Bill Collectors Targeting Kids' Social Networking Profiles?
from the getting-a-bit-desperate,-eh? dept
We've discussed in the past attempts to serve court documents via Facebook, but apparently others are making use of such tactics as well. A few people alerted us to the story of a bill collector, apparently hired by JPMorgan Chase, who supposedly tracked down the MySpace account of the daughter of someone who was behind on some car loan payments, and posted the debt collection notice on the kids' MySpace page. In the past, people would stop answering the phone or the doorbell to avoid debt collectors. Will they start locking down their social networking profiles as well?
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Filed Under: bill collectors, debt collectors, social networks
Companies: jpmorgan, myspace
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Won't someone please think of the children and ban bill collectors!!
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Crossed the line
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Hardly Surprising
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Re: Hardly Surprising
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Actually
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1) Repeat everything they said
2) Sing theme songs from 70s TV shows like Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, Happy Days & Greatest American Hero
3) Tell them to hold, then put the phone down & walk away. Eventually go back 30 minutes or 1 hr later & ask if they're still there. Of course, they're still there. They can't disconnect if you don't disconnent. Then say, "Oh, wait one minute!" Keep them hanging for another 30 minutes. This keeps them from making any more calls to anyone else! hee hee
4) Sing "Scooby Dooby Doo, Where are You?" into the phone
5) Belch really loud
6) Sing the ABCs in a screeching, childlike voice
7) Pretend you know them from high school & engage in a conversation. "How are the kids? How's the wife? Did you ever get that knee operated on?"
8) Sing "Are you ready for some football?"
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Outlandish Bill Collectors
Found debts listed that are not mine!
Can we say found money? Federal and State Statutes provide remedies and I am going after these dufus's. Never received services from these Drs. nor has anyone in my family.
Googled the Collection Agency and they are up to their eyeballs in Litigation and most have prevailed for the debtor. [
The actual court awards, as filed with the Court are posted with all the gory details] Awards are in the thousands - some are statuary, others for Attorney Fees and others are for punitive damages. And the same Attorney's are going after the same Collection Agency.
I am even having collection agencies trying to collect on 20 year, paid off, debts.
With a little googling and research, finding this maybe a second income for me.
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Great innovation! Very creative!
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Re: Great innovation! Very creative!
Tell me, do you get an erection while pulling the wings of of flies too?
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Laws vary by locality
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm
From the FTC:
Can a debt collector contact anyone else about my debt?
If an attorney is representing you about the debt, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you don’t have an attorney, a collector may contact other people – but only to find out your address, your home phone number, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting third parties more than once. Other than to obtain this location information about you, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.
It would seem that by publicly posting the notice of the debt they would be contacting potentially millions of people about the debt. Sounds like they have a legal case.
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It's a FDCPA violation
15 U.S.C. § 1692d and 15 U.S.C. § 1692e
Communication with third parties: revealing or discussing the nature of debts with third parties (other than the consumer's spouse or attorney) or threatening such action
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Call an attorney to review
A quick search on Washington State's Department of Licensing website indicates that Universal Tracing Services Inc, is not licensed as a debt collector in Washington State. As such, they could be in violation of RCW 19.16 statutes, which allows for treble damages, and possibly also FDCPA. I'm not up to date with RCW 19.16, but WA DOL may be interested in opening an investigation too.
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This is actually illegal practices
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Re: This is actually illegal practices
Court docs:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14225078/Chase-Collect
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GoOd GrIeF!
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Citibank
I started by poking around in her room. I ended by reading her diary. In my defense, she kept it right out in the open, right under her mattress. And the little metal clasp on it was simply no match for the paperclip and the screwdriver.
I was eventually caught, opting my sister to have a lock installed on her door. The only consequence of the invasion of my sister's privacy was the temporary loss of her confidence and self trust.
The invasion of my privacy led to me to selling my belongings, filing bankruptcy and attempt to start over.
Privacy, and the safety and security that that word has always implied has with time and technology become an illusion. The National Security Agency has access to all your emails, the world over with it's illegal echelon system.
Virtually every website you visit installs a delicious cookie onto your computer which is in fact a spy to track your every move.
There are predators in cyberspace collecting data on your children while they innocently type away in chat rooms, and that little waiver you signed in the Doctor's office most likely allows physicians to share your information on the internet with insurance companies, the Government, your employer, and the courts.
Make no mistake. Access to your information is easy. All you need is a person's 5-digit zip code, gender and date of birth to uniquely identify 87% of the US population.
THAT is how vulnerable we are. That is how vulnerable YOU are.
Third party bill collectors are now moving from first-hand identifiable information to whatever is "kinda a match" to collect on a charged-off debt.
Personally speaking, this is quite similar to what Citibank did to me. After finding a job that really fit, they didn't foresee that the one I most needed and trusted to take a fucking $15 minimum payment out of my account were the ones who threw me under the bus, and lead me to the bankruptcy situation that they so desired the first time I spoke with them and tried to remedy the debt.
Citibank made it easy for me to not be a positive influence in society, keep a job, or the like. As easy as looking under a mattress.
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RE: Citibank....Ive heard that somewhere before...
Boston Legal Season 2 Episode 13
from the transcript: http://www.boston-legal.org/script/BL02x13.pdf
Alan Shore: "When I was eleven years old there came a
time when the temptation to explore the more secretive
recesses of my older sister’s life became more than I
could resist. I started by poking around in her room. I
ended by reading her diary. My defense, she kept it
right out in the open under her the mattress. And the
little metal clasp on it was simply no match for the
paperclip and the screwdriver. I was eventually caught,
prompting
my sister to have a lock installed on her door. The
only consequence of the invasion of my sister’s privacy
was the temporary loss of her confidence and trust. The
invasion of Jacqui Hayden’s privacy led to her being
stabbed and left to bleed to death in the street.
Privacy and the safety and security that word has
always implied has with time and technology become an
illusion. A National Security agency has access to all
our emails the world over with its echelon system.
Virtually every website you visit installs a delicious
cookie on to your computer which is in fact a
spy to track you’re every move. There are predators out
in cyber space collecting data on your children while
they innocently type away in chat rooms. And that
little waiver you’ve signed in the doctor’s office
mostly likely allows physicians to share your
information on the internet with insurance companies,
the government, your employer and the courts. Make no
mistake; access to your information is easy. All you
need is a person’s five digit zip code, gender and date
of birth to uniquely identify eighty-seven percent of
the US population. That is how vulnerable we are. How
vulnerable you are. Well Benefits says they could not
have possibly foreseen the actions of an abusive spouse
intent on causing his wife harm. Let me tell you what
Jacqui Hayden could not foresee. That after years of
cruel and violent debasement at the hands of her
husband, after she finally found her way out
of the shadows she didn’t foresee that the people she
most trusted with her health and well-being would lead
the darkness right back to her door. And now she’s
dead. Well Benefits made it easy for Ned Hayden to find
his wife. As easy as looking under a mattress."
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Re: RE: Citibank....Ive heard that somewhere before...
Your resourcefulness doesn't necessarily mean it didn't fit, actually actually quite possibly, the opposite.
In fact, it's quite possibly easier to find someone, perhaps within Citibank, to appropriate and appreciate my future works.
Let me start off with a softball: Does Citibank like privacy? Quite honestly, it seems it doesn't, especially considering it's current ownership percentage by the general US Taxpayer.
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Re: RE: Citibank....Ive heard that somewhere before...
Fantastic writer.
It's sad to see him leave after the 2007 season. While I don't understand his production capabilities, if he'd like to meet over lunch and possibly assist in a small story, perhaps he'll find a way.
I believe Andrew would be in great company.
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Perhaps this is why it was delivered anonymously, without an author.
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Social networking
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