Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: If you receive incessant calls from 888-912-7925, figure out why and how to stop them.

Everyone experiences annoying calls from random numbers and, if you dare answer, the odds are high that you will find a pre-recorded, robocall message on the other end. Hundreds of people around the country receive calls from 888-912-7925. If you try calling the number yourself, you'll receive a pre-recorded message stating that "the person at extension blah blah blah is not available. Please leave a message at the tone."

Others report receiving a pre-recorded message stating, "thank you for calling Humana, but this number is no longer active." Whatever the origins of 888-912-7925, it is safe to assume it is not a legitimate number from a reputable business.

Those who answer the calls from 888-912-7925 have reported that they arise from Astra Business Services, which is a debt collection agency. Debt collection agencies are known to switch numbers often to avoid call blocking features, and it is common for their inbound message to fail to identify the company. Astra Business Services is located in Charlotte, NC, and has earned a one-star consumer review rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Steps to stop unwanted calls

Stopping unwanted calls starts with registering your number with the national Do Not Call list. You can register by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register. You should also visit the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call registry online to add your mobile phone number to the national do not call list.

While joining the Do Not Call registry is a good first step, scammers, collection agencies, and other robocalls have become increasingly sophisticated. Spoofing, which is the practice of falsifying the information on a receiver's caller ID, is one-way telemarketers and scammers are working around call blocking and the Do Not Call registry. The number may appear local or appear to be from a well-known source, increasing the likelihood that unsuspecting consumers will answer.

Steps to take if you receive an illegal or harassing call or text:

Do not answer calls from an unknown number.
If you do unwittingly answer such a call, hang up immediately.
Do not answer any questions or provide any information.
Refuse to give out any personal information on an unsolicited call. Even if the caller is legitimate, you should arrange to call back with the needed information once you have verified the number.
If it is an inquiry from someone claiming to represent a company or government agency, hang up and call the company or agency back on a number you find on your account statement, or by visiting the entity's website.

If you are pressured to give information immediately, know this is a red flag and terminate the call. File a report with the FCC if you think a scammer has contacted you.

Scammers use sophisticated social engineering tactics to take advantage of consumers, steal your identity, or take money. While specific segments of the population are most at risk of falling for these tactics, no one is immune. Some scammers have become very sophisticated in their quest. They may present themselves as legitimate businesses or government authority figures so convincingly that even well-informed consumers fall for their scams at times.

Use the features on your cell phone to avoid unwanted calls

Most cell phones allow you to block numbers from which you do not want to receive calls. On an iOS device, go to your "recent calls" list and identify the number you want to block. Click on the "i" beside the number, and select "block caller" from the list. On Android devices, locate the number in your "recent calls" list, hold down the number until a window appears, then select "block."

Cell phone technology allows most users to silence unknown callers, sending them straight to voicemail. For iOS devices, go to settings>phone and select "silence unknown callers." Calls from unrecognized numbers will be sent straight to voicemail.

On an android device, tap the phone icon usually located on your home screen. Then you should see three dots at the top right corner of your screen. From there, you will select "settings" then "blocked numbers." Toggle the switch to the right to block calls from unidentified numbers.

Protect those around you

If you have elderly family members or friends, or others who may be more easily victimized by scam callers, offer to help them set up the features listed above. Help them register with the Do Not Call Registry. Talk to younger children and teens about the importance of not answering unrecognized calls and never giving out personal information.

Calls from 888-912-7925 could be a scam or Astra Business Services in an attempt to collect a debt. Regardless, refuse to accept calls from this number to maintain your safety and privacy.

What if 888-912-7925 calls me about a debt?

Like other debt collection agencies, Astra Business Services may call from 888-912-7925 or use one of their other numbers. Debt collectors do this to circumvent the ability to block their call and to disguise who is calling with the hope that someone will pick up.

If you are contacted by 888-912-7925 about a debt, make sure you write down the name of the business and ask for information about the original creditor. You can then send a Debt Validation Letter to force Astra Business Services to prove that you are the responsible party for that debt and that their information is correct.

What if Astra Services is suing me?

If Astra Services is threatening a lawsuit, you have every right to ensure your rights are fully protected. There is a good chance that any threats of a lawsuit are manufactured to intimidate you into paying a debt.

However, if you do receive notice that you're being sued, SoloSuit can help answer any questions you have. SoloSuit can help you create your own Answer, which will be reviewed by an attorney, filed on your behalf, and served to the opposing attorney.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

How it works: SoloSuit is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your answer. Upon completion, you can either print the completed forms and mail in the hard copies to the courts or you can pay SoloSuit to file it for you and to have an attorney review the document.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

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