FTC Brings First Case Alleging Text Messages Were Used In Illegal Debt Collection Scheme

You have to remember not all cases are legitimate debts.  I was hounded for years by a debt collection service for a student loan debt which had been paid THIRTY FIVE YEARS AGO!  They had a number and an address to contact me for the last 35 years yet they waited until NOW to go after money which was the unpaid balance of $35.00 and interest over the last 35 years.  I told them where they could go but had to get a lawyer involved to get this removed from my credit.  My father had paid off the last of my student loans so I could start my new married life debt free.  He told me he wrote payment in full at the bottom of the cheque but no one, not even my overly cautious dad, keeps old cheques for 35 years.  What got us off the hook was that we had been living at the same address and same phone number since 1967.  It was of course easily proven since we had the paperwork from the loans from the banks micro. records.  You have to remember all cases are different and as to the validity of each debt? Who knows.

I agree the phone company allows these people to hide who they are they are just as bad

Contact the u.S. Congressional office in your district and complain about the junk calls. Yes, the ftc needs to do a better job. Let your congressman help you and others ..... They are elected government officials who are paid to represent you in washington, d.C.

Its a scam don't pay answer your phone "District Attorneys office" see how fast he stops calling.

The sold the debt to a company because its an asset. Just because they file bankruptcy does not mean you get out of the debt.. Currently this issue has come up because of sears and the answer is the same. You still owe the debt.

Mervyns, Bankruptcy has nothing to do with your debt to them. The debts are assets the same as money and they were sold off to a buyer. You now owe the buyer unless you file bankruptcy. I don't understand why so many think you are off the hook when a company files. They sell off their assets.

I've gotten calls like these. They threaten to come to my place of employment (I tell them go ahead, I'm self employed and almost never in the same area twice in the same week LOL) then they threaten to come to my house and tell my neighbors, family members, etc when they show up to have me "arrested". I again tell them to go ahead, I tell them I own 5 assault rifles, 3 shotguns, and 9 pistols and advise them to wear kevlar. They hang up pretty fast and tend to take awhile before calling me again LOL (I don't own any guns I just find it funny how fast they hang up when I mention guns LOL)

I would have like a cut of that broad suite! It WE, who are tortured for YEARS by these same computer dialers. Chinese guy., has been calling me for- 2 YEARS, always a diff scam. Same source.

Thank you 800notes for a safe place to post.

Penalties and fines are not deductible as business expenses.

Calls for "Selana" - wrong number, but they won't let that stop them. They text vague texts like, "Selana" -call me - it's Dave" and when you text them back "wrong number Dave", they just keep doing it/won't respond to requests for company info or to stop. They are horrible. Number's been in our family for over 50 years, so no way even associated with this person - they just looked up her last name and started calling everyone they could find. We moved out of the area, but kept the number,so they are not even calling someone in the right town.

Android users - get Calls Blacklist by Vlad Lee from the Play Store. You will never be bothered by unwanted callers again. Just set the app to only accept calls from your contact list, problem solved. Can also be set to reject SMS text messages.

Most times that could stop them but now they just make new numbers with VOIP dialing and keep calling with back up numbers, wouldn't take a /nanosecond.  The Companies are helping them and they need to be regulated to change things.  They chose to make profits instead.   They need to require a new CID that can be tracked not Hacked.

Americans can be so overtly racists, it blows my mind!

My Lord 800Notes and the idiots replying here! This is what 800Notes calls a "recent article?" from 2011-2013?
My God, the owners of these web sites are so fuckn' lazy and people here so darn gullible!