UPDATE! New call recorded 22/May/2008 (original call below)
By popular request, a shorter slightly less dull version of the above (note that this is still sequentially linear, but the middle section where I’m stringing the bloke along has been chopped out).
I manage to get a little information out of them. And can you believe, apparently people are rude to the advisors…imagine that! I’ll be honest, it gets a bit dull in the middle, but I haven’t edited anything out in case then info is useful to someone. I just had to keep it going. If you get bored, drag the slider to about 11 minutes.
The incoming caller ID was 0012317322143 which is from Michigan in the good old US of A. When they called back, it was from 0800 6943328 which appears to be Financial Services Data Management (F.S.D.M.) based in Swansea.
Apologies for the quality, it was their end not mine.
UPDATE 18/06/2008
I just got a call from 08006943328 - spoke to a Welsh bloke who actually seemed quite nice. He was just qualifying the leads, and I didn’t have time to be put through. But he’s definitely in the wrong job. He seemed quite earnest and genuine…if only he knew the cack he was selling!
The interesting this is that last week I got a call telling me I had received a free cruise to Nassau, Bahamas (all I had to do was pay taxes, charges and get myself to Florida!). I gave them a false name, and they asked me various questions about whether I drove a car, had a credit card, what age I was etc.
So, I can be pretty certain that UK Debt Information Line / FSDM are buying leads from the company that did the “free” cruise.
See also
http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/free-imperial-majesty-nassau-cruise
The original call that started it all…
Fortunately, I was near a PC when I got this automated phone call. It said to press 5 if I wanted to speak to someone about my debt. In the UK, this form of random dialling is illegal, so I thought I’d try to find out a little more. And get some revenge at the same time!
You can hear him trying not to laugh at one point. Altogether a bit odd.
The address he gives is C2/111, West Enclave, Pitampura, New Delhi 11003
There is no UK Debt Information Line I can find on Google.
While I’m here, http://whocallsme.com/ was a great source of info the help me track two other “cold calling” numbers which call, but there is no-one at the other end. 08453723709 - Space Kitchens and 08451309405 - GE Capital Finance.
Both now reported.
Got a call here this afternoon from 01634 386678 was by the phone this time, but got cut off as soon as I answered it.
I phoned OFCOM on 020 7981 3040 who then gave me a reference number. Once you have this number (and only then) you call BT on 0800 731 2762. BT then tell you that there’s nothing illegal in getting 5 calls a day with no-one at the other end. Annoying, but not illegal. However, if you are with BT, they will offer you 3 months free service of Choose to Refuse, which works well. They also suggested calling the TPS, especially if you are registered with them: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/
They are based in Sevenoaks, Kent. Here are there details: http://www.brownbook.net/business/47917/cost-u-k-ltd
Forum for this number: http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/01634386678
Does anyone want to grab a mic and, get them back and post a link to the recording here? :)
The UK’s security is at risk because of a national loss of self-confidence, a leading defence think tank says.
The Royal United Services Institute says Britain has become a “soft touch” because of divisions over its national aims, values and political identity.
Rusi attacks “misplaced deference to ‘multiculturalism‘” and failure to “lay down the line” to immigrants.
Click to read full article . There’s a link to another article, and although I stopped listening to Cameron right after he started wibbling on about “hugging a hoodie”, he has a good point here:
Muslim extremists are often the “mirror image” of the BNP, seeking out grievances to promote an “us and them” society, says David Cameron.
To resist extremists of all sides, he said Britain must remove the “five barriers” dividing society.
These are uncontrolled immigration, extremism, multiculturalism, poverty and “educational apartheid”, he says.
It’s all so obvious! While we’re on the subject of embracing other cultures, I see the religion of peace is and tolerance is sharing more love….
The DAB downfall continues: two more national DAB stations close, making 5 national stations closing so far this year in total.
What have I got against DAB? Nothing, as far as the idea goes. But the marketing was all wrong - it was a couple of years before they were banned from using misleading phrases like “CD quality”.
For me, radio is about price, portability, reception and quality. I listen to Radios 1 and 4, and the football on local radio , so no need for DAB. The sound is better on FM, my batteries last 12 hours not 2, and my excellent high sensitivity Sony mini radio is £20 not £80 (for a low-quality pocket DAB).
(As it happens, I just bought a wi-fi radio for £49 - now THAT is a whole different kettle of fish - report coming soon)
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it lovingly with seed. It was indeed a beautiful bird feeder.
Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the bird shit. It was everywhere; on the patio tile, the chairs, the table … everywhere! Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn’t even sit on my own back porch anymore.
So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be … quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now let’s see ….
Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegal’s came by the millions.
Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 or more families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by a doctor in an emergency room because it is filled with illegals; your child’s class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn’t speak English.
Breakfast cereal now comes in a bilingual box; I have to ‘press one’ to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than ‘The Union Jack’ are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Its just my opinion but: maybe, just maybe, it’s time for the government to take down the damn bird feeder.
Very brave:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/13/muhammadcartoons
Danish newspapers today reprinted a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, a day after three people were arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the man who drew it.
When the image was originally printed by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper as part of a series of 12 in 2005, it sparked global protests and violent demonstrations in Muslim countries.
The newspaper reprinted the cartoon today, saying it wanted to show its commitment to freedom of speech after yesterday’s arrests.
“We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper will always defend,” Berlingske Tidende, based in Copenhagen, said.
I found this to be such a useful guide, and it took me so long to find it, I’m reproducing it here in case the original site goes. (hope the author doesn’t object, again, this isn’t my own work)
Here’s how to record your Mac’s audio for free. Lotsa steps, but remember that some of this stuff is one time only :)
1. Download Soundflower. Drag the Soundflowerbed app into your Applications folder, then run the installer that’s also in the disk image (do it in that order because the installer will require a reboot, and otherwise you’d have to open up the disk image a second time just to grab Soundflowerbed).
2. Grab a copy of Audacity if you don’t already have a recording app you like.
3. Launch Soundflowerbed, so that it’s in your menu bar. You can always add it to your login items if you use it regularly.
4. Launch Audio MIDI Setup, in your Application/Utilities folder. Under the Audio Devices tab, set the default output to Soundflower (2ch).
5. Go up to the Soundflowerapp menu and tick “Built-in Audio” (or whatever you normally use) under the 2ch section. Toggle this between that and None, while any old app that makes sound is running, to verify that audio is being sent there (because the output cuts in and out).
6. Launch Audacity. In its preferences, under the Audio I/O tab, set the playback device to built-in audio and the recording device to Soundflower (2ch).
7. You’re ready to record. Audacity will turn off Soundflower monitoring as soon as you hit the record button, and instead send its own monitoring out to the speakers (but since Soundflower is its input, it’s all the same stream to your ears). After you’re done recording, you can re-enable direct Soundflower monitoring again from its menu.
All that’s easier done than said, it’s really just a few clicks if you take the explanation out of the way. :D
8. When you’re done capturing, you can put things back to normal back in Audio MIDI Setup.
Over in Audio MIDI setup, one of the things you can do is set Soundflower to be both the default input and output, then Soundflowerbed will let you monitor through the real speakers.
Talking of useful apps, Cyberduck beats every other ftp app I’ve tried.
This is the logo of Haringey Council, one of London’s roughest boroughs.
