Verizon Conference Call Scam

I dont know where this belongs so am putting it here. I am sick and tired of Verizon's cheating scam of charging $1.50 for a 3 way conference call it does not give date, time, number,or party for, and if call about it they offer to block it but you have to pay, then the second time when you get really mad and threaten to cancel they say they will take it off. But how long before it comes back??? I know no one made these calls. I have 2 numbers yet they attribute all the calls on either line to the main number now, and bills are not as detailed as used to be.
I think they are a buch of liars and cheats and would very much like to find a trustworthy alternative landline service if one even exists.
Does anyone have or know of another landline altenative to Verizon they are happy with, as I would like to terminate my service anyway. I would just cancel it now but that would be punishing myself. Probably nothing to do but get mad but thought I would check to see if suitable alternatives exist. If nyone has Verizon, check to see if any 3-way conference calls for $1.50 appear on their bills. I just got my second one in 3 months today. Now you know why I would not sign up for anything or give Verizon a penny more of my money, or recommend them to anyone, even my enemies.

 

Actually this is not quite fair. I realize though I know I did not make any such calls and I believe my wife did not either, I cannot prove this, nor cannot prove Verizon is dishonest. But the tech told me he would block conference calls and they could not be made unless I called in and removed block, and maybe it is possible for someone to hijack my number, pretend to be me and remove a block, and make 3 way calls from my number that are not identified as to date, time, numbers, but only my phone number as initiating but I have hard time believing this. I have no basis for accusing Verizon of anything but saying they would block and I got a new charge anyway. It is not to my advantage to terminate service though, so will write Verizon, explain, and request investigation. But still, anyone with Verizon land line may be subject to whatever happened, so watch those bills for 3 way calls you did not make. Realize I was unfair and do not wish to be.

 

Thanks Cindy. You always give me good answers. Glad to hear from you. I am a big cynic and have suspicion of everything, and I have seen on 6abc news about checking your phone bills for all sorts of unwarranted charges. So first time in January I found a 3 way conference call that Verizon could not give me any more info about than to say it was made from my phone. He said he would block future ones for free and I would have to call in to remove block if I wanted to make this sort of call. So I was outraged when got one this month and decided the technique of losing my temper would bring results, as I have witnessed many time. So I went ballistic at Billing clerk who removed the charge. Then had a conscience attack at the end and apologized, though said I was no less angry or serious.
But then I realized it COULD be and likely WAS a scam and if complained loudly enough they were authorized to erase the charge. But I know nothing about phone technology and I supposed someone could possibly hijack the number and my account, route it through Verizon and actually make a call that seemed to come from my phone.
Next I plan to write a civilized letter snail mail to Verizon CEO and explain, and also call tech support and make sure block is on both phone lines, and ask why all calls are attributed to main number, and not the second line number that made the calls. I am really not as bad a person as I sometimes sound, and I want to do what is right, not make accusations that I cannot prove. I do know these calls were not made from my phones though. I will post back if I receive any more insight. Once again, thanks for hearing me and replying, and perhaps even agreeing with me a little.

 

Surely if they have a so called record of these calls supposedly from your phone, they surely must have some record of who they were made to?

If this is a scam by Verizon, they must be pulling it off with thousands more customers and if so the authorities should be made aware, police etc.
However, it is a bit more likely it is some individual is hacking into your line and again that should be investigated too.

Nev.

 

I truly thought I would be labeled insane if I posted I thought my phone line was hijacked. Then came an awakening today when I googled phone land line hijacking, and could not believe not only the possibility but the apparent widespread occurence of such. Now I am not sure just what to do.

 

Some many years ago they introduced the cordless phones for home use, you just picked up the handset off the base station, wandered off into the kitchen or some other room, dialled your friend or whoever and it was a fairly low powered AM or FM radio signal between the handset and the base station.
It became quite common for near neighbours to accidentally dial a number which actually went through the neighbours phone system if the neighbours handset hadn't been replaced properly. Also folks with the right radio receivers could easily listen in to your calls too.
Now with mobile phones and even microwave links for even the so called land line phones, those who know the technology can easily hack your telephone.

 

Update: I called Verizon billing. Got a very helpful persson who explained that if person ahngs up a call and quickly dials another before the equipment can end the call, then it can look like a 3 way call to the equipment which generates a charge even though it is not a legitimate actual 3 way call. I suppose I could have made error like this, and will be sure not to in future. But this does not prove I actually did this and even so, what happened to the block the first person said he was putting on that should have prevented it?
Then was told it couldnt be hijackers for there would be no benefit in doing this. How can she know what a hijackerwill or wont do and whether there is benefit? Maybe he is practicing to perfect technique. And I guess Privacy Act COULD be a reason for phone bills becoming less informative as to dates, times, numbers. I appreciated the explanation and gave her a good rating for why make enemies, and have her get angry and remove the blocks she said she put on both lines. And do I believe this? I believe companies will do whatever they have to to serve their own needs and tell me whatever they have to to string me along. This does not prove to me there is no scam, no hijacker, or even that a block really exists. Time will tell. Now awaiting a call from Verizon executive relations for land lines which I may or may not answer. I still would not sign up with verizon for any services or trade off Comcast for Verizon. I still think Verizon is trying to get everyone on Fiber lines, giving less info on its bills, and who knows what else. And they have nerve when I am calling in to solve a problem trying to give me sales pitches for FiOs, TV, Cable, Internet, and whatever. I would be happy if these blocks work and I never have any of these calls appear on my bill again. Just try Googling Verizon sometime. Can people be imagining or making this all up?

 

A final note. After far too much interaction with Verizon, which has been my phone service for 30 years since moving here, I have concluded that this issue is not hacking, hijacking, errors, scamming, incompetence, but simply a shrewd strategy to make me call in so they can verify all my account information and present offers and sales pitches since I do not respond to almost daily offers by mail and I ignore any phone calls. They create a false charge so I will call them, then after they verify all my info and give me all the offers and options which I refuse, they "fix" the problem and remove any charges if any. This may seem cynical and paranoid, but this is my present conclusion and belief. On Saturday I got a call saying I had updated my email address and to call if this is mistake. I called, got all the offers, then was told there was NO email on file. Hade to hang up on person before she would stop with the offers, options, and high pressure, despite my repeating I was not interested. The only real problem here is Verizon itself and its strategy to get people who dont respond to letters to call in and get the sales pitches.

 

I am now convinced this is a Verizon scam but not to get false payment or hijack my phone. Rather, judging from the amount of almost daily mail and now email offers I get, along with 90% of my phone calls being used to give me offers and options and ask why I dont want all these 'better' things until I just say "I have to go now" and hang up on them, I believe they put a small untrue unexplained charge on bill just so customer will call in and they can high pressure pitch attempt to seel them on all their offers when they do. Then they "fix" the charge by removing it or saying they block it. They told me they did not have an email address for me when I called to inquire, yet now I am getting email offers every few days. Probably using an email address off of my complaints. have had Verizon phone for around 30 years and I am not planning to cancel it but NO MORE OFFERS PLEASE, and NO MORE SERVICES. Just dont trust them or like them.

 

That is only part of the reason I left Verizon. T-Mobile might not have as wide of coverage but I have had no issues even with a move across the Country and even constantly using GPS NAV.. So damned glad I left Verizon.