Help, wrong phone number

[Brit]

Any suggestions on how to stop a collection agency from calling my number looking for someone else.

Obviously the people concerned gave a bogus phone number, and I have never heard of them, but the agency does not believe me that I am not the people they are looking for and keep calling.

Brit.

 

[sgeeeee]

This same thing happened to me once several years ago. Some deadbeat apparently gave my phone number and whoever they owed sold the debt to a collection agency that called us several times a day. I told them over the phone that they had the wrong number and that I did not know the person they were trying to call. But it did no good.

I eventually asked for details about the agency and told them to stop calling me and that I was going to contact the attorney general. I did send a letter to the attorney general but the phone calls stopped before any action could have taken place. I'm not sure why they stopped calling. Maybe they just eventually write off the debt as not worth the effort.

Good luck.

 

[wabmester]

Debt collectors are heavily regulated. Off the top of my head, I don't know what recourse you might have, but here are the regulations:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm

 

[Martha]

Wabmaster's link to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act does give the rules that apply to those who are in the business of debt collection. If a creditor is trying to collect its own debt and has not retained an outside "debt collector", those rules do not apply.

Whether or not it is a debt collector, get their name and address and write and tell them to stop calling you. If they don't stop, call your attorney general.

 

[dex]

Check your credit report ASAP.
The "people concerned" may have done more than given your telephone number.

You might also try asking the people who are calling your for more details but under no circumstances give them your social security number.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You tell them that you'd love to pay the full bill immediately, and to send it to you.

Then write "Blow Me" on it and send it back.

If they call again, tell them you never had any intention to pay the bill, and that you bought crack with it.

Go ahead, be creative!

That should pretty much fix up the bozo who gave out your number to them 'in error'.