Collection Calls

[Sbrooks1]

Hi guys, 

IN the last few days I have received 3 calls from 2 agencies about collections looking for a specific person, not me, I do know this name was my ex husbands second wife , we have been divorced 21 years , and he married her shortly after and they are since divorced. How is my cell number of probably 7-8 years somehow connected to this woman? I called them back and told them I am not this person, but after 2 identity thefts thats scary, do I need to do anything else, all my reports are frozen. 

[GatorGuy]

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@Sbrooks1 wrote:

Hi guys, 

IN the last few days I have received 3 calls from 2 agencies about collections looking for a specific person, not me, I do know this name was my ex husbands second wife , we have been divorced 21 years , and he married her shortly after and they are since divorced. How is my cell number of probably 7-8 years somehow connected to this woman? I called them back and told them I am not this person, but after 2 identity thefts thats scary, do I need to do anything else, all my reports are frozen. 

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Do they think you are the person or they asking if you know how to contact her? I've definitely been asked the latter. 

[RobertEG]

A debt collector may call parties other than the consumer they are attempting to collect on a debt, but only to obtain location information, and only under the additional restrictions set forth under FDCPA 804.

"FDCPA 804.  Acquisition of location information

Any debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall --

(1) identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, only if expressly requested, identify his employer;

(2) not state that such consumer owes any debt;

(3) not communicate with any such person more than once unless requested to do so by such person or unless the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier response of such person is erroneous or incomplete and that such person now has correct or complete location information;

(4) not communicate by post card;

(5) not use any language or symbol on any envelope or in the contents of any communication effected by the mails or telegram that indicates that the debt collector is in the debt collection business or that the communication relates to the collection of a debt; and

(6) after the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with regard to the subject debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney's name and address, not communicate with any person other than that attorney, unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time to communication from the debt collector. "

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

They got your number because of your relationship to your ex-husband who is also her ex-husband. During skip tracing, the info can end up in a big mess. Sometimes you just get a list of numbers from an aggregator and have no idea who they belong to, so you call them all. 

[babygirl1256]

Collection agencies may have a right to "try" and find another party -but- they should not have a right to continue to call once you have identified that you are not associated with that party. In January 2020, an individual listed me (unknowningly) on a furniture purchase application and when that person defaulted after losing their job during the pandemic . . . Around June 2020 I started to receive collection calls and advised the agency on two separate calls not to contact me. The third call I advised them that they were on a recorded line and to cease and desist from calling me. I never heard from them again -and- that's good because I was going to escalate it. In my state, recording devices are legal -and- only 1 party has to be aware of the recording -and- I am aware because ~ I am recording it!!!