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Collection agency scam or lifted personal info?

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tcmtech

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I had an odd phone call this morning from a supposed collection agency.
They said I have a $240 utility bill that is apparently six years over due from a legitimate power company but in a place I have never lived in that is some 300+ miles away. I have lived here for 10+ years now but they are threatening to put it on my credit history if I dont pay it. (Not that I really care about that.)

They had my name and correct present address and my social security number but where they claim I lived I have only ever passed through a few times a year at most. I suspect that the information got lifted off of a check I may have wrote years ago and someone else at the time used my name and info to get their power or gas reconnected but I have no way to prove it exactly. I have heard of things like that happening before.

Its not a big deal and I am not the least bit concerned but it just seemed odd.

Anyone else ever get these sort of notices?
 
Social security numbers are no longer protected under federal law from use as an identification number to private corporations, they're nothing more than a phone number now, only unique to each American making it easier for scammers to track us.

Immediately make a complaint to the phone company, and I'd recommend opening a police report, just to protect yourself. It's nothing more than few words that are put down on paper but if you make statements and complaints now you're protected in case something weird happens, and the police may have rights to find out the phone number and inquire as to their reason for the call in the first place to give you some real information. To make a threat of that nature may actually be a crime in your state, or there may be federal laws to protect you. A police report and a call to the phone company are trivial and can give you a lot of piece of mind.

Scammers are always updating their techniques, make sure you cover your ass.
 
Scammers are always updating their techniques, make sure you cover your ass.


Also don't bend over in the shower to pick up the soap, ya never know where the scammers will hit next........
 
Surely, if it's 6 years old then it should already be on your credit history. Sounds like a scam to me.

Mike.
 
Should definitely report it. Did they give you a phone number and address to contact them? If you have all the info, file the report, scammers a persistent, and will keep trying, or pass your personal information on. Personally, I think credit scores are meaningless for most people anyway. Just a way to get people to pay their bills on time, without question. Convenient excuses for lenders to deny you a loan, or charge higher rates. They know what you can afford to pay, and how badly you want the loan, and whether you have the means to repay. Internet makes your personal information easy for a lender, credit reports are kind of outdated, but still serve some purpose. I don't use credit anymore, and plan on staying debt free.

Anyway, sounds like the have enough information to cause you some other kinds of trouble, maybe a credit card or something else. You should get something filed, before it goes anything further, big help later if it gets worse. Maybe your report will help catch them, but doubt there is any reward money.
 
Should definitely report it.

I agree.

Anyway, sounds like the have enough information to cause you some other kinds of trouble, maybe a credit card or something else. You should get something filed, before it goes anything further, big help later if it gets worse. Maybe your report will help catch them, but doubt there is any reward money.

Sometimes we don't pursue stuff like this so, they find other victims to continue with their crime spree, if allowed.

Speaking of a scams. One of my techs told me yesterday that he wanted to rent a house and was working with an agency. They Charge $50 dollars to process and application? His wife was $25.
 
I have had odd stuff show up on my credit reports over they years before simply due to my having a common name around here so I tend to watch my billing statements and credit history closer than most.;)

Apparently if the creditors cant find the correct person they just take the next person who's name matches that persons name and dump the bad credit rating on them and let them deal with proving that its not their issue.
I have had to get stuff removed before that wasn't mine before so I do know how to go about it at least.
Fortunately I can have my bank take a look at my credit history for free anytime I want and let me know if there is anything more suspicious than the idiots that handle my student loans! :D:(

I dont have credit cards and have not had one that was active at least 7 years. I have a bank card that is tied to an account that only has limited money avialable in it as well. Plus I do almost all of online purchases with the PayPal one time use credit card system so it is impossible to for anyone re bill me later on it.

As far as the phone call they didn't give me any call back number but claimed that they would send me paperwork so I could make the payment. I will keep an eye on it for a while and if its not a well known credit agency I have no problem reporting it to the authorities. If they are legitimate it shouldn't take long to get this sorted out either.

Like I said it was just an odd phone call. :)
 
Like I said it was just an odd phone call. :)

Is it normal to get phone calls about bills like that in the USA?, over here any such request/demand would be in writing, not by phone.

I had some bother a number of years back, with British Telecom sending me a phone bill for a number in a city miles away. Different name, different address, and different phone number - what did it have to do with me?. In the end it took three calls to get it sorted (although the first two claimed it was all sorted out - it wasn't until they started threatening court action that they eventually sorted it.

From what I can gather the guy who owes the money told them he had moved, and gave my address at random.
 
Companies sell their credit to collection agencies that hound you for the money, so ya, it's common to get phone calls for this kinda thing. Not getting a return number makes it unlikely this is legitimate, though.
 
From what I can gather the guy who owes the money told them he had moved, and gave my address at random.

I have been through several times so far.
First off until I cleared the land and built my place there was no previous people who ever lived here because there was no actual address.:)

However in the ten years I have lived here I have been contacted multiple times by law enforcement looking for people who claimed they lived here. Twice the sheriff himself has shown up in person with an arrest warrant for people who claimed they lived here as well. Each time I had no idea who those people where that they where looking for and never recognized their names or pictures either. :eek:

In my life time I have also been contacted by the sheriff once and told that my stolen car has been recovered but it was totaled in an accident in another state. My response to that was to tell the sheriff thats impossible being that I never filed a stolen car report and my car is sitting in the driveway where I could see it during the phone call and that he can come and look it if he doesn't believe me. He then had no explanation as to how a stolen car report got made with my name and a correct description of my car on it. :confused:

Basically I have a common name and apparently my address is some how an easy number to be made up at random and I drive vehicles that are commonly stolen too. :(
 
Harvey, credit scores are not just a scam... my wife can't get a credit card with less than 11% interest rate. Mine's a bit under 7. If you don't want to use credit then obviously it's not important to you, but a great many people can benefit from good credit. I'm surprised I haven't had more trouble with my credit report, me my father and grandfather share the same name.
 
Harvey, credit scores are not just a scam... my wife can't get a credit card with less than 11% interest rate. Mine's a bit under 7. If you don't want to use credit then obviously it's not important to you, but a great many people can benefit from good credit. I'm surprised I haven't had more trouble with my credit report, me my father and grandfather share the same name.

You can shop around for credit, unless you have a history of defaults, bankruptcy, unemployment. Usually, I don't think most of the score killers are deal breakers. Did getting married change your wife's credit score? Just curious, since the name change, maybe change of address, and a few other things might stir things up a little. Still, there are quite a few things, basically non-issues, that get brought up when applying for credit, which are used to raise the rate. You lose points, every time a potential lender looks up your score. The more you look for the best deal, the harder it gets to find one. I got tired of the game, and quit years ago.
 
In a big way the credit scoring system is horribly back wards.
I have a fair credit rating despite no real bad history. The reason its fair and not great is because for most of my life I have paid cash for big purchases and I also have a very solid history of paying off loans and credit cards quickly.
To a lender I am not a good person to give a low interest rate loan to with a long payment time line because I have a well defined history of paying stuff like that off quickly.
Basically they dont make money off of people like me so I get a fair rating at best despite no bad marks.

The people who do have the best credit history are in debt over their heads but always make the minimum payments.
They are also the ones who are most likely to refinance and take out other loans to pay of their first loans or to consolidate them into larger single loans with even longer payback time lines. Banks and creditors love these people because they grantee a maximum profit in the long run.

With a quick online search its easy to find loads of articles related to how credit scores are factored. Those numbers are not for your benefit but the banking industries benefit to find out who's the most profitable and who's a high risk due to defaulting.
 
Every day I get phone calls from "credit agencies" but their morons cannot speeky zee Engrish.
So I don't know what they are saying. Maybe they are swearing at me so I tell them off and hang up.
 
They said I have a $240 utility bill that is apparently six years over due from a legitimate power company but in a place I have never lived in that is some 300+ miles away.

I would start with that power company as they would have been the ones to have turned an account over to a collection agency. They should be able to provide some information.

Ron
 
I have had utility companies submit bills to creditors that were paid off. Verizon being the worst offender of them all. About once a year I would get a call from a collection agency saying I owed for an old land-line I had. I would prove it was paid off and it would disappear for about a year or so. Then I'd get another call.

Since the entire burden of proof is on you, with no repercussions to them, they have no reason not to re-submit. They will keep doing it as long as it can still go on the credit report. Fortunately, this year those two "bills" come off my credit report, so hopefully they will stop trying to scam money from me.
 
When I was Teenager I paid a bill that was sent to a collection agency. I paid with cash, they waited about 3 months and sent me another bill in the mail I went back and paid it again because I lost the receipt.

After that I got a checking account. I'm sure there are a lot of company's who do that to Young people and actually get away with it over and over again.
 
I'm not sure what the full process is, but you should find out. You have to contest the claim against you and the burden of proof is actually on the company to provide proof that it's really you.
 
I have had utility companies submit bills to creditors that were paid off. Verizon being the worst offender of them all. About once a year I would get a call from a collection agency saying I owed for an old land-line I had. I would prove it was paid off and it would disappear for about a year or so. Then I'd get another call.

Since the entire burden of proof is on you, with no repercussions to them, they have no reason not to re-submit. They will keep doing it as long as it can still go on the credit report. Fortunately, this year those two "bills" come off my credit report, so hopefully they will stop trying to scam money from me.

That is interesting as I never really thought of the phone company as a utility company. When I hear "utility company" I instinctively think Gas & Electric. However, since I don't pay the bills I took the question to a much higher authority who pays the bills around here. My wife says absolutely, when she pays utilities they are Gas, Electric and Phone. Live and learn I guess on that note.

Now as to a burden of proof on a debt? The burden of proof of a debt lies with the person trying to collect the debt and not with the alleged debtor. A debt is a debt plain and simple and there is no actual statue of limitations on a debt. However, after a certain period of time a statue of limitations can prevent a collection agency from taking the matter to a court of law. If the debt is valid and exist it continues to exist.

As to a burden of proof? When contacted by a collection agency a good response (in writing sent certified mail return receipt requested) is to the effect of:

1. I do not have and never have had a debt with this creditor (bank, institution, whatever)

2. Please provide me with proof of this debt to include something that bears my signature where I agreed to terms.

3. I will not speak with your organization further until proof of this debt is provided.

Point out clearly the burden of proof rest with them and that is the law. There is nothing to discuss or agree to lacking proof you are responsible for the debt. Proof would be a court document where a court has found you liable for a debt and beyond that they have nothing. Point out you want mail and do not conduct business on the phone.

Collection agencies work on intimidation and a reverse onus to do their job. The burden of proof lies with them and not you. Using the right tactics just makes their job easier so make them do their job.

Now if you are a deadbeat and owe the money, pay the bill. :)

Ron
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When I was Teenager I paid a bill that was sent to a collection agency. I paid with cash, they waited about 3 months and sent me another bill in the mail I went back and paid it again because I lost the receipt.

After that I got a checking account. I'm sure there are a lot of company's who do that to Young people and actually get away with it over and over again.

Thats a fairly common but crooked way that some business use to bring in extra money. Just rebill bill people until they prove they paid and then apologize 'computers make mistakes' and move on to the next person.

There have been numerous articles on the internet news on how big of scam it is in the US. Some numbers estimate it to be worth a few billion in extra revenue nation wide every year.
With 320 million people in the US and if 1/3 of them repay a $20 bill on something once a year because its not worth their hassle to prove it was paid once before its an easy $2 billion plus with no actual additional effort.

I stopped using direct pay from any bank account for anything that is not a loan with that bank.
I learned the hard way years ago when I got double billed and multi billed, too many times to count, from every automatic direct payment I ever agreed to for convenience sake. The phone companies, utility companies, and credit card companies where the worst offenders out of the bunch that I had to deal with. :mad:

I still have to on occasion deal with the phone and power company over bogus shutoff notices because I pay my bills far in advance. Their usual excuse it that they have not received a payment in 60 or 90 days according to their computer records so an automatic disconnect is issued despite my account having a positive balance. :mad:

I have had my phone service shut off several times in the last five years because of that. I go in and ask about why my phone is disconnected and the say they have not received a payment in 60 days so it was automatically shut off.
I then inquire as to how much I owe and they then tell me my account has enough positive balance should not have had to make any payment for three more months or longer. Then they tell me that there is normally a $50 reconnect fee to get it turned back on but they will wave the fee since it was a computer generated error. :mad:
The last time it happened I told them my family lawyer will find this repeat problem interesting if it happens again but so far its been about 2 years since the last time it was shut off.;)

Although my power company decided to bill me for a new customer installation service fee last summer even though I have been on their system for 10 years now. "Oops, computers make mistakes.":rolleyes:
 
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