I pressed 1 and went through to an operator who said my number had a case looking for "fred flintstone" ... I asked him if he thought I was stupid and he said he'd take my number off the call list

So tonight i get this call from this number saying my name and that its important and to push any buttom on my touch tone phone to speak to an agent. the message was automated number one clue in my brain because if a law office agent want to speak to me i would be getting a real person calling me, number two i live in alberta so its a two hour difference from ontario so they called at 5:47pm my time so thats 7:47pm ontario alittle past close don't ya think. number three when i called the number back they said all there agents were busy and to leave a message and someone will call back, no buisness hours and a message really. im not believing this crap for a min and i even check the natale law office web site and its a little plan jane .

they called me too this morning early at 9am, asking for my birthdate to confirm and whether I recieved a brown envelope in the mail. Whether or not i said no. I also have 1-+1 866-988-0885 call me everyday as well as 'unknown numbers' and 'private numbers'. I do owe a cable company just under $1000, and they outsource their deliquent customers after a while. This allows anyone else to set up shop and say they are collecting on their behalf. This has got to stop. I wonder if they will call me on Christmas too? Upon seeing this other post, I will be reporting them too."My mother just got ANOTHER call from these people. ?I was livid and called the law firm and gave them s**t.  I have also called CRTC - DO NOT CALL LIST (her number was registered) and reported them 1-+1 866-580-3625,then called PHONEBUSTERS - THEY DEAL WITH FRAUDULENT PHONE CALLS 1-+1 888-495-8501 and will be calling THE LAW SOCIETY OF UPPER CANADA 1-+1 800-668-7380 shortly to report them. PLEASE - anyone who gets calls from these morons report them to ALL 3 instituions. Unfortunately, they have probably ripped off countless people and it needs to stop."Thanks for the advice redorangesmiles @ yahoo.com

From the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Affairs Web siteThe Collection Agencies Act prohibits collection agencies from doing certain things.The Ontario Ministry of Government Services consulted the collection industry to develop a standard to be followed by all collectors. Having a standard also allows the public to have a better understanding of what collection agencies can and can't do.The regulations forbid collection agencies from:contacting you until six days have passed from sending you written notice of the following: ? the name of the creditor ? the balance owing ? the name of the agency and its authority to demand paymentcontinuing to contact you if you did not receive the notice unless a second copy of the written notice is sent to an address provided by you, and then contact may only be made six days after sending notice;contacting you if you send a registered letter to the agency saying that you dispute the debt and suggest the matter be taken to court;contacting you if you or your lawyer notify the agency by registered mail to communicate only with your lawyer, and you provide the lawyer's name, address and telephone number;contacting you on Sunday, except between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., and on a holiday;contacting you other than by ordinary mail more than three times in a seven-day period without your consent, once the agency has actually spoken with you;using threatening, profane, intimidating or coercive language, or using undue, excessive or unreasonable pressure;continuing to contact you if you have told them that you are not the person they are looking for unless they take reasonable precautions to ensure you are that person;giving false or misleading information to any person;recommending to a creditor that a legal action be commenced against you without first sending you notice;contacting your employer except on one occasion to obtain your employment information, unless your employer has guaranteed the debt, the call is in respect of a court order or wage assignment or if you have provided written authorization to contact your employer;contacting your spouse, a member of your family or household, or a relative, neighbour or acquaintance except to obtain your address and telephone number unless the person contacted has guaranteed the debt or you have given permission for the person to be contacted.

To represent themselves as a Law Office is a significant breach of, guess what...The Law. So, the Law Society of Ontario should be looking at this and should be subjecting the caller(s) to the usual tests before:

1. Asking the phone companies to close their accounts (which I can only hope are in the private name(s) of the individual(s) involved.
2. Obtain an order preventing them from carrying out this kind of activity or any phone or internet-related, non-opt-in, attempt to infringe on the privacy of Canadian citizens.
3.Cause them to repay any and all communications or other charges incurred by victims of their calling campaign, including regular cell phone charges.
4. Should a practicing lawyer have lent his or her name and professional designation to the effort (for example, a collection agency), determine whether the effort is, in any fashion, in breach of Canada's privacy laws.  This would include both the collection and dissemination of information gathered via this or other campaigns and acquired databases.
5. If found to be allowable under the law, require this agency to identify itself and provide out-out options and confirmation of same on both its call facility and its website.

I called them back on their 866 # from a payphone, so nothing can be tracked or charged back to me.

When they answered, I just said I was calling in response to their message, then hung up.
I called again a minute later, and started a conversation then just left the phone hanging.
Call again, speaking in some made up language.
Call again, and I asked the guy how annoying is it to get nuisance phone calls?

Repeat until you get bored. It's great fun and it costs them money every time you call.