Rachel SCAM finally stopped by government

For years, many of you, I am sure, have been bothered by the infamous "Rachel", who tells you she is calling about your current credit card, and how she can save you money. The government has finally caught these scammers, who were stealing thousands of dollars from gullible people who answered their phone, and "hung on". Here is the full article, which discusses the entire sordid affair concerning the "Rachel" scam, and what they have finally done to shut these criminals down.

FTC Hangs Up On “Rachel From Cardholder Services”
1 Nov 2012

For several years, American consumers have been receiving illigal and unwanted robocalls with a recorded message from “Rachel”, "Heather", most recently "Ann" or vaguely named “Cardholder Services.”

Finally today, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had pulled the plug on five companies behind these scammy robocalls: federal courts granted the agency’s request to temporarily halt five robocall operations that allegedly deceived consumers into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars by making phony claims that they could reduce credit card interest rates in return for an upfront fee.

The robocalls purport to have an “important message” regarding an opportunity to reduce high credit card interest rates, and consumers are urged to “press 1” to connect with a live representative, or “press 2” to discontinue getting such calls. Consumers who press 1 are connected to live telemarketers, who then pitch deceptive offers to have the credit card interest rates substantially reduced, sometimes to as low as 6.9 or even zero percent.

In some cases, according to the FTC, the telemarketers claim to be calling from the consumer’s credit card company. In other cases, they use “Cardholder Services” to suggest a relationship with a bank or credit card company. If the consumer expresses an interest in the rate reduction offer, the telemarketer sometimes conducts a purported “audit” to determine whether the consumer qualifies.

Consumers provide their financial and personal information, and are then put on hold while the “audit” is completed. According to the FTC, the “audit” typically is used only to determine whether consumers have enough credit available on their credit cards to pay the company’s fee.

After consumers have been “approved” for the program the telemarketer informs them that there is an up-front fee, typically ranging from several hundred dollars to nearly $3,000. To convince them to pay the fee, telemarketers often say that it will be more than offset by the money the consumer will save through the program. In some cases, the FTC alleges that consumers’ credit cards were charged even if they did not agree to pay for the service. In other cases, the defendants allegedly do not disclose a fee at all, or claim there will be no fee.

After consumers pay the up-front fee they typically find that the companies do little or nothing to lower their credit card interest rates. The only thing that some companies do, according to the FTC, is to initiate three-way calls with consumers’ credit card issuers and orally request a rate reduction, a request that consumers could make on their own and that invariably is denied.

The five complaints announced today were filed against the following companies and their principals:

1) Treasure Your Success

2) Ambrosia Web Design

3) A+ Financial Center

4) The Green Savers, and

5) Key One Solutions

800notes.com...
Were you a victim of Rachel, or do you know someone who was? I'd like to know how many were affected, or received such calls. I suspect that number is in the millions.

reply to post by ProfEmeritus

I noticed that "she" hasn't been calling lately. I was getting at least two calls per day FOREVER! I wondered what happened- I was starting to feel unloved!

How long did they let this go on?
Id bet theres some connection to goverment in the back somewhere....somebodt go paid off to keep this going as long as possible....
maybe even some senator or congrssman or two even.....
Had to be a payoff to layoff these comapanies that long.....

I noticed that "she" hasn't been calling lately. I was getting at least two calls per day FOREVER! I wondered what happened- I was starting to feel unloved!

reply to post by littled16

lol!
Of course, over the last few months, the politicians running for office picked up the baton from Rachel!

Nope, I got a call from Rachel with cardholder services yesterday, 4 Dec 2012 at 12:37 pm. I bombarded the call with touch tones and they hung up. Can't understand why, though...

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by ProfEmeritus

 

I noticed that "she" hasn't been calling lately. I was getting at least two calls per day FOREVER! I wondered what happened- I was starting to feel unloved!

HA! Yeah, I know what you mean!
Now I wish they would make Satellite Radio quit calling! Really, how many times does a person have to say "Again... NO, and DON'T CALL ME AGAIN!!!"

HOOOOOORAY!
I would get 2 or 3 calls a day from these people using different phone numbers, then thank god I found a way to block them from my phone service.

Rachel is still calling me. This so-called bust has NOT worked at all. I still get 1 or 2 calls daily from Rachel at Card Services, plus another about re-doing my mortgage. Always a different number with various text on the caller id, including "toll free number" and, yes, still, Card Services.

We've been getting these calls for over a year, at least 4 times a week. The last one was yesterday.

I tried a few times to press "2" for them to stop calling us, but it doesn't work.

Two weeks ago, I pressed "1" and spoke to a live representative, a shady-sounding young dude with the manners of a goat.

I told him that I was tired of their calls, and they had better do their homework, because we HAVE NO CREDIT CARDS, and haven't for years. I said, "So you can see why you need to take me off your calling list, it is utterly pointless!"

I heard him curse in the background and he hung up on me.

What happened the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that? More calls from "member card services".

The next time they call, and I answer, I'm going to give them a phoney card number and screw with them.

What do I care, I'm retired and have all the time in the world to mess with these bottom-feeders!

I suspect that what has happened is the 5 "corporations" under indictment have dissolved and resurfaced under new shell corporations. It seems it is hard to beat the shell game.