ok, some creeps in dark suits knocked on my door about an hour ago

[WMliberal]

I really didn't feel like talking. My dad's been out of work for a long time and we're way behind on bills, so I thought they might be repo men or something. All the more reason to not answer the door; if the people they're probably looking for aren't home, why give them a chance?

Anyway, it's been an hour and they're still sitting in their car across the street. :scared:


UPDATE: They JUST left. I heard the car engine and I peered through the blinds. Those are the most impatient paper servers I've ever heard of. They must not get paid well. Or maybe the pretzel I sent * wasn't big enough.

[RagingInMiami]

1. There are laws against bill collectors who turn to harassment to collect

[unpossibles]

seriously?

call the police and report a suspicious activity. Sure, if they are Feds, it won't help, but it makes them play their cards a bit differently.

[Truman01]

4. I agree with you..... Call the police if they are sitting

across the street and watching the house.

[alittlelark]

5. Call the police

[CornField]

11. Yes, phone the police

Get it straightened out.

[Truman01]

2. Repo men don't wear dark suits......

They sound more like feds.

TC

[SCDem]

3. Don't stress out

They are probably Mormons!

[Lex]

7. Don't Mormons ride their bikes?

They don't sit outside your house in a car and wait for you, generally.

[MuseRider]

13. I don't think they are allowed

a car for their missions.

[Lex]

15. I think I remember reading that too. n/t

[SimpleMan]

33. Mormon missionaries do drive cars...

...depending on where they are assigned. Some are bike assignments, and some are car assignments.

However, they won't just sit in a car outside your house. Granted, they are irritating, but not stalkers.

[WMliberal]

16. haha. no way

one of them was black. and from what i know of the mormons in my town...

[SCDem]

22. Ok.... but at least I kept you from stressing for a while!

[sui generis]

6. did you mail another pretzel to the president?

I told you not to do that - it's attempted murder.

[Valerie5555]

52. OMG did you mail pretzels to * for real?????????????????

You'd be branded a "pretzel terrorist." :scared:y

[ohioliberal]

8. Definately call the police

they are harssing you.

[Bronco69]

9. Call the police and report them.

We have crimestopper signs all over our neighborhood telling people that suspicious vehicles and activities will be reported.

[AlCzervik]

10. is he behind on a car loan?

car repo guys don't knock.

[WMliberal]

18. only two months. we have another month before they act.

I'm taking care of that one when I get paid on friday.

yeah, the car guys just bring a tow truck.

[Lex]

12. Probably process servers.

If a creditor is suing you or a family member in court, they may be trying to serve the papers.

Just a guess.

[WMliberal]

14. that was my other thought

since they're dressed better than any other repo men i'd ever seen. My parents are getting divorced, but they'd never do anything like that for divorce. It has to be about owing money.

[Lex]

17. If they are just serving papers for a creditor who is suing

don't worry about them--they just want to hand some papers over to your parents.

[WMliberal]

20. i'm gonna wait. let them have fun sitting in their car for a few more

hours.

I'm calling my mother at work to give her a heads up.

[htuttle]

19. Call the police, and tell them this:

"Hello? There's two swarthy men sitting in a car outside my house, and they look kind of suspicious. They were speaking some language I don't understand. I think I saw one of them with a gun."

Then sit back, crack open a beverage, and enjoy the ensuing hilarity.

[brainshrub]

23. They said something about Allah... or was it Faluja?

Either way, they seem to be in a hurry.

[WMliberal]

32. ha! "open in the name of Allah!!"

that'd make for a fun afternoon.

[Renew Deal]

24. lol

I think you can get in trouble for the gun bit. Otherwise, it should be funny.

[htuttle]

39. Not to worry about that

"Better safe than sorry", I'd explain. Maybe it was just a flashlight. They can hardly contend that I *didn't* think they had a gun. I've certainly heard thinner excuses used when a police officer accidentally shoots an unarmed person.

:shrug:

[WMliberal]

25. oh man, sounds awesome. if only i'd gone on a beer run yesterday

it'd be even funnier if the dispatch says, "oh, you're at (insert my address here)? They're there to arrest a Mr. Wright. I'll inform them that you are ihome"

[KyndCulture]

28. OMG that was funny!

I was thinking the same thing, call in a terrorist alert.

[TX-RAT]

37. Nothing funny about filing a false report.

Very poor advice.

[htuttle]

40. How would they prove that?

"I think I saw a gun, maybe it was just a cell phone"

[TX-RAT]

42. Why in the world would you want to lie, because it's funny?

It's only funny if everybody laughs.

[htuttle]

43. Well, I'm sorry Officer Bookman

Didn't mean to offend.

:eyes:

[TX-RAT]

44. That would be, retired Sheriff

And i always find lieing offensive. Especially when it involves filing a false report " Which is a crime "

[brainshrub]

21. I suggest you go out and ask them what they want.

If they are process men, they are going to serve you papers regardless. If they are govt agents they are going to ask questions no matter how long they have to wait.

If they wanted to abduct or hurt you they would have never knocked.

[WMliberal]

27. good point. I'll put something better on.

and make them wait in their car a little longer. I'm sure they're having a GREAT time.

[lpbk2713]

36. If they are process servers..........

they are required by law to put the legal document in the hand of the addressee. They cannot give it to a friend, neighbor, co-worker or relative. If you don't think they want you then go ask them WTF they are doing loitering outside your house. They can't do anything to you.

[Pepper32]

41. True n/t

[Renew Deal]

26. Use your 2nd amendment rights.

And lets hope it doesn't go Ruby Ridge.

[WMliberal]

29. i AM in a red state...

I'm sure I'd get a sympathetic jury.

[indigolady]

30. Honey, they're probably just Morman boys on their mission.

[Angry Girl]

31. Take their pictures!

Get some neighbors and a videocam and go interview them politely:

"Excuse me, but I noticed that you have been parked here for XX hours. May I help you with something? And, just in case, because you look suspicious in this neighborhood, I have called the police and they're on their way...."

OMG, I don't know if I'd have the guts to do that....

Keep up apprised!

[WMliberal]

35. they just left.

just as i was going to my room to change my clothes, walk out and talk to them.

[Pepper32]

38. Well, that's good. Hope they stay gone. n/t

[Angry Girl]

45. good. that really sucks

Hate those strong fight-or-flight reactions. Messes with your whole system. I'll bet you're due a double martini or whatever your poison is to relax you now.

Chances are they're just working for creditors. I like to call them "preditors".... What a creepy profession.

Hang in there!

[Pepper32]

34. OMG, call the police and someone you know

Stay safe...

I wonder if they are feds?

This sounds as strange as me seeing a policeman demand my mailman to open our mailboxes back up (9 of them) and proceed to take the mail out of each one and "inspect" the mail and put it back in. The whole time he had his patrol car parked on the side where it was not visible to most tenants.

When he was done he took the mailman to the side where his car was parked and almost looked like he was drilling him about what had just happened. I couldn't hear what was being said, however. He then got in his patrol car, put it in reverse and left out backwards.

I was peeking the whole time so they didn't know I was watching. I didn't know what to think, this happened about one month ago. :scared:

[Angry Girl]

46. how bizarre! We've gotten open stuff too lately

Mostly packages. One was from a place we order our vitamins and supplements from and one of the containers had been opened. Hasn't happened since on those shipments.

Another time was some little thing, I forgot what, but the corner of the bubble envelope had been torn open somewhat and whatever was in there partially slid out as for a cursory inspection.

It's not like I can do anything about it while I live here.... *sigh*

[WMliberal]

47. contact your local postmaster

if it's been tampered with, they could figure out when it was tampered.

[Pepper32]

48. I have done this...

Not for the particular incident above.

I have received open and delayed mail in the past and complained. All they did was give me a trouble number to track my complaint and said that they would forward it to my local post office and that someone from there would call me. Guess what, they never called. I called the main hotline back again and the only thing they did was update my "report." I even went online and emailed the post office and they said they would look into it but never got back to me.

However, do call and make a complaint, at the very least it will be documented.

Angry Girl, I doubt if your open mail is due/related to what I witnessed one month ago. At least I hope not. Good luck!

[Angry Girl]

50. I just figured it was some standard spot search

Sometimes I get stuff from family from Europe. *shrug* I didn't think any formal complaint would get anything accomplished, except shove some paperwork around. Nothing was missing. And what would an investigation find? What good would that info do me? Life is short and I'd rather spend that time trying to get the big bosses out of office....

What you saw sounded like some whole other ball game, I agree! I would have probably said something there. Strange times, strange times.

[Pepper32]

49. I didn't see him open the mail, he just looked at the outside and the back

That's what I meant by "inspect"... The whole time he held the mail by the edges (like he didn't want to leave finger prints)

Either way he should have not been going in our mailboxes to see who/where we are getting mail from. If that was his reasons.


Anyway, at the very least you should report that your mail is being tampered with.

General Information
1-800-ASK-USPS® or [phone]
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Sundays - Dec. 5th, 12th and 19th from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.(Eastern Time)
Closed Holidays


Hope this helps...

[Floogeldy]

51. Calling the police won't help

If they are licensed process servers or private investigators, they are allowed to be there and try to serve papers.

Later, in most states, if they can't serve you personally, they will serve you by publication and get a default judgment. That's okay, though, because what good is a judgment to them if they can't collect?