Got a Credit Collections call today

[clh2]

And yes, it creeped me out BIG TIME.

It was an automated call - and then a computer generated name that the quality was so horrid, I couldn't tell if it was my name or not.

I feel so violated...

DH and I are totally "retentive" (sorry, I probably can't put the proper word in front of that) about our credit. We've refi'd the house numerous times, so we've had credit reports pulled on a regular basis.

We've always been told that we are a "dream" mortgage applicant because there are never late fees, all credit cards are paid in full every month etc.

I know that there are a lot of scams going on in this partiuclar area right now, so no, I will not be contacting the "866" number that was provided.

UGGH. I certainly hope this is something that won't bite us right in the "back-side".

 

[MomToOne]

I get collection calls several times a week for someone who used to have my phone number - over 6 years ago!!!

My advice: just ignore it and don't sweat it. In those rare cases when there is a real person on the phone and I happen to be home, I tell the person very tersely that my number does not belong to the person they are trying to reach and they need to remove my phone number from their database and if they call me again, I will contact the Attorney General and file a complaint.

That usually stops the calls...until the debt gets sold to another company....and it starts all over again...

 

[jerseygirl81]

You can google the phone number and find out who is calling you, it will also show other peoples comments if they are getting calls from that number. We have also gotten a couple of creditors calls for someone else maybe people put down another phone # to avoid getting the calls. Linda

 

[punkin]

I have been getting collection calls for the same stupid bill for over 8 years. I do not owe it; I never owed it; I will not pay it. I have fought 4 different collection agencies and the minute they realize I can prove that I don't owe a cent, they sell it to someone else and it starts again.

DH have a script we say now every time we get a call.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

My script is very simple. I first ask if they are recording the call. I tell them to please make sure it is recorded. I then give them my name, and spell it. Then I tell them I have had the number since March of 2005 and that I have never met A, J, or N C, but I heard that one of them was killed a few years ago in a drug deal gone bad. For further information they need to contact my county Sheriff's Depoartment. Then I tell them if I get any more calls from them I will report them for violation of both the Do Not Call list as well as the Fair Credit Collections Act.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I keep getting them for other people, I explain to them I will not verify the phone number and I am under no obligation to do so. I also say I do not know the people and they do not have this number and then I hang up. I was even put on hold just to talk to someone. These calls are annoying. Jo

 

[Janepod]

Our local police department reported on a scam that ran like that.

You get a robo-call telling you to call back a toll free number.
You call back.
They ask for your social security number, name and address, date of birth, to verify that you are the person they're looking for ... well, guess what they do with that information?

Don't call back! Check your credit report to see if something is amiss and go from there.

 

[Brooknwdw]

You are protected and have rights under the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collectors Practices Act) regarding phone calls from collectors, as well as credit reporting and letters. Familiarize yourself with these laws, and you will know how to handle these calls and letters..it takes away the fear they *hope* they have over you!
For example, you can stop the phone calls with a simple letter stating that it is not convenient for you to recieve phone calls from them at any time. Then they can only send you letters..which are much easier to deal with.

 

[clh2]

Our local police department reported on a scam that ran like that.

You get a robo-call telling you to call back a toll free number.
You call back.
They ask for your social security number, name and address, date of birth, to verify that you are the person they're looking for ... well, guess what they do with that information?

Don't call back! Check your credit report to see if something is amiss and go from there.

Credit report is looking A-OK. We pulled it earlier tonight. Luckily with Caller ID - we are pretty particular about what phone calls we do pick up.

We've also told our DD, 16, that in case she feels like picking up the phone how to handle this type of request. Luckily - she is simply far too busy to be bothered with answering the landline.

DH and I have been having an on-again off-again discussin about dumping the landline. If we get additional collection calls - the land line will be gone.

I just wish I could have understood the name better. I've been hyphenated since we got married - and there was no way the computer-generated name was hypenated. What I couldn't tell was if it said my first name, a name that was almost - my name - but clearly not my name, or if it was the last name of the people who lived in our house before we did. The three names all have very similar sounding sounds, and they all start off with the same first syllable. And, whatever the computer generated name was - I clearly couldn't distinguish what it said after the 1st name it mentioned. It definitely wasn't a 4-syllable hyphenated name.

If would be far easier to get a letter, because then we would have a better feel for if we should 'lawyer up" or handle it on our own.

 

[LovableGluttons]

The previous person who had our landline when we lived in Montana was one naughty lady. She continued to hand out that telephone number long after she stopped paying the bill for it.

I worked twelve hour night shifts and was home alone during the day. There were so many collections calls, I would turn the ringer off and wale up with my answering machine full.

One day, I picked up the phone and the rep started calling me a deadbeat. He was really getting nasty. I asked him if he would like someone devoid of rest caring for his loved one all might so he could rest. He told me he would not, apologized, then hungup. Same guy called the next day. When the former holder of my land line had an appointment, they would call my home to confirm, citing mynumber as the one she had recently given.

When this went on for a year, I started telling the appointmentcallers that "I" needed to cancel my appointment and would call later to reschedule. I would tell the debt collectors what date and time "Shirley" had her vet appointments in case they wanted tomeet her there.

I did change my number twice in the beginning and still ended up with numbers people had who didn't pay their bills.

 

[Swimalie]

We get these from about 2 or 3 collection agencies a month. My husband has a common name so we think they are just phishing. We don't have any debt other than our mortgage and that is paid on time or early so we know they are not coming after us. They couldn't be, he'd lose his job if he had a debt go to collections. So just ignore them. Our phones have "call block" feature where once they call, we block them. In the future, the phone will ring once, until the number is recognized and then it hangs up. One their end, they hear a busy signal. It's been so nice since getting the new phones with that feature.

 

[spacemountainmom]

My daughter's cell number used to belong to a naughty guy. She was 12 when she got the phone and would answer any call. She was a bit shaken up to be chewed out by a bill collector. I started answering her phone any time an unfamiliar number showed up.

I just told them to stop harassing my 12 year old and I would be reporting any further calls to the AG. That usually put and end to it. It took me a few months to get rid of all of them.

I really hope Chris ended up having to deal with the mess he made. I wished him an "unmagical" life many times!

OP - I wouldn't worry too much. It probably was a mis-dial. My phone number that I've had for 17 years seems to be one digit off of various businesses. We are one digit away from the nearby Holiday Inn and a used video game store. I used to take a number of reservations as I would get sick of the same people calling over and over AFTER I gave them the correct number. I also found out that the video game store mistakenly printed my number on their business cards. I called them and was not real nice about it. I am so glad to have caller ID. I no longer answer a phone call unless I know the name or number.

I also have a fax machine at home that we use for my dh's business. I finally turned it off unless I need it because I was getting so many faxes for a mortgage company that had a phone number similar to mine. It was a bit disconcerting to get 15 pages of other people's personal and financial information. I called the company several times, but they didn't seem to care too much about it. I ended up shredding the information, but what if that data fell into an unethical person's hands?

 

[JDUCKY]

Make sure you pull *hard copies* of your credit report. It's only free once per year otherwise there's a small fee. There are often differences between what's available online (even with myfico.com) and the hard copies.

Also, while one can tell a collector to no longer call, the FDCPA states it must be in writing. So, if they do continue to call, it's not technically a violation unless you've sent them a letter.

Best advice is to NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER talk to a collection agency. EVER.

Just pull credit reports and if something is inaccurate, dispute it properly (creditboards.com has tons of great info for that). But, keep in mind that collections don't always show up right away.

 

[bsusanmb]

Two weeks ago this happened to me. I got collection calls for 3 different people from 3 different companies, all automated. I got the numbers and called them. They asked how long I have had my phone number...over 25 years. They stopped the calls. Don't know how or why this happened, but it was some kind of fluke since it happened all in the same week.

 

[Planogirl]

I see nothing wrong with talking to them personally as long as you give them no info. They often leave a case number or something similar and that's all you have to reference.

Could you tell what the name of the collection company was? There are legitimate collection agencies out there. Hopefully, they were just searching for someone who has your same name.

We've been getting collection letters for someone with a similar name for many years. I used to write "return to sender" on the mail and send it back but I don't even bother any more.

 

[secretpantssam]

I've been getting these calls from the first day I got my phone number. Apparently the people who used to have it are in some hot water. I also think they don't believe me when I say "sorry there is no Kathy at this address".

Try not to let it bother you, it's probably just for someone else.

 

[crisi]

First, I hang up on all robo calls or recorded calls as soon as I realize it isn't my kid's school (who uses them). If someone wants to get a hold of me, they can have a real person dial a phone.

Second, if I get a real person soliciting me for ANYTHING other than school fundraisers or church (in which case I tend to be personally acquainted with them) I say - for charities "I do no business over the phone, you may send me mail." And then I hang up. Usually the mail goes into the trash, but I have mail in writing. For businesses "do we have a prior business relationship?" "I'm on the do not call list, it is not legal for you to call me" - if the answer is yes, back to "you may send me mail, I do not do business over the phone."

 

[eliza61]

First, I hang up on all robo calls or recorded calls as soon as I realize it isn't my kid's school (who uses them). If someone wants to get a hold of me, they can have a real person dial a phone.

Second, if I get a real person soliciting me for ANYTHING other than school fundraisers or church (in which case I tend to be personally acquainted with them) I say - for charities "I do no business over the phone, you may send me mail." And then I hang up. Usually the mail goes into the trash, but I have mail in writing. For businesses "do we have a prior business relationship?" "I'm on the do not call list, it is not legal for you to call me" - if the answer is yes, back to "you may send me mail, I do not do business over the phone."

That's pretty much my standard MO.
Robo calls get an immediate hang up, if I even pick up. Kids school and kids all have my cell so if I don't recognize the number on caller id, there is a good chance I'm not even picking up.

Charities and businesses get the standard. Sorry I do not do business from unsolicited people over the phone. please feel free to send me a hard copy in the mail.
Thank you, click. takes about 9.5 secs.

 

[smokeyblue]

I have been getting collection calls for the same stupid bill for over 8 years. I do not owe it; I never owed it; I will not pay it. I have fought 4 different collection agencies and the minute they realize I can prove that I don't owe a cent, they sell it to someone else and it starts again.

DH have a script we say now every time we get a call.

This is the same problem I have. I have a credit account from over 10 years ago that the company claims I never paid. It was back in the days where you sent in a check instead of paying online. They sure cashed the check, but they've hounded me for years and the "debt" has been bought and sold multiple times. I just tell them the debt was never valid, even if it was the statute of limitations is up and ask for an address so I can send a certified letter letting them know all communications are to come through the mail, no more phone calls.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We have had our phone number for about 8 years. We get collections calls for several different people we have never heard of. The thing I hate is that when I DO pick up the phone and tell the agent I am NOT that person nor do I know that person, they think I am lying. Sometimes they go ahead and delete our number from their system. Sometimes they say they will, but they don't.

We have a super common last name, but interestingly, the collections people are never looking for people with our last name!