Last Monday night, Charles Bolden was watching Jeopardy with his cat when he received a call from a mysterious 222 number. He ignored the interruption, but they called again five more times at key points in the show. "I was furious," Bolden told reporters, "We missed the Daily Double for the first time in eight years. That's when I started calling back."
Bolden waited on hold for three hours before finally heading to bed. No one ever answered. Around 2 a.m. he received another call from the same number. He returned the call immediately and stayed on the line until he left for work at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. That's when he learned about the scam.
Bolden said, “It was all over the radio. These jerks try to trick you into calling them back, then charge you for the call. I was so angry. I missed Jeopardy for a scam? I feel like I deserve an apology and I refuse to let it go.” Bolden stayed on hold all day at work, then drove straight to his parents’ house in Madison, Tennessee. Leaving their land-line waiting on hold, Bolden and his parents used all three of their cell phones to call the 222 number non-stop.
As of Thursday afternoon, the family continues to work in shifts, but the scammers have yet to pick up. Still, Bolden says he is far from giving up. “Eventually, they are going to answer and I’m going to go thermonuclear on them. It is going to be brutal. I will not tire, and I will not quit until they say they are sorry. I don’t care how long it takes."
This is a developing story.