality purposes, and then the line went dead. LVNV Funding is http://www.lvnvfunding.com, HSBC is http://www.hsbc.com, a "household account" is presumably one of their products.
c 19.01.2009
09:45
888-801-9078 I answered with "This is Lynn". A woman asked for Lynn [lastname], and I said I was Lynn [lastname]. She said she was calling from Cash Net USA, and said that this call is being recorded. Then she said something close to "Sir, we're calling you about your eleven hundred and one dollar and seventy two cent debt. What are you doing to repay that". I replied that I'm not going to repay that debt. She said something close to "Can I ask why you won't pay that, sir" and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up. See above.
c 19.01.2009
09:53
0112239875001 No message left See above. Adding the International Dialing Code (the "011") makes it a call from the African nation of Mali, but it's still fake.
c 20.01.2009
08:29
0112239875200 I answered with "This is Lynn". The caller asked for Lynn [lastname], and I said I was Lynn [lastname]. She then said she was calling about my household account, and said that I owed seven hundred and sixty dollars on the account. She asked if I was going to pay it, and I said "no". She then asked if I would explain why I wasn't going to pay it, and I said "no". She then told me that the call was being recorded, and that they were going to refer my bill for collection (or something like that). See above.
m 21.01.2009
09:58
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Miss Bright contacting you with CNU. We need a response from you today at 888-801-9078, 888-801-9078, no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time. Please do be advised that this is a very sensitive matter and we do need for you to respond to this call as soon as possible. You may speak with any available representative. Thank you." See above.
c 21.01.2009
10:59
0112239875001 No message left See above.
c 23.01.2009
14:54
0112239875200 No message left. See above.
c 24.01.2009
08:56
+223-987-5200 No message left. See above.
s 24.01.2009
22:47:40
10101000002 "FRM:Cara
SUBJ:C-T
MSG: justin you have to check this out
Cara.deedgush.com/Cara"
deedgush.com is an ordinary "erectile dysfunction" website, located in Korean netspace but with Chinese registration.
m 28.01.2009
09:36
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Mr. Sherman calling from CNU. We need a response from you today at 888-801-9078 by no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time. Please be advised that this is a very time-sensitive issue at this point and any available representative will be able to assist you when you return this call." See above.
c 29.01.2009
09:53
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". A woman asked for Lynn. I said I was Lynn. She said she was calling from Cash Net USA, and asked what I was going to do about my eleven hundred and one dollar and seventy two cent debt. I told her I wasn't going to pay it. She said something like "Then we will be referring this for collection". I said "Okay", and she hung up. See above.
m 05.02.2009
15:22
+223-987-5001 This message repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached: "Hello, this is Thomas Richards. Your documents were brought to my attention this morning for review. Unfortunately this has reached the point that I have to make a decision on your behalf. I would much rather discuss this with you now and give you a chance to get your information on the record before the final decision is made. This will directly affect you and I am more than willing to help you. Please contact me, Thomas Richards, at 877-553-3109. Thank you." See above.
m 06.02.2009
09:45
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Miss Fry contacting you with CNU. We need a response from you today at 888-801-9078, 888-801-9078, no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time. Please do be advised that this is a very sensitive matter and we do need for you to respond to this call as soon as possible. You may speak with any available representative. Thank you." See above.
s 07.02.2009
14:21:51
58259 "Stop worrying about money, we can help. Get CASH fast! No credit check, instant approval of up to $1000. Apply 2day at www.srvy32.com - Reply STOP 2 Unsub" See above.
m 09.02.2009
09:43
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Mr. Robert calling from CNU. We will need a response from you today at this point no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time tonight. We can be reached at 888-801-9078. Please be advised that this has now become very time sensitive, we will need to hear from you today. You may speak with any available representative when you return the call." See above.
c 10.02.2009
09:49
888-801-9078 When I answered, the "Mr. Sherman" message (see above) started. I said "Hello" several times, and the message stopped in mid message. After a silence (during which I said "Hello" several times), a person came on the line [all of this is consistent with their use of what is called a "predictive dialer"].

She asked to speak to Lynn, and I said I was Lynn. She then gave me her name (I didn't write it down), said she was from Cash Net USA, and said that this call was being recorded. She then told me that I owed them eleven hundred and one dollar and seventy two cents, and she was calling to discuss repayment options. I told her I wasn't going to pay it. She inquired as to why, and I said that I wasn't going to pay them. I said that I could pay them but that I wasn't going to. She asked for clarification, and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up.
See above.
m 11.02.2009
09:39
888-801-9078 "Hello, this is Mr. Turner calling from CNU. We will need a response from you today at this point no later than 11 PM Central Standard Time tonight. We can be reached at 888-801-9078. Please be advised that this has now become very time sensitive, we will need to hear from you today. You may speak with any available representative when you return the call." See above.
m 12.02.2009
08:49
+223-987-5200 I said "Hello" and a recorded announcement started playing. It was identical to the message left on 05.02.2009, but the guy called himself "Steven Harris" instead of "Thomas Richards".

I wanted to see how many times the message would repeat, so I set the phone down and went about what I had been doing. Every so often I would check, and the message was still going. After a while, I wanted to change my location, so I stuck the phone into my pocket, with the message still going, and walked around. The message kept repeating and repeating until I went into an elevator and the signal faded, the connection was broken, and the call ended. That was at 09:53 -- "Steven Harris" told me that he was going to have to make a decision on my behalf for over an hour.

At ten cents a minute (the caller is apparently not in the Cingular network), this one call cost me well over six bucks.
See above.
c 13.02.2009
09:41
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". A woman came on the line and asked for Lynn [lastname], and I said I was Lynn [lastname]. She gave me her name (I didn't write it down), said she was calling from Cash Net USA, and that the call was being recorded. She then mentioned my eleven hundred and one dollar and seventy two cent debt, and asked me what I was planning to do about it. I said I could send her a check, and asked her for the mailing address. She said it was:
     200 West Jackson
     Suite 1400
     Chicago, IL  60606
I repeated the address several times to make sure I had it right. She then asked me when I would be sending the check, and I thanked her for giving me the address and hung up.
See above.
s 16.02.2009
12:54:59
58259 "Stop worrying about money, we can help. Get CASH fast! No credit check, instant approval of up to $1000. Apply 2day at www.srvy32.com - Reply STOP 2 Unsub" See above.
c 17.02.2009
09:37
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". The "Mr Robert" message (see above) started playing. I said "Hello" again, the message stopped, and a woman came on the line and asked for Lynn [lastname]. I said I was Lynn [lastname]. She then started addressing me as "Mr. [lastname]", the first time any of these callers did so. She gave me her name (I didn't write it down), said she was calling from Cash Net USA, and that the call might be recorded for quality assurance. She then mentioned my eleven hundred and one dollar and seventy two cent debt, and asked me what I was planning to do about it. She wanted me to give her a credit card number or a bank card number so the debt could be resolved. She said she didn't want to put me into the "payment refused" category. I told her that at the moment I was on vacation. She hoped I was enjoying my vacation, but that she was calling about the debt. I said I had used the eleven hundred dollars to pay for the vacation, rather than pay the debt. She asked me why I would do that, and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up.

I wasn't on vacation, but my Cingular customer friend (see above), who was sitting across the table from me during the call, and whom I had already told about the dunning calls I was getting for Lynn [lastname], was (silently) cracking up with laughter during the call.
See above.
c 18.02.2009
09:35
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". A woman identified herself as Joyce from Cash Net USA, and said that the call could be recorded for quality assurance purposes. She asked about my [Lynn's] debt of $1101.72, which they had been trying to collect since August 20th [presumably 2008]. She asked if I have it, and I said that I had the money but I wasn't going to give it to them, She asked why, and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up. See above.
m 19.02.2009
09:38
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". The "Miss Fry" recorded announcement (see above) started. I said "Hello" several more times, but the call didn't interrupt, and proceeded to its conclusion. See above.
c 20.02.2009
09:37
888-801-9078 I answered with "Hello". A woman identified herself as [name, didn't write it down] from Cash Net USA, and said that the call could be recorded for quality assurance purposes. She asked about my [Lynn's] debt of $1101.72, and mentioned that it was now in default. I said that I had the money but I wasn't going to give it to them, She asked why, and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up. See above.
c 20.02.2009
15:17
+223-987-5001 A male with a Bengali accent asked for Lynn [lastname]. I said I was Lynn [lastname]. He gave me his name [I didn't write it down] and said he was calling from MRS Associates. He said that my (i.e., Lynne's) debt to them was $704.95, but that he was willing to offer me a deal. If I was to send him (them) $575, he (they) would consider my (her) debt settled. I said that I had the money, but that I wasn't going to send it to them. He asked why, and I said "Have a nice day" and hung up. See above.
m 23.02.2009
09:55
888-801-9078 The "Miss Fry" recorded announcement (see above). See above.
c 23.02.2009
14:38
+223-987-5200 No message left. See above.
m 24.02.2009
09:35
888-801-9078 The "Mr. Robert" recorded announcement (see above). See above.
c 25.02.2009
10:46
+223-987-5001 No message left. See above.
m 26.02.2009
09:44
888-801-9078 The "Mr. Sherman" recorded announcement (see above). See above.
m 06.03.2009
16:20
866-703-1014 A mechanical call, repeated twice, in which Joel Williams, from the legal department at Commonwealth Financial wants me to call him. Unfortunately I picked up, and didn't let the call go to voicemail. (He called later, and the text of the message was properly transcribed. See below.)  
m 06.03.2009
18:32
877-553-3114 The "Steven Harris" recorded announcement (see above under 12.02.2009) with a different CID. There are some slight variations from the "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement, but it also repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached: "Hello, this is Steven Harris. Your documents were brought to my attention this morning for review. Unfortunately this has reached the point that I have to make a decision on your behalf. I would much rather discuss this with you now and give you a chance to get your information on the record before the final decision is made. This will directly affect you and I am more than willing to help you. Please contact me at 877-553-3109. Thank you." See above.
s 09.03.2009
12:49:14
58259 "We have what you need - Cash! Get up to 1000 overnight. No credit check, instant approval. Go to www.ocn23.com Txt STOP to Unsub" Even though this message used the same Short Code as the messages above from "www.srvy32.com", the message directs me to a different website, "www.ocn23.com". This domain is registered [in March 2009] to "MSKG, 325 E. Warm Springs Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119". MSKG appears to be "Mobile Sciences Knowledge Group" "www.mskg.com", an SMS broadcasting company located in Suite 200 at that address. MSKG is part of "sellingsource.com", which provides "complete online micro-loan life cycle management services".

Like "www.srvy32.com" , "www.ocn23.com" [IP address 38.98.28.10] redirects to "walletonempty.com". Like "www.srvy32.com", "www.ocn23.com" is hosted at redrockcolo.com in Las Vegas.
c 13.03.2009
14:12
[no CID sent] "This message is solely intended for a Lynn [lastname]. My name is Miss Haskins. I'm contacting [you?] from the legal department of Commonwealth Financial in regards to a complaint filed here in the office naming you as a respondent. It's imperative we do speak with you in regards to the complaint while it's in the investigative stage. I can be reached at 866-703-1014, refer to your case number [case#]. Please be advised, Lynn [lastname], that failure to contact the office could result in further legal action." Um, what "further" legal action? Legal action requires the participation of a court and/or a judge, and all they claim to have done so far is to open up a case file in some company's legal department. The FDCPA appears to forbid this type of legalistic sabre-rattling. But that's for Lynn to pursue.

Also "Commonwealth Financial"'s relationship, if any, with any of Lynn's alleged creditors, is not clear.
m 17.03.2009
15:50
877-553-3114 The "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. See above.
s 17.03.2009
21:46:20
77888 ">>>PIN=1856<<< Playphone. Enter PIN on website to get your IQ Score & Games. T&C@playphone.com txt help pp 4help or 8668539793 $9.99/m+std rates." playphone.com, 224 Airport Parkway, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95110, 408-261-6200, fax 408-261-6201
s 17.03.2009
21:47:15
77888 "Don't miss out! Reply with Y now to 77888 or enter PIN 1856 for Exclusive Ringtones & Games. Up to 20 ringtones $14.99/m. For help reply with HELP PP"  
s 18.03.2009
12:42:25
87212 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.pday10.com - Reply STOP to Unsub" Same text as some of the earlier SMS spam from Short Code 58259 (above), but pointing to a different website. pday10.com, also hosted at redrockcolo.com, redirects to easysmsloan.com, also hosted at redrockcolo.com. easysmsloan.com is registered by Small Business Marketing Alliance LLC, 4590 Deodar, Silver Springs, Nev. 89429, 702-866-9074, also known as "smallall.com".
m 20.03.2009
15:35
866-703-1014 "This message is for Lynn [lastname]. My name is Joel Williams. I'm calling from the legal department at Commonwealth Financial. There has been a complaint filed here in my office naming you as the respondent. It is imperative that I speak with you immediately in regards to this complaint while it is still in the investigative stage. I can be reached here at my office at 1-866-703-1014. To speak to a representative you may press any key now. When returning this call please refer to your case number [case#]. Failure to return this call may result in further legal action." A voice-generating module, using a voice dramatically different from that of Mr. Williams, interjects Lynn's name and the case number into the message.
? 24.03.2009
14:41
877-553-3114 No message left. See above.
m 27.03.2009
15:42
[no CID sent] The first part of the pre-recorded call was delivered to the announcement on my voice-mail. Because of this, it was not recorded by my voice-mail. All that was caught was: " ... when returning the call, please give the following page reference number" followed by a series of digits, not displayed here. Because the caller provided no CID information, and the voice-mail announcement delayed the start of recording the message from the calling party, "Lynn" was unable to return the call, or figure out who was calling, or why.
c 02.04.2009
11:40
716-957-3781 "This message is solely intended for a Lynn [lastname]. My name is Miss Haskins. I'm contacting [you?] from the legal department of Commonwealth Financial. It's in regards to a complaint filed here in our office naming you as the respondent. It's imperative Lynn [lastname] that we do speak with you in regards to the complaint while it's in the investigative stage. I can be reached today in the office at 866-703-1014. Refer to your case number as well, [case#]. Please be advised, Lynn [lastname], that failure to contact the office, it will result in further legal action." Note that Miss Haskins changed her tune from "may result in further legal action" last month to "will result in further legal action" this month. Ooooh, I'm impressed.
? 03.04.2009
15:46
877-553-3114 No message left. See above.
s 03.04.2009
16:19:52
69097 "PIN 1297 Enter on myperfectcrush.com 4 MyLuvCrush horoscopes subscription. Txt HELP or 18002357105 $9.99/mth StdMsgRtsMayAply STOP 2end" "myperfectcrush.com" is privately registered through Schlund, and its IP address (69.89.93.152) is inside a range allocated to "Tatto Media, 2220 Western Ave., Seattle, WA 98121". Tatto [not Tattoo] Media is involved in "smart behavioral advertising". The myperfectcrush.com website says for problems contact "40544@sms-helpdesk.com", which is an Australian company. The phone number in the message (1-800-235-7105) is used by "nationaltelephoneadvisory.com", also an Australian company.
m 04.04.2009
13:11
877-553-3114 The "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. See above.
? 08.04.2009
08:41
877-553-3114 No message left. See above.
c 08.04.2009
11:05
[no CID sent] "Uh, Good morning, uh, Lynn [lastname]. This is investigator Kevin Schultz with CCR, uh, Check and Credit Reporting Services. Mrs. [lastname], I have left several messages contacting you in regards to this matter, see if we can get it resolved before we move on to your respective county with this. It's very important that you, your attorney, and/or your legal representative contact me at 1-800-560-9970. When calling in, please refer to case reference [case#]. Again, this is for a Lynn [lastname], um, investigator Kevin Schultz with the fraud investigation department of CCR Check and Credit Reporting, 1-800-560-9970. Again your case number is [case#]. Thank you for your time and cooperation." Mr. Schultz must have left his "several messages" elsewhere, as this is the first call from him. Also, he refers to Lynn as "Mrs." This is the first hint that Lynn is (or was) married. The CCR case number is different from the Commonwealth Financial case number.

I couldn't find any hits on the string "800-560-9970" in any of the major Internet search engines, so I tried calling the number, to see what I could glean about "CCR". It turns out they've restricted the area from which that number can accept calls. They've restricted it so narrowly that "Lynn"'s former number (now my number) can't get through. Try it yourself -- try calling "1-800-560-9970" and see what happens.

How this is supposed to benefit CCR, or its customers, is apparently one of life's little mysteries.
s 08.04.2009
12:44:39
87212 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.pday10.com - Reply UNSUB 2 end" See above.
m 12.04.2009
13:43
[no CID sent] The "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. I would congratulate them for having employees so dedicated they would come in on Easter Sunday to make these calls, but it was probably programmed into a machine.
m 14.04.2009
16:04
866-703-1014 The "Joel Williams" recorded announcement (see above), including the dramatically different voice presenting Lynn's name and case number. See above.
s 17.04.2009
13:11:05
87212 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.pday10.com - Reply UNSUB 2 end" See above.
m 23.04.2009
11:58
[no CID sent] The "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. See above.
m 23.04.2009
17:47
866-703-1014 The "Joel Williams" recorded announcement (see above), including the dramatically different voice presenting Lynn's name and case number. See above.
m 24.04.2009
11:55
[no CID sent] The "Steven Harris" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. See above.
m 26.04.2009
12:03
+223-987-5001 The "Steven Harris" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. See above.
? 29.04.2009
17:28
877-553-3109 No message left. See above.
s 08.05.2009
13:07:33
87212 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.pday10.com - Reply UNSUB 2 end" See above.
m 10.05.2009
10:27
+2239875001 The "Thomas Richards" recorded announcement (see above), repeated continuously until the voice-mail capacity is reached. I would congratulate them for having employees so dedicated they would come in on Mother's Day to make these calls, but it was probably programmed into a machine.
s 18.05.2009
14:02:10
87212 "U qualify 4 a Cash Loan! Real-Time Approval. Get Cash NOW. Repay at UR Convenience. Go to www.pday10.com - Reply UNSUB 2 end" See above.
c 19.05.2009
15:28
716-957-3744 I answered the call, and Mr. Williams of Commonwealth Financial (presumably this is "Joel Williams") asked to speak to Lynn [lastname]. I said that I was Lynn [lastname]. I don't have a precise transcript of the call, but he said that he was acting on behalf of CashNet USA (which finally establishes that link), and that Lynn took out a loan of over $1000 on August 20 (presumably 2008) by transferring the amount from CashNet USA to her account at her bank, which he identified (and which I'm not naming here). He didn't give me Lynn's account number at that bank. He also asked if I (i.e., Lynn) still lived at a certain address, which he gave me (and which I'm not providing here), and I said I was. I have no idea if she is or isn't, so I just said that I (i.e., Lynn) was still living there.

He also asked me a lot of questions along the lines of why I (i.e., Lynn) would take this money and not make any effort to pay it back. To each of his questions along those lines, I said that if that's the way he wanted to interpret it, he was free to do so. After a while he gave up and hung up.
Googling the CID number on this call was enough to show which of the numerous "Commonwealth Financial" offices this one is:

Commonwealth Financial LLC
716-957-3744
2005 Niagara Falls Blvd. #4
Buffalo, NY 14228
? 21.05.2009
08:12
+223-987-5001 No message left. See above.
? 25.05.2009
15:09
877-553-3109 No message left. See above.
c 29.05.2009
10:04
866-916-5257 "This message is for Lynn [lastname]. You've been named as a person of interest in an important matter. You need to contact this office immediately or decisions will be made without your knowledge. Please press the "1" key now to be connected with our office or call us back at 866-916-5333, extension 1. Thank you." Phoning these numbers show that they're answered by machines saying that they're with "CCR and Associates". Googling that, and the phone numbers, show that CCR and Associates are in Cheektowaga, New York, and are (or recently were) connected with an attorney named Patrick Michael Corbett and a company named "Southern Tier Agency". The Bud Hibbs web site used to have a page on them, but the page has been taken down and I don't know why.
c 07.07.2009
14:00
856-690-5762 "Lynn [lastname], it's Mr. Barowsky, calling today in regards to a pending matter. Did have a letter of representation forwarded with no response. At this point my client is pressing for a final decision in the matter. My number here 888-448-1822. Your cooperation will ultimately dictate the need for any further recommendation. My number once again 888-448-1822." SRS [Superior Recovery Services] and Associates, 80 S Main Road Suite 112, Vineland, NJ 08360-7829 856-691-3636, 856-755-1244 (Fax)
? 17.07.2009
08:37
866-201-0940 No message left. Stephens and Michaels Associates Inc.
7 Stiles Road
Salem, NH 03079
1-888-340-1740
http://www.collateralcollections.com
c 20.07.2009
12:19
866-201-0940 "Yes, good morning, Lynn, this is Meg calling from the firm of Stephens and Michaels." [coughing sounds] "Excuse me, Lynn. I am calling, um, regarding your case number [case#]. My number here is 866-201-0940, extension 2846. Again, I definitely need you to give me a call back as soon as possible on this. Again, the number is 866-201-0940, extension 2846. Thank you." See above. Yet another case number, different from all preceeding case numbers.
? 22.07.2009
12:03
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
m 25.07.2009
10:30
866-201-0940 "Hello. This is an important message for Lynn [lastname]. Please understand this is not a telemarketing call. Lynn [lastname], please call the firm of Stephens and Michael at 866-201-0940 and refer to file number [case#]. Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM to 8 o'clock PM Eastern Time and Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Again, this is an important message for Lynn [lastname]. Lynn [lastname], please call the firm of Stephens and Michael at 866-201-0940 and refer to file number [case#]. Thank you. Goodbye." The mechanical call was a comically disjointed patchwork of different voices, some male and some female. Presumably their research has demonstrated that trying to communicate in the manner of clueless amateurs is effective in getting their targets to return their calls. Either that, or they really are clueless amateurs.

While I quote them as calling for "Lynn [lastname]", in fact the first name used in the mechanical call was different from, but close in sound to, "Lynn". Perhaps they know more than I do about Lynn, but most likely they're just clueless amateurs, as the voice in the call referred to their company as "Stephens and Michael", which is not the name.
? 28.07.2009
14:02
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
? 30.07.2009
09:02
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
c 03.08.2009
16:06
866-201-0940 "Hi, Lynn [lastname], Al Jones from Stephens and Michaels. I need a return call, 866-201-0940. Thank you." See above.
? 06.08.2009
18:10
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
? 10.08.2009
09:57
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
? 14.08.2009
08:20
202-607-2749 No message left. Bureau of Collection Recovery
7575 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
952-934-7777
800-831-7311
888-714-2338
? 17.08.2009
13:04
202-607-2749 No message left. See above.
? 19.08.2009
15:13
202-607-2746 No message left. Also BCR.
? 21.08.2009
10:34
202-607-2748 No message left. Also BCR.
? 25.08.2009
08:32
202-607-2749 No message left. See above.
? 26.08.2009
08:43
202-607-2748 No message left. See above.
? 27.08.2009
18:10
202-607-2749 No message left. See above.
? 28.08.2009
08:08
202-607-2749 No message left. See above.
? 29.08.2009
12:18
202-607-2748 No message left. See above.
? 31.08.2009
11:07
202-607-2806 No message left. Also BCR.
? 10.09.2009
10:23
202-607-2806 No message left. See above.
? 11.09.2009
08:06
202-607-2746 No message left. See above.
v 14.09.2009
12:14
202-607-2748 This time I answered the call, and a woman with a horribly thick Bengali accent said some gibberish. I said, "Excuse me?", and she said something that sounded sort of like "Leen", so I said "This is Lynn". She said something close to "Leen [almostlastname]?" So I said "Yes, this is Lynn [lastname]". Then *click* and I was talking to a man with a colloquial American accent. He asked if he was speaking to Lynn [lastname] and I said he was. He then identified himself as being from the Bureau of Collection Recovery, and then gave the little speech about attempting to collect on a debt, and that the call *may* [his emphasis] be recorded for quality control or for training purposes. He then started talking about my (i.e., Lynn's) debt for $265.27. This was a new one om me, so I asked who the debt was with. He said "Fingerhut", repeated that I (i.e., Lynn) owed $265.27 to them, and asked what I planned to do about it. I said I plan to do nothing about it. He started to ask why I would do that, and I said for him to have a nice day, and hung up. See above.
? 16.09.2009
11:43
202-607-2806 No message left. See above.
? 17.09.2009
12:49
202-607-2746 No message left. See above.
? 21.09.2009
08:08
202-607-2748 No message left. See above.
? 22.09.2009
13:27
202-607-2806 No message left. See above.
? 24.09.2009
16:59
202-607-2746 No message left. See above.
c 07.10.2009
20:49
866-201-0940 I was in a hurry, and shorter than usual with the caller. See above.
c 10.10.2009
11:51
866-201-0940 "Good afternoon [garbled]. Trying to reach Lynn [lastname]. Miss [lastname] it is very important I speak to ya. Reach me here at 866-201-0940, extension 2863." Different extension from earlier message.
? 16.10.2009
11:02
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
? 23.10.2009
09:19
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
c 26.10.2009
12:58
866-201-0940 This caller seems to be smarter than the others. He asked for Lynn, and I said I was Lynn. He seemed doubtful, and taken a bit aback, and said that the Lynn he was looking for was a female named Lynn [middleinitial lastname], and I said that I was Lynn [middleinitial lastname]. He then started to explain who he was, saying that he was Matt Sabatino from Stephens and Michaels, and that he wanted to be sure he was talking to the right person, so he asked me if the last four digits of my Social Security Number were [fourdigits], and I said they were. Apparently he was using four digits which were *not* the real last four digits of Lynn's SSN, because as soon as I said they were correct, the line went dead.

Perhaps this will be the end of the calls to my number from Stephens and Michaels, but that's not likely. Debt recovery firms generally don't understand that when you find yourself in a hole, the best thing to do is to stop digging.

In any case, Matt gave me Lynn's [presumably correct] middle initial, and a string of four digits which are probably *not* the last four digits of Lynn's SSN. A few more callers doing this, and I'll have a pretty good idea of what her SSN isn't, and thus (using reverse logic) what her SSN is :)
See above.
c 03.11.2009
15:27
866-201-0940 "Hi, this is Al Jones. I have an important matter I need to discuss with you. Please return this phone call as soon as possible. My number is 866-679-9649, extension 2820. Thank you." Matt Sabatino doesn't seem to have shared his new knowledge (about my imposture) with his co-workers.

Al had called in early August, and at that time said his call-back number was "866-201-0940", the number used in CID. Now he's using a different number, "866-679-9649", this time with an extension. The significance, if any, of these differences escapes me.
c 06.11.2009
08:38
866-201-0940 "Hi, this is Al Jones. I have an important matter I need to discuss with you. Please return this phone call as soon as possible. My number is 866-679-9649, extension 2820. Thank you." Al's calls may be mechanical, as they're word-for-word identical.
? 09.11.2009
09:21
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
? 12.11.2009
11:37
866-201-0940 No message left. See above.
c 13.11.2009
16:13
866-201-0940 "Good afternoon. My name is Matt Sabatino with the firm of Stephens and Michaels. Trying to reach Lynn [lastname]. Miss [lastname], it's extremely important I get a return call from you today. I can be reached at 866-201-0940, extension 2934." What did I say above about Matt seeming to be smarter than the others? Looks like I was mistaken.
c 17.11.2009
11:29
866-201-0940 "Hello, this is Christina Barbaum. I have an important matter I need to discuss with you. Please return this call as soon as possible at 866-201-0940, extension 2857. Thank you." See above.
c 19.11.2009
08:47
866-201-0940 "Hello, this is Roberta. I have an important matter I need to discuss with you. Please return the call as soon as possible at 866-679-9649, extension 2819. Thank you." Note that Roberta and Christina appear to be using the same script, as the only deviation (other than their name and the phone number/extension) being "return this call" and "return the call".
c 10.06.2010
18:09
678-834-0590 "Message intended for Lynn [lastname]. My name is Melville Dewey calling from AIS, Asset Investigative Solutions with reference to your civil case the file number [file#]. It is imperative Lynn [lastname] that we speak while this is being investigated. I can be reached at 678-834-0590. Failure to contact us could result in court action being filed against you." AIS is located in Boynton Beach, Florida. The caller spoke English with a strong Bengali accent.
c 15.06.2010
14:58
678-834-0590 The caller said she was Investigator Susan Jones from Asset Investigative Services, and she asked for Lynn [lastname]. I said that I was Lynn [lastname]. She seemed a bit confused, and asked if I was Lynn [middlename lastname]. Notice that she gave me Lynn's real middle name. This is a more stereotypically female given name, so I said that I wasn't Lynn [middlename lastname] but that instead I was Lynn [middlename lastname], where the middle name I used was a more stereotypically male given name, but very close in spelling and pronunciation to Lynn's middle name. Susan sounded relieved.

She then asked me if I still lived at [address]. Notice that she gave me Lynn's address. I said that I still lived there. Susan then said that she was calling to investigate a possible bad check claim from CashNet, that I opened an account with CashNet on 20 August 2008 and paid for it with a check which was returned for insufficient funds. Susan asked if I was willing to settle the matter now, and that if I wasn't they'd have to pursue the matter in the courts. I told her that I wasn't, and for her to go ahead.
I called the number 678-834-0590 from a pay phone. The folks there were extremely reluctant to give me their company's mailing address. It took me several calls, and some diligent social engineering on my part, to get their fax number, which is 850-563-0266.
c 18.06.2010
15:42
678-834-0590 No message left. See above.
c 24.06.2010
14:58
678-834-0590 No message left. See above.
c 16.09.2010
13:29
[no CID displayed] "Hello, this message is for Lynn [lastname]. Miss [lastname], this is Anna with Friendly Finance, calling in reference to your payment ] arrangements. You can reach me back before 5 PM today. Phone number is 800-872-2877 and my extension is 218. Thank you very much. Bye bye." Friendly Finance
6340 Security Blvd Suite 200
Baltimore, MD 21207 http://www.friendlyfinancecorp.com