Weird Call from SE

[JustMeAgain]

This afternoon my phone rang and the caller ID said 'private'. I answered and it was someone from Smoking Everywhere wanting to know if I was satisfied with their product.

I have never bought anything from SE. I told him that I had a couple of ecigs, but nothing from their company, and I asked where he'd gotten my name and number. He said he didn't know how I'd gotten on his list.

I told him that if he wanted to send me one for free, I'd be glad to tell him what I thought of it, but other than that I couldn't help him. He offered to send me one for $20.00 - I asked what was in the kit and he said 1 battery, 1 atty, a charger & carts. The only kits I've seen from SE were around $150, and here's this guy offering one for $20.00?

I asked for his name & phone number, which he gave me. Then I called the number to see if it was really SE or some scam and it was the number for SE.

Kinda made me wonder if they were trying to dump inventory because of the lawsuit.....or am I just being paraniod?

But unless there's a vendor sharing a mailing list, how on earth would he know I even had an ecig. That can't be a coincidence....where I live, no one - and I really mean no one - has even heard of vaping.

So how else would he have found me?

 

[Chrissie]

I've had emails from SE & I've never bought from them either.

 

[Ryle]

This is how... they're watching you!!

 

[happily]

you've got an arrow pointing right at you.......

 

[Chrissie]

ROFL Ryle

 

[Webby]

But unless there's a vendor sharing a mailing list, how on earth would he know I even had an ecig. That can't be a coincidence....where I live, no one - and I really mean no one - has even heard of vaping.

<truncated>

So how else would he have found me?

My guess is someone is using a script to harvest email addresses from the web. It really isn't difficulty to do. HOWEVER it also isn't difficult to spoof phone numbers with a MagicJack and some free phishing software, so I wouldn't place too much credibility on the fact that the number tracked back to SE.

Unsolicited advertising, whether you call it "viral marketing", telemarketing, direct mail, etc. is still an invasion of privacy. If you've never given out your email address (and it isn't in your sig file anywhere) I would confront whomever you DID buy your e-cigs from and ask them point blank how a telemarketer knew your personal consumer habits.

 

[Ryle]

ROFL Ryle

Lol glad I could make you laugh.. was hoping to make the OP laugh too.. maybe cheer em up a bit? As for the phone call...it is a possibility that they may have just been cold calling like EVERYONE in the are with the same script. Or maybe they collected information from sites that do surveys (half of the purpose of survey sites is to collect info for telemarketing companies) or maybe you filled something out a while back about quitting smoking? There are many ways they can get your information.. as for what he had to say.. that could just be their script.. speak to every call asif they had already purchased the product before. I've worked telemarketing pretty much my whole life and the number 1 rule of cold calling is to make the customer think they've bought from you before or have discussed buying from you and were interested, a customer service call is much more well received than a telemarketing call. That way the customer is more likely to hear you out and therefore increases your chances of getting a sale.

 

[JustMeAgain]

Lol glad I could make you laugh.. was hoping to make the OP laugh too.. maybe cheer em up a bit?

you did make me laugh Ryle...gotta love the kitty

I just thought it odd that they had both my name and number. I'm pretty careful about the info I put out there for exactly that reason..to keep my name off the lists b/c I especially hate junk mail....Now that I think about it they would have to contact me as though we had previously done business because we have a 'do not call' list here in Missouri and there's a pretty stiff fine for telemarketers who contact ppl on the list. Just a side note: the politicians did exclude themselves from being on that list, giving them free rein to harass us around election time. I'm sure that comes as a shock. lol

What do you think the deal was with the price? I don't intend to buy from SE, but $20.00 is dirt cheap considering their normal pricing practices.

 

[Tori]

I do not doubt that some of the suppliers have sold our info to other companies... I do believe there was a thread on this awhile back

 

[Rexa]

If he called the number back and it was SE then no spoofing is involved. Spoofcalling only works for caller ID but if you call the number back and it's the same person then no spoofing was involved. Someone showed me call spoofing in person at my job and dialed someone else off his cellphone but making my company's number appear.

That does not mean I find the call regarding the product legitimate or not but just to let you know how spoofing works.

 

[timh]

I too got a call from them today .I have not ever even talked to someone from there. I just told her that I vaped a 510 and left it at that.

 

[Cori]

speak to every call asif they had already purchased the product before. I've worked telemarketing pretty much my whole life and the number 1 rule of cold calling is to make the customer think they've bought from you before or have discussed buying from you and were interested

LOL..I had someone call me last week using this tactic. I called him a liar, told him I've never done business with you, and told him to never call here again. *hey I was cranky what can I say.

 

[Wlfwo]

I got a call from them today also, told them I gave the thing away and I work NIGHTS! I wasn't polite, I'd just gotten to sleep after 23 hours up. Maybe their business is in a slump? Those of us that started there have gone onto better and less expensive products.

 

[twoshadetod]

That or they social engineered the provider and forwarded SE's phone number to one they can answer, or they may have been behind SE's office with alligator clips on the terminals , answering calls before SE could....

I'm just saying...... no I'm joking , in almost all certainty it's them if he called back and reached them.

If he called the number back and it was SE then no spoofing is involved. Spoofcalling only works for caller ID but if you call the number back and it's the same person then no spoofing was involved. Someone showed me call spoofing in person at my job and dialed someone else off his cellphone but making my company's number appear.

That does not mean I find the call regarding the product legitimate or not but just to let you know how spoofing works.

 

[HighTech]

What do you think the deal was with the price? I don't intend to buy from SE, but $20.00 is dirt cheap considering their normal pricing practices.

With the way SE works, in a round about way, they prolly meant $20 for shipping and handling, least that's what you would have probably found on your credit card statement, plus another $100 for product, which they probably don't have and would refuse to issue you a refund.. and.. and..

They are quickly giving the industry a bad rap...

 

[Webby]

If he called the number back and it was SE then no spoofing is involved. Spoofcalling only works for caller ID but if you call the number back and it's the same person then no spoofing was involved. Someone showed me call spoofing in person at my job and dialed someone else off his cellphone but making my company's number appear.

That does not mean I find the call regarding the product legitimate or not but just to let you know how spoofing works.

The telemarketer may or may not work for SE, but I get calls all the time with spoofed numbers. If you call back and get the same person, it obviously wasn't a spoof.

Of course, I could spoof using a legitimate FDA main number and say I was Agent Smith...when you called back you'd get the FDA switchboard operator, not me. Unless you specifically asked for me (assuming I told you my real name and not a common name like David) you'd assume the call was real.

I own an ISP and spammers, phishing and spoofing are a daily PITA for us. I honestly don't doubt it was a KAOS-SE top sekrit agent, but anyone could play up using SE's public numbers counting on you not to investigate it further than glancing down at the caller ID.

 

[JustMeAgain]

KAOS-SE top sekrit agent,

LMAO @KAOS...Maybe he was using shoe phone. Actually, the caller ID said 'Private' and when I called back I got a female receptionist sounding person - I bet it was agent 99.

 

[seminolewind]

This is interesting that several of you have all gotten calls