New Debt Collection Idea for the 21st century

User Forum Topic
Submitted by flu on June 28, 2009 - 2:32pm

So I've been getting a lot of phone calls on a phone number that ATT recycled to me. Apparently the previous user of the phone number is knee deep in debt, and I've been getting a bunch of calls from debt collectors trying to collect a debt from him(them)...

The debt collectors provided me his full name, company, and generally that he was located in San Diego... I keep responding that this guy isn't available at this number anymore, and asked them to snail mail the person for a collection.

They kept calling and calling. So finally, I got fed up with this and decided, oh what the hell, let's try to find the person on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Myspace....And sure enough, I was able to find the same guy with the same name who is the same owner of the company with the same name based in San Diego....

Which leads me to the idea....Why aren't debt collection agencies using these social media to reach their debtors, but rather resorting to such antiquated means of contacting people such as by phone and mailing address, when those are the first two things people change if they are trying to avoid a debt? Usually, people that have spent the time and energy to create a public profile on a social media website is gonna be pretty reachable...

Seems pretty easy to locate people on LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, since for some reason, people don't have qualms posting excruciating details about their life on social media.

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Maybe you should open up your
Submitted by mike92104 on June 28, 2009 - 2:55pm.

Maybe you should open up your own debt collection agency and do just that. Also, I would change that phone number. I had the same thing happen on a new phone number given to me. It doesn't matter how many times you tell them, they will still call.

That's how I find the owners
Submitted by briansd1 on June 28, 2009 - 3:08pm.

That's how I find the owners of the underwater condos downtown.

When times were good, those people were boasting about themselves all over the Net.

If you're wanting to buy a house somewhere, do yourself a favor and research the owners in that neighborhood. There might be a better deal down the street or the same building. The more distress there is, the more deals there will be.

Unlike some folks here, I believe that homeowners have LESS resources and staying power than they led on.

I get calls at home. I use
Submitted by tc on June 28, 2009 - 3:33pm.

I get calls at home. I use to tell them that the person they are looking for is no longer at the number. But the idiots kept calling me. So now I take a message for the guy. Then after I have the callers name and number I call back and ask to speak to the person in charge. I then tell them if they call this number again from their company I'll report them. Its worked wonders.
Most of the time they wont give you any information on who they are unless they think they might get in touch with whoever they are looking for. So taking a message is the best way to findout what company it is.

Yeah, just change the number
Submitted by PadreBrian on June 28, 2009 - 4:57pm.

Yeah, just change the number and move on.

tc wrote:I get calls at home.
Submitted by equalizer on June 28, 2009 - 11:23pm.

tc wrote:
I get calls at home. I use to tell them that the person they are looking for is no longer at the number. But the idiots kept calling me. So now I take a message for the guy. Then after I have the callers name and number I call back and ask to speak to the person in charge. I then tell them if they call this number again from their company I'll report them. Its worked wonders.
Most of the time they wont give you any information on who they are unless they think they might get in touch with whoever they are looking for. So taking a message is the best way to findout what company it is.

That's good. I had one of those calls and I told the lady that you have wrong number. She then asks my name and I said I'm calling the police. She's bewildered and says why won't I give my name. I want to say "Excuse me but what is your name", but just mention police again and she hangs up and doesn't call back!

So you could try tell them the call is being recorded, traced and police have a tap because caller is threatening you but they will hang up first. But you could try this The Greatest Prank Call Ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5z4Vs26-...

An unrelated story. It seems
Submitted by Eugene on June 28, 2009 - 11:47pm.

An unrelated story. It seems that ATT recycling gave one of my old phone numbers to a Chinese guy. That guy got himself a Vons club card and used that number in the application. At some point, I misplaced my own Vons card, so I tried to punch in my phone numbers and this one got accepted. I've been using that number since then.

When you use a Vons card, it prints your name on the check, cashiers often look it up and call you by that name. They still do that to me, occasionally. Even though I'm clearly Caucasian and I don't look anything like Yu Chi Wu. Most of the time, they just get into the state of cognitive dissonance.

Once I even got a gasoline gift card from them, because the account of Mr. Wu earned enough points of some kind.

There's only been one or two occasions in the last year that anyone has actually questioned whether I really was Mr. Wu ...