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“The FBI reports a break-in every 15 seconds” is how each call begins. The recorded message goes on to say “Let us place a small sign in your yard and we will install a new security system for free.” There has been a little coverage on this scam from smaller local news outlets. [1] The scammers always call from different numbers [2] and with an irregular frequency. Almost every post I’ve read about these calls says that they, like me, are on the Do Not Call list. This post is an attempt at catharsis. How much can I find out about this company and what resources will I need?

I’m starting with some basic sleuthing and complaint filing. I phoned my cell phone carrier and reported the numbers. The customer service representative said she’d forward all of the information I provided to their “Scam Department”. I’m not sure if there is such a thing at cell phone providers but I do hope it’s real.

What was different about this phone call was that when I pressed “1” for more information I didn’t get an immediate rep. I was disconnected and received a phone call a few minutes later [2]. I wasted my time with the scammer today just trolling her but next time I’m going to pump her for information. So I tried looking up the second number that called me and the area code matches Colorado Springs, Colorado. I called Sprint and TMobile to see if the number matched one of their customer records. Each customer service agent denied that the numbers belonged to any of their customers and one gave me a clue on what to look for next. “This number belongs to a landline with SMS capabilities.”

When I searched for landline providers in Colorado Springs I found Century Link is the largest provider. I called their residential customer service center and after speaking with a few different agents was told that the number didn’t match a residents number but it doesn’t mean that the person with that number isn’t a customer. It could be that the phone number belongs to a batch of numbers that are part of a small business account. She was nice enough to give me the number of their small business accounts but they were closed for the night.

I’ll keep at this in my spare time because now I’m curious if I can uncover these scammers without the resources used of law enforcement or the government. My guess is they are using a call center’s ability to mask ANI so each of the numbers in the second footnote are fake however the number that called me back today seems real enough. My guess is this person is a sales rep working for the scammer and if anyone presses “1” during the initial robocall they get a notification and call back.

[1] http://wtkr.com/2013/02/28/woman-says-scammers-tried-to-use-the-fbi-to-trick-her/

[2] 4047210540 http://www.findwhocallsme.com/4047210540
347-690-1807 http://www.callercomplaints.com/SearchResult.aspx?Phone=347-690-1807
207-512-2295 http://whocalled.us/lookup/2075122295
207-512-2295 http://whocalled.us/lookup/2075122295
919-249-0360 http://whocalledme.com/PhoneNumber/919-249-0360/page:2
480-999-5639 http://wafflesatnoon.com/2012/03/10/scam-or-legit-free-security-system-for-a-sign-in-my-yard/
702-444-4939 http://wafflesatnoon.com/2012/03/10/scam-or-legit-free-security-system-for-a-sign-in-my-yard/
972-905-6694 http://wafflesatnoon.com/2012/03/10/scam-or-legit-free-security-system-for-a-sign-in-my-yard/
817-725-8612 Received personally by author
309-270-2208 http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/3092702208
973-273-7826 http://www.callercenter.com/973-273-7826.html
701-301-4001 http://www.callercenter.com/701-301-4001.html/2
206-496-0929 http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-206-496-0929/10
253-382-992 http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-206-496-0929/10
503-457-1176 http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-503-457-1176
216-278-0127 http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8d32864d2b535ad/the-fbi-reports-a-break-in-every-15-seconds
612-351-3204 http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8d32864d2b535ad/the-fbi-reports-a-break-in-every-15-seconds
321-800-4409 http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8d32864d2b535ad/the-fbi-reports-a-break-in-every-15-seconds
717-628-7009 http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8d32864d2b535ad/the-fbi-reports-a-break-in-every-15-seconds
727-350-9789 http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8d32864d2b535ad/the-fbi-reports-a-break-in-every-15-seconds

[2] 719-355-6263