Author’s Note: If you’re finding this site after reading about “Rachel at Cardholder Services” on NBCNews.com, welcome! To see all the stories about “Rachel”, please click here…
When I started writing what became the “Rachel” series back in May, I thought I could take some newly discovered data and create a posting or two. Little did I know as I got into it, that I was going to open up so much information that it took four articles to fully explore the truth behind the scam.
After the articles started appearing, I noticed a slight uptick in visitors to the site. While I don’t post as much as I like to, the four posts, being pre-written, could go up on a set schedule. I didn’t think much of it, but the site experienced a 10-fold increase in daily visitors. The pattern was common – everybody wanted information on Rachel and how to stop her.
I followed much of the comments that visitors posted here and on Facebook, and realized that people were wanting to share what they learned. I am still sorting through it and will likely do another follow-up this fall, or as new information comes in on the story.
At the end of June, an Investigator with the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection contacted me. He had seen the articles and wanted to tap my knowledge for more information. We spoke for more than an hour, and I found out that the Division of Marketing Practices, which is responsible for the Do Not Call list consists of only 30 Investigators, responsible not only for the Do Not Call List but Internet Fraud.
Rachel (and more recently the complete a survey get a cruise scam) is very high on their radar. They were the ones that brought charges last December against Castle Rock Capital Management. The case is still pending.
Most of our conversation was on technical solutions, and is not likely to interest most, but was made aware of a public summit being held in Washington D.C. on October 18th, of which I may take part.
Also, the FTC launched a new mini-site in July, featuring much of the information shared on these pages:
Finally, this week, Herb Weisbaum, of ConsumerMan.com and NBCNews.com contacted me as a part of researching a story he was working on. I provided some input into an article on Rachel, which is available here.
Again, I appreciate all the feedback, and will continue to update the site as I get more information on the attempts to finally stop Rachel.
