Hmmm, interesting phone calls I got...

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Last weeks sometime someone calls and asks for Kimberly (our last name). I say no one here by that name and they ask if we know someone by that name. I say no and ask who this is. The guy says he represents some bank and that she put down our names as a reference. Now mind you my name isn't a run of the mill name and he has our phone number attached to our name and put to this "reference" from this Kimberly.

Fast forward to today and the same guy calls again. Can tell from his voice. Asks me if I know a kimberly _______ I say again NO kimberly by that name lives here. He says I know, but do you know someone by that name because she put us down as a reference. I said "well, she is lying because we do not know any kimberly's" The guy says you don't? Ok and I say good bye.

What in the world is this all about???

 

[Marseeya]

Sounds like a bill collector trying to find Kimberly.

They've got all kinds of tricks they use to track people down. Maybe someone used your number and defaulted on a bill.

 

[mrsv98]

Probably just a bill collector after someone with our last name. However, I would pull a credit report just to make sure. You can never be too careful!

 

[bigmerle1966]

Or they are on a fishing expedition. I had a call one time by a collection agency that wanted to know if I knew one of the people in the apartment building next to me. Wanted me to tell that person if I saw them that this company wanted to speek to them. How they got my number and what they thought I was going to do about is beyond me.

 

[ducklite]

Or they are on a fishing expedition. I had a call one time by a collection agency that wanted to know if I knew one of the people in the apartment building next to me. Wanted me to tell that person if I saw them that this company wanted to speek to them. How they got my number and what they thought I was going to do about is beyond me.

They have reverse directories that list by street name/number. I've gotten calls for neighbors from bill collectors in the past as well, that peeves me to no end. The last time it happened I told the guy on the phone that I didn't know the neighbors, didn't care to know the neighbors, and if he wanted to talk to them so bad he should send a telegram because I wasn't his personal messenger service. Then I hung up, loudly. It's rude to bother someone else because some deadbeat doesn't pay their bills!

Anne

 

[Chicago526]

Or they are on a fishing expedition. I had a call one time by a collection agency that wanted to know if I knew one of the people in the apartment building next to me. Wanted me to tell that person if I saw them that this company wanted to speek to them. How they got my number and what they thought I was going to do about is beyond me.

Jeez! I know bill colectors must have a huge problem tracking down people for repayment, but the lengths they go to sometimes are just stupid! Like I'm going to tell my neighbor "hey, your collection agency called, they said to pay 'em back, you deadbeat!"

Seriously, to the OP. I'd check your credit report, just to be sure nothing fishey is going on. They got your name and number somehow, afterall!

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Thanks guys, that is good advice. How do I go about checking my credit report?

 

[LoveWDW]

I had a similar call a few years back. A woman said she worked for the "government"- I was unimpressed since I know many who work for the "government." So I was suspicious from the start. She wanted me to go to some neighbor's and give them some message- don't remember now what it was. The houses here are not numbered consecutively, so the house she wanted even though the next number up from ours was not near our house but a distance away. I told her truthfully that we didn't know of any such person and that I wasn't willing to go to a stranger's house. Since I was already raising an eyebrow about the government thing, I remained firm in my refusal. She argued. I refused and said I was hanging up she called me stupid and hung up.

I was reminded of this episode when a friend told me that last week somebody called her and asked her to take a message to a neighbor that she didn't know. She refused.

So now I am more convinced than ever that this is some kind of fishing or scam, especially having read the posts in this thread.

 

[kasar]

Or they are on a fishing expedition. I had a call one time by a collection agency that wanted to know if I knew one of the people in the apartment building next to me. Wanted me to tell that person if I saw them that this company wanted to speek to them. How they got my number and what they thought I was going to do about is beyond me.

The same thing happened to us with our neighbors. I just told them that they had the wrong number and hung up. After about 10 of those calls I told them that I would be contacting the Attorney General's office if they didn't stop calling. Worked like a charm.

 

[mrsv98]

To check your credit report go to the Free Government Credit report site . You can get a free report from each of the three major services once per year.

You can also call the services and tell them not to open any account without speaking to you in person first. This should help protect against credit fraud.

A while back, we started getting calls from Ford Motor Credit asking for my ex-SIL, she had given my DH's name as a reference, and it really ticked us off. Bill collectors can be a pain, but at least they aren't after you!

 

[bigmerle1966]

I had told the lady who called that I didn't know the person they were talking about and she went ahead and gave me the persons name and address any way.

 

[Brianne]

In a slightly different vein/vent....

How freaking difficult is it for people to inform others of their new phone number?!

We've had our number for a couple months now, give or take. We're guessing it's an older couple who last owned the phone number. I've since received everything from sales calls to charity calls.....the fraud dept at Capital One (!!)....and get this: their own relatives, including their own SON!

The final straw was today, when I got a phone call from their doctor's office, confirming his appointment for tomorrow! I told the gal, if he does show up for his appt, to tell him to tell everyone his NEW number, so that everyone will quit calling us!

UGH!