Paragon Way Inc.

Is a bunch of liars.

 

I get a call last night from Maribell Somethingoranother from Paragon Way Inc.

I can tell from the number, long pause after picking it up, and repeated missed calls during the day it was some kind of telemarketing.

“Hello?”

Silence

“Hello!?!”

Silence.

Hit the phone on the desk…  “Hello!!?!!”

“Yes, is Mr. Joseph… available?”

“Yes.”

“Ok…  May I speak with Mr. Joseph …”

“Yes”

“Are you him?

“Yes”

“Ok…  Sir, I am Maribell with Paragon Way Incorporated and I have some sensitive business information I need to share with you.  I just need to confirm the last 4 digits of your social security number are…”

“I’m not going to confirm any digits of my social security number with you.”

“um, sir, I just need to confirm the last four digits so that I can share some sensitive bus…”

“I’m not going to confirm anything with you.  Who are you?”

“Maribel with Paragon Way inc.”

“That’s fine and good, but how’d you get my name, number, and last 4 digits of my social security number?”

“It’s in relation to the sensitive business information I need to share with you.”

“Ok, give me a number to call you back at so that I know who you are.”

“Ok, you can call blah blah blah, and ask for me”.

“Allright.” [cklick]

[dial, fully expecting a bunch of nothing]

“Pragaon Way Inc, this is blah blah”

“Really?  I need to speak with Maribel.”

“Hold please.”

 

Interesting.  Maybe they’re legit… I’ll play along.

 

“This is Maribel”

“Maribel, this is Joe.  Start talking.”

“Ok, we need to confirm the last 4 digits of your social security number are blahblahblahblah.”

“That’s not my number.”

“No?”

“No.  Let me check my wife…  nope.  Not hers.  Let me check my son, who is also Joseph, but he’s 1 so you can’t talk to him.”

…

“nope.  Not his number either.  How’d you get ahold of us?”

“Can I confirm your address is…  “

[open browser and google Paragon Way]
“Nope.  That’s not my address.  Not even close.”

“Is this your work phone blah blah blah-blahblahblah-blahblahblahblah”

“Nope.  That’s not even close, either.  Are ya’ll a data storage company?”

“No sir.”

“Oh, wait.  It says you’re a debt collection agency.  Is that true?”

“Thank you sir.  I have to go now.”

 

Yea.  That’s what I thought.  You see, several years ago the knuckledragging mouth breathers at Capital One fucked things up and put some douchebag from Alexandria’s bad credit on my report.  Not identity theft, mind you, just an ignorant dumbfuck at a credit card company who can’t read or think.  I had to get that shit cleaned off my report.  And I wasn’t happy about it.  And I hate Capital One.  I’ve never owned a Capital One theft account and never will own a Capital One theft account.

I’m wondering if this has anything to do with that?

Either way, guess who’s pulling a credit report over the weekend.

 

Word to the wise, don’t EVER give out information over the phone unless you call them or you KNOW them to be reputable.  “Sensitive Business Information” that you don’t know about is NOT sensitive business information, it’s a scam.  I was tempted just to tell them “that’s me” to find out what the business info was.  Before I looked them up I thought it was a proxy issue that we keep seeing arrive in our mailbox for some guy who never lived in our house.