Debt Collectors: HuffPost Readers' Weirdest Harassment Stories (AUDIO)

Debt collectors perform a useful function. They recover scads of bad debt for creditors -- an estimated $40 billion worth in 2007 -- that helps keep lending costs down for credit card companies and others. And, per the industry's reputable trade group, ACA International, "debt collectors often get flowers and thank you letters from grateful consumers."

Last week the Huffington Post asked readers for their weirdest debt collector stories. We received many tales of harassment, but none of flowers and thank yous. (We would like to! Send 'em to [e-mail].)

One woman wrote that debt collectors had been calling her over a debt that belonged to her husband's previous wife ("No need to tell you how mad it made me feel getting phone calls about my husband's ex's debts"). Another reader wrote that collectors were on his case for a credit card debt his dad allegedly owed when he passed away.

"They only stopped after I sent back a bill, unopened," the reader wrote. "I had left my father's name on it but had crossed out my address and wrote in the recipient's new address as: #1 Cloud Way, Heaven."

One of the best stories came from Billy Green, 47, of San Francisco, California. His debt collector troubles date all the way back to 1991, when he had some trouble leasing a trombone.

"I tried to rent a trombone and they ran a credit check on me," he said in a telephone interview with the Huffington Post. "They said, 'We wanted to ask you about this problem that you have when you were living in San Leandro.' I'd never lived in San Leandro."

William Green is something of a common name, it turns out.

Here's Green's letter to HuffPost:

I have had several instances of companies request credit reports for me and receive the report of a different "William Green" instead. I have been told variously that I have tax liens against me, that I'm a serial check bouncer, that I have defaulted on home loans and any number of other credit sins that I've never performed.

Story continues below

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Several years ago, my bank sent me a notice that they had cut the credit limit on my Visa card to $1,000 because of a credit report they received. Trying to find out what the credit report said was like pulling teeth. For a week or so, they refused to give me any details of my alleged sins that had caused them to reduce my credit limit. When they finally told me that it was because I had defaulted on a home loan when I lived in San Jose a couple of years earlier, I nearly lost it. I asked if it had ever occurred to them to check their own records -- having banked with them for many years, they should already know that I have never lived in San Jose, and that I've never even bought a house anywhere, much less defaulted on a home loan. My credit limit was restored in a matter of minutes.

Every few years, a collection agency contacts me regarding debts owed by "Wiley Green." After a few calls, they admit that they considered it a long shot based on similarity of names (thinking if I'm not him, maybe I'm related), and they give it up. But every couple of years the letters start arriving for "Wiley Green" again, and the cycle starts anew. At this point, it's more of an annoyance than anything else, kind of like mosquito season.

Poor Wiley Green, wherever he is. But collectors have an ingenious trick for foisting a phony identity on the real William Green:

The most current tactic seems to be for collectors to use an automated dialer and a recording. In the calls I have received on my answering machine in recent weeks, the recording begins by saying "We are trying to reach Wally Green regarding an unpaid debt. If you have not hung up by this point, we assume that you acknowledge that you are Wally Green." I've not heard any more of this recording because either my answering machine or their calling machine tends to hang up around this point.

Here's audio of the voicemail for Wally Green:

As for the trombone, Green said that the rental went through in the end.

Comments

[Whatashame]

Don't forget that debt collectors are the last resort. The credit card companies have already written of the losses through their insurance. However, technically it is not a lost because they are all insured. So if I were you I would give them the time of day.

[oneCTvoter]

Excuse me but most of these so called "collection agencies" are harassing innocent debt free people or scams. I have been getting calls for someone that has never lived at my address nor has had my phone number. I have politely and not so politely told them this. Asked to be taken off their call list etc etc etc. Real non-scam "credit - companies" don't do this.

[MNinWI]

Oh boo hoo.

[jl4141]

Debt collectors suck @zs.

[transe]

i moved into an apt about 11 years ago. a previous tenant had the same first name, albeit spelled differently. apparently she owed someone lots of money. it took almost a year to get them to stop calling. right now i am dealing with a credit card i paid off and closed over 3 years ago. the company made me angry, and so i told them what to do with their card. i have all the paperwork and reference #"s from when i closed it. they apparently did not close the account and it accrued fees. i've gone round and round with the collection agency, i've faxed and mailed them copies of the correspondence from when the account was closed. i've sent it registered mail, and they keep calling. when i tell them i have proof they received it, they deny they ever received it. grrrrr...

[wolfgangmo]

File a claim in small claims court and send them the subpoena. If they don't show up then you win. Send them a letter demanding payment and when they don't sell your debt to them so they end up calling themselves.

[camanokat]

lmao!!!!

[Davwbaird]

They call every two hours 8 of them and they are driving us nuts. We tell them that our small business is dead (plant nursery) due to lack of sells and that it had been going hill for the last two years and that our reserves are used up and we have no securities just the property we live on and my $1,000 a month social security and that no one wants to hire a 66 year old dude, in spite of great work experiences and the like.

Many have been calling now for over a year this month. Many are in my partners name. We have taken care of many of our suppliers bills (last year we owed over $10,000 at this time,. now about1,600. My garden design business helps but the bond is now $1,000 due to poor credit.We fell doomed and like the $65,000 (my last reserve) I put in a new building on the property to be a good investment. See our story at Fairiegardens.net.

[colinmeister]

A few years ago I was involved in a fairly serious road accident. The day I finally got back to work, a debt collector called me demanding payment for the ambulance which picked me up and took me to hospital. I explained that I had insurance, but he wouldn't let up and started demanding credit card numbers etc.

After a few such calls, I said "Fax me the authorisation I signed for the ambulance to pick me up, and I'll send you a cheque". I knew such authorisation didn't exist, since I was unconcious when they picked me up. The collector still demanded money, so I explained the situation. I told the collector that since nobody signed for the ambulance to pick me up, they should have left me in the road to die. I then said I was prepared to fight this in court, and I was eagerly awaiting the summons. I never heard from him again.

I hired a lawyer, and eventually the insurance company paid all my hospital and ambulance charges.

[desultory]

I successfully sued a debt collector who broke the law while collecting on a legitimate debt. I learned a lot about what the b*stards can and can't do, and I recommend that anyone with debt do some research and fight back -- these people are thugs. We're doing a lot better financially now, and have paid off all debts. However, I still get collections from fraudulent use of my account even though I did everything I'm legally obligated to do. I ignore those. I also get calls for the woman who used to live in my house. I sometimes answer the phone just to wind these people up because they are nasty, ignorant, bullies who will day or do anything to collect money regardless of circumstances, and indeed regardless of whether their victims even owe the money. A plague on all abusive debt-collectors.

[blujimbo]

People need to wake up and realize that they have rights. You have to fight for these rights! Don't roll over.
For every violation of the FDCPA you can sue these collectors in FEDERAL court for $1000 a pop. It is not as hard as or uncommon as people think to turn $10K in debt into $10K in damage awards. Claim your freedom from this BS!
banksripyouoff.com

[wolfgangmo]

I agree.

And if you do owe a debt but can't pay then tell them that you will send them a check and then do... for about 20 cents. It is called a good faith effort and they can't contact you for about 30 days. When they call next tell them you will send them a check....

I did this for a few years once and they finally asked if I wanted to settle with them. I offered about 5cents on the dollar (most collectors buy debt for less than 2 cents on the dollar) and they took it. I demanded a letter verifying the debt being paid off before they got a dime.

[Delphine]

That's exactly what NOT to do.

Never acknowledge a debt and never offer to pay anything. The debt may not be collectible due to expiration of statute date, and your acknowledgement and payment restarts the debt's life again.

[TXfemmom]

Years ago, I had an accident and had to replace my car. Hating the process, I arranged my financing prior to the process. Despite that, I received a call from my dealer saying that my financing had been denied because of my credit. They had switched the financing from the one I took in to them, without my knowlege. It took all this time and effort just to get the credit report and then to try to understand it. They had cards which had been canceled years before on that report, and then had a $5,000 default judgement on it, as well. I finally was able to determine the source and it was one of those finance companies. After contacting them and pleading that I was not the person, as the name was the same, but no address had been the same, the social security was not the same, the birthdate was not the same, the driver's license was not the same, and nothing matched but they clung to it, finally, out of desperation, I asked the RACE OF THE INDIVIDUAL. They looked and the person was a different RACE, even. I had to appear at one of their locations with my ID and prove my race before they would take it off my credit report.

Now, I just pay for one of those credit services, and despite that, recently one of my cards reported $1,050 worth of fraudulent activitiy on my card.

[gallimaufry03]

I've gotten that robocall -- "If you have not hung up, we are assuming you are [fill in whatever name]."

Obviously, collectors haven't heard of a newfangled gadget called an answering machine.

[Harmony1812]

I got a phone that has its own call block built in.

[CitizenRob]

Are you ready to pay AT&T's iPhone tax? If you're already an AT&T customer without an iPhone you can set up UNLIMITED Data AND Texting on your account for $30/mo. If you buy an iphone though AT&T forces you to pay $50/mo for unlimited data and texting. $20/mo more than if you had -any- other phone AT&T sells.

That my friends is the AT&T iPhone Tax in a nutshell.

[RobDykstra]

Iphone is crap compared to the Samsung Innov8....­.......I have 8 mp camera that takes better pictures than my standalone. The music player is better than the Ipod. and the built in Navstem is better than my standalone nav.

I sold all those gadgets and now have everything in one phone.

[SamEllison]

20 years ago during the first Bush recession, (it's the economy stupid),
we got behind on our bills and mortgage payments.
I found out that late fees on the mortgage did not accrue interest and
could be paid later when refinancing making it easier to catch up.
I'm sure by now they have teamed with congress to change that.
(Maybe that should read "buy now")

Also I used to tell the bill collectors that without people being behind
in their payments "they" would be without a job!

Also back then I found if you told the truth and didn't break any promises
that you make with them they sometimes will work with you.

[Sureyouarent]

I don't get calls like that. I pay others to make them.

[MNinWI]

go to a site that cares-try Iamascumballcapitolist.com sounds like you belong there.

[LeighAnnes]

Aren't you special?

[kcinpa]

I have won over $15K by suing various 3rd party debt collectors for violating the FDCPA. I have also been able to successfully defend myself, pro se, against 3rd party collector lawsuits. I learned how to do it by using what I learned at debtorboards.com. I highly recommend the site. Saved my life.

[justsaynosarahp]

Also won in court against a collection company lawyer, using the resources l learned from debtorboards.com.
Be aware though, you need to study Rules of Proceedure to defend your Fair Debt Collection Practices Act case as well. Some small claims court judges say they are lenient and understanding towards consumers, but prove arrogant, condescending and amused in court at those who can't afford to hire defense lawyers.

[roundtheblock]

Mr. Green's story is way too familiar to me... I have a very common name and have been turned down for numerous loans due to someone else defaulting on theirs. Supposed homes and the like that I never had any involvement in were always haunting me. While stationed in Europe I was trying to buy a new car and was told that I was late on payments for a new car that I had purchased only a few months earlier (NOT) in Georgia. Well I asked if it was okay to take posession of the other car, if indeed it was mine :~)

Common names... why do I hide my social security number if Banks and Credit Agencies don't bother to use them?

[HHarvey]

No debt collector calls, but my Hubby has a very common name. When we were buying our home they ran a credit check and it turns out someone else's credit was attached to my husband's for accounts we never owned. They even had me as filing for bankruptcy but the dates were for when I was 16!!! Talk about a messed up credit system. After that, I always occasionally check my credit through credit reporting agencies just to make sure someone else's debt isn't attached to our names.