How do you STOP harassing phone calls from credit card companys and thier agents who "have the WRONG number"?

Question

My wife has a very "common" first and last name, what do they do, get a phone book and go down the list untill they get a live voice to answer their call? Then they start interrogationg you and ask you "what's your address", "what are the last 4-digits of your SS#", of course, we don't tell them anything because THEY are so secretive and don't TELL US anything, either! I can tell you they obviously have the wrong person, but they have literally told my wife, "you are lying, and we'll continue calling you until..................", until WHAT? We've checked our credit reports and all looks legit; what is the problem, these people have nothing better to do, or do they get paid by the phone call? Thanks for any assistance you can provide!

Thanks for all replys, so far! A little more detail: They want info from US but when we ask their ID, they said "it is irrelevant"! Also, I asked, is this an "individual account" or "joint", and they told me "individual": I know for a fact, all our open/active accounts are joint. Finally, they asked if my wife's middle initial is "L" and it isn't, YET, they still insisted she is "lying" and that they will continue to call us! And in reply to one of the previous comments, "YES" we do pay off all our bills and this type of harassment is very new to us.......what a pitiful and desperate world this is; these credit card companies issue cards to everyone and their mothers, then when they start losing money because of it, they go after "everyone and their mother"!!! Thanks again for your comments; any action that requires us incurring an expense is not reasonable.......WHY? The can call us until "there's peace in the world", we can wait as long as they can!!!

Answer 1

This is a very easy problem to fix. I work in the collection industry and I am very familiar with your problem. Believe me the bill collectors calling you dont really want to bother you. However, they are trying to contact someone with the same or similiar name as yours. They resources they use to locate people they refer to as the debtors often varies. They often do use 411 or an online phone directory but normally when they conduct their searches aka skip tracing they use services like lexis nexis or credit bureau files which contain more accurate information. The reason they are asking you to verify personal information like your address or the last four digits of your ss# is because they cannot openly disclose or discuss the matter with a third party...That is illegal and they can get into trouble.

Now to stop the calls for good all you really have to do is tell verify that your address does not match or the last four of your ss# does not match. (note this is not a security risk because they are only asking for you to give a yes or no answer. For example, if your the last four of your social is not 1234 and you say no and you think about it you did not give any personal info. If it is 1234 you then they most likely already have the information and you might want to talk about discussing the matter with them because you are the involved party.

If the information does not match and you are not the person they are looking for tell them to stop calling and legally they have to. If not file a complaint with your attorney general they are in violation of the FDCPA and you can sue them and win. Might be a good idea to record future coversations or at least tell them you are recording the call.

Even if you are the person they are looking for and it has been verified by you legally they can call you at your home number. However, if you send a formal cease letter in writing then legally that have to stop calling regardless.

In addition they are never allowed to knowingly contact you on a cellphone. thats an fdcpa violation as well.

They cannot call you at work or anywhere other than home after you have given a verbal cease.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The information they are requesting is to verify that your wife is telling the truth...I am sure if you gave them your identifying information they would be able to see unequivically that this isn't your wife's debt and they would quit calling. You do realize (maybe you don't because it sounds like you are people who pay your bills and thus don't have to deal with creditors much) that these bill collectors get the run around all the time...they get people who say I don't owe that money, you have the wrong number, ect.

You need to get them to quit calling...this would either entail giving them the info they require to verify that your wife does not owe the debt, or writing them a certified letter stating that you do not authorize them to call anymore regarding the debt, but in order for that to work you would need to have the account number and SSN of the person who really owes the money.

Getting an unlisted number would be a good way to combat future problems, but not this particular problem, because right now they have your phone number associated with this debt. Also the national do not call registry does not apply to bill collectors. It only applies to companies you don't have a prior fiduciary realationship with (ie people trying to sell you stuff on the phone).

Answer 4

All she has to do is tell whoever calls that she wants them to stop calling and that all future communications must be in writing. She should also warn them if the harassing phone calls don't stop she'll sue them for violating the Fair Debt Collection Act. Tell her to take note of the date and time of the last call and try to get the name of the customer service representative who is calling. If the calls continue, again, write down the time and date of the call and try to get the name of the customer service representative who called.

Answer 5

Caller ID . . . Best invention Ever !

I'm just avoiding all those supposedly "not for profit" fundraisers .
And other telemarketers getting around the 'do not call' by using 1 - 800 phones or cell networks .

It blocks tons of calls AND if I don't recognize the number , I Don't Answer !

>

Answer 6

Once you have told them they have the wrong person, and they start giving you grief, take control of the situation. Ask for the name and address of their head office and managing director, get their names, etc, and tell them that you are writing to the MD to complain about their behaviour, as well as the financial standards and trading standards bodies appropriate for where you live.

Answer 7

If I don't know they number on my caller Id I just don't answer the phone. If its important they leave a message, so you could try that. You might want to switch numbers and have it unpublished so they cant call you! Good luck, I wish they would all quit calling all of us! :)

Answer 8

get your phone no. changed get it unlisted-unpublished. get caller id. do all that. then if somehow they get your no. play with em. dont give them personal info. talk $hit to em. pi$$ them off. it aint your bill. they cant do nothing to you. have some fun with em. ask them where they live what thier home phone no. is . where do their wives work. do they got kids where do they go to school. dont threaten them just ask the questions. maybe theyll quit the collection buisness go back stocking shelves at walmart.

Answer 9

When answering the phone -- pick up the receiver and say noting till you know it is them... I act like a foreigner and give the line "" No speakee english"" Every time they ask a question ""No speakee english"".. I hang up and laugh..

Answer 10

I would report the number to your phone company.

I would possibly change my number

Add your name to the DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

:) Been there done that