As I can see now Integretel has been involved for quite some time now preying on unsuspecting folks and fraudulently charging people for 1-900 calls that were never authorized.
To date, I have been falsely charged for over $300 dollars for 1-900 calls that I conclusively never made. I in part blame Integretel for their unethical part in supporting clientele that are obviously amoral ruthless organizations. Though they play a critical role in the scam and are most notably the "front man", we cannot forget about the number of other organizations that are involved in this.integretel simply provides the transport mechanism for these slimy people.in my case their client was:
WSWTEL
PO BOX 53750
San Jose CA 95153-0750
However, there is a third player in this scam... The folks creating the spyware/spydial/malware that forces your system to make these calls. All parties involved must be held responsible.
My experience with Integretel was much the same as everyone else. I call them, they answer politely, tell me what their service is and what the charges are for and I proceed to tell them they I in no shape or way ever authorize these transactions. They say that I must have because there is a splash screen that appears outlining the EULA. At that point I tell them that I am Director of Engineering for an Outsource IT firm and I know exactly what I am clicking on... And there was no cormation page or EULA that ever appeared. Additionally, I let her know politely that I would be investigating this fraud and reporting it further to the appropriate agencies.
At this time she said that she was authorized to take 50% off of the charges if I wished to dispute them. Stunned for a second I clarifeid that she would return $150 and she said she would. I then promptly replied that I in no way incurred these charges and I will dispute all the charges. This time she offered to refund 100% of the charges but it would take 2 to 3 billing cycles for the payment to be refunded to SBC and my account. Flabbergasted at her statement, I clarified her offer, accepted her offer and then proceeded to ask her to explain why exactly she was refunding 100% of the charges. She replied that "she understands that some folks may not know what they are accepting and Integretel wants to have the customers have a positive experience"... You've got to be kidding me!
Lastly, please do register a complaint with the FCC at fcc. Gov/slamming. The FTC has already made an order against Integretel before related to "Internet-based adult entertainment - that the consumers never purchased or authorized", quote from FTC order. See the FTC order at ftc. Gov/opa/11/integretel.htm. This has also been listed as one of the "Law Enforcers Target Top 10 Online Scams", quote by FTC. See ftc. Gov/opa/10/topten.htm for the FTC Top Ten scams list.
Anyways here is the details of the charges that appeared on my phone bill. I will follow this up further as I investigate more.
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