how can i get annoying debt collectors to stop calling me? i just totaled up all the calls and they've called me 40+ times since about october 7. not only have they been calling me that much but ive answered some of those calls telling them they have the wrong number. yet they still call back! im positive they have the wrong number for 2 reasons, 1. my name is jared not francis or w/e and 2.....what the hell do i look like being in debt? im 17 years old!!!. anyways ive done some research on this and their calls listed on my phone as unavailable but the actual number has appeared once or twice so i wrote it down and found it its a law firm called Riddle & Associates. whats u gys take on this?

 

I'm on my iPhone right now, but if you are sure it's not you there's a few things you can do. First of all you can inform them that according the Fair Debt Collections Act or something like that they should not be calling you as you are not the person they are looking for. You can threaten them by saying you will call the Federal Trade Commission on them if they do not stop. And you can report them to your state's attorney general. You can also annoy the **** out of them too. You can tell the
that the next time they call you will answer with an airhorn if they don't quit. And when they do you answer with that air horn. But you've got to warn them first. The best way is to threaten legal action that if they don't stop it harrasment, you're not the party they are looking for and you've always wanted to own yourself a debt collecting law firm someday and if they don't stop you will.

Debt collectors are lying scum. If their lips are moving they are lying. They only respond to threats. They are not reasonable people. Would you be reasonable if you had to call deadbeats all day long to get them to pay their bills. It's a shifty job done by people who usually last about 2 weeks at it because it's just such a crappy job.

 

Just tell them "hey thats not me, you have the wrong number. May I speak with a manager so I can get this settled".

 

i could do that but the problem is, is that now their starting to play a recorded message now, regardless if i answer or not, and if i send my phone straight to voicemail then they send that recorded message straight to my voicemail.

 

they just called again and they played the recorded message again and a part in it said 'if you would like to speak to a representative about this phone call press 0 at any time' so i press 0 and wait and while waiting i try and put my phone on record (since it can record phone convo's) but before i could they hung on me.

 

Is there anyway you can block them?

 

probably, but not with my phone.

 

change your phone number

 

ill look in to that if it goes well in to november..

 

You can also report them to the FTC 'do not call' registry. Be sure and list your numbers too. I never get solicitations anymore.

Be careful that these losers are not identity thieves hiding behind a bill collector's front. Do NOT give them any info!

http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall

EDIT
PS: this is a long shot because the scumbags probably cover their tracks, but you can try the reverse number look up to see if you can find company name and address.

http://www.anywho.com/rl.html

Then you could go to the State Corporation department online. Many times you can find the owner's name this way from the 'assumed business name' records. You can write them Certified letters, or if you're able to find the owners home phone... you know what to do!

 

If these debts are not yours, they should stop, but unfortunately telling a debt collector that they have a wrong number is a tactic that a real person in dept would use, so they won't listen to you and keep calling.

Your best bet would be to send them a cease letter. Explain to them they have the wrong number, you are not the person they are trying to reach, and there is no such person at that number. Be sure to send it certified/registered and keep all the receipts to prove it was sent, along with a copy. Here is a link to a sample...
http://www.nedap.org/resources/docum...tronicForm.pdf


This is the link to the page it came from.
http://www.nedap.org/hotline/fdcpa-recognizing.html


According to the site, by law, they are required to stop when receiving that letter. If they don't, you could have a case against them.

I'm no lawyer or expert on this, but it's something I found that may help you out.

 

i actually think these are the same people who called my dad because i remember him sayin someone whose got the wrong number wont stop calling him...so now i guess they've moved on to me now.

 

It's a shame you can't reach through the phone and strangle them, because that's what they deserve.

 

I usually just start messing with them back. Tell them the person they are looking for is dead, or in jail. Make a really outrageous story about it and tell them to google it, it was all over the news just yesterday. I also do the sorry I can't hear you could you speak up? And see if you can get them to yell.
I have also told them that I will find said person and pass along their message for a fee of a few hundred dollars. My Google-fu is strong, I will find this dead beat, your google-fu is weak.
I had one company call me several times a day several years ago looking for some woman. I finally told them that I was this person and that I refuse to pay the credit card bill and that they need to come over to the house and repo all their stuff as it is sitting outside and people are starting to go through it.
I say have some fun with them.

 

How about doing something like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shqq6SL3ED4

 

since you are 17 isnt it some kind of crime for them to be calling you?

 

se have one that calls at work for one of the guys. We try to keep them on the line as long as possible we are up to about 8 minutes now. next time you get a person get their name and phone number before you tell them anything. tell them your battery is dead and you want to call them back if you get disconnected. Call that number you got for Riddle & Associates and see what can be done. post their number here and I'll start calling them to tell them I am the one they are looking for.

 

well the number i got was 1-800-225-5050

 

I was cracking up the whole time!!

 

that's absolutely hilarious!