Funny Phone Calls From The USA?

[Vikki]

I've just got to ask this, could someone find my UK phone and details from my email address? I'm in Great Britain and the last few days since the Neumannn thread i've been bombarded with non speaking phone calls coming in from the USA. I have a call reader fitted to the phone and the numbers involved seem to be coming from an office or someone with two similar phone numbers. I won't give the full numbers but they start like this, perhaps someone can give me an idea which area they are coming from.
001 866 787 38**
001 866 787 38**
001 877 *** ****
Any ideas? Please no slanging matches! After this thread i'll go away Thanks for all your help.
Vikki(Uk)

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Those are toll-free numbers, so you may be right that it is coming from a an office... but to answer your question, there are reverse phone lookup directories on the web, so it's a no-brainer for someone to find a phone number given an address.

If you're listed in a phone book, then you're listed in these reverse-lookup directories too. Phone books are considered "public record", which is probably why the whole reverse lookup thing is readily available.

 

[Vikki]

No one, that I know of, has my home address - can the information be found using my email address? Thanks, Vikki

 

[Gidge]

Id use a SM57.......

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

No one, that I know of, has my home address - can the information be found using my email address? Thanks, Vikki

Yes - there are reverse lookups for that too, but they are far less informative/accurate because most people's email 1) is private and/or 2) can change frequently...

I'm guessing it's just coincidence........ I've gotten into the odd scrap here and there at this site, and I've never been harassed by phone, and all my contact info is readily available.

And yes - an SM57 with a great pre makes an excellent combination!

 

[Vikki]

Yes
Sorry its off topic but i was curious.
Vikki(uk)

 

[Gidge]

not as curious as i am.....

post the whole number

 

[patsplat]

It looks like you've picked up some tele-marketers.I have several 1-866-xxx-xxxx numbers on my caller ID as well.And you would hear silence for the first few seconds until it rings the marketer.I let my answering machine deal with them.Sometimes they won't hang up fast enough and it will ring em' back and they get the silence (hello...hello...click) BTW why do you feel you have to go away.Those slanging matches were no fault of yours that I could see..?

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

As ugly as things can sometimes get I cannot imagine anyone taking it off the board into personal harrassment. That type of behavior could get you arrested never mind banned. Most people have too much time invested here to flirt with a ban.

Beyond all that there is still a sense of community at HR. We may fight like cats and dogs but so do most families.


lou

 

[Big Kenny]

I think the 57 might suffer at that great a distance from the source. Try aa boundary or ribbon with a Great River. And hey, give me a call, we'll talk!

 

[DJL]

Vikki... calll your operator and report the harrassment.

 

[crazydoc]

I get lots of calls, many of which ring long distance, then have no one on the other end when I pick up. My understanding is that telemarketers have dialing machines that dial several numbers at a time, and then answer the first one to pick up, disconnecting the others. So if you pick up in the few seconds after the first pickup, you get a blank line which is being disconnected.

Welcome to American phone spam. It has nothing to do with you as an individual - you've just gotten on a telemarketing list.

When I do get a telemarketing call, I just lay the phone down to keep them on the line as long as possible (especially recorded ones.) That way I figure it delays them calling someone else for a minute or two. If everybody did that, it could probably cut down the number of calls they could make in a day by 10 or 20 percent.

 

[cellardweller]

When I do get a telemarketing call, I just lay the phone down to keep them on the line as long as possible (especially recorded ones.) That way I figure it delays them calling someone else for a minute or two. If everybody did that, it could probably cut down the number of calls they could make in a day by 10 or 20 percent.

Exactly what I do, and actually there is the possibility that I borrowed this technique from you. Amazingly enough (or coincidentally enough) I don't get very many telemarketer calls these days...

But when this doesn't work, I use my 57. I don't have many to choose from.

 

[Vikki]

Thanks thats put my mind at rest, i was thinking i'd upset someone big time. We don't have too much telephone sales in the uk, i must have purchased something from a company in the US and given my phone number and its been passed on.
Vikki(uk)

 

[paddyponchero]

I've just got to ask this, could someone find my UK phone and details from my email address? I'm in Great Britain and the last few days since the Neumannn thread i've been bombarded with non speaking phone calls coming in from the USA. I have a call reader fitted to the phone and the numbers involved seem to be coming from an office or someone with two similar phone numbers. I won't give the full numbers but they start like this, perhaps someone can give me an idea which area they are coming from.
001 866 787 38**
001 866 787 38**
001 877 *** ****
Any ideas? Please no slanging matches! After this thread i'll go away Thanks for all your help.
Vikki(Uk)

Hi Vikki,

If you have a domain registered in your name the company may have gotten your info from a whois search. Do you have your own domain on your e-mail?
As it is a long distance call, I'd leave the phone off the hook until it disconnected, you might as well cost them some money

Paddy

 

[ozraves]

All this takes me back to a party years ago when a friend made a prank phone call to the PM in England.

 

[reshp1]

I get lots of calls, many of which ring long distance, then have no one on the other end when I pick up. My understanding is that telemarketers have dialing machines that dial several numbers at a time, and then answer the first one to pick up, disconnecting the others. So if you pick up in the few seconds after the first pickup, you get a blank line which is being disconnected.

I worked as a telemarketer briefly back in high school. (please don't kill me guys, I'm sorry) Yes there is a machine that dials numbers from a directory at a certain rate. The calls that are connected are then routed to the next available telemarketer, which may take a second, and hence the silence.
We have a DO NOT CALL directory here in the states now, and if you sign up, all profit companies are prohibited from calling. Don't know if there are any similar laws in the UK, but it might be worth looking into.