Bill collector for former owner of phone number

[FormerlyRR]

Can I go after a bill collector for someone else who keeps calling? Today's message even references "an outstanding amount" even tho voice mail says RamblingRose, not Tammy. Grr.
I've called back several times to tell them I've had the phone number a few months and I'm not her.

[karmasabiotch]

They don't care what you tell them. Can you block the number or do they call from various numbers? They will not ever stop calling. This has happened to me before. It lasted for years until I got a new phone number for an unrelated reason. I even started paying with them and acted really stupid if I was bored. I would ask if they could take a monthly payment of $.01, if they could loan me money, if they liked cabbage, etc.

[hocus2]

Is this a cell phone or a home phone? I think the rules are different.

Just so you know when we first moved out of the city our home phone number was from a former prostitute. We'd get some very interesting calls for years. I think it is just one of these weird things that happen when numbers are reused.

[FormerlyRR]

May 17, 2016 9:18:57 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Is this a cell phone or a home phone? I think the rules are different.

Just so you know when we first moved out of the city our home phone number was from a former prostitute. We'd get some very interesting calls for years. I think it is just one of these weird things that happen when numbers are reused.

It's a cell.

[hocus2]

May 17, 2016 9:19:40 GMT -5 FormerlyRR said:

May 17, 2016 9:18:57 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Is this a cell phone or a home phone? I think the rules are different.

Just so you know when we first moved out of the city our home phone number was from a former prostitute. We'd get some very interesting calls for years. I think it is just one of these weird things that happen when numbers are reused.

It's a cell.

 I would then move to block it. 

[thatgirl2478]

Yeah - they are gonna keep calling unless you can find someone with 2 brain cells that works there (which is gonna be hard).

At our old house we got calls CONSTANTLY looking for a guy who was apparently pretty bad. Not only were the bill collectors looking for him, but the police detectives too! With the bill collectors, I just told them there was no one by that name living at this address. Sometimes I'd chat with them about the guy and what kind of debt they were collecting - they were very forthcoming with that info. Most of the time I'd just ask them to stop calling. It was usually different collectors - but I know that the same ones called a couple times. After a while they did stop - but it took years.

[jinkies]

We've lived in our home for 7 years and still get collections calls looking for a previous resident. We don't even have the same phone number, but I guess they found our number as belonging to his last known address? It's annoying. I've had some success with telling them that this was never his number and he hasn't lived here in years, but we still occasionally get calls.

[deanlicker78]

The woman who had my cell number previously had lots of debt apparently. I used to get a lot of calls for her. I used to just say wrong number and they'd keep calling. Once I got very firm that this was a cell number that she no longer possessed, they finally started to get it.

[Deleted]

I had collection calls for my XH. I finally sent them our divorce decree to prove we are divorced and to stop calling. I would ask them what you can do to prove you aren't this person, (like a copy of your phone bill, etc). I used to block a number but it was 3.99 to use "parental controls".

[dexteroni]

This happened to us at our landline. No matter how clear I was about who I was and how that person was no longer at this number, they never stopped. It went on for a year and then we moved (not because of that, lol). I would just block the number rather than go through that hassle again.

[chimera]

Our landline gets them as someone with the same number but different area code has the area codes crossed on one of the look up sites. I tell them once that they have the wrong number and that I am on the DNC list- if they call again I'll file a DNC list complaint with our state attorney general's office (our state list a complaints are actually investigated quickly vs the national one) that their tracers might want to brush up on their google skills. They call again - I file. It stops for about 9 months. Then we repeat.

[cmeon]

I use Mr. Number on my (android) cell- it's a super quick way to block calls and texts. It's great! Doesn't block my kids' school, even when the numbers are formatted oddly (sometimes they come through as only 6 digits). It's great to have one touch block when you're hammered by things like that! And it's free.

We use nomorobo on our "landline" (a VOIP digital line). I love them, too! ETA: Nomorobo blocks robo calls (duh) really, really well- and most debt collectors call in this way. I definitely recommend it if you have a VOIP line at home- it's also a free service.

[exploding people]

When I first got my cell number about 10 years ago, I'd get calls for a guy named Mike. His dad even left a voicemail once, despite my outgoing message. Eventually they stopped, I'd say within about a year. Someone just called for him a couple weeks ago.  ^o)

Fortunately none of them were bill collectors, as far as I could tell.

[FormerlyRR]

I have it blocked, but my voice mail still gets the call, so if there is a message I get an email. It's just irritating.

[tellmesomethingood]

May 17, 2016 9:24:54 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Sometimes I'd chat with them about the guy and what kind of debt they were collecting - they were very forthcoming with that info. 

^o)

[thatgirl2478]

May 17, 2016 13:16:43 GMT -5 tellmesomethingood said:

May 17, 2016 9:24:54 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Sometimes I'd chat with them about the guy and what kind of debt they were collecting - they were very forthcoming with that info. 

I know. I was surprised that they didn't have confidentiality rules.

I only asked because the inspector had been by the house and had told me a few things - so I wanted to know what the time frame on the debt was (I wanted to see if it was while we owned the house/phone # or if it was before). Turns out it was from like 2 months before we owned it to 2 months after - so we think he probably just made it up since we never got phone calls for other people. It was for some cell phone bill or something like that. Nothing juicy, though the detective told us he was wanted for not paying child support as well as violating his restraining order.  Apparently our house was a commonly known drug house years before we bought it and he was known to hang out there which is why the detective looked for him there. I was worried (given what the detective told us) that he was using our address while we were there - since that could invite a ton of trouble we didn't need or deserve!

[Beeps (WOT?*)]

My old number was a number that the city Parks and Rec used for years, at one of their storage facilities or outbuildings. We'd get people calling wanting to know where to drop stuff off or for directions. Nice person that I am, I'd gotten to the point of "This is a private home. You need to call XXX-XXXX." and generally it wasn't a problem after that.

Except for one poor old guy that called one morning, saying "I have the dirt. Where do you want me to drop it off?" I politely told him it was our house number and he needed to call the Parks main line at XXX-XXXX. He said I was wrong, hung up and then called me back. Same routine. "Where do I put the dirt?" "This is my house. Call XXX-XXXX." About three more times, with him getting more frustrated each time, and my DH finally wanting to pick up and tell him to knock off the calling. Last call, my husband picked up, told him to quit calling our house and he had the wrong number. To which the guy responded "No, it's not. This is the Parks department. I've been calling this number for 25 years. I know the GD number. Now where do you want me to take the dirt?" to which my husband ever so politely responded "THIS IS NOT THE GODDAMN PARKS DEPARTMENT SO QUIT CALLING OUR HOUSE!"

When he called back again, I took his name and number and called the Parks and Rec myself, to have them call him and tell him where he could put the dirt. None of mine or DH's suggestions would have been politically correct, and some probably not physically possible.

[wise_rita]

Guy I knew in college, his number was one digit off the best greasy pizza place in town.

The phone sat off the hook Friday and Saturday late nights.

[thedutchgirl]

Yes. You can sue them for $500 a call. Really. Google TCPA and find a lawyer.

[gilmoregirl]

H has had this issue with cell number even though he's had the number for 10 years now. It starts up every now and then. So he explains that person doesn't have this number and hasn't had it in 10 years. After that if they continue to call we threaten legal action and that seems to stop the calls.

[ifElse]

My old house number had this issue. The previous people must have run up a lot of debt because I was constantly getting calls from collection agencies. Like 5 or so a week. Though I really enjoyed getting the collection calls then 5 minutes later getting a call from a local car dealership thanking them for buying a new, luxury car.

No matter how many times I told them it was no longer their number, the calls continued. They did slow down over time, but never ended. Sorry you are stuck with this now.

[glitzyglow]

Ask what company they are calling from, look them up, and send a cease-and-desist letter stating that they are not to contact X phone number again as it not affiliated with X person they are looking for. I don't know if the rules are still the same, but 10 years ago I worked in finance and if we received a cease-and-desist, we did not contact any longer. Some people even sent certified letters so that the company signed for it and there was proof that it was received.

[Aloe Vera]

I had this issue with my phone number.
Previous owner had credit card debt with a clothing retailer.
I would also get some random texts and calls from her friends.
It took 2+ years to get rid of all the calls.

[thecatinthehat]

DH new number belonged to a girl who apparently got into a lot of trouble! Once he got a call from the cops. The calls are rare now but he still gets one every couple months or looking for fucking Myrtle!