Re: OT: Landline Phone Service Scams?

Per (Pete Cresswell):
>the context of scams?

A strawman:

This is probably *not* a scam because
-----------------------------------------
- The amount is so piddling. Six bucks and change.
- Integretel sounds like a sort of clearinghouse for small entities what want tb
able to bill through people's phone bills.
- Given above, whoever did the deed wouldn't even get six dollars after
Integretel's cut. I'd think five absolute max...maybe less.
- At five dollars a hit, to get a thousand dollars, you'd have to attack 200
people.
- Not to sound arrogant, but in the context of prison time, a thousand dollars
is chickenfeed.
- To get enough money to hire decent lawyer, how many bogus charges would you
have to generate? 200,000? a half-million?
- At 200,000 or a half-million you're into the territory where you're virtually
assured of angering somebody who either knows somebody in a regulatory agency or
is so psycho that they'll pursue to the ends of the earth over less than ten
bucks.
--------------------------------------------

Thoughts?
--
PeteCresswell

In <5vip211gbbieno192ggd1lil0vlje3fguq@4ax.com> "(Pete Cresswell)" <x@y.z.invalid> writes:


>This is probably *not* a scam because
>-----------------------------------------
>- The amount is so piddling. Six bucks and change.
>- Integretel sounds like a sort of clearinghouse for small entities what want tb
>able to bill through people's phone bills.

err, once again, I advise you to take a look through the
various FTC settlements against Integretel. And then
at all the other court actions.

Hold your nose, first.

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

Per danny burstein:
>err, once again, I advise you to take a look through the
>various FTC settlements against Integretel. And then
>at all the other court actions.
>
>Hold your nose, first.


I've been through a few of them. But if these guys are just the middlemen
("agregators"?) for millions of transactions I'd think that being the fall guy
for the bad guys just goes with the territory - sort of like an ISP getting hit
because some of it's clients send emails with obscene content...going after the
source is like trying to attack a swarm of gnats with a hammer...but going after
the middleman gives a more workable target.

I'm not trying to stand up for these guys...I was one of the targets....just
trolling for all sides of the picture.

I also think there's plenty room for a middle-ground scenario.... analogous to a
fence, stolen goods, and thieves. The fence doesn't steal anything - and
doesn't want to know where the stuff came from....but you know that in his heart
he knows.... but he's making good money, the thieves have a place to unload
their stuff... and the fence can stand up and indignantly proclaim that he knows
nothing.... but really he's in it right up to his neck.
--
PeteCresswell

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> This is probably *not* a scam because
> -----------------------------------------
> - At five dollars a hit, to get a thousand dollars, you'd have to attack 200
> people.

How long do you think it would take a properly set-up machine to dial
200 pagers?

My impression is that Integretel, among others, specializes in this sort
of thing; "hosting" for outrageously overpriced "call services".

Per clifto:
>How long do you think it would take a properly set-up machine to dial
>200 pagers?
>
>My impression is that Integretel, among others, specializes in this sort
>of thing; "hosting" for outrageously overpriced "call services".

I'd like to hear a lawyer weigh in on this.

After reading Cranky Dude's account, it sounds like free money to me.


--
PeteCresswell