I noticed my phone bill this month was higher that normal, so I looked through the pages and found a charge for $14.95 (. 93) tax for a total of $15.88 - from ESBI for "Fax Service Monthly Fee."
So I called ESBI at 1-888-300-3724 and asked what this is for? The lady was nice and said it was for "enhanced network service." I told her it stated "Fax" service and that we don't even HAVE a fax machine!
I asked some questions and I was told that on 12-28-08 that they received a request online for this service from an email address that my husband hasn't had in years and they said they were given his mother's maiden name as such and such which was not even what it is! They gave the name as a shortened version of my husband's first name only. Of course, I did not give them any correct information.
This is what I told them:
1. I did not authorize this charge
2. It is fraudulent
3. I will not pay it
I was given a confirmation number and was told that it would be removed in 1-2 billing cycles. I told them as far as I was concerned, it was being removed immediately!
I called Embarq and told them how I was upset that they would let this get done, and they said unfortunately it is legal... Some loophole in the law that goes back to the days when people could charge collect calls to their phone number. They said to deduct the total amount from my current phone bill and they would put ESBI's charges in dispute and that it would not affect my local phone service. The man at Embarq said that this happens all the time and that they deal with calls like mine hundreds of times at day. He did tell me to make sure that I kept the confirmation number and date I talked to ESBI.
I'll call Embarq and get a block on third-party charges.
I feel so sorry for the many people who have been/will be scammed by these people!
I don't know how the people who work at ESBI sleep at night, but I guess liars and thieves get used to it.
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