doppleganger time

At first I thought it was just another piece of phone spam. Lately, the majority of messages left on my phone have been of the unwanted variety, which is a growing complaint around the city. It tends to either be for a "free" vacation by Collingwood or a moving company. The latter's messages crack me up, as it's the same guy everytime (who never took public speaking, judging from the long, drawn-out "uhhhhhhs"). Whether he calls himself Boris, Jimmy or Janos, I find myself wishing there was a skip command.

Twice in the past month I received an "urgent" message from an unidentified company looking for "Jamie or Barb Bradburn". Figured it was someone calling at random, since I haven't a clue who Barb Bradburn is. At least they got my gender right.

But then the other night I got the message again and it sounded urgent, complete with a case number and company name - D & A. Decided to call the number. Turned out D & A was a collection agency. Tried to look it up the phone book or on the web, but there's no trace of this agency. Was this a scam of some sort?

Called them the next morning. No scam. Turns out there's another Jamie Bradburn who owes Sprint Canada $122. He lived either in Weston or near the Junction. A few phones put me in the free and clear.

I wonder if this is the same Jamie as the other Jamie that went to U of G the same time as I did, in Enviro Science. I never met him, though some e-mails and phone calls crossed, and I recall a couple of acquaintances who'd run into him.

I have done occasional searches on the net to see what other Jamies are out there. One appears to be a member of the National Barrel Horse Association in Minnesota.

Next week, I'm expecting to here from Boris, Jimmy or Janos again. This time, I'll pass the word along...to the CRTC.