For those of you being harrassed, this website is GOLD re: getting rid of overzealous and illegal collectors (for instance, they can't come back to you 20 years after certain debts etc.).
Once on the website, Clark Howard has a ton of very helpful links to gov't agencies dealing with this sort of stuff.
Wells Fargo Financial is apparently attempting to reach our son, for matters that we are not sure of. They use an automatic dialing system that some times has no one at the other end, and some times has a person. Each time they refuse to speak with us, and most of the time hang up before we get a chance to ask what it is about. When we are able to ask what it is about we are told anything from it is personal business, it is a special offer, or it is about a loan due. When they are told this is our telephone number, not our son's and he is out of town for an extended period, they refuse to speak with us about the issue, but place our telephone number on an automatic dialer to call us back every 30 minutes. Their representative tells us that is legal for them to place our telephone number on automatic dialer until we put our son on the phone.
Your son took out a loan or got a credit card from Wells Fargo. Now he is behind on the payments. They can't find him, and he listed you as someone who can always track him down.
Its illegal for a debt collector to say that to anyone except the debtor.
When Wells Fargo was calling my cell phone looking for Michael I set their number to a "no ring" ring tone. They called and hung up on my voice mail up to 6 times/day for 2 weeks. I finally got them to stop by confronting them and ordering them to stop calling me.
If you are sure it is Wells Fargo Financial, send a certified cease and desist letter to them at this address:
Wells Fargo Financial
Wells Fargo Financial, Inc.
Customer Service F4008-080
800 Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50309
Here is a sample of a cease and desist letter:
[Date]
[Your Name
Address
City, State Zip]
[Debt Collector’s Name
Address
City, State Zip]
Dear [Debt Collector]:
Pursuant to my rights under federal debt collection laws, I am requesting that you cease and desist all telephone communication with me at phone number [your number], as well as my family and friends, in relation to this and all other alleged debts you claim I owe. If you need to contact me, you are to do so by mail only, at the address provided.
You are hereby notified that if you do not comply with this request, I will immediately file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the [your state here] Attorney General’s office. Civil and criminal claims will be pursued.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
If you send that with your son's info, Wells Fargo will HAVE to stop calling you and only contact you by mail, or they can be fined around $1000 - $1500 per phone call. Which will go to you, if I recall right.
The next time they call you, tell them you are sending a cease and desist letter and if they call you again you will be reporting them to the BBB, the FTC and your local attorney general, and possibly the police for harrassment.
This is a Wells Fargo collection call. There is a real person on the other end. If you overdraw your cash advance credit card, they will continue to harass you until you guarantee them a payment to cover the overdrawn amount. They will ask you for your banking information including account number & routing number. They initiated the call and they think I am going to give them my private information over the phone? I have been with Wells Fargo for four years - never missed or ever late on a single payment. I had an emergency and withdrew the amount that said "available balance". 5 days later, they're hounding me for payment on the overdrawn amount because a statement was processed and the interest owed was deducted. I guess they think if they call enough & you call the number back, you're going to make an automatic payment to them. Well Wells Fargo, if I had the money I would never had withdrawn it in the first place. Do you honestly think calling my phone number 14 times in two days is really going to make me send you a payment any faster?
Wells Fargo sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Un-real.
Even if you tell them that you are going to pay - and pay on that day for ONE FRICKEN
late payment. They will call you and hound you every day for umpteen times.
Un-real! Sorry, but alot of people go to banks by "word of mouth". And all of my
friends and family disagree with their approach and trust me, we speak very poorly of them.
Never again, will I do bus with them.