State Supported Robbery

Have you heard of State Supported Terrorism? That is when a country or state supports terrorist by giving them moral support or material support to cause terror among the population of another country or group of people. Well I am going to tell you about State Supported Robbery. That is when a country or state support corporations or legal people by giving them legal support to take your money from you without you knowing about it. I am going to give you examples of this crime then I am going to tell you what we are going to do about it.

On March 9, 2010, a member of my family accessed a Jobs website to create a resume and start looking for a job. What they did not know was that when they entered my home phone number the website took that along with information from my computer and sent it to a company called “Teleconnect.” That company charges for message storage services for land line phones. They never contacted me or anyone in my home about starting this service nor did they send information about how to use this service. But the charges for $14.99 per month went on my Verizon Phone Bill. When I got home on April 1st, I opened my Verizon Bill that just came in the mail that day. I noticed that my bill was higher than usual. I make it a habit to check the details of my bills as soon as they come. This is when I noticed the “April Fools” joke that this company was trying to pass by me. I called them immediately and cancelled the service then I complained to them that I don’t appreciate company’s placing charges on my bill without my knowledge. Next I called Verizon and complained to them.

Verizon has a “Block” called a “Carrier Restriction” that you can put on your phone to stop companies from placing charges on your phone without authorization. This type of thief is called is “slamming.”

If the Criminal Corporation or company sends you an email like the one below telling you that you don’t have to contact your local phone company, contact them anyway. Make sure that you place a “Carrier Restriction” or “Block” on your phone.

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Dear ,

At your request, your account with Call Me Central has been cancelled and a refund was issued for on . There is no need to contact your phone company. The account has been cancelled and no further charges will be incurred. Please note that it may take up to two billing cycles to have this credit appear in your phone bill.

If we can be of any further service, please call 800-211-1790, or email us at support@callmecentral.com.

Sincerely,
Call Me Central Customer
Care Call Me Central Services
1601 North Sepulveda Boulevard,
166 Manhattan Beach, California 90266
Toll Free Number 800.211.1790

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Some of you may have experienced companies changing your local or long distance carriers to other services without your knowledge. One unemployed person came to me and asked if I could help find out why their phone bill kept increasing. I reviewed his bill and found that he was paying for $30 of services that he was not using and did not ask for. Over 18 months he paid a total of $540 to corporate thieves.

What can we do about it?

This is “State Supported Robbery.” The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States Government knows that this is going on but they see no reason why they should protect the people against such theft. This is why you have to do something about it.

First contact your phone service provider and place a “Carrier Restriction” on your phone so that no one can place charges on your phone bill without your knowledge. Calling instructions are on your phone bill.

Second contact your state and federal representative and tell them that you want them to pass a law to protect you from “slamming.” Tell them to make “slamming” illegal. Tell them that if they don’t want to protect your money then you will vote for someone who will. This is an election year for many state and federal legislators so use your vote to get what you want. Remember, these same people just gave these same companies your tax money so that they could stay in business. At least your elected officials can do something to keep them from stealing more of your money.

Third, review your phone bill each month and call the phone company if you see charges that you don’t understand or that you did not ask for.

If you live in the City of Harrisburg, these are your political leaders who can do something about this problem!

Pa. State Representative Ron Buxton 512E Main Capitol Building PO Box 202103 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2103; Phone (717) 783-9342; Fax (717) 787-8957

State Senator Jeff Piccola Senate Box 203015 Harrisburg, PA 17120- 3015; Phone (717) 787-6801

US Congressman Tim Holden 1721 North Front Street Harrisburg, PA 17102; Phone (717) 234-5904; FAX: (717) 234-5918

US Senator Arlene Spector 711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING Washington, DC 20510; Phone: (202) 224-4254;

US Senator Bob Casey 393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510; Phone (202) 224-6324

US President Barack H. Obama http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

If you don’t live in the City of Harrisburg or you would like your representatives email address, here are a few websites that can help you find your representatives.

The Pa. State House of Representative’s Website. http://www.house.state.pa.us/

The Pa. State Senate Website http://www.pasen.gov/index.cfm

US House of Representatives http://www.house.gov/

US Senate http://www.senate.gov/

The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/