How low can you go?

You've probably never visited the LowerMyBills.com website. But their ubiquitous ads most likely appear on some sites that you do visit.

A year ago, they were known for the happily dancing silhouettes...the frenzied dancers who were celebrating the fabulous mortgage rates they could enjoy without otherwise qualifying for any kind of credit in the real world.

Just think: a few months ago, this Barbie-waisted dancer was still celebrating the mythical falling interest rates that LowerMyBills could presumably offer. No doubt, this joy was supplied through subprime loans.

Then the news of the mortgage crisis began to surface. The dancing woman--and her identical best friend--decided to get out of real estate altogether and go back to school. Let's face it: mortgages were becoming a tough sell. But these dancing animations told you all you needed to know: even hardcore spammers were getting worried about the future.

But then the interest rates started dropping again--multiple times-- in an attempt to boost the US economy. LowerMyBills.com is back, but now it looks like they need to take their meds. Look at this recent ad for mortgage rates: the dancing women have been replaced by a hideous, screaming, bug-eyed zombie with a deadly spider crawling up her blouse. Sorry, but it's not very compelling! Is it supposed to be?

Just who is LowerMyBills.com? Their website says they're an Experian company. And Experian is one of the Big Three companies who maintain credit reports on every American. Do these ads make you feel comfy about letting them keep YOUR data?

Nigerian Car Warranty

You know The Call by now. It comes when you least expect it. You get it on your home phone, your mobile, and at your office. The area code doesn't look familiar, but you pick it up anyway. And then: "This is your last warning. Our records show that your vehicle's warranty is about to expire," says the prerecorded voice.

The first time I got it, I thought it was a wrong number. My car is very, very old. There's no warranty on the planet that could extend this far.

Then I kept getting The Call. It came from different numbers. I filed complaints with the Do Not Call List people, for what it's worth. I did a reverse lookup for the source numbers on the net and found the whocalled.us site. Obviously I was not alone. Many other people received the same annoying call from the same numbers, often thinking that their car's warranty HAD expired.

Most of today's annoying phone solicitors are prerecorded. They're much easier to hang up on, but annoying, all the same. This call, however, supposedly offered two options: the first, to talk to a live operator (press 1), and the second, to be taken off the phone list (press 2). I tried pressing 2, but it disconnected me.

When The Call arrived yet again on my internal office line yesterday, I decided to press 1 instead. Indeed, I got a "live operator." The phone rang and a guy picked up. "This is Jeff," he said. "May I have the make and year of your car?" And I replied, "Hi Jeff...may I have the name of your company?"

Jeff was obviously trained in dumping curious call recipients like me. No way was he going to tell me the name of his enterprise. He immediately put me on hold without saying a word, and after some music played, I heard a pre-recorded announcement about how to get on the Do Not Call list. Of course, I'm already on that list, but that's no deterrent.

This phone spam seems to be the telephone equivalent of the emailed Nigerian bank scam.

Does anyone know who these people are and what they're really after?