4155730745

Please stop calling me

Collections; medical bill
They are practicing unfair credit collections by the number of collection calls oer week.
According to tmy rights per the fair credit it is considered harassment if debt collector calls more than three times per week or outside of the hours between 8am and 8 pm (if I correctly recall - you can look up fair credit collections and, your rights online). I AM very certain as to the number of times per week - that exceeding 3X per week is harassment - which this company has FAR EXCEEDED!
In order to exercise my right to fair collections I WILL be sending them a letter with a copy of my phone bill showing proof of their illegal collection practices due to harassment by excessive calling.
I misunderstood changes to my medical insurance as of January however, things have since been reinstated so, collections can be made and rendered retroactively.
I DO believe in being responsible for my debts however, harassment is NOT JUSTIFIED because I am unable to pay my medical bill.
(I am permanently disabled -paralyzed following a car accident- and thus "trying" to "live" on an incredibly small, fixed income. I simply cannot pay my medical bolls with money I dont have. THAT would be illegal!)

I just received a call from this number on my cell phone.  A recorded message, a lady with an English accent, said that it was an important business call for, "they gave my elderly aunt's first and last name".  However, this aunt has been deceased for several years.  They said that it required her immediate attention and that they have made many attempts to contact her.  Due to the sensitive nature of this call, they cannot give out any information at this time.  They said to call them at 1-866-729-2722, and gave a case number to refer to.

I keep getting this call I want it to stop.

Calls repeatedly, sometimes several times a day.  Leaves 3-sec. voice mails, totally useless at ID'ing them; most recent one longer, in Spanish, I suppose in case that's been why I haven't answered or calked back(?!).  A bit behind on a hospital-related bill (radiology), so from other posts I suspect that's the subject; also receive mystery calls from 707 AC, which includes Vacaville (cf. earlier posts).  Going to pay bills today so hopefully calls will stop soon after receipt.

I have bee receiving calls from this number twice per day for the last three weeks. Finlay called to see what they wanted. Apparently there was a second part (labs) to a hospital bill we payed off 8mos ago. Actually have to say the Gentleman that I spoke with was very considerate on the phone and surprisingly so.
Hate to say it, get those bills payed and you wont hear from this number. Fortunately mine was an over-site and was remedied.

They call 6-8 times a day and leave a 3 second v/m.  It's annoying because, I am trying to look for work, and they have called during phone interviews.  If they wanna get paid, they need to stop call so much and interfering with those that have important calls.  

Change your phone number and have some PEACE. Seriously.

What makes you think a new number wouldn't have previously belonged to someone who was plagued with spam call themselves? Not a smart idea to stop calls at all.

everyone needs to do this!!! see below- noticed this on another board

Here's what you do. Go to a sporting goods store and buy a nice referee's whistle. Feel free to answer the phone when a collector jerk calls and when you get a live person, give them a mighty blast in the ear with the whistle.
It's also really effective for phone solicitors that don't know when to stop calling.

Dear "TheTruth"- changing your number is an EXCELLENT idea that has worked many times to give people peace of mind.

especially if it is a collector %$^ nut

EXCELLENT idea that I saw on another one of these boards:

Here's what you do. Go to a sporting goods store and buy a nice referee's whistle. Feel free to answer the phone when collector jerks call and when you get a live person, give them a mighty blast in the ear with the whistle.
It's also really effective for phone solicitors that don't know when to stop calling.

Yours is Really bad advice!

A lot of posters here complain they get many calls from scammers.
A few posters state they get hardly any.
Why the difference?  Here are possible reasons:

The most common mistakes made by people who receive calls from unknown numbers:

Answering the phone.
Instead of answering, let the call go to voicemail or answering machine.  Legitimate callers will usually leave a message.

Pressing a number "to be taken off the list"
That works for legitimate telemarketers, but legitimate telemarketers would not have called you in the first place, if you were on the DNC list.  Pressing a number on a call from a telespammer merely confirms you answered the phone.

Returning the call.
At best, returning a scammer's call merely confirms your phone is "live", and your number will be added to a list that will be used by even more scammers.  At worst, the call will cost you additional fees, if it is from a foreign country, such as Jamaica (876 area code).  Also, scammers are now spoofing Caller IDs, so the number you see may not really be the number that called you.  It might belong to an innocent, third party.

Arguing with the caller:
Call center employees have probably heard your argument many times.  They may either continue to try to scam you, or they will hang up ... but will also make sure some other scammer calls your number, later.

Blowing a horn or whistle into the phone:       ◄- ◄- ◄- ◄- ◄-
Will irritate the scammer.  The scammer may then add your number as a "spoofed Caller ID", so others think YOU are calling them, and YOU may hear retaliatory horns or whistles if the irritated called person calls YOU back!

Forwarding the call to a government office.
Not too swift.  All that does is tie up a line at the govt office, and record YOUR number as the forwarding number!  Realize that your congress person knows phone scams are a problem, and also knows the FCC and FTC have been assigned the task of upholding the laws concerning this problem.  Instead, you should report the problem via normal channels to the FTC or FCC.

Giving or forwarding the supposed scammer's phone number to other scammers.
May not be a good idea.  The 1st scammer might have used a spoofed phone number, and, if you give it to other scammers, all you are doing is causing more calls to and problems for an innocent person.

- - - - - - - - - -

Eventually, after getting many scam calls, some people think their only recourse is getting a new number.  That is not true.  The "new number" is probably somebody else's "old number", and will come accompanied with its own baggage (and calls).

=====

What you SHOULD do:
If you are disturbed by frequent calls from scammers / spammers. obtain a call blocker app, device, phone, or service.  Google is your friend.  Remember, the Do Not Call list is effective for registered telemarketers, but scammers / spammers ignore that policy.

Do NOT press any numbers if they call you and ask you to do so!

Changing your number is a fantastic idea! Worked for me. No more collector jerks calling

changing your number results in instant peace. seriously.

Debt Collector Will Write Off $3 Million of Debts, Close Doors
Credit.com By Christine DiGangi
2 hours ago

The Georgia Consumer Protection Office ordered an Atlanta-area debt collector to shut down his business and stay out of the industry for five years following numerous consumer complaints about the company's practices and its alleged use of illegal debt-collection techniques, according to the Daily Report. Earnest Earvin IV, owner of Zenith Financial Group, agreed to get out of the collections business for five years, and he will be subject to a $460,000 penalty if he violates the agreement.

According to complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau (33 were filed and resolved in the past three years), the company is accused of calling consumers and threatening them with arrest, criminal charges and physical violence if they don't pay the debts, many of which consumers claim are not legitimate in the first place. Zenith Financial Group has an F rating with the BBB.

As part of the agreement with the consumer protection office, Earvin and Zenith will no longer attempt to collect on more than $3.1 million in supposed debts, in addition to paying $15,000 in penalties, according to the Daily Report. (The total penalty is $460,000: $15,000 now and $445,000 immediately coming due if Earvin violates the agreement.)

The phone number for Zenith Financial Group is out of service, and an email to the company seeking comment was returned as undeliverable.

I changed my phone number and it changed my life. Simple! No more bs from these jerks.

Do NOT pay collection accounts thinking it will help your credit -  it won't. See below.

Paying off a collection balance of $1,000 dropped a 630 FICO score to a 590

Unfortunately this is an all too common occurrence as any of you with
collections have probably experienced. There’s a deficiency in the credit reporting system that shows recent activity on a collection account, if you were to make a payment. This recent activity makes the collection look younger and can result in a score drop. In my simulation the “recency” of the collection went from “greater than three years old” to less than 12 months. When you make a payment on a collection the collection agency will report the new balance to the credit reporting agencies. The “date reported” on the collection account will be the then current date, which can lead to the score drop.