8773953125

Under the TCPA, a consumer has a right to file a lawsuit and recover $500 for each call that violates the TCPA. The TCPA can also be used in conjunction with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in some situations.  

Generally, the TCPA does not apply to debt collectors making collection calls to debtors. However, if you are subjected to calls from a debt collector and you are not the debtor, you may file a lawsuit against the debt collector under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the TCPA.

This right was recently recognized by Judge Legrome D. Davis in a case called Watson v. NCO Group, Inc.  NCO Group is a debt collector that uses automated prerecorded collection calls.  In this case, Mr. Watson alleged he was getting hundreds of calls from NCO Group after he got a new phone number. Mr. Watson claimed he owed no debt to NCO Group, Inc.  Mr. Watson filed suit under both the FDCPA and TCPA.

David Israel, defense lawyer for NCO, argued that the TCPA should not apply to debt collectors.  Judge Davis rejected the argument made by David Israel. The judge ruled that Mr. Watson had a right to sue NCO Group Inc under the TCPA for $500 for each call.  Judge Davis wrote;

[The] Court is convinced that a non-debtor's rights are in fact violated when he is subjected to repeated annoying and abusive debt collection calls that he remains powerless to stop.

Judge Davis' ruling was based upon his interpretation that collection calls to non-debtors violate the privacy rights provided by the TCPA.  

So what can you do if you receive "wrong number" calls from debt collectors?

1. Sign up for the Do-Not-Call registry.
2. Save the calls captured by your voice mail or answering machine.
3. Contact a consumer lawyer.

http://consumerlawyer.typepad.com/blog/2008/02/the-do-not-call.html

Collection Agency for Ameren UE in St. Louis, MO

I am wife of person that they asking for on my voice mail . They are leaving a message stating imparitive to call back. That is stessing ergency and is a violation of FDCPA. Also I did some research and they are in violation of ACA. When leaving an voicemail of any kind they must now compline with Foti messaging and they are not. You can go ACA website and file a complaint. They are a member of ACA.

will not stop calling and has been asked for the past 5 months. The person who they are calling for does not live at the residence.

better yet, go to the outsource homepage. click on investor relations and email everyone on the list. remind them of the consequences of violating the fair debt collections practices act. i did this and within one day rec'd a call and an email from the division president. he told me i would be removed from their list immediately.

I received a mechanic call voice from this number today, they told me to hold and that an operator would be with me shortly. I held, but then the phone hung up on me. I was curious as to who they were, so I called back via re-dial. A man answered the phone and I asked him "Who is this company", he got nasty with me and asked me for my phone number and my name, which I did not give him. I again asked him what company was this, he said abrasively to me, what is your name. I told him to forget it, we are getting no where fast. Then we both hung up. This was the most weird call I have ever gotten in my life.

Called in reference to a bill that medicare said should not be paid. Finally received a correct bill from the medical company which I paid immediately. I am still getting calls from this number demanding payment of the original amount. If I had the address of this company I would send them copies of the correct bill and the bank statement that shows that they received payment and deposited the check.

This is a collection agency.  I got several phone calls and decided to finally return the call.  Once I did I found out about an older healthcare debt that was due and overlooked.  Not a big fan of debt collectors, but in this case, it was my fault and once I called them they helped me take care of it.

They just keep calling.....

They play fast and loose with the regulations - see Federal Trade Commission website for FAQ's and THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT. Your state may have more rigorous regulations. We should file complaints with the FTC and the State Attorney office to fight back. The FAQ site provides links. Penalties for individual cases would not interest most attorneys but a class action would be more attractive.

I would be interested in joining a class action suit.

There has been a man calling from 877-395-3125 who leaves message after message after message adn only says call me back. I tried to call the number and since the messages never had a name with it they asked me the number from which I am calling. Seems like a bother if they are trying to obtain actual payment for something. They should have all their info straight and learn how to leave a voicemail. THis dirves me crazy.

this number keeps calling me saying i owe the hospital money. this was true a year ago but the amount was paid in full. every time they call they say I owe a different amount, some times its 90$ someitmes its over 100$ its very frusterating

Actually, the collector has to be notified in writing.  This constitutes a cease & decist order.  It's at this link on page 6 (PDF page 8) under ceasing communication:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

Just thought you should know.  There is more to the FDCPA, and they can't harrass you daily if they have spoken with you.  There are also local laws regarding collections, so you may want to investigate those too.

LOL. Excellent point!!

How do they get our cell numbers though?

Got to have money & a job . My job of 25 yrs. folded and went bankrupt. There are hundreds of us that can`t get a job...

Which by the way apparently does not communicate with Ameren UE in St. Louis because I have a bill that has been paid for over a year that was paid late and Ameren sent it to collections. Check crossed in the mail and the collection agency has never been contacted by Ameren stating that the bill was paid at the same time it was sent to collections.

Is was leary about this call, thinking it was some type of scam. I called and got a nice young man named Tyler. He explained it was a past due account I was not aware of. He was very polite and helped me understand the process. He was a big help and if anyone wants to talk to a nice guy to ask for him. x1127.

Try calling back. They dont bite.

I learned that if you call them back and pay your bill, THEY STOP CALLING YOU! Its crazy I know.