Current mood:	aggravated
Entry tags:	scam, telemarketers, vehicle warranty

This is the second notice that your vehicle warranty is about to expire.
Ah, scam artists. I've been called twice today by what has appeared like some kind of shadowy organization, not unlike the white-van-speaker thing, trying to sell me an extended automotive warranty. They've called my cell phone incessantly for the past year, which is illegal, and though they'll promise to take you off their call list (they have to me twice), they don't. They spoof the caller-id from a variety of different numbers, some are not in service, some belong to random innocent people who have no idea what's going on. I was going to do some research on the subject, but I've discovered someone already has.

I'm going to reproduce a forum post I got from here, and encourage anyone who reads this to do the same. Reproduce this or link to the original, so that the word gets out about this organization and the FCC and FTC get enough complaints to take action.




YOU MAY WONDER WHO IS CALLING YOU.

IT IS NOT A PERSON. IT IS A KNOWN SCAM COMPANY CALLED "VP MARKETING" ALSO KNOWN AS "VERSADEBT."

THEY HIDE THEIR TRACKS BY SPOOFING SOME VICTIM'S PHONE NUMBER ON A CALLER ID.

Important message to all those that have received a call from this number:

The company making this call with an auto dialer is a known scam outfit. They spoofed phone numbers of victims all the time. Sometimes, they spoof non-working phone numbers. The phone number 800-219-7425 is just another victim of these scumbags. I've done a lot of research of this company. Actually, there are several affiliated companies, owned by the same people that try to scam innocent victims. One scam is about auto warranties. The other is about credit card debt relief. Their MO is the same. The use an auto dialer, and call thousands of random numbers. They have no regard to the do not call lists. Your demands or complaints are worthless. They will continue to call you.

They will not remove you from their call lists. Why? BECAUSE THEY DO NOT MAINTAIN ANY. THEY ARE CROOKS. THEY HAVE NO REGARD TO THE MANY LAWS THEY BREAK.

If they call about a car warranty, the message says something as "This is the second notice on your extended vehicle warranty. Press one now to speak to a representative..." The message about credit debt mentions "This is Account Services. We are calling to lower your credit card debt. Press one now to speak to a representative..."

Here are the details of these do***ebags:

Car Warranty Scam (two potential addresses):
VP Marketing
4501 Circle 75 Parkway
Suite #A-1225
Atlanta GA 30339

They also show a new address in their help wanted ads:
1820 Water Place Pkwy
Ste 255
Atlanta GA 30339
678-741-3188
678-741-3189


Credit Card Scam:
Versadebt Corp.
4501 Circle 75 Parkway
Suite #A-1225
Atlanta GA 30339
678-238-1300
678-238-1349
678-238-1351

Both companies are listed with the Georgia Department of State. Here is how you can lookup their information:
http://corp.sos.state.ga.us/corp/soskb/CSearch.asp

You will find that the "Registered Agent" for VP Marketing is Kelly Lonas, 224 Ripple Creek Drive, Marietta GA 30060. The listed "Member/Manager" is James A. Schoenholz at the 4501 Circle 75 Parkway address.

Versadebt's Registered Agent is the same James A. Schoenholz at the 4501 Circle 75 Parkway address. There is one additional name listed for Versadebt. The listed CEO, CFO, and Secretary is named Marvin Cox, Jr. at the same address.

In fact, Marvin Cox may be the owner of all of these related companies.

Here are some links to prove my research:
Job listings for VP Marketing:
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/J ... p_marketing"_at

Notice the job listings for "Appointment Setter," "Qualification Representative," "Auto Warranty Specialist," and "Financial Representatives." Those are the idiots you get on the phone when you press "1" to speak to a representative after receiving their ILLEGAL recorded phone calls. Also, you can see many other job listings with similar titles.

Interestingly, if you view these help wanted ads, you will notice that their address and phone number are different from what is listed with the Georgia Department of State. They now list 678-741-3188 and 678-741-3189 as the phone number of Human Resources. IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO CALL THEM AS THEY LISTED THEIR NUMBER IN A PUBLIC FORUM. Call them to find out more information about this company. You will need this in your complaints to the FCC, FTC, and your state Attorney General.

You can call them to see if they offer Car Warranties or tell them you are interested in a lower interest rate. It is quite humorous to listen to their answers!

Here are some details from RipOff Report. Pay particular attention to these as ex employees detail how they operate and how their scam works:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/312/RipOff0312307.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/301/ripoff0301144.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/276/RipOff0276693.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/301/RipOff0301861.htm

You can learn much more about these do***ebags by performing a web search for "versadebt," and "vp marketing," or "heather from account services."

NOW, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS? You have two solutions:
1) Speak to one of their customer service representatives. Pretend to be interested in either lowering your credit card interest rate or a car warranty. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY REAL INFORMATION. Give them a fake credit card number, a fake name, and a fake SS#. Tell them you own a Ferrari, or a 1937 Dodge (however, if you really own one of those two, tell them you own a Buick). Give a made up VIN number. If they ask for your name and phone number, give them the info for the person you hate the most.

Your goal is simple. Keep them on the phone for as long as possible. Be friendly. Your goal is twofold. You want to learn as much as possible about them. They will refuse to give you a website, phone number, or maybe even a real company name. They will attempt to give you a generic name such as "Account Services," "Financial Services," or "Dealer Services." This is done for a reason, to throw you and the government off their tracks. Do not accept this. Keep pressing for info. You will need this (see below).

EVEN BETTER IS IF YOU CAN RECORD THE CALL.

Also, the time you take from them means them have less time to steal from someone who is unknowledgeable about their scams. They get paid to rip people off. Take away their time, and they make no money! I have kept them on the phone for up to 20 minutes! I realize that many of you do not have the time? But do you appreciate being taken advantage of?

Ever hear of Scambaiting? That is what you are doing!!! There are many entertaining web sites on this topic. For example, see:
http://www.419eater.com.

2) YOU MUST REPORT THEM TO THE AUTHORITIES:

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION!
Here is the link to file a complaint: http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION:
https://donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx

You must also file a report with the Attorney General of your state. See the last link below to see how effective this can be.

I file complaints against Versadebt and VP Marketing every time I receive a call. If everyone that received a call from these low-life scumbags does the same, then the combined action of thousands of us can stop these crooks from scamming innocent people out of money. You may also try to write your congress person.

Additional information: This is what can happen if everyone were to complain!
http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2008/TRO_again ... all_violations/

See the following press releases to see how effective your complaints can be:
http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2008/030608.htm
http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2008/National_ ... filed_by_Nixon/
http://ftc.gov/opa/2008/05/telephoney.shtm




Considering how easy it is to use VOIP to spoof the outgoing number when establishing a phone call, I'm surprised that more illicit organizations haven't started doing this. Or maybe I just haven't landed in the right database yet.