I need some advice on handeling a deb collector issue

[S Freud]

So I wake up this morning to find a message on my phone from a debt collection company saying they either need to speak with me or my attorney.

I have no idea in what this has to do with, I have all of my bills paid on time or early every month, including this month.

Does anyone know how I should handle this? The lady that left the message was very unprofessional and rude.

I'm not looking forward to this conversation.

Any ideas?

UPDATE:

So I just called and spoke with a woman who said that its a Cingular bill that is past due, the only problem is I have only ever had one cingular line and its the one I am using now. She told me the address that the bills have been going to and its an old address of mine, I used to live there with two friends(the two friends still live at the apartment) When I told her this she said that if I don't press charges against someone then I am still responsible for the debt to be paid.

How can I be responsible for debt that I didn't accumulate? I hardly think that one of my friends could have done this, also I have no idea how they would have gotten my social security number.

 

[MisterJackson]

ummm....call them back and ask what it's about....

If you ask for verification of the debt they have 30 days to produce the proof in writing or the claim is invalid.

 

[kami333]

Once you find out, debtorboards.com or creditboards.com Great information on how to handle collections.

 

[Vette73]

Oh I don;t know grow a pair and call. Its a freaking phone call. What do you think they will do, reach through the phone and slap you.


No one here will know what is going on. YOU HAVE TO CALL.

 

[dirtylimey]

If you have no debt that you know of, ignore it. Debt collectors send letters first.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Talk to them and see what they say, record it though, I've talked to people that got out of debt even if it was legit because of the way the collection agency spoke to them.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: dirtylimey
If you have no debt that you know of, ignore it. Debt collectors send letters first.

Mistakes happen, just because he doesn't know of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

[FoBoT]

they have to send something in writing

if they harass you , sue them

 

[DaveSimmons]

Check that it isn't some international $20-a-minute toll number before calling though.

 

[jhayx7]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: dirtylimey
If you have no debt that you know of, ignore it. Debt collectors send letters first.

Mistakes happen, just because he doesn't know of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Yup. I was contacted by an attorneys office last month about an unpaid doctors bill. Apparently a claim was rejected and the doctors office billed me but the mail was returned to sender ( I had moved ) so they hired an attorney to collect the payment.

The lady at the attorneys office was very nice about it, she said these things happen. She waived the attorneys fee and it won't take a hit as a paid collections on my credit report.

 

[Mermaidman]

Could be a wrong number?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Could be a wrong number?

I vote for this one.

- M4H

 

[AtlantaBob]

Be sure to save the message though. If they break the rules (Fair Debt Collection Act) you should make sure they're held accountable. (Particularly helpful if you actually somehow owe the debt)

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: AtlantaBob
Be sure to save the message though. If they break the rules (Fair Debt Collection Act) you should make sure they're held accountable. (Particularly helpful if you actually somehow owe the debt)

Ah, this is what I was referring to in my previous post, not sure if you intended to clarify, but thanks for adding this post anyway, it's very valuable to the OP in the case that it turns out to be that way.

 

[S Freud]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Could be a wrong number?

They used my name in the message.

Also added update to the OP.

 

[NuroMancer]

Contact Cingular's billing department?

 

[Looney]

I say take what you can and run for the border.

 

[S Freud]

Originally posted by: NuroMancer
Contact Cingular's billing department?

What would I say to them? Tell them what I told the collections lady, I've never seen a bill for that number in my life and I don't know how I would get that number in the first place.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Originally posted by: NuroMancer
Contact Cingular's billing department?

If they've kicked it over the wall to a collections agency, then they won't touch it. They may be able to shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the debt, though.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: S Freud

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Could be a wrong number?

They used my name in the message.

Also added update to the OP.

Call Cingular, ask them about this, request proof in print, ditto from the debt collection agency. If it looks like your friends jacked your SN, then hunt them down and kill them.

- M4H

 

[jhayx7]

You should be able to ask the debt collector for a copy of the bill if Cingular will not provide it to you.

 

[S Freud]

I really doubt something like this of my friends, I don't see either of the two girls I lived with pulling something like this off.

Plus, why would you steal someones social for a cell phone just to have it canceled when you don't pay the bills a month or two later?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: S Freud

Originally posted by: NuroMancer
Contact Cingular's billing department?

What would I say to them? Tell them what I told the collections lady, I've never seen a bill for that number in my life and I don't know how I would get that number in the first place.

"I just received a call from Collections Agency X regarding telephone number Y, which is allegedly registered to Name at Address. <Insert disavowing of all knowledge of this number here.>"

- M4H

 

[brandonb]

As a former bill collector myself,

1) Call the number they provide... More than likely the phone number they list is a general office phone, and does not necessarly go to their extension. Chances are, you will get someone else on the phone. Most places have dozens of collectors, if not hundreds.

2) Don't cop an attitude. If you honestly owe the money they have every right to call you and harrass you. There is no such thing as them harrassing you!!! So whatever you do don't tell them to stop harrassing you, otherwise you are likely to get more calls and even more nasty ones.

3) Even if there is a debt owed that you don't know about it, you have to provide information about you to them first. It's against the law to have them tell you anything about the debt if you aren't the person in question... You have to tell them your name, and/or anything else that can link the bill to you, etc before they will talk to you. Just saying "My middle SS # (between the two hyphens) digits are: nn is that the right SS# you have?" This was very hard because most people will not provide the right information to the debt collector on the phone for "reasons unknown." Typically if the debt collector has the wrong man or wrong #, they will leave you alone. So you have to talk to them and make it aware to them that they have the wrong person. So just tell them your name, your phone, and middle ss# and see what they say... Then ask who they are calling about, or if its the wrong number... The more innocent you sound the more likely they will remove you from their computer system. Again see point #2.

4) Debt collectors usually do a ton of calling around, family members, work places, even neighbors to get your information. Or what they think is your information. But they do have dialers, and manual callers, so its likely if you don't answer, they will call bac k up to 5 times per day... YOU HAVE TO CALL THEM.

5) If its honest mistake andi t was really you they are calling about, you have to figure out which company they are calling on behalf of and talk to the company directly... The debt collector gets commissions based on what you pay, hwoever, if there is a mistake, you have to call the company directly that the debt collection company is working for. There is no way for a debt collection company to sort out a dispute...

6) If you use a debt consolation company (I forget their names, consumer credit counciling service or something to that effect) that pay your bills for you, its likely they could have screwed you and not paid a bill so they can skim money off the top for their bank account. These things are horrible, if you have one, the problem might be there! Again, if thats the case, you HAVE to pay your bill with the debt collector and you need to get rid of the CCCS....

7) Paper is NOT required for them to call you. They don't have to send anything in writing. Typically the debt collector will say "That was your bill you've been getting for months that you haven't paid... We dont have to send you another, or even give you a payment plan... Pay it in full now..." However, if you want them to stop bugging you, you have to ask for their company name and address, and write them a letter asking them to stop calling you, and write your phone number in the letter. Most collectors will take a settlement based on age... If you do owe money and can't pay it in full, if you wait 30 days, they will likely drop it to 90% down to even 50% of the bill owed.

That about sums it up to give you a history of how things work and what to do.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: S Freud
I really doubt something like this of my friends, I don't see either of the two girls I lived with pulling something like this off.

Plus, why would you steal someones social for a cell phone just to have it canceled when you don't pay the bills a month or two later?

That's why you go on the assumption that Cingular/the debt collector is FOS first before going after your friends.

- M4H