Complaint Rating:

* Names changed to protect privacy* While having dinner at my parents one night in March 2008, my dad (who is hard of hearing) answers a phone call. They ask for my mother but only as Mrs. Smith. My dad asked "do you want Jane?" The man on the line never identified himself, only stated he was from United Magazine Service & that it is b/c she is in collections for a magazine subscription she hasn't paid from 2006. My mom gets on the line and tells him she has never had a subscription to any magazine. She tried to get the name of the magazine(s) and all he would say was it was special deal f0r 3 magazines & didn't have the names. Then he tried to convince her to pay right then with a credit card or her credit score would be affected. He said this a number of times and she refuses. At this point, I knew a scam was happening so I got on the line and listened in. WHen I asked him for his name he freaked out and asked" How many people are on this line". He did give us his name, David Johnson. We informed him that he would have to send us something in the mail before we would pay and refused to give our address since they should have it in their file. She never received anything.
But the story continues...
May 2008 I happen to be at my parents dropping off some things while they were out. I answered the phone and they asked for Brenda. I said this is she. He said that he was calling in regards to my unpaid magazine subscription. I asked for the company & his name-again it was United Magazine Service & it was David again. I made sure not to specify my last name or give away anything he could play off of. When I asked for the names of the magazines he again said it was a set of 3 & didn't have the names. When I asked for the address on the subscriptions, he acted like he was looking it up & put me on "hold" but he couldn't provide it. I asked when this subscription was started since I was only visiting and haven't live there in years. He asked when I moved before he answered and i said a few years. Then he said I started this in 2004, which informed him I haven't lived here in over 10 years so how can that be? and also how come i haven't received one magazine at this address then? He was unable to answer any 0f my question and would keep steering the conversation to "are you goingto pay today with a credit card? if not this will affect your credit score when it is reported" I informed him No payment since i never received the product and they can send me the paper work if they want payment. He kept pushing the "credit score" issue and I could tell was getting agitated I wouldn't comply. I finally told him that he can go ahead and do what he had to and I hung up. Later when I told my parents, my mom said someone had called earlier in the week asking for Brenda and she said I wasn't there so it shows how persistant they are by trying to reach me again there.
I am so thankful I had gotten emails about scams that try to get you to give personal info over the phone otherwise parents (who weren't aware of these scams) could have gotten sucked in if I wasn't there and that I was visiting when I did in May to catch them and realize it was the same guy & company as before. Everyone should be aware of these scams!!