How on earth ...

[donna723]

... do those stupid collection agencies get MY phone number to call when they're looking for people that I haven't seen in years?



Ordinarily I don't answer phone calls if I don't recognize the number on the Caller ID. I also don't answer if it says "Private Caller" or "Unknown". Once in a while if they are calling repeatedly, I will answer just to see who it is and have been known to ream out the ones making sales calls and remind them not-so-nicely that I'm on the "Do Not Call" list. Then I started getting calls from places looking for the ex-husband that I divorced 16 years ago! Why on earth would they think that they could reach him at my house? Then I started getting calls from collection agencies looking for my son-in-laws father! Not only does he live over 600 miles away, I've only actually met the man twice and that was years ago! This is the man who has never made even the slightest effort to meet his beautiful little grandson or to be a part of his life, his only grandchild, even though he's already three years old! Outside of communications from lawyers, my daughter and sister in law have had no contact with him for years although they know that he is aware that he has a grandchild. So WHY would these people think that they could find him through ME? And how did they ever make that connection in the first place?

But today absolutely takes the cake! I've been getting daily calls from an "Unknown" at a number I don't recognize. So today I snatched up the phone to see who it was. I get one of those collection agency recordings that say that it's a call for "So and so" and if you are "So and so", push "1". Except the "So and so" they were looking for was the little bimbo who married my son seven years ago, the one who cheated on him three weeks after the wedding, the one that sent him into such a tailspin that he spent a week in the ICU on life support after a suicide attempt! Trust me on this one ... the only one less likely to be found at my house than my ex is HER! So of course, I pushed "1" to get to a real person! Suffice it to say that the person who came on the line may decide to pursue another line of work after today. Suffice it to say that this person's eyebrows are probably singed right off by that phone call! Suffice it to say that this person is now very aware of what the term "rip them a new one"means! I asked how they ever got MY number to try to reach Ms. Bimbo! She said they were given that number to contact her ... WELL, NO, THEY WEREN'T!!! Just how do these people make these connections? I can see how they could use public records to tie her in with my son, but how would that connect in with me and not any of the millions of other people who share our fairly common last name? Seeing as how I threatened this woman with bodily harm if she ever called my house looking for her again, I doubt if I hear from them again. But how do they do that anyway? How do they make those connections?

 

[Marcie Mac]

They can get info easily from places like Zabasearch which can list all family members and relatives. I found SOs son on there

Marcie

 

[AnnieO]

My parents still get calls for my XH. (I left him in June 2001, divorce final 1 year after that... SO... TEN YEARS AGO.)

He never lived with them.

A while back I did a search for him, because of this. And almost every search engine - I show up - at our last known address - with his last name, of course. Which was 800+ miles from my parents. I get that "OK" and "OH" do look alike, and I probably somewhere show up with my married-to-him name at my parents' home (I lived there for 2 months between leaving him and finding my own place)... But - his parents, with their (I suppose) current address show up too!

What happens is this, some database somewhere has her connected to him (if they were married the license is public record). And of course he is connected to you (birth records are also public). It's just connect-the-dots. And anyone who thinks PII (Personally Identifiable Information) isn't easy to find... Think again. Just your name & birthdate on facebook is enough for identity thieves...

Just one thing, keep in mind the poor kid who is calling probably has an autodialer, and doesn't even know that bimbo isn't actually related to you (or that you are not she). The only time that the person calling truly deserves to be ripped up is if they're rude to you. However, you CAN tell them NOT TO CALL YOU anymore. Does NOT mean they will stop - you actually have to put that in writing.

FWIW, I did get a call for husband once. On my cell phone. I asked the guy how they got my number and he said, "we have our ways". He also told me a LOT about the debt, etc. and refused to believe that I was not husband (anyone who knows me in real life knows husband has a definite GUY name and my voice isn't that deep). He violated all kinds of laws. I reported him...

 

[keista]

was going to say Zabbasearch as well. Go and search your name. Once you find yourself, you click and it show ppl related to you. Then you search them and find ppl related to find them. If you are a desperate collection agency, you do this just as a shot in the dark - you might get lucky. You can opt out somehow. I think the previous owner of my house did this because I can't find her through that site. It was her Dad's house, he passed and she sold it. Every year he gets this thick envelope from some stock company. I guess she'll never know.

Oh, and I had an even weirder strange collection call a few weeks ago. I got called about a woman I used to live across the street from for 8 months, over 9 years ago. That is my entire connection to her. I never even talked to her.

 

[susiestar]

tell the callers that if they call again, you will file a report with the FCC (Fed Communication Commission)because this is harrassment, and they know it is not that person's number. do NOT be nice - the more irate you sound the more you will be removed from the lists.

 

[Star*]

..............I'm taking notes..............this is such a smart group of ladies........I swear. (not a lot though only at the telemarketers)

 

[Hound dog]

Yup. Was gonna say the internet myself. How do you think I kept tabs on katie while she was vacant in our lives all those years? I didn't even have to pay for it. (knowing some of the right info to put into search boxes is often enough to pop up more clues)

Now it has to be comical for people who look up this household. Why just the other day Molly was praised for her perfect driving record and offered a steal from state farm.........and solicited to attend several colleges. Bruce gets offers via mail, as does Betsy..........we still get them for Willie. And just to make it fun..............birth dates and ages are altered ect on everyone. I've been at this since I first learned to use the computer. So I've been messing with them for more than a decade now.

LOL

Every once in a while I do a search on myself or family members. If I don't feel the waters are murky enough........I start working on it. Before long I'm sure Minnie will start getting mail of her own too.

I don't rip the messenger a new one unless they do something to deserve it. The time that happened........it got ugly, really ugly and I threatened to press charges for harassment. I meant it. I didn't ever get a call back.

I understand how you feel though. I wonder how long it will be before I get calls for katie's biomom. I already get them for her. I just hang up on them.

I now chuckle at the one I got shortly after husband passed away. I had to answer calls because I was getting calls from absolutely everywhere. So this bill collector asks for husband. I said I'm sorry he died two days ago. Poor man stammered for some very long minutes before apologizing and saying he'd make a note of it in the file and wouldn't bother me anymore. I so shocked him that he didn't even bother to ask me if I was his wife ect. Not all of them are bad people. And I know I sure wouldn't want their job.

((hugs))