There is only one thing worse than getting harassing calls from a collection agency -

[jillan]

when they have the wrong number!

Somehow they got my landline number for people with the same last name as ours, but we have no idea who these people are.
We've had our phone number forever. And we have a very common last name.

Today one of these collectors called my husband a liar because he said he didn't know who these people were.

We'll get about 5 calls for a few days, than nothing for months. Then it starts up again. And stops. Starts and stops.

We've been wanting to disconnect our landline for awhile.... maybe it's time. I don't know what else to do to stop these harassing calls that aren't even our doing.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[TwilightGardener]

1. Yes, it's happening to me. Various collectors, asking for the same

two people with the same last name. Day and night. We tell them that there is no one here by that name, and then it stops for a little while, and then it starts up again by another agency/phone number (God bless caller ID). I don't know if we have this person/family's old number, or if our number was used fraudulently.

[jillan]

2. How can we make it stop? It's really getting on my last nerve.

[TwilightGardener]

5. I should clarify, the people they're calling for do not share my last name, or otherwise

I'd be more worried about identity theft. I really don't know how to stop it, except keep screening calls until my husband blows up and screams at them for calling for the fourth time in one day.

[mrmpa]

8. Find out the name of the collection agency & their phone number

then call your state's Attorney General's office & file a complaint with their consumer protection arm.

[rustydog]

43. Some of these are foreign-based using VOIP phone systems

that make it look like they are calling from within the US.
they are very aggressive, threatening to get people fired, threatening bodily harm and loss of employment.

A co-worker is being harassed mercilessly I took a callto him at work, advised the caller they do have his home phone number, have called for him at work to harass which is illegal and it needs to stop or I would report them to the Wa State Attorney General's office.

The caller told me to fuck off and piss off, then hung up on me.

[cliffordu]

45. I ask the filthiest sexual questions I can come up with.

Which, I gotta say, is really something.

I had a supervisor at one of these outfits screaming obscenities at me once, and he slammed down the phone. Never called back.

You can play too!!


"So: When you're "______" to "______" do you ever "______" and then "______"???

Just fill in the blanks.

[Dan]

64. Thank you....

I have cussed them out on three different occasions (they have the wrong person), yet they seem to enjoy being cussed out... I will try the Attorney General's process.

[JackintheGreen]

3. All the time, but here's the rub

The fellow they are trying to find has a Chinese name (not even a little anglicized) and our number is listed under a VERY Irish surname. It's happened off and on for the last three years, but at least I've never been called a liar.

[Voice for Peace]

4. I used to have fun with those calls - once I had gotten so tired of them I couldn't stand it

I would speak with a funny accent and pretend I thought they were trying to give me money. It seemed to help make the calls stop.

[RC]

6. Caller ID. Don't answer unless you know who is calling.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. When they call

tell them that the person they are looking for does not live there then tell then not to call again. By law they are prohibited from calling again for 6 months. If they do call dring that time period report the violation to your state attorney general's office.

[FSogol]

9. Yeah, I got one of those calls once. They never called back after I told them I had the

number for 7 years.

[Dappleganger]

10. You have my sympathy, we were getting calls about various neighbors around us...

by agents demanding that I stop whatever I was doing and go put a note on their door and tell them to call the agency. This was happening several times a month. I told them each time to stop calling us, that it was not my concern and surely they were breaking privacy laws and harassment laws.

Finally we had enough (not just of them but other unsolicited phone calls) and we killed the landline. So far they don't have our mobile numbers (crosses fingers and toes).

[safeinOhio]

11. My number use to be that of

someone that owes a lot of money. Every few months they'd call and ask for her. I got an old phone book and found my old number, did some more research and found her new married name and number.
Now when they call I tell them she no longer has this number, but I have done some research and know her new one. Then I tell them for $50 I'll give it to them. They take some time and then refuse, but say if I give them the number they'll stop calling me. Then I tell them that's ok, I'm retired and have nothing else to do and the price will soon go up another $50. They gave up and if had some laughs.

Remember this, if THEY call you, you can say anything you wish as long as you don't threaten them. It's always nice to inquire what color panties they have on.

[Warpy]

12. Yes, I told them to get in touch with my lawyer

I never heard from them again.

I didn't even have a lawyer. I made up the name.

[musette_sf]

60. from the firm of

Dewey, Cheatham & Howe

[guruoo]

13. If you want it to stop, just tell them you are recording the call.

Works every time.

[catzies]

14. Yes. It's why I'm unlisted. Try being a "Smith." I had calls for years for other people.

I was in my local phone book for years under last name & first two initials - was told this was a good strategy for single women living alone. I got a lot of calls over the years; the most surreal was from Bank of America because soemone in my town with my name defaulted on a house, so they thought for sure it was me. It wasn't. I'm unlisted now. It's worth it.

Yes, collection agencies, everyone named Smith is related, we all know each other and I can help you find "Charles M. Smith." :eyes:

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. You can be listed under any name at all, did you know?

Our phone company charges a monthly fee to be unlisted, but...they allow you to pick out a name to be listed under.
So my phone is listed under a weird made up name.
My friends have my number, strangers I tell to look me up in the phone book under the weird name.
The number is never put on any official docs that might get on a phone list.
And if I get a call for "Mrs. Weird Name" I know instantly it is a sales call.

You can change your listed name once a year, before the new books come out.

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. My friend uses his cat's name

Cat died years ago but he still gets credit card offers in the mail and phone calls for the cat.

[Juneboarder]

49. Facebook...

There are times I wish DU had a "like" button, lol... this is one of them :)

[AngryAmish]

15. All the time.

Unplugged the landline. Don't miss it.

[rock]

16. And that's getting harassing calls from a collection agency

and the representative on the phone being bush* (hey, he has to earn a living some way!)

[hunter]

17. I get plenty enough calls for me.

Of course these calls were greatly reduced once the collection agencies noticed how I'd turned from dreading the calls to feeling sorry for the poor people who have to work for collection agencies, even those truly nasty agents who enjoy harassing others. A friendly response makes those nasty sorts wilt. If they can't intimidate and threaten you they don't know what to do. Trying to collect on medical bills has got to be one of the worst jobs in the world.

Once my son was getting collection calls on his cell phone that were clearly a wrong number, demanding to speak to some stranger, a woman in another state.

I took the call after my son had done everything he could think of to make them stop. I didn't tell them it was obvious they had the wrong area code and easy to guess the correct one, but I did tell them the number they were dialing belonged to a minor and they didn't want that kind of trouble, which shut them up for good.

[Liquorice]

52. Edit - posted in wrong place. nt

[slackmaster]

18. I get collection letters for a deceased person who once lived in the house that is now mine

Also solicitations from the AARP - Apparently his family has never bothered to notify the Social Security Administration of his death.

The collection letters are fun. I call the collection agencies and harass them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. We had a family member die and a doctor claimed he owed him $50

This was a couple years AFTER the person had died. Estate had been settled but the doctor hired a collection agency to get that $50. They called everyone in the family wanting that bill paid. Probably cost the doctor a couple hundred dollars to go after a dead person.

[slackmaster]

33. One idiot at a collection agency yelled at me for opening the deceased person's mail

I asked her if she would have felt better if I had forwarded it to his mother.

[liberalhistorian]

50. That was illegal. Creditors have a certain

amount of time to file a claim against an estate (usually four to five months after the will is opened for probate in probate court). After that, their claims are legally barred and there's nothing more they can do. And debts die with a person unless it was a joint account/credit card/loan/mortgage, etc., or there was a cosigner, or it's a community property states (of which there are six in the country).

So, legally speaking, that idiot doctor was completely in the wrong. But many creditors consider the family members of a deceased person to be vulnerable targets and realize that the family often doesn't know their rights and that they're not responsible for the debts of their deceased member unless one of the above conditions applies.

[pipi_k]

19. Solution....

Report these people to your state's Attorney General. And the Attorney General of the state where this company is located, if you know where they're from.

Six years ago I had a zombie credit place harassing me over something that was twenty years old, and clearly outside of the statute of limitations.

A letter or two from the AGs of both states (mine and theirs) stopped it immediately.

[ieoeja]

20. Go insane.

Dig deep inside yourself for all the rage you can possibly find, then verbally throw it at them. Go stark raving insane.

Worked for me. And I freely admitted that I was the person from whom they actually wanted to collect.

In my case, I reported a credit card number stolen. But made the mistake of explaining that the number, not the card, was stolen. I actually believe the people with whom I spoke (numerously) were just too fucking stupid to understand how such a thing could be done. However, after a half dozen calls made it clear they were going to keep pestering me, presumably hoping I would cave to the pressure, I made the conscious decision to go completely apeshit on them.

Forcing an employee to endure my invective repeatedly would have been abusing the employee. They couldn't do that. Of course, now that they are overseas, I suppose they could. But it still might work.

And if it doesn't work, it'll at least make you feel better.

:evilgrin:

[csziggy]

46. Sort of like this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsMIEDQqwQ

[alphafemale]

59. That one's classic. nt

[nykym]

21. This solution might be a bit hard to pull off

but it would be fun if you could manage it. It's an oldie but definitely golden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1waHJhb2wxo

ROTFL

[Mnemosyne]

22. Constantly. They often become quite rude when told to stop calling. n/t

[SheilaT]

23. I've had my current phone number for almost three years now,

and I've had two sets of collection agency calls for someone at this number, and one set at my office. All of these have been robo calls giving an 800 number for the desired debtor to call back to. I honestly think what's been happening is that people out there just give out random phone numbers on their applications.

I just call back, point out I am NOT the person they are looking for, and the calls immediately stopped. I put up with the first set for a couple of months before it occurred to me I could phone the number that was being left on my answering machine and tell them to knock it off.

I have a very uncommon last name, and I'm not particularly worried about identity theft.

Anyway, if you get these kinds of calls just call back and tell them to stop calling, you're not the one they want.

[thelordofhell]

24. Whistles work really well

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Yes but it was years ago when we got a new number

They were just obnoxious, accused us of lying. Went on for months. The guy even told me he knew I was Mrs X because he had talked to her on the phone many times and he recognized my voice.

[Raine]

27. Get an answering machine for that phone

and monitor all calls, don't pick it up if that's who is.

[Generic Other]

29. Threaten to sue for harasssment.

I let them know they were harassing an 89 year old man bed-ridden man with dementia who always paid cash and never owned a single credit card in his life, and if he wasn't who they were looking for they were going to be sued for pain and suffering and criminally prosecuted if they caused his death. I really piled it on. They backed off.

[Dogtown]

31. Tape the calls.

Demand a street address (do not accept a PO Box). Once you have that send a registered letter denying you are the person owing the debt.

Demand that they send you signatory evidence of the debt (actual signed notes). Since they "bought" this debt, they will not have legal documentation of the original instruments. This tactic usually stops them, as they realize they can't convince you they can win in court.

Demand that they cease calling you by telephone and may not contact you unless at the return address on the letter. Inform them your line is recorded and that you'll report any violation of your demands to the appropriate state and federal authorities.


You have rights. There are laws that restrain collection agencies.


http://www.yesnerboss.com/2009/08/guide-to-federal-state-restraints-on.html

[ReggieVeggie]

32. having to pay?

[jillan]

36. I don't understand your comment. I'm not paying for these other people, if that's what you mean.

[ReggieVeggie]

39. no

having to pay after a collection call because you owe money

[ms.smiler]

34. Here is what I can suggest because it worked for my friend

A friend was in this position and I did some research and learned about consumer law. Most of these debt collection companies violate the law. They simply hope to intimidate people and convince people to send them money.

I worked up a simple list of questions and guidelines and this has worked perfectly for my friend. These companies realize they are vulnerable to law suits and this approach must indicate a likely "litigious consumer."

Speak calmly and confidently and do not threaten anything. If you can record the call or even if you can't, ask the person for permission to record the conversation. They will sometimes tell you they are recording but you can explain that you would like your own recording. If you like, just skip the question about recording.

Offer no information yourself. Your task is to gather information from the caller.

Actually print the questions if you like in order to take notes and either say or mutter "okay, today's date and the time."

Identify yourself please - full name

What company do your work for?

What is the address and phone number of that company?

Is that company licensed as a debt collector in that state?

What is the license number?

Does that company have an office in (whatever is your own state)?

If so, what is the address?

What is the purpose of your call?

To my surprise, my friend hasn't made it past the third question as the callers hung up on him. He hasn't had any calls from those companies since leading him to believe he was removed from their calling system. It appears that most violations of the law are good for $1,000 each and calls to cell phones are good for $500 which can be tripled by a judge to $1,500 per call.

I think my friend is a bit disappointed now though because he realized he could sue in his local District Court but only had the one opportunity with my script to document the violations.

It usually only costs around $100 or so to file in the local court so it might be worthwhile to document the calls and file suit against the companies.

I am not an attorney, just a person trying to be helpful.

[jillan]

35. Those are great questions - jotting them down!

[SoCalDem]

37. People who are in trouble with debt may be filling out an address/phone number change

and just making numbers up, in hopes that it will throw the collectors off their "scent".. the problem is when someone actually HAS that number..

[distantearlywarning]

38. Same thing happened to us.

They kept calling for someone we didn't know. And they were extremely rude and aggressive about it.

After we threatened to sue, they finally knocked it off.

I can't stand these fucking collection agency bastards. Lowest form of scum on the planet, IMO.

[MorningGlow]

40. Ugh. I feel your pain.

We bought our current house just over five years ago. It had been a rental, and the tenants were sketchy characters. The woman apparently defaulted on a school loan to a local community college (I never opened her mail, but it was pretty obvious judging by stuff addressed to her from the school and a local bank) and we were the lucky recipients of the collection agencies' attention.

Phone calls, people coming to the door...once, when we were at work, our neighbor saw a collector LOOKING IN THE WINDOWS. We tried ignoring the phone calls, but believe me, they don't give up. (What, it never occurred to these people that the new number they were calling was NEVER Ms. X's number?) I was always calm and polite (most of the time, anyway), and if I said "DO NOT CALL HERE AGAIN, PLEASE", it worked for a while, but then the calls would start again sooner or later.

We finally realized that every time the chick's file was turned over to a new agency, they just started from "last known address" (ours) all over again.

I now have her new address and phone number on a post-it note on our fridge. (Yeah, the collectors never manage to look in a current phone book.) She lives two miles down the road. I noticed she recently switched her address to a post office box, so I guard that actual street address with my life. But I am more than happy to share it with the collection agencies when they call again.

And they ALWAY call again...

[Danger Mouse]

41. collection agencies are the lowest of the low...thuggish bullies.

[moondust]

42. New scam?

I've had several different ones call me and leave messages. They fill up my cell phone voicemail. I suspect they're just looking up phone numbers on the Internet and in mobile directories and calling people hoping to hook a sucker.

[RebelOne]

44. Used to get them all the time, but they were robot calls.

Every day a call would come through about 10 a.m.. I would just hang up. Eventually the calls stopped.

[Zanzoobar]

47. I Know! It's almost as bad as having humanitarians drop bombs on you!

Goddam debt collectors!

[jillan]

58. Oh you are funny comparing wrong numbers to bombs.

:eyes:

[Zanzoobar]

62. You said, "There is only one thing worse..."

I simply gave you a example of what might be worse than, "only one thing worse." I suppose it's all relative to your expectations.

[jillan]

66. Okay - you got me there. Guess I'll have to be more careful with my figures of speech around you.

:hi:

[Zanzoobar]

69. I'm sorry. Libya has me preoccupied.

I should have let it go. You're more than sporting.

[Juneboarder]

48. Kill 'em with kindness...

I used to be a collector and nothing worse than being a hardass when the person on the other end is being overly kind and... clueless. Clueless about why they would be taking the time out of their day to call you. So special... go into detail about how great the day is, the birds are chirping extra loudly, radiation raining down on us, blah, blah blah...

They won't want to callback and speak to that... :)

[Gormy Cuss]

51. Yes, and here's how I ended it.

1)keep a log of the time, date, and a synopsis of each call. Be sure to note the name of the person calling and the company name (ask if it isn't volunteered.)Ask where the company is located and ask for a phone number. Also note when the person calls you a liar or is otherwise rude.

2)Google the company name with "debt collection" as a secondary search term. This should lead you to the home page for the company. Call the number on the web page and ask to speak to someone about their employees violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (it covers most, but not all, debt collectors.

I got a mid-level VP who assured me that no more call would be made and he gave me his full name, mailing address, and a direct line to call back if there were any further problems.



Read the FDCPA. Start with section 804 where it details appropriate behavior during locating activities. Sec. 804 (3) makes it clear that the caller may call only once unless there is a reasonable suspicion of incomplete or misleading info in prior calls. Saying you don't know the person doesn't constitute that, especially when a common surname is involved.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

[TheOther95Percent]

55. I second Gormy Cuss

I nip it in the bud by telling the person that I'm going to alert the FTC if they call me back. I also mention to the people who call that if somebody doesn't have any money to pay their bills, they're not likely to have phone service in their name. Duh. That seems to work. I had a terrible time about two years ago - I have a common enough last name - and just mentioning calling the FTC got me off their call list. Now if AARP would stop calling me, life would be bliss.

[tnlefty]

67. All of that and in addition mention that you'll give the

information to the state attorney general's office, and then follow through.

[proud patriot]

53. We let the answering machine handle all calls

if it's someone we know and want to talk to we pick-up

[Liquorice]

54. It's far worse to have the collector calling you than to have a

collector calling you with the wrong number.

[jillan]

57. Been there.

[kenny blankenship]

56. I would guess they know they don't have the right person but they don't care

placing a phone call is cheap. You get the number for all the people who have the name Smith, a certain ne'er do well who owes a bunch of money. Call EVERYONE ON THAT LIST. You aren't necessarily hoping to collect from Mr. Smith, that particular Mr. Smith, the one who ran up a big credit card debt, you are just using Smith as an excuse to ring up 10,000+ people and demand money from them.

Hell, these days it's 50/50 whether this "Smith" even existed. Probably Smith ran up the debt under some kind of assumed name or hijacked identity. But the fact that he did it in the name of Smith makes every Smith subject to collection calls.

You might want to change your name, as well as drop your landline. Change it legally to something globally unique that cannot be plausibly confused with the name of anyone else alive or recently living. I have dibs on Jepthah Throatwarbler Mangrove, Sr. , so you will have to pick something else.

[tammywammy]

61. I had a land line a few years ago

As soon as I turned it on I started getting collection calls. There is another woman with the same first and last name as me in this city. They just don't believe you when you say it's not you. They'd even go so far as to say "are the last four of your social XXXX?" I'd tell them no. I didn't have caller ID, so I never knew who was calling, so I'd usually answer. After a couple weeks, maybe a month I unplugged the phone. I'd only plug it in if I knew someone was coming to the apartment and I'd need to buzz them through the gate. Then I realized the gate could go to my cell phone, so I just turned the whole land line off. Waste of time and money.

[in_cog_ni_to]

63. Can you block certain numbers from calling you? We can block

up to 30 numbers on our phone and I add numbers all the time. 800#s, Omaha steaks (THE most OBNOXIOUS company EVER), people selling stuff, military recruiters....it stops the number from ringing through. :) Needless to say, I LOVE it.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

65. I had this experience after I changed cell phone numbers,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7921993

[Shallah Kali]

68. some states let you sue harassing bill collectors

I read of one fellow who did owe money but because the bill collectors threatened him with things they had no right to do like jail time he was able to successfully sue them.


Facts for Consumers

Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don’t think I owe any money?

If you send the debt collector a letter stating that you don’t owe any or all of the money, or asking for verification of the debt, that collector must stop contacting you. You have to send that letter within 30 days after you receive the validation notice. But a collector can begin contacting you again if it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of a bill for the amount you owe.
What practices are off limits for debt collectors?

Harassment. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:

* use threats of violence or harm;
* publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);
* use obscene or profane language; or
* repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.

snip

Do I have any recourse if I think a debt collector has violated the law?

You have the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date the law was violated. If you win, the judge can require the collector to pay you for any damages you can prove you suffered because of the illegal collection practices, like lost wages and medical bills. The judge can require the debt collector to pay you up to $1,000, even if you can’t prove that you suffered actual damages. You also can be reimbursed for your attorney’s fees and court costs. A group of people also may sue a debt collector as part of a class action lawsuit and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector’s net worth, whichever amount is lower. Even if a debt collector violates the FDCPA in trying to collect a debt, the debt does not go away if you owe it.


snip

Where do I report a debt collector for an alleged violation?

Report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General’s office (www.naag.org) and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov). Many states have their own debt collection laws that are different from the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Your Attorney General’s office can help you determine your rights under your state’s law.

...more info at the link, hope it helps....

[themadstork]

70. The worst is when it's a mistaken drug dealer speaking in code about paying for your "electricity"nt

[Odious justice]

71. Being stung by bees is worse

usually.