7139810098

So, is it true, these calls can be from anyone across the country even though it is a 713 area code/Houston based?  Is it MCI or GTL as the provider?  

I tried calling the number back and is always busy.  One time I called it around 1am (in the morning) Pacific time and it rang and rang, and rang.  

Anything I can find out the better because I noticed this number on my step daughter's bill.  So, trying to do my figure out before I approach her about this.

Thanks!!

How can I find out what prison/jail my step daughter is accepting calls from?  I called another number on her phone bill which was an 800# and it was for a prepaid calling card.  But is there a way to find out which prison?

do you have to pay when they call you from jail.. becaus emy boyfriend keeps kallin me buhh i dnt know what to do..?

i had recieved this number and have no clue who it is.

whoever is calling me call again and give me the number clearley..i cant understand u very well.

This is a true story that happened to me so hopefully this information can help prevent someone from being scammed!

If someone ended up in jail or prison they may be able to contact their friends and family through the Global Tel Link system or other similar relay service. When a phone outside the jail or prison is answered their is a recorded message which asks you to accept a collect call from whoever initiated the it is that is calling. For this purpose it is legitimate but as I explain below you will see how this system has been utilized for a scam.

The Scam is real and was attempted today on my business telephone line. I got a total of nine calls from the same number, 713-981-0098 from someone I do not know in a span of 10 minutes. No matter how much I would hang up they would just call back again. If you look up this number through Google you will see that many other people have been bothered by this same number. The number is part of a correctional institution telecommunication system. It is called "Global Tel Link" and their recorded information during the incoming call says you can block the call by pressing "7" and then dialing 877-650-4249. I pressed "7" and then called the number after hanging up but unfortunately they were not able to take my call directly. I instead was forced to use their call back system. The recording said it can take up to two hours for them to have a representative return the call. Meanwhile the phone kept ringing from the same 713 number. At one point I answered and the recorded message said to press "0" to hear the fee schedule in place if I was to accept the collect charges. The  recording said the cost is $3 for the first minute and .13 cents for additional minutes. I decided while I was waiting for a call back from "Global Tel Link" to accept the call to see what was so urgent. I figured for $3 it might be worth it if I could get them to stop calling.

I was told by the apparent unknown prison inmate that I needed to call Officer Miller regarding one of my family members who was in trouble. The inmate did not even know my name or the name of any  family member who was in trouble. It was very hard to make out what he was saying as the telephone connection was not good and there was a lot of background noise. It was obvious that this was some sort of scam but I was not sure how it worked until I researched it a bit later. The inmate asked me to call *72 1-323-921-1506 to reach Officer Miller and to do it right away as he was waiting for my call. After hanging up I knew better than to do what he told me but instead called the number without the *72. Some lady answered who promptly hung up when she figured out that it wasn't the call she was expecting. Meanwhile my phone starting ringing again from the same 713 number so I would just hang up.


On the Global Tel Link web site http://www.gtl.net/ they have a warning:



GENERAL CONSUMER PROTECTION INFORMATION

Be wary of inmate calls that request you to dial *72 followed by a new ten-digit number. Completing this request will result in the forwarding of your telephone number to a number of the inmate´s choosing, and all calls to your true telephone number will be automatically forwarded to the new number without your knowledge. The only way to reverse the forwarding of calls to a new number is to dial *73.




See the below link which explains how the scam works including the money side of it which unfortunately Global Tel Link does not make any mention of: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/forward.asp 



Here is the summary:

The scammer may instruct the victim to "Dial *72 and then 890-6789," a sequence which activates the call-forwarding feature for the victim's phone number and tells the phone company to forward all calls placed to 345-1234 to 890-6789 instead. The scammer can then instruct acquaintances all over the world to call him collect at 345-1234 (or to place third-party calls to anywhere in the world and bill them to 345-1234) ­ the scammer can approve all these charges (because all calls placed to 345-1234 are being forwarded to his phone), but the owner of 345-1234 is the one on the hook for paying for them (because they were forwarded through his number). The forwarding will continue until the victim issues instructions to cancel it; if the victim doesn't receive many incoming calls, he may not even notice something is amiss until he receives his next phone bill and spots the unauthorized charges for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars.

(Of course, this scheme only works if the victim had previously signed up for the call-forwarding option with his phone service provider. And although *72 is the sequence most commonly used for call forwarding, some phone service providers may use different sequences.)

The best way to avoid falling victim to this scam is the obvious one: never activate your call forwarding feature at the request of someone you don't know. Only forward your calls when you want them to go somewhere else.


Update:

"Global Tel Link" did call me back and they did add my number to their block list. I did have to give them my name and verify my address which according to the operator they already had up on the screen. The only other thing they asked me for was a four digit password which would be required should I ever need to remove the block (Yeah Right!). I believe they are legitimate and did indeed block my number because all of the other calls stopped completely afterwards.

My recommendation to be sure your number is blocked from the "Global Tel Link" system which will avoid ever getting calls from prisoners is to call them and add your number to their block call list. They can be reached at 877-650-4249

its called "spanish" not Mexican....

a former acquaintance of my teen daughter is harrasing her by calling from this #

an inmate in the los angeles county jail system is trying to reach you.

(713-981-0098) these [***] called my 16 times! Never left a message, even heard breathing on one VM. Who are they & what do they want?

I followed 'Satisfied' advice above and called "Global Tel Link" at 877-650-4249.  About an hour later "Global Tel Link" called me back.  The lady was extremely nice and with only needing my first name, quickly blocked my phone and all our other phones on my calling plan from this misuse of their system.  She admitted that some of the inmates use this as a scam!!  

Do not do a *72  anything.  

some of the posts are from families of inmates using this system and are legit and then there is this HUGE SCAM going on where Inmates are misusing the system and cashing in on mega dollars. Wow.. imagine that!   Hence the contradictory statements.  

So unless you know someone in Jail... it's a scam.  If you do know someone in jail contact  "Global Tel Link" directly and set up an account, but DO NOT DO A *72

Try the advice, it works.

Please stop calling my cell phone. Phone will not accept calls with a prepaid account

I got a call from this number a couple days ago and it was my boyfriend who was in jail. It was legit, I accepted the call and we got to talk.

Seriously, GROW UP!! I get calls from my boyfriend from this number. yes its from prision, just because people are in jail doesnt mean they are bad people! they just fxcked up and now theyre paying for it!
its not a scam its a collect call.
if you dont know anyone in jail heres a concept, DONT ANSWER!

Global tell is the company name that's trying to get YOUR money. I recived a call just like everyone one else here, collect from my local jail. I paid for the 25.00 calling card, after I paired for it there was no one on the line from the jail.  So I called the jail, which most of my in-laws run, there was no one in the jail with that name and it was a fraud. I called right away (with in 15 minutes) put a stop on my card. This was Saturday night, Monday I went into my bank and did an unautherized charge. My bank called them while I was sitting there, they keep lying all the way to the end, telling us there was a person trying to call me from that jail. Needless to say I got my money back. Totaly B.S!

*72, billing back to you: You receive a call from a stranger posing as a telephone technician or
telling you that he has been arrested for driving with a suspended license and is in jail — or is in
a situation that requires your immediate help. "I need to reach my wife and tell her what
happened so she can pick up our two kids. Would you dial *72 and then her number?"
*72 is a custom feature for call forwarding. When the customer dials *72 followed by a
telephone number, it activates the call forwarding feature causing all your incoming calls to ring
at another number. At the end of the other line — whether calls have been forwarded to a
landline, a cell phone or a payphone — the original caller's partner-in-crime is able to accept all
collect and third-party calls, while telling your own legitimate callers that they have the wrong
number. You get billed for all calls made because your number is the one from which they are
forwarded. This ingenious scam, which even overrides cell phones inability to get collect calls,
may go on for several days before you become aware it has occurred.
As AT&T explains the scam:
Star-7-2, billing back to you: You receive a call from a stranger posing as a telephone
technician or telling you that he has been arrested for driving with a suspended license and is in
jail — or is in a situation that requires your immediate help. "I need to reach my wife and tell her
what happened so she can pick up our two kids. Would you dial *72 and then her number?"
Star-7-2 is a custom feature for call forwarding. When the customer dials *72 followed by a
telephone number, it activates the call forwarding feature causing all your incoming calls to ring
at another number. At the end of the other line — whether calls have been forwarded to a
landline, a cell phone or a payphone — the original caller's partner-in-crime is able to accept all
collect and third-party calls, while telling your own legitimate callers that they have the wrong
number. You get billed for all calls made because your number is the one from which they are
forwarded. This ingenious scam, which even overrides cell phones inability to get collect calls,
may go on for several days before you become aware it has occurred.
(Of course, this scheme only works if the victim had previously signed up for the call-forwarding
option with his phone service provider. And although *72 is the sequence most commonly used
for call forwarding, some phone service providers may use different sequences.)
A representative from U. S. Cellular instructed any victim of the *72 scam to dial *720 and
press send. This command cancels the call-forwarding feature. The perpetrator of this particular
incident committed this fraud on a number of people in order to make tracing their calls difficult.
Please be cautious of any phone number that begins with a *, #, 0, or 900 series number. These
prefixes, when used for fraud, may allow access to user’s account which can incur

Call all hours of the night.  Who is it?  Is it from a jail?   Call many times per day and at night.

I got a call saying a family member from a central jail facility was calling emergency called at 10:00 PM 10:04 PM, and 10:06 PM

How do I block this number?