Don’t deal with debt collectors on the phone after the initial call. (Note: I’m not saying “ignore the debt” — just that speaking to debt collectors on the phone is detrimental to your health and you should make them do it in writing, not on the phone where you don’t have control.)
One of the best tricks I’ve found for figuring out who’s calling me, especially if I don’t recognize the number, is to Google the phone number.
This works for all phone numbers except for private numbers.
If a call is from a collection agency, there are usually forums on the internet, such as www.whocalledme.com, where people post the caller’s name to the sites to tell everyone else who called them from that number.
This is really easy to do on a BlackBerry: just copy the number from the caller ID and drop it into Google on the web browser on your phone.
You can then program the number into the phone and assign a silent ringer so you never hear the phone ring. This will buy you some peace of mind until you figure out how you’re going to deal with the collection agency.
If you do decide to speak to a debt collector on the phone, they must identify themselves as such and state that “any information obtained is for collecting a debt and will be used for that purpose.” They must also tell you the name of the company they are calling from.
I can tell you from personal experience that most collection agencies don’t identify themselves when you initially answer the phone, so just be prepared and don’t bother arguing with them.
DISCLAIMER:
****CHRISTINE SPRINGER IS NOT A LICENSED ATTORNEY OR FINANCIAL ADVISOR. THIS BLOG IS COMPRISED OF HER OPINIONS, OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY BEFORE RELYING ON OR TAKING ANY ACTION BASED ON THE INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG.****
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