Self-Suck: Not my debt, don't call me about it.

[Geekus Rex]

I'm in the middle of dealing with a collector and they called my mother and told her the amount that I owed. I seem to recall, from my days working as a collector a decade ago, that doing so is highly illegal. It is my intent to research that and see what I can do about it because that has caused hell for me having her know what I owe.

Being as how I am currently a bill collector (please don't light me up for that) you are correct in that that action is illegal as all hell... we are NOT allowed to give ANY information on the debt (or even that there IS a debt) to ANYONE except the person who owes it (or their spouse in some states). It's collectors like that that make collectors like me (who works for a bank that tries to be decent to people who owe money) look bad... nail them to the wall!

[Sapphire Silk]

One of my coworkers got one of those awhile back. How they got his work number, I have no idea.
I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on two cubibles away from me, until I heard him yelling, "I am NOT giving you my SS number!"

That might have been a scam. They shouldn't be asking for the SSN.

DOB is what I'm usually asked for, though IMHO that's just as bad. I don't give out any identifying information over the phone.

Reminds me a little of a situation which my mom and I are dealing with - the short version is that my sister's husband listed us as references when he'd applied for some student loan thing a few years back, and I'm not sure what the exact deal is, but we've been getting automated phone calls and letters in the mail asking for "Rick's" current contact info. And I just find it really strange that this company is able to locate/keep up with our contact info, but can't seem to figure out how to get in contact with "Rick".

Standard skip trace practice. Rick must have really gone under the radar, and defaulted on his student loan to boot.

Although . . . I'm pretty easy to find. I don't hide my movements (get unlisted phone numbers etc) and I've got a pretty unique name. Yet some of these companies can't seem to find me and manage to find my parents and harass them.

[blas]

Unfortunately, I'm still in the bizz with the clinic, because of how difficult it is to get a GP in the "network". You would think having the largest insurance provider in the country, it'd be open and wide. Not at all. And for me avoiding going to the doctor, until they hold my BC hostage, it's kind of inconvenient to go through the whole process of switching.

They still threaten me with collections every time I don't pay them as much as they *want* me to pay. I agreed to a certain amount, under duress, because they threatened collections if I didn't agree to a certain amount. So, if I only pay them once a month or not as much as they want, they call bullying me with collections.

I'm so used to it, I pretty much just sit there barely saying a word as they banter on and on about their stupid policy and rambling about "collections rabmamamarabababrat"

[Mystic]

Mystic, does the name of this company start with an A? I think I may have dealt with them, and they do indeed engage in some scummy practices.

This one was a P, but I think I know who you're talking about.

[Mystic]

I'm still a little pissed about this. I don't like people I don't know having my number to begin with because of A: My line of work, and B: Because I don't like people I don't know calling me. I'm more than a little pissed that my friend gave out my mobile number to anyone, but on the same note, he's not all that much of a thinker. :|

I pride myself on having the same mobile number for several years where others have switched out after 2 years or so. I would hate to have to get a new one and have everyone update.

[PepperElf]

An hour later I got a very angry call from JP. "Don't you ever talk to my grandmother again!"

Nothing like being upbraided by your grandma over your sex addictions.

Being as how I am currently a bill collector (please don't light me up for that)

Not every story about collections is bad exactly.

I had a call from a collections agent earlier this year. I was upset but not at him for calling... I was just upset that my land lord made *no* attempt to contact me over it directly, despite having been given my new address (it was over the condition of the apartment after I left which was... well my fault there - so I was also upset at myself too). So, I talked to Mr. Collections agent, was told that I would get a hundred bucks off the amount if I paid in 72 hours.

He was polite and professional throughout the entire discussion. He was a bit firm but not so firm as to be a jerk. And, from the stories here I knew many agents have to deal with a lot of flack from people who don't feel they should pay their bills. I think I surprised him though... I told him I'd call him back the next day to make payment (had to put some $ in the bank) and ... actually called him back and paid the bill.

I'm betting however that not all of his calls ended so easily.

[Ryooshi]

My first dealing with collections is why I'll never deal with a certain cable/Internet company. I had bought a condo in the same building that I had been renting in and kept my phone number. Within a month I was getting calls looking for someone I didn't know, but they confirmed the address " so you must know him!". Well, no. I just moved in. Three months and four calls before I told them that they would not reach him here and they just guaranteed that I would never use their services.

[CalyCoRose]

I got a weird phone call a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm thinking it was from a collections agency.

BG: Hubs was out doing something or other and he forgot his cell phone so I was answering all phone calls that day. Also, hubs had told me the day before that one of our neighbors 2 doors down from us had ended up in the hospital and his wife was worried (for some reason I thought they were brother & sister.

So I answer a call and some woman is on the other end. At first I thought hubs had gotten into a car accident or something. But then she asked if i knew Devon* and Celeste*. I was like: "Who?" Then she asked if I lived at [home address] and I said "yes" and that Devon and Celeste lived 2 doors down at [other house address]. I said I knew of the house, but I didn't know the people's names. (I really don't ... I'm horrible with names). I said I can't help you and hung up.

Come to find out their names are Devon and Celeste. I felt like an idiot, but hey, I was honest. Hubs thought it might have been a Private Investigator (we get those a lot around here as they are hired by Government and Government contractors to do background checks for the Government & companies. Though, come to think of it, she never did identify herself).




*Not their real names.

[Pixilated]

A few years ago, I came home from work one day and found a message from a collections agency on my answering machine. It was for my neighbor across the street. These people knew my name and address and said that I should go tell my neighbor to contact them about paying her overdue bill. I hit the delete button. I didn't figure it was any of my business and the neighbor and I weren't on speaking terms/

Is that even legal? In any case I agree with the person on this thread whose reply would be along the lines of "That's why your company pays you. Your company doesn't pay me; I'm not your errand person so why don't you earn your salary and go tell them yourself?"

My phone is too old for caller display but even if I had it, I wouldn't bother calling a number if they didn't leave a message.

[KellyHabersham]

Standard skip trace practice. Rick must have really gone under the radar, and defaulted on his student loan to boot.

I'm not sure what exactly the situation is, but according to my mom, Rick says that this company is NOT contacting him about anything.....we're the ones who are getting the automated calls and letters. (Mom has given them his cell phone number several times before)

[Argus]

Being as how I am currently a bill collector (please don't light me up for that) you are correct in that that action is illegal as all hell... we are NOT allowed to give ANY information on the debt (or even that there IS a debt) to ANYONE except the person who owes it (or their spouse in some states). It's collectors like that that make collectors like me (who works for a bank that tries to be decent to people who owe money) look bad... nail them to the wall!

So, when I told a collector from company A that their debtor must be someone else with the same first name and last name (my local white pages alone have a dozen), they should not have read off the debtor's SSN for verification?

[notlovinit]

Wow, these are all such horrible stories. I feel sincerely lucky with my situation now. My fiance is a victim of identity theft and I've had to clear up his credit report for him. In all our experience with it we only got a few phone calls that stopped immediately when we told them to and they weren't nasty. Then I wrote them all letters explaining the situation and they requested verification. After I sent that they left us alone and took everything off the credit report. It was time consuming, but dang I feel lucky now.

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm not sure what exactly the situation is, but according to my mom, Rick says that this company is NOT contacting him about anything.....we're the ones who are getting the automated calls and letters. (Mom has given them his cell phone number several times before)

That seems very strange, but then again, I supposed I shouldn't be surprised at anything management does

Wow, these are all such horrible stories. I feel sincerely lucky with my situation now. My fiance is a victim of identity theft and I've had to clear up his credit report for him. In all our experience with it we only got a few phone calls that stopped immediately when we told them to and they weren't nasty. Then I wrote them all letters explaining the situation and they requested verification. After I sent that they left us alone and took everything off the credit report. It was time consuming, but dang I feel lucky now.

You're very lucky. I've known victims of identity theft who've had problems for YEARS. Some creditors will refuse to believe the victim. Sometimes the bad debt gets sold and a new collections agency will try to collect on it. The government has been trying to craft regulations to help ID theft victims, but it's been a slow process.

Keep an eye on your credit report. Some of those charges might reappear.

[Dreamstalker]

That's interesting, because a new trick collections agencies are using is to refuse to talk to the person unless their confirm their personal details. I've had a couple of collectors do this.

On the flip side, why should I need to confirm that I'm not who they're looking for (they won't talk to me anyway)?

I have a friend whose parents recently passed away, and I had to remind her that she doesn't owe her parents creditors a red cent of her own money (the estate is a different matter).

My mom got scammed by this when my grandmother died even after both I and the estate lawyer told her not to pay anything, he had already told them to GFT. I hate to think of how much they got her for before she decided to (had no choice) file bankruptcy. One of them has now apparently found my number, even though the bankruptcy was discharged months ago.

This one was a P, but I think I know who you're talking about.

Probably the same scuzzballs under a different name; I've found three that the morons that are hounding me use (the address is the same for all of them though). It's like the spam/scam sites; one gets reported enough times, they close down and open up shop a few days later under a new name.

[PepperElf]

My mom got scammed by this when my grandmother died even after both I and the estate lawyer told her not to pay anything, he had already told them to GFT. I hate to think of how much they got her for before she decided to (had no choice) file bankruptcy. One of them has now apparently found my number, even though the bankruptcy was discharged months ago.

If they're going after you now can you get the law on them?... perhaps win back your grandmother's money even?