Debt collectors calling you for your friends or family – What to do
It is quite nerve racking experience to receive continuous calls from debt collectors in any situation. Several creditors often sell or assign the accounts of the delinquent consumers to the collection agencies. Intelligent consumers get help of the debt relief programs such as debt settlement, debt management, debt consolidation, etc. to get rid of debts and collection calls. But sometimes consumers receive calls from the collection agencies regarding debts of other people. The debt collectors make repeated calls to the consumers for locating one of their friends, neighbors, or relatives. Simply speaking, they irritate the consumers days after days. Read through the article to know about what to do in this kind of situation.
How to tackle collectors calling you for your friends or family
It often happens that you get a call from a collection agency (CA) about a debt of your friend or a family member. The debt collector tells you that he is trying to locate your friend regarding a debt he owes to the CA. The collector is most likely to collect information about your friend from you. But the important question is, do they have the right to do this? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The debt collectors can ring you once, when they are not able to reach your friend or family member. However, under FDCPA (Fair Debt Collections Practices Act), they can’t disturb you frequently for that purpose. The Act also prohibits the collectors from revealing details of the debt to you.
If the debt collectors already have the contact details of your friend or family member, then they don’t have the legal right to call you. However, the CA can certainly get in touch with you if they don’t have that information. But this doesn’t mean that you’re bound to give all the details of your friend to the collector. You can always refuse to divulge any details about your friend if you want to do so.
There is no harm in providing the collector with some information of your friend. If the collector was the last person to call you, then you can dial *69. If the call is received by a person, then you can talk to him/her. However, if you’re directed to a voice recording, then there is a great probability that you’re dealing with a scammer.
Sometimes, it happens that a collection agency calls you about a debt you haven’t even heard of. They have mistaken you for the consumer who actually owes money to the collection agency. In this kind of a situation, there is no point in getting angry and terminating the call. Rather you should deal with the situation calmly. You should ask the particular debt collector to prove that the debt is yours. You can send a debt validation letter via certified mail to the concerned CA and wait for their reply. If you don’t get any reply from the CA after few days, then do send a cease and desist letter to them. However, if it is proved that you really owe the debt, then it is advisable to make a payment arrangement with the collection agency. You can also go for debt settlement or debt management to pay off your debts.
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