These are some sort of scam operation. They have an address from about 5 years ago & say I ordered 10-15 magazines & now they are collecting. Never happened! I usually don't answer & they leave no message.
These people keep calling my number for some lady who used to have the number and even though I have told them this number is new to me and I have no idea who the heck this stupid lady is they keep on calling me I wish they would just flate out lose their phone services lol...
Under the TCPA, a consumer has a right to file a lawsuit and recover $500 for each call that violates the TCPA. The TCPA can also be used in conjunction with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in some situations.
Generally, the TCPA does not apply to debt collectors making collection calls to debtors. However, if you are subjected to calls from a debt collector and you are not the debtor, you may file a lawsuit against the debt collector under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the TCPA.
This right was recently recognized by Judge Legrome D. Davis in a case called Watson v. NCO Group, Inc. NCO Group is a debt collector that uses automated prerecorded collection calls. In this case, Mr. Watson alleged he was getting hundreds of calls from NCO Group after he got a new phone number. Mr. Watson claimed he owed no debt to NCO Group, Inc. Mr. Watson filed suit under both the FDCPA and TCPA.
David Israel, defense lawyer for NCO, argued that the TCPA should not apply to debt collectors. Judge Davis rejected the argument made by David Israel. The judge ruled that Mr. Watson had a right to sue NCO Group Inc under the TCPA for $500 for each call. Judge Davis wrote;
[The] Court is convinced that a non-debtor's rights are in fact violated when he is subjected to repeated annoying and abusive debt collection calls that he remains powerless to stop.
Judge Davis' ruling was based upon his interpretation that collection calls to non-debtors violate the privacy rights provided by the TCPA.
So what can you do if you receive "wrong number" calls from debt collectors?
1. Sign up for the Do-Not-Call registry.
2. Save the calls captured by your voice mail or answering machine.
3. Contact a consumer lawyer.
Never acknowledge a debt, refer to it as "alleged" debt. Never pay one cent or agree to do so. Write them, if you choose, and tell to stop communicating with you with regard to the alleged debt as per your rights.
Your sister should stop the ten dollars per month payments. All that does is keep the account alive and will take many years to liquidate. Collection agencies are basically "bottom feeders." So, they report to the credit bureau, it's probably already reported by the original creditor. Wait 3 or 4 years, the statute of limitations applies. IF the original creditor has already written off the alleged debt, it's already on your credit report as a write off. A write off is basically a cancellation of debt by the original creditor.The damage, write off, has already happened, you make it worse by acknowledging a debt to a collection agency. In essence, you are starting a new account with a collection agency IF you acknowledge the old debt.
I like to google #'s I don't recognize on my cell before I answer them. When I come across something like this that # is put in my contact as a DNA- brief summary of what they are..ie..collector, telemarketer,fishing 4 info etc. Then their ringtone is set as no ringtone. And then I am not bothered by them. They never leave a message.