Column: Let Harvard Fix It

A few minutes ago I was busy getting the web site ready to publish and my cell phone started going bezerk.

I didn't recognize the number, so I just turned the ringer off and went back to the task at hand. This didn't stop the caller. Over and over again someone was trying to reach me from Cambridge, MA. I don't know much about Cambridge, other than it is the home of Harvard University, and I seriously doubt someone was calling to ask my advice on scholarly matters. I figured if it was important, they could just leave a message and I would respond accordingly. They didn't leave a message and instead I started receiving calls from an unknown number. I don't know if they were trying to fool me, but I'm bright enough to know it was the same person calling.

I finally decided to answer and to see what could be so urgent they called about 20 times. Much to my delight I could barely understand what the party on the other line was saying. It was a thick accent and he was saying something about how I was in trouble with the State of Massachusetts and I needed to remedy the problem at once. At least that's what I thought he said. I kindly explained to him, perhaps kindly isn't the right word, that I had never been to Boston or anywhere else in the state and to quit calling me.

I expected him to hang up, but he didn't. He just kept going on and on. At this point I found it amusing and listened for a while before I hung up. I waited a few minutes thinking he would call back but he never did, at least for now.

A few days earlier I answered a call from a 1-800 number who said they were from Direct TV and I had won some sort of package. They were not from Direct TV, I had not won anything, and I'm sure had I pursued it I would have been scammed in some sort of form.

I've never really had this problem with my cell number, but somehow I'm on a list now and I'm sure more calls are coming. I know there is a "Do not call" list I can get on and will do that, but I am rather annoyed that I am now the target. This is coming a couple weeks after having my credit card hacked. At the same time last year, the Ledger office kept getting threatening calls that turned out to be a hoax. After I figured out it was not someone legit calling I started to call them. I called over and over again. Every time someone new would answer and I'd let them have it. Finally they stopped answering. A few hours later the number was no longer in service. It made me laugh and I'm sure it messed with their operation for a few minutes, but it's not enough.

I'm not much of a political guy, but there has to be something that can be done about all this nonsense, perhaps some sort of Legislation that really cracks down on the problem. There are seemingly millions of these scammers who are trying to prey on anyone they can get their hands on. Enough is enough. There has to be a way to track these people down and stop this crap.

Maybe the answer to this problem lies in Cambridge. If a couple students at Harvard were able to come up with Facebook in their spare time, perhaps they could offer a line of study that helps to prevent fraud. That may sound silly, but somebody has to do it.

I don't think anyone would mind paying these people top dollar to remedy the problem, because it would save millions.

My phone hasn't rang for a few minutes, but I'm sure it will ring again and it will be the same thing from a different number, with a different way to try and steal.