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JohnDoeRadio · 04-24-2009, 04:06 PM

Marijuana “Phone Poll” Scam Confirmed - DO NOT CALL | Show Me the Facts

Quote:

[QUOTE
The only legitimate tie it seemed to have were claims that it was backed by/associated with Change.org. Thus, the only logical thing to do was to contact Change.org for clarification. I just got this response:

Thanks for the note, Eric. We are in no way connected to the phone number you mentioned, and it also looks very much like a scam to us. We would really appreciate it if you would update your blog to let your readers know about this, as well as anyone else who may have been spreading the rumor that this is a legitimate number/operation, which it is almost certainly not. We will also try to write a blog post about it tomorrow clarifying things if we can find the time.
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention,
Ben Rattray
Founder and CEO, Change.org

Everything was pointing at “scam”, but this severs the last bit of potential legitimacy that the number had.
So please, DO NOT CALL 973-409-3274 as it appears to be a type of scam to either harvest phone numbers or even potentially charge you money by hitting the pound key (which would be the equivalent of you accepting charges).
STOP sharing this phone number as well. I literally sit and watch person after person share this on twitter thinking they are helping the cause when in reality they are just helping these scammers reach new victims. If you have shared this link, please post this update to let others know to keep an eye on their phone bill for any unauthorized charges.
Again, just to be clear: This number is not a legitimate polling number associated with any known marijuana advocacy group. Calling it does not help/support marijuana legislation in anyway and only risks you becoming a victim to some type of phone scam.
If you really want to help legalize marijuana, consider making a contribution to MPP, NORML, or other reputable, legitimate marijuana advocacy groups. Just like the many online petitions available, a “phone call poll” will hardly destroy prohibition.
Thanks again Mr. Rattray for your prompt response!
UPDATE: Here is what one victim had to say about their experience:

“i called and immediatly after i hung up i get a call from mediacom (my internet, phone, cable company) saying i have several new charges on my phone bill and they was chastising me bout it for like 5 minutes, i was like fuck it i’ll pay it, click.
so its a scam and now i have a few extra dollars to fork up on tha first!!!!”

Please help to spread this information especially on twitter to save people from experiencing this!

Osprey · 04-24-2009, 06:37 PM

Bump for this. Holy shit. How is it that people can turn up the suck by an order of magnitude? Someone needs a real job. . .

JohnDoeRadio · 04-24-2009, 06:40 PM

pretty crazy how fast the number moved too. my bro called me about it and asked me to look into it.

mazarxnl · 04-26-2009, 03:25 AM

Cool thanks for the info. I saw this number on a dudes myspace the other day and almost called it. Then thought man this could be a government thing trying to get addresses of smokers/dealers/growers. cuz really if its associated with change they would have the number on their site as well.

Code347 · 04-26-2009, 05:15 AM

Props....and respect!

smokey · 04-26-2009, 05:29 AM

Good looking out JDR, Ive made this thread a sticky so its not lost in amongst the other threads.
Karma for you.

xxxjussblaze · 04-26-2009, 07:06 PM

This Post is Incorrect. The Phone Number is not a scam is just is not backed by any major Legalization Organizations. It can't hurt to call, the people who organized the phone number plan on following through with what it states when you call in.

Marijuana Phone Poll NOT a Scam, Just Confusing | Show Me the Facts

this website should explain everything. the CEO of the hot line confirms he plans on sending the information to the White house after 1 million + people call in. please take the time to do it. showing that 1 million people will call in on something that's not a major organization shows how huge this thing is to our society. Legalization could save our economy so any recognition we can get is necessary.

thanks so much

xxxjussblaze · 04-26-2009, 07:25 PM

It does not charge you, only one person claims to have been charged and they have media com. Some no name phone/internet company that most likely charged you for making a long distance call. they are not a country wide company, its self explanatory. I called and did NOT get charged.

please take the time out to call
973-409-3274

Midnight_Toker420 · 04-26-2009, 07:41 PM

damn new here and your first 2 posts want us to get scammed ....

dont sound right to me......

I sure as hell aint calling it from my house.......

JohnDoeRadio · 04-27-2009, 12:44 AM

The phone number will do nothing for reform, its a feel good thing, and in my opinion your efforts are better suited elsewhere. It was created by a Humor Site as a promotional campaign.

AND, TO CLEAR IT ALL UP. Change.org IS NOT ASSOCIATED with this number.

...........

Quote:

Criminal Justice - Change.org: Clearing the Confusing on a Call Campaign
You may have heard about a phone number (973-409-3274) you can call to "vote" for marijuana legalization. I wanted to post here to clear up some confusion - this number has nothing to do with change.org.
The number has popped up around the interwebs – and especially on twitter – over the last few days. Eric at the blog Show Me The Facts did some great reporting to get to the bottom of the number's origins and posted what he found here. It appears it was started by a site called Humor Hotlines, and seems to be a well-intentioned phone petition and not a scam. We don't have position on whether it's an effective action to take, but we wanted to clear up that we have nothing to do with it.
There are, however, plenty of things you can do here and elsewhere on the web to promote marijuana legalization:

Sign this petition to send a letter to the President and your elected representatives to support legalization.
Learn more about Sen. Jim Webb’s bill to create a commission reviewing our broken criminal justice system, and write to your representatives saying you support this effort. Webb said this week that marijuana legalization would be “on the table” for the commission.
Support Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, the Drug Policy Alliance and other organizations doing great work on this important issue.
Read blogs like Show Me the Facts to stay on top of developments in the movement to decriminalize or legalize marijuana.

xxxjussblaze · 04-27-2009, 02:17 PM

What this number is:

This number is one of many numbers created by the novelty-number company Humor Hotlines.
Unlike other numbers from HH, Goldblatt claims this is a legitimate poll being conducted which he plans to compile and give to various contacts within the government in hopes that it will be presented to Congress and President Barack Obama.
This number is completely free and has apparently no known risks/fees associated with it outside of normal cell phone charges/minutes used/etc.
If the number reaches a certain amount of votes (1,000,000), HH has every intention to follow through and send the compiled petition to the government.

What this number is NOT:

A scam.
This number has no relation with any political group or marijuana advocacy group.
Endorsed by any politician, political group, advocacy group, or any person/group in a position of political authority.
This number has no deadline.
The number has no more power/authority to legalize marijuana than any other petition created by people online (however, every bit helps).
Though some have claimed to have received charges after calling this number, it must have been coincidence or confusion because the number does not appear to create any charges (though if you can prove to me it does, feel free to contact me).

take the time out to read the web link i posted. its not promotional they plan on following through. its just another group of people fighting for the cause. instead of replying just to misconstrue take the time out to actually read the info. telling people not to call because its a scam is just a waste of time. One person in the entire country with a no name phone company claimed that they got charged, its not a scam and this is ridiculous. Obama isn't even anywhere near ready to consider legalization and everyone else is to busy fighting about what website has more impact. truth is EVERYTHING we do counts because not ONE single organization or hotline is going to convince our government. be real now.

smokey · 04-27-2009, 02:24 PM

3 posts, all trying to convince others this is not a scam, how much are they paying you to get others to phone their scam?
I dont care how legitmate you claim it is, no one in their right mind would phone a phone poll setup by a company called humor hotlines.

Stop trying to entice our members to be a victim of this scam.

SmYthie · 04-27-2009, 04:02 PM

nuts...my dealer told me to call it (don't know why, he'd lose business lol) and he gave me a text with the number. i didnt because i'm unmotivated, but i'm glad i didnt

IXII3LAZEDIXI · 04-28-2009, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxxjussblaze

What this number is:

This number is one of many numbers created by the novelty-number company Humor Hotlines.
Unlike other numbers from HH, Goldblatt claims this is a legitimate poll being conducted which he plans to compile and give to various contacts within the government in hopes that it will be presented to Congress and President Barack Obama.
This number is completely free and has apparently no known risks/fees associated with it outside of normal cell phone charges/minutes used/etc.
If the number reaches a certain amount of votes (1,000,000), HH has every intention to follow through and send the compiled petition to the government.

What this number is NOT:

A scam.
This number has no relation with any political group or marijuana advocacy group.
Endorsed by any politician, political group, advocacy group, or any person/group in a position of political authority.
This number has no deadline.
The number has no more power/authority to legalize marijuana than any other petition created by people online (however, every bit helps).
Though some have claimed to have received charges after calling this number, it must have been coincidence or confusion because the number does not appear to create any charges (though if you can prove to me it does, feel free to contact me).

take the time out to read the web link i posted. its not promotional they plan on following through. its just another group of people fighting for the cause. instead of replying just to misconstrue take the time out to actually read the info. telling people not to call because its a scam is just a waste of time. One person in the entire country with a no name phone company claimed that they got charged, its not a scam and this is ridiculous. Obama isn't even anywhere near ready to consider legalization and everyone else is to busy fighting about what website has more impact. truth is EVERYTHING we do counts because not ONE single organization or hotline is going to convince our government. be real now.

looking a lil fishy to me. why would some one try to convince someone to call the number if it wasnt a scam come on dude it a 1 900 number. we smoke but we sure as hell are not idiots here go AWAY!

JohnDoeRadio · 04-28-2009, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxxjussblaze

What this number is:

This number is one of many numbers created by the novelty-number company Humor Hotlines.
Unlike other numbers from HH, Goldblatt claims this is a legitimate poll being conducted which he plans to compile and give to various contacts within the government in hopes that it will be presented to Congress and President Barack Obama.

Did we need to read any further?

And please dont tell me im misconstruing anything I post regarding Marijuana, unless you can factually show me where im wrong. Your opinion on this number is what is off. And a humor hotline has SCAMMED thousands into thinking they are doing something positive, when they dont even intend to turn over the results until 1 Million calls. Serious promotional campaign by them, and they obviously have capitalized off of serious Marijuana reform in the worst way. By POSSIBLY turning over their results.

And please, in the future check out John Doe Radio and my Educational, and fact based podcast centered on Marijuana at Weed Watch - Podcasts for the Cannabis and Counterculture Community I take very large pride in assuring the people who listen and turn to my show for information are getting the facts, and feel comfortable with trusting my information and the sources I get it from.

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