This has been bugging me all day - I got a call on my cell phone (which isn’t listed anywhere but it is my only phone so I do write it down on rebate forms, applications, when I take my car in the shop, etc) from someone in area code 816 (Kansas City I think, but I’m all the way in Memphis) that went like this:
“Hello, is Bob ____ there?” (he knew my last name)
me: “Yes this is Bob”
“Hi this is John of SST, and I’m calling about one of your neighbors Keith Richardson”
“I’m sorry I don’t anyone by that name”.
“ok, thanks, goodbye”
Now of course I’m thinking that this is probably someone checking where I am and is currently robbing my apartment, or maybe it’s a debt collector (though I have no debt) or some new telemarketing scheme, or some way for him to bill my phone a lot of money, etc…And I can’t find any SST online.
Sounds like a skip tracer (i.e. bill collector). One of the tips is to call the neighbors of someone to see if the deadbeat in question still lives at the same address.
Thanks Bob. I sort of suspected that but wasn’t sure if that was a method of collection and wanted to see if there’s anything shady behind it, but I guess not.
Skip tracers usually aren’t listed or are using numbers that can’t be traced back very easily.
They are charming people. :rolleyes:
If you work in a library, you will inevitably get a call from one of them demanding a lookup in a criss-cross or reverse phone directory. Most libraries don’t have them or won’t look them up over the phone. (They are both expensive and time consuming to use). When you tell these people “No”, they don’t like it. If you’re lucky they just hang up. If unlucky, you get a few choice 4-letter words before the hangup.
Well Google didn’t find the number anywhere, I could just post it if anyone could find out more. I really have no idea how a skip tracer would get my phone number. I will ask my apartment manager tomorrow if there’s ever been someone here named “kieth richardson”.
(Several of these are sites that simply provide gateways to other sites, so some of the gated sites will appear multiple times.)
Tracking services have various ways to get more information than the untutored public–sometimes buying or “borrowing” access to internal lists from communication companies (which could explain how they found Bob55’s cell number).
Nice find Haj, that’s got to be them. At least I wasn’t being scammed or anything.
Thanks for all the information, would still be curious if there’s some secret way to get a neighbor of a debtor’s phone number, weird. I’ll see if I’m in any of those directories, but I’ve only had the line for 3 months.
Probably because of the SDMB - I was reading a thread on the Nigeria 419 scammers a few months ago and someone was asking if they should toy with the scammers by emailing them acting interested in the deal. A few people said that this was definitely a bad idea since these people are like the mafia and are not to be messed with. I also don’t know if it’s someone out for me for some odd reason instead, and I didn’t want to chance starting anything by calling the number back and risking my wallet or my neck.