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AnnInLa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 09:16 AM
Original message
Bill Collectors about to call your cell phone
Bill collectors about to call your cell

Bill collectors are trying to make it legal for them to repeatedly call your cell phone to try and collect a debt. The justification is that people usually give a cell phone number as a contact when they hire a service or conduct business. This law is probably going to go through, so Clark has a suggestion for you. Many people no longer have a home phone number so they give out their cell phones. But there is a way to give out a home phone number that doesn’t cost you a thing. Lycos is offering free home phone numbers that are answerable through your computer. So, check it out and give companies that number instead. Also, if you’re being harassed by a bill collector, your greatest ally is your answering machine. Record these calls and tell the bill collector that because you are required to. And, you can be sure the collector will start to behave or just hang up all together when you tell them that. It is against the law for bill collectors to harass you, so don’t take it.

http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/index.html
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MadHound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 09:21 AM
Response to Original message
1. Better yet, just turn off your cell phone
Even better, simply ditch your cell phone. Those goddamn things are nothing but tracking beacons, broadcasting your position wherever you go. Here in Missouri, we now have a pilot program that "monitors traffic" through the use of the GPS chip in your cell phone. Not only can it tell where you are, down to the yard, but also how fast you're moving.

Cell phones have their uses, but their cons started outweighing the pros long ago, and with shit like this, it's only getting worse. Ditch the cell unless you absolutely have to have one. Your life will be a whole lot easier and simpler.
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Protagoras Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 09:25 AM
Response to Reply #1
3. We'd be a lot healthier mentally if we'd start untethering ourselves
from these little electronic leashes. It's certainly a convenience, but at the point where we can't take a 5 minute trip to the store or SIT IN THE FRIGGIN BATHROOM without babbling nonesense on one we've clearly lost control of the technology. But that's nothing new to us...we're getting real good at creating little novelties that we don't even begin to understand the implications of.

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0007 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:26 AM
Response to Reply #3
9. Many drivers like to talk and fuck up traffic - the cell phone
mentality is crazy.
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:08 AM
Response to Reply #1
4. Wrap your cellphone in aluminum foil to avoid being tracked n/t
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converted_democrat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:20 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. My sarcasm meter seems to be broken today.. Is that for real, or just for
Edited on Thu Apr-20-06 10:22 AM by converted_democrat
laughs?
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MadHound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:22 AM
Response to Reply #4
7. Better yet, just remove the battery
And replace it when you have to use it.

And even better still, don't have a cell phone period:shrug:
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 11:07 AM
Response to Reply #7
11. Constantly removing and replacing the battery is bad for the phone
At the very least, it will wear-out the retaining clip that keeps the battery from falling off the phone.
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:23 AM
Response to Reply #4
8. I think that would probably work...
I had 3 drivers with cell phones I could track, unless they were in an aluminum roofed building.
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 11:06 AM
Response to Reply #8
10. I tested it myself. It works.
Easiest way is to take a large plastic cup and line the inside with foil, and then put the cup in your vehicle's cup holder.

A single layer of foil is enough to completely block the signal.

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AnnInLa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 11:31 AM
Response to Reply #10
12. pardon my ignorance, but can you receive calls
when your phone is "wrapped" like this? when you take your phone out of the cup to make a call, isn't your position immediately available again? thanks
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Ian David Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 11:33 AM
Response to Reply #12
13. No, you can't make or receive calls while your phone is wrapped...
And yes, your position will be known again once you unwrap to place a call.

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gatorboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 09:24 AM
Response to Original message
2. Thank God I still don' t know how to use that damn thing.
:P
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mdmc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-20-06 10:10 AM
Response to Original message
5. thanks for the info and link
such a shame that i need it.:cry:
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mdmc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Apr-21-06 05:35 PM
Response to Reply #5
14. bookmark
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mdmc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Apr-22-06 12:02 PM
Response to Original message
15. where is the free phone number lycos info
:kick:
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