Complaint Review: Pacific Telecom Communications Group

Dear Deeply concerned.   Please contact me on a one time email addess that I have established at (((REDACTED)))    I've done some extensive research on this scam and have additional information I would like to share with you in an effort to put these scammers out of business.    I have already filed reports with the FCC and the PUC in Texas and would like to compare notes and see if we are in fact tracking this back to the same individuals so I can ensure my report to the Attorney General in Texas is as accurate as possible.

Thanks a ton for your detailed post.

REPORT THEM TO THE FTC AS SUGGESTED ABOVE. THIS IS THE REPORT WE FILED BELOW. WE BELIEVE THEIR SOLE PURPOSE IS TO STEAL CREDIT CARD NUMBERS AND OR COMMIT IDENTITY THEFT.

We believe that Pacific Telecomm Communications Group Inc. (PTCG) is a bogus telephone company that is using the authority granted to it by multiple states to perpetuate massive credit card fraud/identity theft across the nation while violating Federal Do Not Call statues.
PTCG is a suspicious company that has applied to the Oregon, North Dakota, Washington and Montana Public Utility Commissions (and maybe more) and been granted a Certificate of Authority to Provide Telecomm Services as a Competitive Telecomm Provider (see examples below).  In the submitted PUC applications PTCG has used different business addresses located in either Nevada or southern California. The Southern California address appears to be located in an alley without any legitimate storefront. The names on the applications all have the same last surname, but the titles are different. When complaint calls are made by consumers to PTCG, or the purported telemarketing firms using the phone lines that PTCG controls, they are ultimately ignored. We suspect PTCG is committing credit card fraud/identity theft and violating Federal Do Not Call statues on a massive scale. There are multiple blogs kept on the internet where consumers can log complaints regarding unsolicited telemarketing calls. The blogs associated with area code 917 prefix 220 are one of many controlled by PTCG and contain hundreds of complaints (see list below) but all with common themes. First, many of these consumers are registered in the Federal Do Not Call registry and are being called in violation of Federal law. Second, that the names and products of the purported companies making the phone calls are constantly changing which suggests they are not legitimate. Third, the focus of these calls is to gain credit card or other personal information used for identity theft.  Based on these blogs, and complaints we have heard from consumers about these calls, we suspect that credit card fraud/identity theft is being committed on a large, national scale, by well organized criminals operating PTCG.

PUC Applications submitted by PTCG.

http://apps.puc.state.or.us/edockets/srchlist.asp?chkOpen=open&Company=8500
http://www.psc.nd.gov/telecom/1900000000149.html
http://wutc.wa.gov/rms2.nsf/0/A7E87B94C569A241882577CB005FF87D/$file/101378%2BUpdated%2BRegistration.pdf
North Dakota Information
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-701-509-8703/33
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-701-625-5444
 
 Incorporation
 
http://www.nvannualreport.com/entities-DPC-PACIFIC-TELECOM-COMMUNICATIONS-GROUP.aspx
http://www.nvannualreport.com/entities-DLLC-PACIFIC-TELECOM-GROUP-LLC.aspx
 
Better Business Bureau Complaints Washington State and Montana
http://spokane.bbb.org/article/406-being-used-by-call-centers-to-make-questionable-pitches-nationwide-406-948-8156-28395
http://savannah.bbb.org/article/406-being-used-by-call-centers-to-make-questionable-pitches-nationwide-406-948-8156-28994

Some more info about scammer Stephen Hamilton.  The company registed address on Venice Blvd is a run down crappy apartment in LA - look it up on Google maps.  The company as you mentioned previously is also registered to the following address in LA - which  appears to be owned by Mr. Hamilton - if sending correspondence I would suggest this address.

3721 Ocean View Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90066

Owner: STEVE ANDELA HAMILTON FAMILY TRUST HAMILTON TRS EST

Total land value: $365,218

Total building value: $241,978

Total value for property: $607,196

Recording date:

07/30/2008

Year built: 1940

Effective year built: 1943

Area of property: 1,159 square feet

Assessment for fiscal year: 2008/2009

Yes Mr. Hamilton is a real piece of S_it.   Here is the phone # I have for him that goes to the Venice Blvd. address in Los Angeles.   (310) 895-0574.   The automated answer recording actually says - Stephen Hamilton.  

Feel free to call him repeatedly and often to harrass him right back.  His sleazy scammer company, who I have never done business with nor would I need to, (I have zero credit card debt) continues to call me on my private unlisted home and cell numbers.   Both of my numbers have been listed on the national do not call list for 5+ years.   His company Card Services is clearly attempting to prey on those in bad shape financially and rip them off of the credit card and/or bank information.  There must truly be a special place in H_ll for people like this.

Additional originating robo telemarketing #'s that I have which belong to him are:

503-468-5545

971-220-1984

360-529-6190

I have reported him to the PUC, FCC, and the Attorney General of my State.   PUC and FCC have been worthless.  Anyone have any ideas on how we can shut this piece of garbage down?  I have spoken to folks at the legitimate Pacific Telecom (the telecommunications provider) and International Telco - both of which have had to deal with angry consumers attempting to chase this moron down.

If so, feel free to email me at (((REDACTED))) to coordinate how to find the appropriate information to turn over to the police, etc. to have him put away.  Will continue to share what I have and post here as well.

Yes Mr. Hamilton is a real piece of S_it.   Here is the phone # I have for him that goes to the Venice Blvd. address in Los Angeles.   (310) 895-0574.   The automated answer recording actually says - Stephen Hamilton.  

Feel free to call him repeatedly and often to harrass him right back.  His sleazy scammer company, who I have never done business with nor would I need to, (I have zero credit card debt) continues to call me on my private unlisted home and cell numbers.   Both of my numbers have been listed on the national do not call list for 5+ years.   His company Card Services is clearly attempting to prey on those in bad shape financially and rip them off of the credit card and/or bank information.  There must truly be a special place in H_ll for people like this.

Additional originating robo telemarketing #'s that I have which belong to him are:

503-468-5545

971-220-1984

360-529-6190



I have reported him to the PUC, FCC, and the Attorney General of my State.   PUC and FCC have been worthless.  Anyone have any ideas on how we can shut this piece of garbage down?  I have spoken to folks at the legitimate Pacific Telecom (the telecommunications provider) and International Telco - both of which have had to deal with angry consumers attempting to chase this moron down.



If so, feel free to email me at (((REDACTED))) to coordinate how to find the appropriate information to turn over to the police, etc. to have him put away.  Will continue to share what I have and post here as well.

I received a robo-call on 11/11/11 from a company calling itself "card
services".  When I asked the representative for their business location,
the representative refused to give the information and hung up the
phone.

The pitch was that they were looking for consumers with at least one
credit card account in good standing who wanted to lower their interest
rates.  Presumably, after phishing the necessary identity theft
information, they would hit the valid credit card with fraudulent
charges.

Any business that does not supply basic business information when asked is a sham operation.

I did further research.  The company is a Nevada corporation registered
1/13/2009, although they did not register to do business in California
until 9/2/2011 (according to the records of the CA Sec'y of State).  The
business name "card services" is not  registered as a dba in Los
Angeles county, their listed place of business.

They are registered as a telecom company with the state of Washington.  The Washington Secretary of state lists them as a CA corporation, and their registration in that state expired 7/31/2011.

Their registered CA business address is 3721 OCEAN VIEW AVE, LOS ANGELES CA 90066.  Agent for service of process is Steve Hamilton, 12228 VENICE BLVD STE 559, LOS ANGELES CA 90066

Thier attorney (according to the Washington regulatory filing), Michael
Pittman, is also the corporate secretary.  A search of theCalifornia state bar
listings indicates that the only Michael Pittman practicing in the state
works for a Long Beach firm at a different address and phone number
than that listed in the regulatory filing.  This appears to indicate that the
corporate secretary may have held himself as an attorney while not being
admitted to practice in California.  More research on this point is
needed.

Pacific Telecom Communications group controls the following blocks of phone numbers:

Area Code   Exchange

206                 496
253                 246-8xxx
253                 382-8xxx
360                 328-8xxx
360                 474-3xxx
360                 529-6xxx
425                 390-8xxx
425                 658-8xxx
425                 953-8xxx

Any telemarketing call caller ID originating from these exchanges are probably scams perpetrated by this company or group of companies.