12-02-2007, 11:25 PM
[quote macphanatic]Under the confidentiality laws, I'm not sure that it's legal to contact anyone else about credit issues unless the person was a cosigner or the parent/legal guardian of someone under 18.
If they keep bothering you, report it to the phone company. Many collection agencies have gotten fined and worse for using tactics that are inappropriate.
Oh, it is legal to contact others to find someone who owes money, but under the law the collection agencies can not let out anything about the reason they are trying to find the person. Hence they come up with all sorts of ruses. Some practices that used to be legal or in a gray area have had enforcement action taken in the last decade, so are starting to disappear. But the sleazier agencies find new depths to go to. In any case, most of the ruses are fairly transparent if you know the person they are trying get to.
If they keep bothering you, report it to the phone company. Many collection agencies have gotten fined and worse for using tactics that are inappropriate.
Oh, it is legal to contact others to find someone who owes money, but under the law the collection agencies can not let out anything about the reason they are trying to find the person. Hence they come up with all sorts of ruses. Some practices that used to be legal or in a gray area have had enforcement action taken in the last decade, so are starting to disappear. But the sleazier agencies find new depths to go to. In any case, most of the ruses are fairly transparent if you know the person they are trying get to.