Bill collectors

[karibritt01]

We have a related problem...dear MIL has advanced alzheimers. We placed her in a dementia center 2 years ago, after discovering the vast amounts of money she was spending. We THOUGHT we found and paid all outstanding bills...but we have 1 or 2 that we can't 'track down". We get phone calls from the bill collectors several times a day- but they won't talk to us or give us an address to write to because we are NOT MIL....they won't give us the amount, what the bill is for, or anything. They state they MUST talk to her...but she can't talk! How they got our phone number perplexes us, and they argue that she lives at our address (she NEVER did). Now they are calling us at work....we'd PAY the #$@# bill if they would just give us the information (which we tell them). According to MIL's attorney, we are in legal limbo until someone at the collection agency gives in and gives us an address or info. Until then it is 5-6 phone calls A DAY and this has been going on for MONTHS.

Any ideas for ending this?

I think you either need to get power of attorney for your MIL bills, making your legally able to handle her bills, or refer them to her attorney and have him get the information. If they still don't want to deal with you, then tell them they can put it on her credit rating, and contact her estate after she has passed.

 

[dawson5]

Ohhh...I think these collection agencies are horrific. I just moved to CA. I ordered my telephone service and in my area it is with COX. They actually let me pick a phone number. I picked a great number, as I wanted allot of repeat numbers...makes it easy to remember.
Anyway, about 1 week into us having the new number IT STARTED. The lady that had this number before has to be in allot of trouble...........the collection agencies started calling and calling and calling....I answer, "NO I am not JaneDoe"....and the calls were morning, noon and night.
I called COX explained it all to them. I had all their phone numbers from my caller id. Cox said they would put a block on these calls. It was quiet for a long time and NOW it is starting all over again. They are asking for the same lady........

OP, I hope things work out for you.

We had that happening, I found her in the phone book and gave them the new number. I guess they can't look for the new number but can take it from you. We moved here almost 5 yrs ago, I don't think I've had a call about it in almost 4 yrs. It took a while but it worked. I did try the "that person does not live here" and it seemed like they didn't believe me and kept calling back (same company). That's when I dug up the phone book and explained what was going on and that she was in the book, gave them the phone number

 

[SC Minnie]

They WILL start calling your relatives and they will contact them at home and at work. How they find these numbers I have no idea. My dad has issues with paying people on time and I had a collector call ME at home and WORK! I haven't lived with my dad in over 20 years and have no idea how they got my home number. They were also calling my brother who lives in another state. The last time they called I told them point blank I didn't sign for the loan. They were stupid enough to loan him the money so they need to find him. Its not my problem. I then called my brother and told him to expect the calls but they had called him earlier too. I did call my dad and told him to tell these people to stop calling me and pay his bills. I haven't had them call me in a couple of years so hopefully he is paying people now.

Its really frustrating to get calls like this for someone else- a family member at that- when DH and I work very hard to make sure we don't spend more than we can afford and always pay our bills.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I'm having a similar problem now with a misidentity, but it's with my email address, not my phone.

Somebody is filling out all sorts of applications, credit card apps, book of the month apps, columbia movie apps, with my email address and a different name.

I'm currently getting daily emails from Chase visa telling me my account is overdrawn. We don't have a chase visa.

I'm not super freaked out that somebody is stealing my identity because we have credit freezes on all of our credit reports, and I was able to log into one of the fake accounts she set up to find two different Apopka florida addresses (which I printed and saved just in case.)

I even found her phone number (she apparently has the same first and last name as I do, different middle initial), and left a message telling her to stop using my email address.

Didn't work, I still am getting tons of emails.

I would actually prefer the phone calls-AT&T has a service where you can automatically block any unknown callers, that's a great service...

 

[FireDancer]

FireDancer, what the OP is saying is that she's paying it, but for whatever reason it's not exactly as they needed, so they are calling her. She's paying weekly not monthly (I assume she's behind, not ahead), but she's paying...and they keep calling b/c it's not enough for them.

I know. I wasn't really directing my reply at the OP as much as at the situation in general. If you owe pay, it they are contacting you and you aren't the correct person hopefully the advice will help you rectify the situation.

I'm currently getting daily emails from Chase visa telling me my account is overdrawn. We don't have a chase visa.

Some of these might be phishing scams. Never Ever Ever Ever click on financial links in email. If you are concerned that your Chase account is overdrawn make sure to open a separate tab or window and log in manually. Also, if there is a phone number to call make sure it matches the number on your statement or the back of the card. These are all classic way to steal information. I know, I am the Information Systems Coordinator at a financial institution.

 

[NMAmy]

Wow, this is SO true! I was getting calls for my ex husband...who I haven't seen or heard from for 30 years! They called me, my stepdaughter and my stepson...no clue how they made that connection, but they did.

After the 11th call DH told them to google him...he found him in 10 seconds on a google search. The calls stopped after that.

Good heavens, the same thing was happening to me a couple of months ago. I told them he was my ex-husband and then they began insisting that my first name must be his current wife's name. Umm...no. We'd been divorced for 10 years. I gave them his phone number and still the calls kept on until I began asking for the caller's name. When the guy asked me why, I told him I was making a list of the caller and the times of the calls for my attorney to file a harassment suit since my ex had never been connected to my current phone number. I did not owe them money and I'd given them his current phone number. Then the calls abruptly stopped.

I did crack up when one of the idiots told me they would continue to call me since my ex lived in a foreign country. I had to explain that NEW Mexico is a state between Arizona and Texas.