Safety Warning: "Tom With Home Protection" is Dangerous!

If you ever get a phone call that begins like this:

"Hi, this is Tom with Home Protection. How are you today?"

...then you better hang up! "Home Protection" is a dangerous and illegal telemarketing group. "Tom" himself is a pre-recorded message on a computer. The computer is able to detect certain things you say and change "Tom's" responses (for instance, he'll understand you if you answer him with "Good. And you?").

I got my first call from Tom last year. After a few more, he stopped. However, I received another call from Tom last night, prompting me to look him up and see if anything had changed from last time I researched Tom. Sadly, no - he's still at it, and still hasn't been caught.

Here's the details, as I've heard them: What Home Protection likes to do is attempt to sell you a home security system. If you buy into the pitch, they'll ask for your address. If you comply, they'll send someone over to install your new home security system. Such a deal!

Here comes the scary part. All homes with Home Protection's security systems are kept track of. These homes are then targeted for robbery by Home Protection themselves. And they know they'll have a good chance at getting away with your stuff because their security systems are dummies. It's the perfect crime.

I can't confirm for certain that the burglary aspect is true. What I can confirm is that there is a company named "Home Protection" out there, aggressively pushing poor-quality or fake security alarms and cameras. If you call one of Home Protection's many numbers, You'll hear the following message: "Thanks for calling back. If you are not interested in our promotions and would like to be removed from our calling list, press 1." If you press 1, they'll know they called a number with a real person on the other end, and they'll ramp up their efforts, calling you more frequently. They are also breaking federal laws by calling mobile phones. They'll call anything - unlisted numbers, people on the Do Not Call list, anywhere and everywhere all across the country. But they're very slippery and work from a multitude of different phone numbers. They've been at this for years.

If you get a call from "Home Protection", immediately hang up. Do not talk and do not call back. You aren't ruining the day of some poor guy trying to make a living, you're cutting off the robo-caller of a pack of criminals.

Here are some people's experiences with Tom:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-701-625-5444/10

And here is one man's crusade to take down the entire operation once and for all:
http://stoptomwithhomeprotection.wordpress.com/