Wachovia keeps calling us - odd message

Forums: Do Not Call List, Phone Scams
Email this Topic • Print this Page

We have been getting this insistent message from Wachovia. It has peeked my curiousity. They leave a message asking for some one with the same last name, but a first name we do not recognize. They say it is Fred's best interest to call back.

One day, the said Fred had to get back to them by 6:00 that evening. Then we get another call a couple of days later. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm thinking of calling back or answering, but hubby thinks they will just try to sell us something.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 9 • Views: 2,688 • Replies: 23

No top replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

We have been getting this insistent message from Wachovia. It has peeked my curiousity. They leave a message asking for some one with the same last name, but a first name we do not recognize. They say it is Fred's best interest to call back.

One day, the said Fred had to get back to them by 6:00 that evening. Then we get another call a couple of days later. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm thinking of calling back or answering, but hubby thinks they will just try to sell us something.

I agree with your hubby.

0 Replies

yep

1 Reply

@JPB,

I was thinking of pretending I was Fred and rattle on like a senile old person just for fun.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

We have been getting this insistent message from Wachovia. It has peeked my curiousity. They leave a message asking for some one with the same last name, but a first name we do not recognize. They say it is Fred's best interest to call back.

One day, the said Fred had to get back to them by 6:00 that evening. Then we get another call a couple of days later. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm thinking of calling back or answering, but hubby thinks they will just try to sell us something.

This is what I do and I'm totally serious. I say

"Who the **** is this?"

Immediately I get better information.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

I work for the credit card arm of a bank; our customers whom are in collections get messages like this. This type of message drives return calls. Our sales reps are unlikely to be left a voicemail; people are not very receptive to machines and sales results suffer, especially after a customer realizes that it was not urgent.

Sounds like Fred fell behind on some payments.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

And if you answer the phone; nothing prevents you from hanging up. I do that all the time.

"yes this is him."
"hi I'm calling about one of our products…"
[click]

no need to be mean or rude, no need to feel stuck on the phone, just simply hang up.

0 Replies

@maporsche,

We've never done business with them before and we donot have a Fred - actually they keep asking for Elmer - the only Elmer I know is Elmer Fudd. But they use our last name. How the devil did they get our phone number with the same last name?

1 Reply

@Linkat,

It's called "skip tracing". There are companies who specialize in tracking people down; they are not 100% accurate of course. This sounds like a trace they messed up.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

We have been getting this insistent message from Wachovia. It has peeked my curiousity. They leave a message asking for some one with the same last name, but a first name we do not recognize. They say it is Fred's best interest to call back.

One day, the said Fred had to get back to them by 6:00 that evening. Then we get another call a couple of days later. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm thinking of calling back or answering, but hubby thinks they will just try to sell us something.

Call them. If they try to sell you something then say no and hang up.

The problem is if you leave it alone to fester and it turns out that someone has stolen one of your financial identities or something. Or maybe this Fred had written the wrong phone number (say off by a single digit).

What I'd do is call Wachovia directly from a customer service phone number online and circumnavigate this suspect number. And to find out what's going on and if the messages are from an actual Wachovia source.

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

I'll do that. I will check - the spy feature on our phone does note this as Wachovia, but who knows what is accurate. I don't have the number here at work - I'll bring it in and do a search on the phone number and then call the customer service number at Wachovia.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

I was thinking of pretending I was Fred and rattle on like a senile old person just for fun.

That maybe cathartic and fun to do but really don't do it. Get to the bottom of the problem. If the bank is the one making a mistake, let them know about it then let them make their own bed. Then wash your hands clean of the whole thing.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Since they are a financial institution, I might assume that "Fred" "Elmer" or whoever owes some money or something. I have had similar calls that were not for me from account recovery agencies and I called them and advised that they had the wrong party. End of calls.

2 Replies

@Intrepid,

Well that is just too damn easy. I prefer complications

0 Replies

@Linkat,

I get voicemails all the time. Your credit balance is this.... you owe that much.... they have my name right too. Only thing is, they are guessing that I have outstanding credit card balances, or a loan, or a car, or a mortgage, or something else that they can get their hooks into and try to talk me into a financial product they are trying to sell. Often these calls are automated and recordings and rarely is there an actual person at the other end of the line. Once I picked up and got a live person (rare) and she basically told me that she could reduce my mortgage. I asked her how she knew I had a mortgage and she started prattling about the records and files she had on me, then she told me I could combine my car loan and mortgage and cut my credit card bill. I let her prattle on a little more and then asked her to give me specific numbers on my loans and outstanding debt and she threw out bullshit numbers. I finally informed her she was a liar and none of the information she professed to know about me was true. I told her to go sell her snake oil somewhere else, that I wasn't buying. See the thing is they use numbers pulled from statistics - eg. the average household has $5,000 in credit card debt, or a mortgage of $150,000, or whatever. They try to make it sound like they have real information and they know nothing.

0 Replies

Just looked them up - apparently this is their auto finance area - I think Elmer has not been making his payments and they are planning on repossing his car. I might have to call to make sure they don't try to take one of ours!

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Wait a minute - I looked up the number and now it says Western Financial Services?

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Western etc. are all part of the same company under Wells Fargo. Some of their mergers are to be complete by next month.

0 Replies

@Intrepid,

I called just the main number today, as I deleted out all the messages. I got a customer rep and while she was searching for Elmer I said I'd assume Elmer hasn't been making his payments - she said "Bingo!" I told her the only Elmer I know is Elmer Fudd which she completed the punch line and "he's out hunting rabbits."

I did let her know that this was a new number for us - only a few months old; which is true and she said it was probably an old numer of his. Quite a coincidence as Elmer shares the same last name. I didn't tell her this as I didn't want her to have any of our information - I just stated there is no Elmer at this number.

Hopefully this solves one of our many many calls we do not receive.

I'm also guessing that the 6pm the other day was so he wouldn't have his car repossessed.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

This call at the outset would have saved you a lot of grief Smile

Glad that it is over.

1 Reply

Wachovia keeps calling us - odd message

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know