In August 2005, I purchased a home which had Verizon as its phone service. As soon as I moved in, I kept the same telephone number but transferred the phone service over to Cablevision Optimum Voice.

For the past 2 years I have been getting increasing random phone calls from people looking for the previous owner. It turns out that phone books and online phone directories are still reporting the former homeowners name associated with my telephone number! I called Verizon, but they said they had no control over the telephone number and told me to call Cablevision. Of course, I called Cablevision and they said they don't print the number so I need to call Verizon!

I then spoke to a contact at the Yellow Book and she said that they get their directory listings from VERIZON.

At this point I believe Cablevision has nothing to do with this mistake. If you go to whitepages.com and do a search on the former homeowner, you get my number along with a disclaimer saying that the source is VERIZON!

Long story short, nobody at Verizon can figure out how to stop reporting my telephone number with the former owner's name. All they do is point fingers at everyone else but them. I spent 20 minutes on the phone with a supervisor of LI local phone service who pretty much told me "there's nothing we can do about it."

I find this extremely ridiculous and frustrating. Can SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! I am sick of fielding calls for the former homeowner, and am actually thinking of taking some sort of legal action against Verizon.

STOP REPORTING MY TELEPHONE NUMBER WITH THE FORMER HOMEOWNERS NAME.

I WANT MY TELEPHONE NUMBER TO BE UNLISTED!