In the overall scheme of things, I know what I am about to bring up pales in comparison to most things Scientology, but this is really bugging me.

I had a phone call about 20 minutes ago from someone named "Joe" calling from the Church of Scientology. Half of the number was obscured in my caller ID but it read 714-27 (714 is So Cal if that does pertain to that aread code). He immediately launched into his sales pitch about when I am doing my next service, but I interrupred him and asked him how he got my phone number. Then he said something about a mailing list and went back to the sales pitch. I told him I had not done a course in ten years I was NOT interested in any more Scientology and to please not call me again.

5 mintues later, Joe calls back on this number: 971-533-0004 (which is a Portland, OR number under someone named D GRIFFIN-SMITH according to a google telephone search). Joe then tries to get me to explain WHY I don't want to do Scientology and I repeat I am no interested and don't call me anymore and hung up.

Another five minutes passes, and Joe calls me back on the 714 line and keeps hammering away at what happend and that he wants to "help" me. I repeated what I said and hung up yet again.

Aside from the fact that I'm still pissed off that they found my phone number, this is harrassment as far as I am concerned.

When I left Northern Calif for Atlanta in 2005, I deliberately left no forwarding address since I was getting 5-10 junk mails a week from at least 7 different orgs. About two years ago, I clicked onto the "get your money back from Scientology" link that Andreas has posted. Nothing about that matter, but about two weeks later, I got an email from FLAG via that email address asking me about my next service. I asked them to remove me and after a 2nd email from them, they stopped.

Also, about 7 months ago, I began getting mail at my current address from IAS wanting money. I got about 6 mailings from them and after I sent each one back demanding to be removed from my mailing address, they ceased as well.

But they now have my current phyical address, email address and phone number. I'm just angry that they, as usual, NEVER take NO for an answer and just keep stepping up the contact and attempts to get me back in. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, but just wanted some feedback from the board, as this seems to be a desperate and growing pattern of trying to get cash from people who have not been active members in years.

They are indeed stepping up their mailings and must be using some sort of background searches to find people who have fallen out of easy view.

Even though "charitable organizations" don't have to check the "do not call registry", there's still laws about you notifying them to never call again and never mail you again. They need to abide by these requests and there are stiff penalties if they fail.

I don't care how many times you move. If you said "I'm outa here. Don't contact me again." then they cannot look you up in the future and find your new address or phone number and start all over again. If they do, they are violating laws with stiff financial penalties.

Sea Horse wrote:



I was thinking along similar lines, but don't know who I would need to report this to who would take it seriously and follow through. The Cult clings to their religious freedom mantra every time someone attempts to call them out or slow them down.

I just felt so digusted that this asshole would not LISTEN (didn't Hubbard define an auditor as "one who listens? FLUNK!) and did not respect my first or even second request to not call me anymore.

Their desperation is so thick you can smell it from another galaxy.

Just tell them you're getting auditing in the Freezone now and the local DSA declared you suppressive. Or start talking about Xenu.

Here is a technique I have used on bill collectors ... mail them back a letter, disputing the bill, making reference to previous correspondence. (The previous correspondence is horseshit, of course, but this still works, nobody will call you on it.) As per your previous three letters that you sent them, you explained in your letters that your time, energy, effort, etc. are of real value, therefore, you will be invoicing them for a correspondence fee. As previously agreed upon by both parties, you are now invoicing them for (you need to come up with a number that is totally off the wall, not an even dollar figure nor a popularly advertised price figure ending in .98 or .95 or .99 or some such rot. No, the correspondence fee, THIS TIME, is $52.46, with, as previously discussed, late fees of 14.61 and an annual percentage of interest of 11.23% on any unpaid balance. Be sure to have a completely official looking invoice printed up and send it along with a printed up self addressed envelope, of course they will have to put the stamp there themselves.

I have used this ploy a few times, it totally confounds them. Very often they will drop an account. How it would work on the Cof$ I don't know, but I do know that you are up against a bunch of robots, and receiving an invoice for correspondence will go outside of their programming.

Pete

Newclear is right. Being NICE, or professional, to CofS staffers is a useless exercise in flapping lips. They don't listen. They WILL however "react" to "entheta" and you'll get what you desire... silence from them.

When I got called I asked the the person who called to note my name and phonenumber for his private use, as I would be happy to help him leave Scientolgy.

Never had any calls after that.

D

Here's another idea (but it requires you have the time):

When the guy is well into his "schpiel" in his comfort zone and believes you're listening say something like: "Are you happy?", "How much sleep did you get last night?", "When was the last time you talked to your mother?", "Do you think it's right Sea Orgers aren't allowed to have kids?" - in other words, put him on defense. Be his friend. Tell him that you're a Scientologist who believe in basics such as ARC, being at ease communicating about everything, being able to confront adversity, etc. Tell him that under current management Scientology is being squirreled. Then proceed to tell him you will help him get out of the rathole he's in and you'll help him if he comes to your door one day. That might get you blacklisted but it could also save the poor brainwashed schmock.

Why not explain that you respect the caller's right to practice his or her religion, but after reading the OTIII documents, which have been featured in everything from serious newspapers to South Park, you've decided it's a space alien scam.

When the caller dismisses what you've heard as the natterings of suppressives, explain that Co$ authenticated the documents by suing the first people who posted them to the Internet, and continues to have its attorneys threaten those who post them.

"Why would the church claim those documents as a 'trade secret' if they weren't authentic?"

Then you can reaffirm your respect for religious freedom, but announce that you are about to start reading the OTIII documents.

"Of course, John, if you haven't yet reached OTIII, then you will probably have to spend hours in ethics handling and additional repair auditing. Do you actually get any auditing, John? How long have you been in the Sea Org? Why haven't you reached the OT levels yet?"

I think the multiple numbers probably come from use of a cheap VOIP telephone system. For instance, MagicJack offers a year of service for thirty bucks, including the USB dongle, and you can get numbers in many different US cities.

I think spacecootie's idea is great.

But as far as "Tell him that you're a Scientologist who believe in basics such as ARC . . . Tell him that under current management Scientology is being squirreled"

This sounds to me like a comment that might give someone hope that things might change in the future so maybe he should stick with it. It doesn't matter who the management is, Co$ has always been a brainwashing cult who's mission is to take every cent you have, then if possible use you for slave labor in the sea org and offload you when you are old and becoming a burden, or convince you the next level requires you to "drop your body" in order to continue up the bridge.

I read about a woman who did something similar to what Red Pill suggests and she collected. This had to do with a company soliciting magazine subscriptions.

She sent them a letter that said she would charge them $5 or $7.50 or something an item for mailing things to her and that the next item they sent would indicate their agreement to pay that. She kept copies of that letter and all subsequent correspondence. She then invoiced the magazine with the accumulated amount owing each time she received a mailing.

When the amount reached $5,000 or $7,000 or something like that she filed suit in small claims court. She presented all her correspondence and the magazine's mailings with the invoices. The judge awarded her the amount plus court costs.

The trick was to keep the amounts relatively small and to keep the accumulated amount under the maximum amount that can be filed for in small claims court.

This one is brilliant. If every critic that is getting mail did this, the Co$ would be perpetually in court, losing money, and accumulating heaps of bad PR. Once a precedent is set, way you go. Almost (but not quite) makes me want to get back on their mailing list.

I’m going to keep Weiber and RedPills suggestions in mind in case I do start getting more mailings, but so far, the only ones I have received since I’ve been living in Georgia were from the IAS, and they stopped sending me (so far) any more mail in the last 3 or 4 months, and that was only after 4 removal requests.

Which reminds me, how many Scientology orgs potentially would IAS share their info with? It would not surprise me that just because the IAS is currently not sending me mail, to find some from FLAG, AO or ASHO. I’ll wait and see.

The phone calls are what concern me since they might have my home address also and my girl friend got pretty freaked out when I got those three calls last night. If they call back, I’m going to use the other suggestions made on this thread, but also indicate that this is harassment and possibly stalking, and that I WILL contact my attorney if this persists. It seems these days they are more willing to back away from threats of legal action since it is potentially more bad PR, especially if the cult doesn’t think it can score big money or a new PR spin.

For some reason, the "church" has my work phone number, and thankfully not my home number. A few times I have gotten a call from one of the Southern California organizations. I simply tell them they have the wrong "John Smith" and that I have never been involved and would never consider being involved in their cult. This was effective earlier this year, and then a few days ago I received a call from a different org, and used the same tactic. Some of the tactics above sound more fun, but in the middle of a busy work day, this is the quickest and simplest for me.

There is "Do Not Call" legislation in effect that is fairly recent. This varies depending on the jurisdiction you are in. There are exemptions as well.

I've been doing some internet searching on it and I get sites from different countries. There are similarities but the details change from place to place.

One of the things you can say to the caller is, "Put me on your do not call list." When you do that a company using telemarketing must put you on their do not call list and must not call you again. Then ask them for the name and address of the organization so that you can put them on your records, and tell them you are doing that. They must, by law, comply.

If they refuse to give you the information, tell them that is illegal and that they do not make the laws. Doing that is a "button" on their policy so you should get a satisfying squirm reaction to that statement.

Then if someone from that organization phones you again, get our your record and tell them on that date you told them to put you on their do not call list and that their calling you now is illegal and they do not make the laws. Inform them that they must keep an internal do not call list and to put you on it. Tell them if you get any more calls you will report them to the telemarketing authorities and then do it.

There is regional variation on this so do some searching for your location to get the legislation that applies specifically to you.

Just be polite and cheerful as you say to the caller, "Should your organization call me again I will happily report it to the authorities and I will welcome their investigation into your organization's telemarketing practices."

That's another policy "button." You can have fun with this as well because there are laws dealing with it along with agencies in place to enforce those laws.

There is other legislation that has come into existence in recent times dealing with privacy. You should do an internet search on privacy legislation as well. scientology's in-house investigation to find out information about individuals may be illegal as well.