An annual ritual - debt collectors

[Aabidano]

This is becoming a yearly thing, I've yet another debt collector calling for someone who isn't me.

For some variety they're calling my office line this year. That line has never been published anyplace, they could only have bought it from the carrier.

This year it's FMS, slightly politer than others in the past at least but they still make the implication that you're a deadbeat.

Cease and desist letter is all set to go

Bottom feeders

[Tyek]

If you have a copy of it I would appreciate if you would send it my way.

I am currently receiving calls from debt collectors for...

Illian Gonzales
Able Gonzales
Bernard Jones
Beverly Jones
Brian Jones
Brenda Jones

I get them from a number of companies that always tell me they will remove the number, but I get calls again shortly after. This is on my business line that has been mine for 5 years. My company does publish the number on their site as the territory manager, at one point they had our address as well, but they have since removed it. Most of the calls come on the weekend or after business hours.

Do I have recourse if they continue to call? Thanks in advance for any copy of that letter if you can provide it.

[Fairweather Pure]

Weird. My wife is having this exact same issue on her business line. Debt collectors are fucking assholes. Whenever she tries to imform them that they have the wrong number, she's never heard of those people, those people do not live here, ect., they just hang up on her.

Post that letter!

[Tyek]

I have been on the phone with them, gotten addresses and google earth mapped the address. One was a house, several were empty lots. They say they will take them off, but they never do.

[Aabidano]

I just use a form letter I found on the web someplace, below. Once you've sent it and they've acknowledged receipt you can file a legal complaint against or sue them if they call again.

I ended up filing a complaint with the PA attorney generals office against one of them last year, PA has a nice web interface to do so, takes 10 minutes and they'll mail you some paperwork.. Got a couple letters from PA on what to do if I was bothered further and a very nice apology letter from the scumsuckers. Haven't heard from them since.

Also, the same rules apply whether or not you're the person they're really looking for. Once you've directed them to only contact you in writing they're aware of the consequences of doing otherwise.

Sample letter, short and to the point. It needs to be sent return receipt before you can file a formal complaint in most states:

<company name>
<address>

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is being sent to you in response to repeated calls to my <home> <business> phone line. Be advised that this is a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g.

I would like to request, in writing, that no telephone contact be made by your offices to my home or to my place of employment. If your offices attempt telephone communication with me, including but not limited to computer generated calls and calls or correspondence sent to or with any third parties, it will be considered harassment. All future communications with me MUST be done in writing and sent to the address noted in this letter by USPS.

Best Regards,

<your name>
<address>
<phone>

[Tyek]

Today was "The Share Group" looking for Donna Jones...sigh

[Tyek]

OK, just got another call, this guy actually talked to me...this is what they had under my office number

Briana Jones
Brenda Jones
Betty Jones
Barbara Jones
Becky Jones
Bernard Jones
Donna Jones
Able Gonzales

This is ONE company. Can one letter to them stop calls for every one of the names?

edit - talked with my mom's boss, he is an attorney and they have a collection department. They said that if you sign up for the Do Not Call List then the collection agencies cannot call your number.

[Aslanna]

OK, just got another call, this guy actually talked to me...this is what they had under my office number

Briana Jones
Brenda Jones
Betty Jones
Barbara Jones
Becky Jones
Bernard Jones
Donna Jones
Able Gonzales

This is ONE company. Can one letter to them stop calls for every one of the names?

I don't have an answer to that. But I like how they are all 'Jones' except for one. I am disappointed there is no Barnaby listed though!

[Tyek]

OK, just got another call, this guy actually talked to me...this is what they had under my office number

Briana Jones
Brenda Jones
Betty Jones
Barbara Jones
Becky Jones
Bernard Jones
Donna Jones
Able Gonzales

This is ONE company. Can one letter to them stop calls for every one of the names?

I don't have an answer to that. But I like how they are all 'Jones' except for one. I am disappointed there is no Barnaby listed though!

Since my number and name were listed on a web site, their might be a reason they all begin with B and end with Jones. I am just saying.

[Boogahz]

you're just saying that you're in the business of BJs?

[Aabidano]

This is ONE company. Can one letter to them stop calls for every one of the names?

Yes, it's the phone number that you're telling them that they can't call anymore. Once you've directed a company to only contact you by mail they're in violation of the USC if they call further for any reason.

I'm not sure how they get paid but they won't mail you as it's obvious that they're contacting the wrong party and they presumably don't get paid for it.

When you're being harassed by companies and you aren't able to determine who they are your own state attorney general's office is the one to contact. Some really go out of their way to hide so you can't tell them to stop.

I start a running list for every time i get a call. Just a note on a sticky pad, I don't pay attention for more than a month or so.

[Hesten]

You tried the classics, like "im naked, what are you wearing, and start to breathe heavily", or answer after their pitch with a "i want to order a pizza nr 47 with extra pineapple" and then argue about who called who, and insist you want your pizza?

[Tuberok]

I actually have a bit of experience with this from a couple of years ago. I kept getting repeated phone calls that became extreme to say the least. Doing research I discovered that the do not call list refers to solicitations and not collections. There is a caveat though. In order to legally collect a debt the collection agency has to prove that you actually owe the debt. The first step they are obligated to do is send a dunning letter. This letter should give all information pertaining to the debt. You have thirty days to respond requesting validation of the debt NOT verification. If they do not respond or fail to validate but just verify by sending a letter saying you owe blah blah blah with no proof they are instantly in violation. Of course you need to also send a letter as stated earlier requesting communication only by usps mail. In my case the company refused to validate debt and ignored my cease and desist letter as the debt was not mine to begin with. I sent all communication returned receipt and noted and started recording calls from the company. I eventually took them to small claims court on five counts of violating the fair credit reporting act. Each count resulted in $1000 dollars that they had to pay to me. I was awarded 5k. Scumbag collection agency had been sued by so many people and reported to the AG's office so many times they closed up shop and never paid a dime out to anyone. Do some googling, hit some websites and if you are constantly hounded by these folks, follow the steps to protect yourself and actually cause them some pain. They are bottom feeders who purchase old usually out of statute of limitation debt and attempt to strongarm folks into paying as they realize most people will not educate themselves on the legalities and end up paying something.... Pathetic on the part of the collectors.
I will say, it was not easy doing what I did and took many many hours. When one of the calls made my wife cry, that was the motivation I needed to fight back in a big way.

[Tyek]

The main problem is I am NONE of those people. It is a scammer or group using my number as a contact number on what are probably legitimate debts.

[masteen]

Doesn't matter, you just have to either make it more work than they're willing to put in and/or follow the legal path to establishing that none of those people are at your number.

I used to have this one scumbag employee who used to put our office number as her personal number for all her scam bullshit. I found that a combo of assertive verbal rebuke combined with the threat of legal action was really effective at getting them to stop tying up the line of a school board office.

[Aabidano]

It doesn't matter who they're looking for, it's your number that's being called. Start keeping a log and formally notify them to stop calling.

If they call after you've gotten a return receipt then file a complaint and\or take them to court and sue for harassment.

I don't recall what the law is, pretty sure each letter is good for a year.

[Winnow]

I had a few of those and have zero debt.

1. Jailbreak your iPhone

2. Get Blacklist

3. Any number you see that you don't recognize, simply add it to the Blacklist and it's completely ignored and you'll never see it again unless you check the Blacklist logs to see how many times they tried to call.

Since moving to iPhone 4 that doesn't have a jailbreak, I haven't gotten any calls yet so I guess after a few years they move on!

[Canelek]

iBlacklist is pretty fucking awesome. I have not received any spam calls in a while, but it really came in handy when I had two persistent all-hours callers. Being able to send a busy signal was the shit!

[Xouqoa]

I have some Google Voice invites, if anybody is interested. (I think I have three.) You can always use that as your business number, and have it ring through to your actual number. It won't stop them from calling you now, since they already know the number, but it could help trim down on future incidents. If they call in the future, you can just block them so they don't get through again.

[Fairweather Pure]

I've never gotten a sales call or anything of the sort since I've had a cell phone. It was actually the #1 motivation at the time because it had gotten so ridiculous.

[Tyek]

Today's call was for.....

Mark Poop.

The guy called, he asked "Is Mark there?"

I said, "Let me guess, Mark Jones?"

He replied, "No Mark P-O-O-P"

After I finished laughing, I said, "Did you just spell POOP and not realize this is probably a bad contact name?"

"Thank you sir, we will take you off our list", CLICK.

[Boogahz]

well, was he there?

[Aabidano]

They'll be asking for Mike Hunt next

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

Add yourself to the no-call list. Set up a recording device to the phone. Inform them the first time to remove your number from any future calls. Sue them the next time they dial your number. A friend of mine here literally makes thousands of dollars a year suing these companies who are too incompetent to block a number.

[Canelek]

Interesting....and it is pretty easy to get put on a spam call list. I like your friend's idea. Have a 3rd party sign you up for crazytimes bullshit. Add yourself to no call list. Wait for one or more to fuck up. Brilliant!

[Aabidano]

The do not call list has absolutely nothing to do with debt collector calls. That's strictly for unsolicited commercial activity.

The debt collectors have a legal right to call you until you "provably" direct them not to.

[miir]

Add yourself to the no-call list. Set up a recording device to the phone. Inform them the first time to remove your number from any future calls. Sue them the next time they dial your number. A friend of mine here literally makes thousands of dollars a year suing these companies who are too incompetent to block a number.

You can't just ask a collection agency to stop calling then try to sue them


Do not call lists or registries do not apply to creditors and debt collection agencies.
https://www.donotcall.gov/faq/faqbusine ... #ExemptOrg

However, they are required to adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consume ... /cre27.pdf

[Canelek]

I don't think he meant collection agencies, just sales spam.

[Tyek]

Nope these are all debt collectors. Mike Poop is having a very busy week. That makes 6 calls for him.

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

Add yourself to the no-call list. Set up a recording device to the phone. Inform them the first time to remove your number from any future calls. Sue them the next time they dial your number. A friend of mine here literally makes thousands of dollars a year suing these companies who are too incompetent to block a number.

You can't just ask a collection agency to stop calling then try to sue them


Do not call lists or registries do not apply to creditors and debt collection agencies.
https://www.donotcall.gov/faq/faqbusine ... #ExemptOrg

However, they are required to adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consume ... /cre27.pdf

Yes....yes you can. If they are calling an incorrect number and repeatedly call it after being asked to stop, it falls under harrassment and they can be sued. Trust me when I say that it has happened. My friend actually makes his money straight from the telemarketers though.

[Canelek]

Si. It falls under FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) I believe. Now, if they are calling you, and the debt is valid, this becomes more difficult. However, under FDCPA they are most certainly not allowed to stray outside of the law, and that includes harassment.

[Tyek]

The problem is, most seem to know this and hang up before I can say much to them. I have started calling back to the number, getting the company name from the message and identifying them through the internet though.

[miir]

[Yes....yes you can. If they are calling an incorrect number and repeatedly call it after being asked to stop, it falls under harrassment and they can be sued.

Incorrect.

If you want to stop getting calls or letters from debt collectors, you need to tell them not to contact you anymore, and send them a certified letter requesting that they stop contacting you. Keep a copy of this letter for your records. By using certified mail you will have proof of your request, and should they contact you again you have a case for FDCPA harassment.

If you send them a registered letter stating that you are not the debtor when you actually are, you're in a lot of legal shit.

[Aabidano]

If you send them a registered letter stating that you are not the debtor when you actually are, you're in a lot of legal shit.

True, but if you are the debtor you can still forbid them to call and to only contact you via the mail. They don't have the right to harass whether you owe money or not.

Just be careful to stay on topic in the letter, keeping it short and to the point.

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

The information the dumbass candian posted is regarding if YOU ARE the actual debtor and intend to default and do not wish to be contacted again. It has no bearing on being harrassed by a company when you are not the debtor.

[Aabidano]

The information the dumbass candian posted is regarding if YOU ARE the actual debtor and intend to default and do not wish to be contacted again. It has no bearing on being harrassed by a company when you are not the debtor.

Again, under the USC it doesn't matter either way, the rules are identical. Also, in either case you can't forbid them to write you.

Something that falls into harassment or abuse and comes via the postal service is very unlikely regardless, the postal code is very strict and Postal Inspectors have broad enforcement powers. Collection agencies know this very well.

It does take some work to find out who the caller is sometimes. It's not in their interest for you to know.

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

As far as my state goes, this is not an issue. This is why you hook a recording device up when they are informed they have the wrong number and demand they remove you from the list. Again.....this is for Ohio and in some states it might actually be illegal to record the phone conversation without knowledge of the recording or consent from the other party.

It certainly would not hurt to send a certified letter, but again the creditor laws are for dealing with a creditor. Just because they are a lending institution or someone that bought a debt, they are not your creditor. Seriously...contact a lawyer. With the kind of frequency you are talking about, you could be making a killing for doing nothing more than siccing a lawyer on these assholes.

Sec. 2917.21. (A) No person shall knowingly make or cause to be made a telephone call, or knowingly permit a telephone call to be made from a telephone under the person's control, to another, if the caller does any of the following:

(1) Fails to identify the caller to the recipient of the telephone call and makes the telephone call with purpose to harass, abuse, or annoy any person at the premises to which the telephone call is made, whether or not conversation takes place during the telephone call;

[Aabidano]

You learn something new every day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws