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ZPDI and Scam Calls from Mexico

ZPDI • Feds Settle with BSG/ZPDI/Billing Concepts • Disputed Collect Calls • Expensive Collect Calls • Calling Card Calls • Hotel Room Calls • Scam Calls from Mexico • "Regular Carrier Unavailable" • Calls through Opticom --- • Congressional Action Needed to Stop ZPDI • You can fight back • ZPDI: What Can Consumers Do? • Consumer complaints about ZPDI and WXT Communications • Who's Behind ZPDI?

Maureen of Seattle (4/10/01):
Let me first say I am so glad to have found your site! Now I know I am not the only person dealing with this "ZPDI" phone scam! This absolutely outrages me! This is what happened: In December 2000, I received my long distance phone bill from Sprint. It was much higher than usual so I looked at it in detail. I was absolutely shocked when I saw a collect call from Tijuana, Mexico! I immediately contacted Sprint to dispute the call. They informed me there was nothing they could do and that I needed to contact the company who handled the call, ZPDI. I contacted this company and filed a complaint. I also informed them that, IN NO WAY was I going to pay this fraudulent charge, in that I did not accept any such collect call! They told me that they would put it in "dispute" and would investigate it. Again, I told them they could "investigate all they want, but that I was not paying this fraudulent bill!" I never received any response back from ZPDI and each month since I have been harrassed by Sprint for this charge! I have written letters to both Sprint and ZPDI stating I am not payin this bill. But, here again, at the end of March, nearly five months after the initial dispute, I am sending a final written response to Sprint and ZPDI stating that I am not paying this fraudulent charge. I do not want this affecting my credit rating and I am appalled to learn that this is an ongoing scam by ZPDI. I am most disappointed in Sprint because obviously, they are aware that this is an ongoing problem with this company! They should sever any kind of relationship with this company because failure to do so will only result in lost service to them! I am at wit's end and do not know where I need to go with this problem. Can you please help me? I am also going to file a letter with the state attormey general of Nevada. One last note, I find it HIGHLY offensive that ZPDI is practicing racial profiling. My last name is hispanic by marriage, and the phone number in which this call was billed was only in my name. I am caucasion and have absolutely NO family in Mexico. Obviously, ZPDI is searching for hispanic last names and placing the fraudulent charges on their accounts. This is racial profiling! If anyone were to know me personally, I am Norwegian and German and have absolutely NO friends or family in Mexico, they simply searched for my hispanic last name. What troubles me also, is the fact that other hispanic people, who might have family in Mexico and who may accept these collect calls are being scammed! This company should be shut down for fraud! Any other company which defrauds so many people would be under detailed scrutiny. My only guess as to why they're not is that people do not realize that it is not only them being scammed. Had I never found this website, and had my sister not heard a news report about ZPDI, I might have thought it was just myself being scammed. Now I am armed with greater information when facing both Sprint and ZPDI. It has now become my mission to bring this scam to the attention of the media, the public and our lawmakers. Consumers deserve protection from such fraudulent companies, not the other way around. I would appreciate any help you may have to offer. Damage Resulting I was charged $55.53 for a fruadulent collect call, which I NEVER accepted. I have been writing letters and making phone calls for FIVE months now trying to remove this charge from my phone account. Also, I fear that this may have affected my credit rating in that it might be reported as "non-payment". This has wated many hours of my time and caused significant stress.

Jaime of San Diego (3/15/01):
On 2/16/01 at 848PM, my wife recieved a phone call from one of your international operator's, stating if would accept a collect call from Juan "O." Before accepting the call, my wife requested of your operator, the name of your company, but the operator was not willing give your name, other than saying that it was an international operator. Being that my last name is "O" and I have an uncle named Juan, my wife accepted the collect call.

When the call was connected, no Juan "O" was on the other line, but a female named Maria. This female then questioned my wife asking if this was the Jaime "O" residence. Of course my wife said yes, because it was, but at the same time found it strange that Juan "O" was not the person on other end. The women then started to talk about being a relative/cousin of the family from Mexico City who was in Tijuana on vacation, and was calling for she wanted to come over and visit in San Diego.

My wife thought that this person was confusing me for my father, who has the same name as me. My wife then gave this person, Maria, my dad's number. At that point the conversation ended - all in all this conversation did not last more than 3 mins, yet your claiming 5 mins. Furthermore, why are you charging over $10.00 per/min for long distance from Tijuana to San Diego when not even 15 miles separate the two cities - this is an outrageous rate to the point of being extremly abusive.

Later that evening my wife receives a phone call from my brother, Nicholas, who stated that he accepted a collect call from this same person, Maria, who in order to get through, stated that she was Yadira, my wife. When the call was connected, she questioned my brother if that was the Jaime "O" residence, and of course my brother said yes, but was confused as to why this person said she was Yadira.

This lady stated that she spoke with my wife and then went on talking about being a relative of the family and the same old story she gave my wife. Conversation ended. Person never called back again. The current charges on my bill are $4.70 for Univ. Service FD and flat rate of $55.00 for five minutes. The bill was recieved on 3/15/01. On this day, my wife and I have attempted to contact ZPDI and have been on hold for 45 mins to an hour with no pickup. We will continue to call until an answer is give to us. I will fight to have these charges removed from my bill - whatever it takes. I flat out refuse to make this payment to Pacific Bell on this company's behalf.