Debt Collectors Can Now Contact Debtors by Text and Social Media

[ntx]

"...new rules released Friday give debt collectors explicit permission to use a wide range of communication methods to interact with consumers, including texting and social media messaging."

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/30/why-your-next-text-or-dm-may-soon-be-from-a-debt-collector.html

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

It's interesting because at one time a debt collector couldn't cause a person to incur a debt in order to collect a debt. That made cell phones off limits because people paid by the minute and/or for each text. Guess people that are still doing that or using prepaid phones are SOL now.

[Veronik2019]

Now that someone brought up the debt collectors. I want to share something that was posted on another site. "Confessions of a Debt Collector" (someone asked the owner of a debt collection agency)

"She makes a killing. Trust me. This year her debt collection agency is estimated to reach a whooping $3 million dollars in sales!" 

1.She buys debts for pennies on the dollar and will collect for the full amount. Ex. Buys a $300 cell phone debt for .20 cents and will collect for the entire $300!

2. She watches your credit report for positive activity or inquiries. Ex. If your credit is inactive/bad she'll watch it for any changes, then throw the collection account on your credit report knowing it will bring down your score then send you a letter to collect payment. 

3. Letters that look like they were printed online go in the trash. Re: she said the average person can't read even a credit report so she knows they didn't write it. 

4. Each times she receives a credit dispute from the credit bureaus, she automatically "verifies" the debt. Re: The credit bureaus are on her side regardless because she pays them. She's their client. 

5. She does not offer "Pay Per Deletion". Re: She could lose her contract with the credit bureaus and she wants other lenders to see your bad past. 

6. Her staff is trained to be in control, are paid high commissions and are told "I don't have the money" is unacceptable.  She said she collects almost all of her portfolios. Re: She and her staff are hungry. 

7. She said the letters that get responses are the ones that look like an educated person wrote it. 

This is some great information. What do you guys think? 

[Anonymous]

I would assume that this change has come because almost none of the carriers charge for texting anymore, it's unlimited with teh plan you pay for anyways same as the minutes. it's definitely different than it was 10-15 years ago concerning cell phones.

Not to mention that now there spam detection and call blocking, so no one answers unknown callers. Thus a change was needed and they likely figure if spammers and scammers can text you why not debt collectors? lol

[OmarR]

That article, in my opinion, is about a year behind the times.

My cousin has been doing such a good job avoiding some CA, that they have started texting me, looking for him. Even though we live about 2,000 miles apart. It's been going on for about a year now.

So this *new* news article makes me laugh.

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

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@OmarR wrote:

That article, in my opinion, is about a year behind the times.

My cousin has been doing such a good job avoiding some CA, that they have started texting me, looking for him. Even though we live about 2,000 miles apart. It's been going on for about a year now.

So this *new* news article makes me laugh.

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You can simply tell them to no longer contact you. If they do, you can file suit.

[sxa001]

The social media aspect is interesting but pretty easy to block people.  Just like people can block/ignore calls pretty easily these days they can do so with text messages.  I do have sympathy for people who find themselves in bad situations some are self inflicted (like my past debt issues that I spoke about in the rebuilding thread) and some are just due to bad luck (bad luck is a thing, someone being born with a genetic condition that takes on medical debt is an example).  I don't know what the right answer is or how this will play out. 

[OmarR]

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@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:

---

@OmarR wrote:

That article, in my opinion, is about a year behind the times.

My cousin has been doing such a good job avoiding some CA, that they have started texting me, looking for him. Even though we live about 2,000 miles apart. It's been going on for about a year now.

So this *new* news article makes me laugh.

---

You can simply tell them to no longer contact you. If they do, you can file suit.

---

Oh, I know.....

They average about 2-3 texts per month, since about Dec 2019. I just delete it, block the number, and move on with life. Now, if they were calling me, they might get the stop and desist from me. But even then, all unrecognized numbers go to voicemail. I'm not really that attached to my phone.

I was more pointing out that "new rules released friday" is laughable.

[M_Smart007]

Nowaday's, I would think if someone was getting harassed by debt collector's,

they would just change their cell number

[Anonymous]

TBH, I feel like this is opening up a window for fraud. Someone contacting you on IG or texting you that you owe money... I would ignore. Imagine a debt collector posting publicly on one of your pics saying you owe x amount.

Please stick to sending letters and traditional forms of communication.

Also, this has been an amazing year for debt collectors in term of profits. The financial stimulus combined with the entertainment sector shutting down (bars, clubs, concerts, sports, outdoor gatherings) means those who aren't overly impacted by covid have extra funds sitting around.

I hope you all have been safe.