That's not how it works. Outdated phone numbers travel with old junk debt accounts as they are reassigned and resold. Tools are available to this industry to help curb misdials, but the worst debt collectors simply blast calls at "nearbys" and wrong numbers and expect all the non-debtors to help with the manhunt.
They are the intermediary service- they are responsible to get YOU on the phone- then they expect YOU to wait while they connect you to the bill collector- not likely jerks. Click
These guys are calling me over a debt of someone else's but somehow they have my phone number (for 20 years) crossed with the bad debt - and they WILL NOT stop calling me. The number was coming through unlisted, but I had a trap on my line and got the report. Now I'm having the cell number checked through state patrol to get an owner - I've got friends - and then we're taking a road trip to Boise...
Yep, same people that also call from 765-164, 310-765-1645, 323-513-3685, and Restricted and Unknown... I told them to contact my attorney, which was not a threat but a real deal as we have a bankruptcy case going on and NO ONE is supposed to be calling us... next stop I will be contacting the Trustee of the Bankruptcy court and giving them these numbers...it is a federal law that creditors cannot contact you if you have them listed on the bankruptcy... the last phone call i called back, same scammers, and yelled at them and told them all of this, told them the BK case #, etc. he was overwhelmed and said he as sorry for the call... hopefully this will stop them... this seems to happen every 6 months or so... ass_oles!!!
These people buy up old debts or try to collect on old payday loans... i believe this is what is happening in my case... got way in over my head with these payday loans, many from online companies. tried to negotiate with them, nada!! so, found out from the WA department of financial instutitions that MOST of these were illegally loaning in WA state!!!! so, did not have to pay.
That is my take on these calls and also, they are set up using all sorts of area codes from all over... but they are the same scammers.. when they do call, answer and when they threaten to send the police, ask them for an ETA on when this will happen... I told them this and also said I would have my bags packed and ready when they get here!!!