I'm ssooooo eeeviiiiillllllllll.....
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive April 2007:
I'm ssooooo eeeviiiiillllllllll.....
I just got a new cell phone for Scott, with a new Colorado area code and there were 13 messages on there when I opened it. 10 were from mortgage companies wanting to know where "lawrence odoli" is and the other 3 were friends of this person who left their phone numbers on their messages.
the mortgage companies seemed to want some sort of money and i called them to give them his friend's phone numbers.... 
i think it's just shady to default on a mortgage like that and act like you can just "run away" from the problem.
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Wow Anon-- that was rude!
I would have given the friends numbers too and possibly changed the number. Who wants to be harrassed with phone calls that are not to you.
well that was rude, anon.
Heidi, you are evil! LOL
Not to mention against policy. You are not supposed to be rude and hide behind the anon.
Too funny, Heidi! I would have done the same thing!
How many more days until you and Connor
see Scott? I'm thrilled for you!
I'm fairly sure I would not have given the mortgage company the friends' phone numbers. You don't know why the person is in default - maybe the wage earner lost his/her job, or was hit by a car and can't work. I would have called the 10 mortgage companies and told them that they were calling a different cell phone number than that of the debtor, that they were in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting act by doing so, that their calls were costing me minutes on my cell phone service, and that I would report any future calls to the Federal Trade Commission.
I would also call your cell phone service company and report to them that you got 13 calls intended for another person and ask them why did they give you a telephone number that obviously had been so recently in use by another person.
I have to agree with Ginny here, it may be wrong to default on the mortgage, but I'd be STREAMED if someone gave my number because a friend of mine had defaulted on a loan. Not only that, but all of my employees have my cell, and I leave them messages, so if I was being harassed by one of their lenders I'd be even more upset.
hhhhmmmm....i missed that whole anon post. darn.
And, sorry Ginny, but if you lost your job or can't work you should call your mortgage company first. Some companies have programs for people in those situations. The mortgage company can't talk with anyone about the debt but they could find the debtor. And, with the messages this guy's friends left on the phone, they were quite telling of the kind of lifestyle he is leading.
Oh, and sorry Annie... I was thrown off by the whole anon thing.
We are going to see Scott VERY soon! 3 days!!! I'm so excited! Connor keeps saying "EH-PANE, DADDY, NOW???" every single time he sees an airplane. It's so cute...he must have said it 12 times on the way to church yesterday. He's also requesting daddy videos a lot too. Connor was 18 mos old when Scott left for the army and now he's almost 3...it's crazy to even think about how much he's grown in that time!!
I'm so psyched for you guys! And, how is your home-selling going?
When my hubby got his cell phone, the same thing happened, and I finally got to talk to one of the ladies calling from the bank and explained to her that he had had the cell phone for about 6 months at that time, and that we didn't know anyone by that name.
I just got a new cell phone 3 weeks ago and have already received 5 calls from people I do not know. I set up the voice mail right away, and in the voice mail greeting I said, "HI! This is Lisa and I just got a new cell phone! Please leave a message."
This way, I don't have to even answer the phone if it's not a number that I recognize, and when the call goes to voice mail, the person calling will figure out on their own that this cell number no longer belongs to the person it used to.
I would have deleted the messages and not even dealt with them at this time. It would not have been my place to deal with them, unless the mortgage companies were to continue calling. Then I would have spoken to them and explained that this cell number has been reassigned, and follow Ginny's advice.
Lisa, that only works when you get a real person.. LOL Those auto call things will just keep calling back until they reach someone..
We moved in October thus new house number and we got new cell phones two months ago with new numbers.. I have been getting calls on all three lines.. Today was from a college asking for someone, told them they had the wrong number and they called right back. I talked to her a bit the second time and explained the situation and made sure she was dialing my house number and she was...
We have had calls from all types of different places.. From employers, which I do call back and leave a message explaining they called my number trying to reach so and so and that this is not the residence or phone of so and so... Just encase they have miss dialed, would hate for someone to get wrote up or loose a job over a phone call not returned because of a dialing error... I will also call back doctors offices, schools and the such... Because I assume they have miss dialed and IF someone of that nature was trying to reach me I would hope someone would have the courtesy to call back and tell them they are calling the wrong number... Other than that type of call, I just ignore the call.. I figure eventually I will speak to someone and at that time I will tell them they have the wrong number but I go no further in depth than that..
Of all the things in this world I am concerned over this isn't one of them and it isn't my business...
We get phone calls at home too, asking for 2 different people. They both owe money to people and these callers always ask me, "So, do you know where they are now?" Uhhhhh....no...I'm not their mother and I just explained to you that you simply have the wrong number.
I had to call back an 800# because they were calling every day, leaving a message, regardless if I picked the phone up or not. Then, I had to dial the number, pick options to finally get me a live person, and then they finally stopped. Sometimes you have to be proactive.
I'm with Bobbie, in that I return calls to medical practices and others that (a) seem like they are probably important and (b) seem to be designed to be helpful to the person they are calling - on the theory that they probably mis-dialed. As for the credit/collection agencies, if they call me more than once, I reach a person and tell them (a) they are calling the wrong person and (b) any further calls will be in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and will be reported.
Yes, Heidi, if you run into a financial glitch you should call your mortgage company. But if your mortgage company turns the account over to a collection agency, that agency will - all too often - break the rules and laws in their collection efforts, as they are paid on commission.
If you follow the national news, as I do through the NYTimes and other publications, you would know that there is a growing scandal about predatory lenders and all of these "sub-prime" mortgages that have been so popular. While the lenders say they are promoting home ownership, of the approximately 15.1 million sub-prime loans recorded, only about 10% were for first-time home buyers. The rest were for re-financing, often at extremely high interest rates. Of those about 13.5 million, estimates are that at least 2.5 million will lose their homes to foreclosure due to automatic increases in their interest rates and other automatic increases in payments. From what I read in the AARP Bulletin and the local papers, a lot of the people who took these sub-prime loans are elderly and/or low-income (and low education) people who were vigorously pursued by predatory lenders and were persuaded - by misleading and incomplete information - that they would be getting a good deal and would not have their homes at risk. I remember working on a case, a few years ago, where the would-be borrowers were actually physically threatened (in front of witnesses) when they wanted to back out of a loan at the last minute because of charges and a higher interest rate revealed to them only at closing.
Bottom line, for me, is that I have no obligation and no desire to help collection agencies. I have read far too much about the unlawful ways in which many of them function. If I get a call that involves collection, I simply want them to stop calling me, and I do as I said above. If you feel a need to sic a collection agency on the friends of someone who previously had your phone number - without knowing any of the facts other than what is in the phone messages - that's your decision. I wouldn't do it, because I do think it is nasty or, as you said, "eeeviiiiillllllllll".
Also, Heidi, you don't know if the alleged debtor actually did owe any money, if the collection agency had the wrong person - which happens a lot, because they just go down a list of names that are the same as or similar to the actual debtor - or if he was a victim of identity theft.
"And, with the messages this guy's friends left on the phone, they were quite telling of the kind of lifestyle he is leading."
Young people calling, talking about parties they need to hit that night, talking about the women they scored with the night before, or going over to his "huge house" for some "herbal refreshments"...you're right, I had no room to judge.
There could also be other scenarios, Ginny. I've already changed the number because people kept calling it.
I get tired of young people getting into things over their head and not living within their means...there could also be that scenario as well.
Awfully judgemental to simply assume that someone didn't have circumstances to explain a default. They may have contacted the companies and the companies either haven't caught up with their contact or just don't care.
Until you've walked a mile in their shoes you can't judge.
I'd be sort of irritated if someone just forwarded my number to a collection agency especially since I was a friend and not the person who owed the money.
To each his own, it was your decision. I just don't agree.
People, young and old, get into things over their heads... It is called the American Dream... The I must haves over ride all common sence.. I know very few people that don't own at least two credit cards, a car note if not two and a mortgage.. Then you add in all the daily expenses and most are in over their heads.. It just takes one miss step to throw you into a serious financial sittuation... When DH got sick we were one of the lucky ones.. I had been overly cautious about opening up lines of credit and our bills out were manageable but others aren't so lucky... Most people sink...
DH has had bills attatched to his name by a local hospital for a surgery he never had.. He bought a house in California, for a note we would never have been approved for and he has never been to California let alone live there. He has also bought a boat.. These things were attatched to him through the act of deduction and human error.. The hospital bill was for a man with the same first and last name, no other matches. DH's name only came up because I had had DD at the hospital. He had no treatment there.. The house matched all the of DH's names but nothing further and the boat well they backed off once I got mad about it so I don't know the matches there.. But that said, if they want money they will do what ever it takes to get it and it is your job to prove it isn't your bill.. you can't just say, it isn't mine.. And if you can't disprove it, well then you get to pay...
I would have simply called the numbers and said, "You've got the wrong #. I don't know anything about so-and-so, but please don't call ME anymore." People are in debt up tho their eyeballs EVERYWHERE. It seems commonplace in this country. Getting calls with regard to that wouldn't seem a bit strange to me, so I would either change the # and forget it, or call the places back and say what I said in the beginning.
I can say there was a time I would have made the same choice. Right up until my hubby was a victim of identity theft. We now get daily, and sometimes several times a day calls about our "outstanding checks". The people are rude and mean to me. Now I have faxed and mailed copies of police reports, letters from the bank, these checks are very clearly not ours, but the people on the other end of the call just simply think we are deadbeats. It has done a huge number on our credit. Although we have done all the right things, it has been just over a year now and it isn't all better yet. In a nutshell what happened is someone printed check with dh's name and addy and started writing. It wasn't our bank, it wasn't the correct work number (they gave a lawyers number..LOL), and it wasn't even a valid account. They cleared close to 4k in a day. But again, not even our bank, so it never touched our money. But a year later it is a hassle. I paid off a credit card with our tax return. We hadn't actually used the card in about a year, and then didn't use it often. We paid our minimum payment and let it ride. So when it was paid off in full, my hubby wanted to use it for his business travel card, great. Well he went to use it and it was denied. WHAT? Turns out because of our "poor credit history", the fact that we paid it in full flagged it and they suspended our account. We could not use the card until we have talked with people and faxed stuff and all the proper paperwork was filled out. Not a big deal except it take 10-14 business days and my hubby need to leave in 7 days. We are on day 12 now and still don't have access to our card. Very clearly on the phone the manager apologized and understands what happened, but they still have to go through the right channels.
So I guess my point is, you never know the whole story. And I wouldn't be happy with people giving that information over.
I guess the real answer is to "port" your cell phone number. This way, you have none of this to deal with ...
House phone is another story if you move to a new area code, though. My number with a different area code is the number for a security company. I must get two or three calls a week for that company by people who live in my area code and "forget" that they have to dial a different area code to get the security co.
I'm usually really polite, but it did get annoying. Now, I just look at the caller ID. If it's a number I know, I pick up. If not, the person will leave a message if it's for me.
Can you believe some people have actually left a message for the security co, when the greeting is obviously that of a private house? I guess people just don't think.
I'm really sorry about what you've gone through Kaye. It sounds awful. How did you even find out if the money never came out of your account? Very scary.
Ame
Ame, I get that very often at my home, the last 4 digits are the same as 2 other places, just in a different order, and funny as this is, they are both in the marine field, which is what I work in.
We get calls every day at my office for a real estate company and a doctor's office - same situation with the numbers. It always surprises me how many people who intended to call the doctor's office immediately start talking about their ailment/asking for appointments, etc. when I answer the phone, with a business name so obviously NOT a doctor's office.
When we first moved to the town we live in we would get calls for a doctors office.. His number was one number off from ours... After a time, I had the number changed. It was getting to be a pain in the rear. People would be like, "I am sorry I think I dialed the wrong number" and I would say are you trying to reach Dr so and so and then give them the right phone number...
We just happened to get a phone call from a cell phone company a few minutes ago.. It made me think of this post... LOL I answered and computer spoke to me and told me to please hold for the next sales rep, I think okay?? She comes on and asked for a Debbie so and so.. I said no one lives here by that name. She then goes on to ask if "this" was the right address?? I tell her "yes".. She then says, do I know how they can reach Debbie so and so??? Okay, first of all... there is no Debbie here.. There has not been a Debbie that lived in this house for the past 15 years because I know the people that have lived here and NONE of them are named Debbie nor are they related to a Debbie.. And the kicker this is a new number for this address... Some how they have linked my address and new phone number to this Debbie so and so... I told the woman that there is no Debbie here, never has been a Debbie here, I know of no Debbie so and so, I have never been contracted under their service and to stop calling my house. We will see if it stops.. But the woman acted like I was lying to her, so I doubt it will stop.. Wonder how long it will take for them to try to link it to DH and I... Nothing is imposible.. They want their money... And I am a liar until I jump through the hoops to prove it isn't me........
Bobbie - I refer you to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which also governs collections.
"Young people calling, talking about parties they need to hit that night, talking about the women they scored with the night before, or going over to his "huge house" for some "herbal refreshments"...you're right, I had no room to judge."
Heidi, I do not blame you at all for being "judgmental." You are probably correct, that the individual who formerly owned that cell number is leading an immoral and irresponsible lifestyle.
But that doesn't make it okay for you to interfere in it.
I am glad you changed the number.
Ame, it is almost a funny story. I was at home and got a call from "michael's" the craft store. They asked to speak to my hubby, I said he wasn't available (he was..lol) and the manager was calling to "check on funds". Turns out the guys passing checks were in there, and he had been a victim and they arose his suspiscion, so he called the phone number on the check. He denied that check, but there really is nothing he can do. He could of taken the check, tried to hold them until the police came, but really it was nice that he called. He got all the account info, all the numbers listed and descriptions. He did put a call into police and gave a statement. Nice guy. So we were alerted in the process and did all the appropriate stuff with our credit report. But you cannot go to the police until an actual crime has been committed. So about a month later we start receiving letters from stores, phone calls, etc. Then we could go to the police. But the end is just simply they stopped, they were never caught or prosecuted. It was a very easy easy thing to do. If you have ever ordered checks online you see just how easy. all they need is a name and an addy. After the first few checks they were showing a drivers license that was hubbys number. We have no idea how they got that, well we have suspicions, but really no proof. He hadn't lost his license, they picked the name and number off of something.
Anyway, it was a God send to know and not be thrown off when the letters hit. I don't know why the manager called, my only guess is there were two large black men, in a very white subarb (about an hour from my house), spending in excess of 400 dollars. So I guess the picture just didn't fit.
However looking at the checks written (there were 15 i think). There are three very different signatures, only one looks like a guy, the other two are very girly looking.
OMG! I'm glad you can call it "funny" . I'd still be shaking ...
So all they did was put your husband's name and address on a false checking account and somehow got his driver's license number ...
Oh man, if it's that easy, is anyone safe?
Ame
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