In my multi-year, on-again, off-again quest to track down Rachel from Cardholder Services, I have always acted on behalf of the angry, exasperated, desperate people who have contacted Whistleblower to see if I could stop her from calling. I can't say I've succeeded yet, other than learning a little about the strange world of voice broadcasting. That's the industry that appears to have given birth to Rachel and her minions (Heather, Michelle, etc.), the robo-callers who are willing to violate Do Not Call rules with impunity in their effort to pitch dubious debt relief services.

Now it's personal. On Monday afternoon, Rachel had the gall to call my home number, long on the Do Not Call list. The caller ID said, "LOWER INTEREST," with the Seattle-area phone number, (253) 382-9099. That number is answered by a British-accented female voice: "The number you have called is temporarily unavailable. Please try your call later." (last word pronounced, lay-ta).

So I Googled that number, and found myself on the 800notes.com web site, where people pestered by spam callers like Rachel console each other and share information that might reveal the true source of the robocalls. One writer claims that the company behind the spoofed phone number is based in Maryland, not Washington, but I haven't confirmed that yet. I found a phone number for the owner of that company (phone and web site are no longer working) but the mailbox is full. I haven't gotten far, but I am definitely back on the case.