Scaring the you know what right out of me. (Please respond)

[discombob1]

Wouldn't it be great if...

This reminds me... there is a website of people who will scambait... that is, scam the scammers of those Niegerian money schemes, etc. They string these guys along to teach them a lesson. How I wish there was a way to do that to these unethical debt collectors who break the law and lie, cheat and steal! It would be SO satisfying to do that. I suspect Tobee's hub has already done that a little

I know it's not likely, but boy would that be fun!

[tobee43]

i am truly ashamed to admit this...but he LOVED the collection calls.....

he had a few of them in tears....and i actually would feel badly for them..!!!!!!!!!!

he's scary in "cop" mode...just ask our kids! LOL!!!!

i just wish he could answer the phone at the OP's house!

[discombob1]

i am truly ashamed to admit this...but he LOVED the collection calls.....

he had a few of them in tears....and i actually would feel badly for them..!!!!!!!!!!

he's scary in "cop" mode...just ask our kids! LOL!!!!

i just wish he could answer the phone at the OP's house!

That is so awesome. I wish we could form a little posse and make these guys feel as scared as they make debtors feel. That would be SO awesome! Wish we could have heard your hubs in action!

[lorelei]

Let's pick apart that phone message:

1. It was a recording. If this was truly urgent, don't you think they'd have a live person calling?

2.

This is Andrea Cunningham-Special Investigator.

Well, whoop-de-freakin-do. So am I! So are you! So is anyone else who takes it upon themselves to investigate something specially. They did not say a special investigator for who or what. They didn't say what authority they have. They leave it to you to imagine that their job as a collections agent for some third party is the same thing as being an IRS agent. But they aren't, and they know they aren't.

3.

I am contacting you regarding a complaint being filed against you.

Did you hear that? BEING filed. Not has been filed. Not "that was filed today." Not "that we're filing tomorrow. Just "being" filed, at some point in the future, maybe.

4.

You affadavit number is " "

What the heck is an affidavit number? Court cases have court case numbers. Do you know why they talked about an "affidavit number" and not a "case number"? Because there is no case number.

5.

You have been named to respond in a court action and must appear in court.

Maybe, if they file something with a court. But maybe not. Even if they are seeking a judgment against you, you still don't have to appear in court.

6.

Please forward this information on to your attorney affadavit pertains to a restraining order.

B**ch please! Restraining order sounds all big and scary until you realize that a restraining order is something that would prevent you from taking an action. You can have a restraining order to prevent you from calling their collections agency, for example, if you were harassing or threatening them (hey, by the way, are they threatening or harassing YOU?). You could have a restraining order that would keep you from selling a piece of property, perhaps, if that piece of property were in dispute between a divorcing couple. But even if they were to get a restraining order against you, you would have to be notified of that by the court. If the court has not told you that you are under a restraining order, this is baloney.

7.

You or you attorney have 24-48 hours to resolve this matter.

As if. Even if they were serving you with papers, you usually have 20 days to respond.

8.

Again the affadavit number is " ". This is a legal matter so please contact me. Thank you and good luck.

Good luck to you too, bully.



Brokemomma - are you feeling any better yet?

[lovemybugs10]

i am truly ashamed to admit this...but he LOVED the collection calls.....

he had a few of them in tears....and i actually would feel badly for them..!!!!!!!!!!

he's scary in "cop" mode...just ask our kids! LOL!!!!

i just wish he could answer the phone at the OP's house!

This is the only part of settling that bothers me. I want to play with their heads. I want to make promises and not keep them. I want to talk about nothing for 1/2 an hour. I want to play dumb. I want to let my toddler talk to them. I want to answer and then when they say who they are pretend to be an answering machine but breath heavy so they know I'm there. beeeeep.

OP- It's a scare tactic. I would get the recording to my attorney and wash my hands of it.

[wonderingrov]

I hate to admit it, but I played a few games with these collectors right after I'd filed. I'd sit there and talk to them for 15 or 20 minutes, then say "oh by the way, I've filed chapter 7 - here's my case # and attorney information."

[lovemybugs10]

Don't hate to say it. That's fantastic. If I were filing, I would do the same thing.

[discouraged]

Even though I have an attorney, I just got the paperwork to him last Friday and it will take about two weeks (he figures) before they can get the papers together for me to sign and then file. I can't wait until I have a case # and can do what you did wondering. I am sooooo looking forward to it.

[SonnyBoy]

I absolutely HATE scare tactic a##holes! Like everyone else, I'm no pro at this, but as someone who's been through it, here's how it works. First, notifications of judgments or any sort of court actions against you are usually mailed or physically served. Second, easy way to figure this one out is simply to call the court or county seat and find out. They'll tell you.

I find that even though my numbers are on the "do not call" registry, I still get some of the crap from marketers too. You never know who to trust anymore. In fact, if it makes you feel any better, I got the shaft a couple of years ago myself with some defaulted school loans. Turns out that the people that held the loans decided to turn them over to a collection agency. That agency harrassed the be-jesus out of me and my parents numbers and addresses for a short while. When I finally contacted them and got in a position to work with them, they offered me a 9-month payment plan that would "rehab" my loans into good standing and out of collection status. I am thinking, great, right? Well after about 7 payments, I lost my job, told them to hang on and I'd get them both payments the following month. They said ok. Then I didn't hear from them. About three weeks later, I get a call from yet ANOTHER (totally different) collection agency calling and harrassing me and my parents numbers non-stop. Come to find out, the first collection agency sold off or went under or something to this new agency, and they conveniently had no records or care regarding my 7 payments. Yeah...get that? And no deals for any "rehab" from this company, etc. And no notifications that my loans were transferred in either case! I mean, I didn't know who the hell I was supposed to pay. I finally got those loans reconsolidated out of default status (thanks to federal govt. ed. loans) and am a happy camper again, but still p#ssed at those guys. They would not stop calling daily. Ugh. I have some of the links to the government loan stuff, and other stories about some hell I've been through on my blog if you want to check it out. Might find some useful pointers or some useless ones. Either way, been there, done it, and hope to help if I can to anyone that wants to discuss. It's at armchaircreditrepair.blogspot.com. Good luck and I hope you get those a##holes.

[Pandora]

Let's pick apart that phone message:


Well, whoop-de-freakin-do. So am I! So are you! So is anyone else who takes it upon themselves to investigate something specially.

OMG I almost choked on my coffee when I read this! LMAO!! I've got tears....

(mental note to self: get sheriffs badge from son and write "Special Investigator" on it when going out in a public setting like the grocery store)

BA HA HA HA HA!

[GoingDown]

I'm no expert, but I think you're usually notified in writing (and often by some sort of certified delivery process) when legit court actions arise. How many things in a real court of law are ever resolved over the phone? And in 24-48 hours? That's probably the funniest part, right there. Followed closely by the fact that the call came on a Saturday evening. I vote for a scare tactic... one that you'll probably look back and laugh at in a few months. Best of luck.

Exactly.

If this had been from a real government official, it would have been in writing and served by a process server, sheriff's constable, or in some cases by certified mail.

It would never be done over the phone.

That's just not how the government operates.

This is from a debt collector that is violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and doesn't seem to care.

[IamOld]

Did this person have a Pakistani or such accent? This is a WELL KNOWN scam - don't even BOTHER to call them back. It's bs!!!!

[tobee43]

Did this person have a Pakistani or such accent? This is a WELL KNOWN scam - don't even BOTHER to call them back. It's bs!!!!

i KNOW NOT funny but ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!