Can collection agencies randomly dial people with the same name??

[roseofblack25]

Had the strangest call ever about half an hour ago from a very rude woman with an accent...We are still puzzled They didn't say who they were with or anything so I'm not entirely sure it was a collection agency but from the type of call and how unpleasant she was I am assuming it was something of that nature. Anyway she asked for Mr. so and so (my dad). I told her he wasn't home so she asked when he would be home. I told her I didn't know (he's at work and will work until he is finished before coming home). She got very snarky and rude with me like "oh you don't know when he will be home so who am I talking to???" I wasn't sure if I should give this woman my name or what so I told her it was his daughter. Then she got even more rude asking if we had ever lived in Perry Sound?... No we have never lived there, so then she was like oh well wrong person then and hung up on me?! what dah eff just happened??? No idea who it was or why they were calling but okay???
Can collections people just randomly call up people with the same name until they find the right Mr. so and so??? Seriously strangest call ever...

[saveadollardiva]

I have had that happen to me a few times, before i got married, I used to get this calls asking for some else (Not for me or anyone in my family) The person also didn't even have the same last name or anything. Everytime they called I would say you got the wrong number, stop calling!

And they would be rude to me etc thinking we knew this person but we didn't? So one time when they called again i asked to speak to someone in charge there, they sent me to someone and then I told them. The person they are looking for does not live here and if they called again I was going to call the police and press charges. The person i spoken with said sorry and said they would remove this number from their list.

[roseofblack25]

I have had that happen to me a few times, before i got married, I used to get this calls asking for some else (Not for me or anyone in my family) The person also didn't even have the same last name or anything. Everytime they called I would say you got the wrong number, stop calling!

And they would be rude to me etc thinking we knew this person but we didn't? So one time when they called again i asked to speak to someone in charge there, they sent me to someone and then I told them. The person they are looking for does not live here and if they called again I was going to call the police and press charges. The person i spoken with said sorry and said they would remove this number from their list.

This is the first call we have had like this that I know of...Usually when people that I don't recognize start asking for Mr/Mrs so and so we hang up because it's telemarketers but this one was just weird! It was the same name first and last that they were looking for but my dad has a fairly common kind of name so I'm not sure if they just started looking up people with that name and calling them? We are a long way from Perry Sound!! LOL

[glowworm2k]

I think it can be common for collection agencies to call people with similar names. Often, they will get the accounts of people who have skipped town, disconnected their phones, and done a lot of work to try to make themselves invisible to their collectors and hide from their obligations. It is still no excuse for their continued rude behaviour with you. That's just bad manners (although they are probably trained to act that way, not that that makes it any better). I had a similar situation a number of years ago, but the caller was looking for someone who had a similar but not identical last name and the same first initial. The person was rude at first, but quickly apologized when they realized that they were looking for a man but got me instead!

[Sally888]

Yep and apparently they can put it on your credit record as well... happened to my husband and the guys name was cody, which isn't my husbands name....

they are low lifes.

[i_love_to_save]

Yep and apparently they can put it on your credit record as well... happened to my husband and the guys name was cody, which isn't my husbands name....

they are low lifes.

I wouldn't say that, i work in collections and my co-workers and I are not Low Lifes...so please do not stereotype all collectors. Would you like me to say "all coupon users are greedy, because they take all the tearpads?" i don't think so..

sorry i was going to say that YES they can call and ask for xxx person... as long as you let them know they have the wrong # that should be enough

[Lynn49]

We were harassed like that twice quite a while ago...someone evidently gave our phone number (thinking perhaps he made it up) and same thing: rude, horrible guy calling, and he would NOT believe us when we said we didn't even know who he was talking about! We got the reverse number, and called the police. No more calls from him!

[Poirot]

My Mum and Dad got a phonecall one time someone from a bill collection was looking for someone with the same last name.We didn't know nor were even related to this person.Weirder still years ago I get a phonecall someone asking about a relative of a neighbor.Mentioned it to the neighbor they figure someone looking for money from a friend of this relative who owed money.

[lecale]

.

[FallenPixels]

Sorry i was going to say that YES they can call and ask for xxx person... as long as you let them know they have the wrong # that should be enough

Can you tell that to the one who calls my office weekly for someone who has never worked there because 'well their name is similar to one on your website and people change the spellings all the time' - uhhh I have seen his SIN card and it matches the spelling on the website and he is definitely not in his 40s unless he looks AMAZING for his age (recent college grad)

[anisa]

i wonder if you can report them to the crtc.

they can probably phone to inquire if the person lives there, but to verbally abuse you is totally wrong.

i understand they are trying to collect on debts, but they are still a business and should conduct themselves professionally. if most of their business is conducted by making phone calls to track ppl down, then i would think that they would want to stay as professional as possible.

i would try calling the crtc just to find out. obviously this was disturbing to you.

good luck!

[saveadollardiva]

I have reported the calls I got to CRTC and they still came.

[anisa]

I have reported the calls I got to CRTC and they still came.

well that sucks!

i guess when they call with rude verbage, it's time to be rude right back. let out some steam if something has been bothering you that day. lol

think of it as therapy without the bill

[saveadollardiva]

^ I have not gotten any, I have moved and my parents changed their number anyways, but like it was messed up. We don't know this person and they think we do? Oh well.

[roseofblack25]

i wonder if you can report them to the crtc.

they can probably phone to inquire if the person lives there, but to verbally abuse you is totally wrong.

i understand they are trying to collect on debts, but they are still a business and should conduct themselves professionally. if most of their business is conducted by making phone calls to track ppl down, then i would think that they would want to stay as professional as possible.

i would try calling the crtc just to find out. obviously this was disturbing to you.

good luck!

haha I wonder if they ever manage to get the actual people to admit that they have the right person...They started off the conversation rude and I almost hung up on them, so why would anyone actually admit they have the right person if they will continue to be harassed by these people? I feel like they would have been better off being nice instead of straight away nasty but oh well they haven't called back since, and if they do they will still have the wrong person LOL!