HARASSING/THREATENING PHONE CALLS
Complaint
BJ Baxter
Country: United States
I have received 43 phone calls in the last 5 weeks from PR Associates. The calls are wanting information on a person who does not live with me and has not lived with me; I do not have information on that person but we share the same last name. The calls originate in New York and I have lived in Washington my entire life. I have never and would never co-sign for a loan and have never defaulted on a loan. About a week ago the calls turned threatening when three of the callers mentioned the address of a home I used to own in a nearby town and strongly hinted on taking action on that home. They must not have all the facts because when I was divorced 5 years ago, my ex-husband got the house and everything else!
Every time the phone would ring, I would get a sick feeling because how can you fight a entity so powerful? They just will not stop - they are determined to locate that person.
Yesterday I changed my phone number to a new unlisted number which is very inconvenient ~ I don't know what I will do if they somehow get that new number.
Every time the phone would ring, I would get a sick feeling because how can you fight a entity so powerful? They just will not stop - they are determined to locate that person.
Yesterday I changed my phone number to a new unlisted number which is very inconvenient ~ I don't know what I will do if they somehow get that new number.
Comments
The US variety sets themselves up as a "collection agency", maybe buys real cheap portfolios of old out of statute debt with no access to validation as legal cover, then proceeds to make shakedown calls to any name they can find, often using skip-tracing to start by calling relatives rather than the intended victim.
The goal is to use illegal tactics like harassment, abusive calls, and illegal threats to coerce payment on "debt" that might not even be owed. Since this is basically a con, they may start with calls "to locate" some person, possibly calling people with that name but no connection with any "debt", but they have been known to transition into extorting the people they call supposedly only to obtain location information. Whatever "facts" they don't have, they will just make up.
This type of scam is most often associated with sleazy "collection agencies" in Buffalo NY, although there are other clusters in Florida, southern California, and Georgia. They are distinguishable from the overseas, often Indian, swindlers, as indicated by having an American accent, and by apparent use of skip-tracing or credit reports, most often through Accurint and Experian, fine purveyors of consumer information to scammers.
They really don't care whether they "locate that person", or whether they instead con you or your ex-husband. Money is money, and they are out to get it from anyone they can. Only thing that separates this from outright extortion is that maybe they might have some old "debt" with your last name on it, but they will never provide any proof of that, so as a practical matter it is in fact just an extortion shakedown.
They aren't threatening your current house, but the fact that they think such a threat will work to get your money tells you what they are capable of. They will harass, threaten, and deceive, with no hesitation at all, despite that it's prohibited by FDCPA, and you could sue them for violations, if you could ever find them. They are so brazen because they figure no one's going to find them or do anything to them.
That also means they couldn't sue anyone if their lives depended on it. It's all bluff. Debt collectors who do sue can be found, so they have to be more careful.
You see what happens if you engage them in any talk. It just encourages them to raise the level of threats and lies. Cut off all contact, hand up if they call, or tell them the call is being recorded and watch how fast they hang up.
You mentioned a NY connection. If you search on the phone number, you will often find other consumer complaints reporting similar illegal collection, and some might have tracked down their location. If they are in NY you will want to file complaints with the NY Attorney General, since they periodically prosecute and shut down the worst offenders. Also, file complaints with FTC and your own state Attorney General. Start building their complaint files.
What phone numbers are they calling from?
If you have received 43 calls in 5 weeks, that are now becoming threatening, and you don't even have any delinquent debt, then you need to use accumulating FDCPA violations to bring this to a permanent close before they catch you unawares.
They have a long history of consumer complaints of attempting to attach unowed "debt" to the wrong people.
They are commonly reported to use harassing phone tactics to attempt to coerce some small payment they can claim resets SOL. There are also reports they obtain default judgements without a summons being served on the victim ("sewer service"), which is even more "plausibly deniable" when there "appears to be an identity mix-up". In effect, they will exploit attempts to take free pot-shots at you, expecting to get off if caught.
You can find a consumer attorney in your state through www.naca.net