Debt collectors are agents that help creditors or lenders to collect unpaid bills from their customers. Generally, creditors will hire debt collectors to collect the bills on their behalf when they can't get their customers to pay the bills on time. But, you may get phone calls from debt collectors even though you don't owe any debt. There are three possible reasons you may receive phone calls from a representative of debt collection agency.
1. You don't pay or ignore the debt payment
This is the most common scenario you will surely receive phone calls from debt collectors, requesting you to pay the unpaid bills. Whenever you apply for a credit, there is an agreement to be signed. The document is served a legal document that proves you have made your commitment to make the payment within the agreed due date. If the lender has not received any payment, they will start looking for you. When they can't get you to pay the debt, they will hire debt collectors to contact you and get you settle the debt. Under this scenario, you may have forgotten to make the payments or you completely ignore the payments due to the financial hardships. If you have difficulties to pay the debt, you may want to get rid of the debt with a debt relief solution.
2. You are a victim of identity theft
If you are sure you don't owe any debt, but the debt collectors show the document to prove the debt is owed under your name. It has a high possibility that you are a victim of identity theft. Even though you are trying to explain to them that the debt is not yours, it will be useless because your name is tagged in the document given by their customers that you are the person they should collect the debt from. So, don't try to argue with them. Instead, you should try to get as much information as possible such as the creditor name, the debt amount, etc. because you will need to supply this information when you report an identity theft incident. Then, you will want to write to the collection agency and the creditor, informing them that you are a victim of identity theft and you have reported the case; and ask them to stop calling you since you have not owed them the money. If they continue to bother you, you can write to them and tell them you will file a harassment case against them if their calls constitute harassment.
3. The debt collectors are knocking the right door, but looking for a wrong person
It sometimes happens that the debt collector is looking for a wrong person. Probably the previous house owner who owes the debt, but when the ex-house owner moved, he/she did not update the latest address with his/her creditors, so when creditors assign debt collectors to collect bills from the latest address in their record, they find you. If you don't owe the debt, don't start flaring up and talk to the debt collector with a rising voice because it does not help in solving the problem. Calm yourself and talk in a nice manner. Ask the debt collector about the debtor name, if it is not your name, but the same address as in the document, let him know that he is knocking the right door, but the person is not staying at this address anymore. If there is a need, you may write to the debt collection agency to clarify it and ask them to stop contacting you as you are not the person they are looking for.
Summary
Debt collectors may pester you due to one of the three reasons above. If you really owe a debt, you need to pay it, if you have difficulties to settle it, then you need to get helps. If the debt collectors are looking for a wrong person, you are not the person they are looking for, you have to let them know with a proper manner and ask them to stop calling you.
1. You don't pay or ignore the debt payment
This is the most common scenario you will surely receive phone calls from debt collectors, requesting you to pay the unpaid bills. Whenever you apply for a credit, there is an agreement to be signed. The document is served a legal document that proves you have made your commitment to make the payment within the agreed due date. If the lender has not received any payment, they will start looking for you. When they can't get you to pay the debt, they will hire debt collectors to contact you and get you settle the debt. Under this scenario, you may have forgotten to make the payments or you completely ignore the payments due to the financial hardships. If you have difficulties to pay the debt, you may want to get rid of the debt with a debt relief solution.
2. You are a victim of identity theft
If you are sure you don't owe any debt, but the debt collectors show the document to prove the debt is owed under your name. It has a high possibility that you are a victim of identity theft. Even though you are trying to explain to them that the debt is not yours, it will be useless because your name is tagged in the document given by their customers that you are the person they should collect the debt from. So, don't try to argue with them. Instead, you should try to get as much information as possible such as the creditor name, the debt amount, etc. because you will need to supply this information when you report an identity theft incident. Then, you will want to write to the collection agency and the creditor, informing them that you are a victim of identity theft and you have reported the case; and ask them to stop calling you since you have not owed them the money. If they continue to bother you, you can write to them and tell them you will file a harassment case against them if their calls constitute harassment.
3. The debt collectors are knocking the right door, but looking for a wrong person
It sometimes happens that the debt collector is looking for a wrong person. Probably the previous house owner who owes the debt, but when the ex-house owner moved, he/she did not update the latest address with his/her creditors, so when creditors assign debt collectors to collect bills from the latest address in their record, they find you. If you don't owe the debt, don't start flaring up and talk to the debt collector with a rising voice because it does not help in solving the problem. Calm yourself and talk in a nice manner. Ask the debt collector about the debtor name, if it is not your name, but the same address as in the document, let him know that he is knocking the right door, but the person is not staying at this address anymore. If there is a need, you may write to the debt collection agency to clarify it and ask them to stop contacting you as you are not the person they are looking for.
Summary
Debt collectors may pester you due to one of the three reasons above. If you really owe a debt, you need to pay it, if you have difficulties to settle it, then you need to get helps. If the debt collectors are looking for a wrong person, you are not the person they are looking for, you have to let them know with a proper manner and ask them to stop calling you.
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