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Man Jailed for Terrorist Threat Against Telemarketers

by Terrence O'Brien on July 24, 2009 at 06:25 AM

By now, you've probably thought about harming, or at least threatening, a telemarketer, the bane of the evening hours. Fortunately, we're here to warn you that it might be a bad idea.

Just ask Charles Papenfus. Or rather, ask him if you could get a hold of him. Currently he is being held in a Fostoria, Ohio jail for making a "terrorist threat," reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The so-called threat was made over the phone to a scam artist "telemarketer," and landed Papenfus in jail. Here's how it went down: This May, Papenfus received a letter that said his car's factory warranty was about to expire. His '96 Ford Taurus hadn't been under warranty in this decade, so he decided to call the company for an explanation.
Of course, anyone who has dealt with these companies before knows what to expect when you ask questions. According to Papenfus's attorney, he was repeatedly hung up on, insulted, and cursed at, which may have pushed him over the edge. He then allegedly told the sales rep that he planned to burn down the company's building and kill all its employees and their families. A tad much, but likely not worth the terrorism charge he was slapped with.

Though the court documents filed do not name the company, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes it to be TXEN Partners, which does business as Service Protection Direct. According to the Dispatch, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has accused the firm of mailing fake car warranty notices before, and last year the Ohio Attorney General sued the company for misleading consumers. You get the picture -- not the most scrupulous bunch.

Christopher Thetford, a spokesman for the BBB in St. Louis, told the Post-Dispatch that he wasn't surprised to hear about a consumer threatening one of these companies. "While it's not something we condone," he told the newspaper, "it is something we can understand."

We obviously don't endorse making threats against these telemarketers or their families, but that doesn't mean we let them off the hook. Instead, we prefer having our kids ask them how they sleep at night. [From: StlToday.com, via Consumerist]

Tags: scam, telemarketers, telemarketing, terrorism, top, warranty

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