My husband's deadbeat boss, gave our phone number & address to his creditors.

The BBQ Pit
1

It started a couple of months ago. When they would call, they didn’t say who they were, and the caller ID just had a number. "Hello, I’m calling for Deadbeat Boss. I thought she meant she was calling FOR him, as a secretary would. And that she wanted to speak to my husband. So, I told her my husband wasn’t here. Which led her to think Deadbeat Boss was my husband.

That was back when they were just calling once a day. After a few times, it became clear they were looking for DB. When I told them, they had the wrong number, they asked for my husband by name. I knew it wasn’t work related, because they always called when he was AT work.

When my husband asked him what was going on, he just said it was a misunderstanding and he’d take care of it. How the hell do you accidently give someone the phone number of people you barely know?!?! Actually, I’ve never even met the guy. But he does know, that I’m at home during the day, AND that I’m the one who would have to deal with this shit.

Now they’re calling atleast 5 times a day. We’ve tried to tell them that it’s a mixup. Whenever my husband cusses them out, a new person will start calling. Today they left a message that since Deadbeat Boss, gave our address as his alternate residence, that they’ll start comming to the house, if DB doesn’t contact them.

I realize that they’re just doing their job. I just don’t understand how anybody would think it’s a good idea to give creditors the number of someone you see everyday at work.

The only good thing is that there’s no chance DB can fire my husband if he doesn’t go along with this crap. He’s just his supervisor, and the most he can do is recommend that he be fired. But for right now he’s still acting like it’s a misunderstanding, and he’s going to take care of it. Meanwhile, I’m going to have to deal with some asshole showing up at my house, demanding money from some other asshole, that I don’t even know!

2

If DB isn’t the top boss, this shit should definitely be reported to DB’s boss at the very least, with threats of legal action if it isn’t cleared up immediately.

3

What the creditors are doing is most likely illegal. It fairly smacks of FDCPA violation. If they have been informed repeatedly that they have the wrong person, and cannot establish that they have anything to do with you and your family, then they must stop collections action to your telephone number and home. It’s worse if anyone gives you any information as to Deadbeat Boss’s debts.

Document everything. Get names and addresses and alternate phone numbers. Then send them a drop dead letter. They have no grounds to be harassing your family. Check your credit, too. You never know what can happen when they have your name and address. Don’t think of it as them just doing their job, I am sure you have let everyone who has contacted you know that they have incorrect information. At that point their job is to get correct information, not to bother you guys. You are not related to DB, and have no obligation to give them correct contact information, but if you have it, I’d say give it to them and let him sort out his own problems.

4

Pity you can’t have it gazetted somewhere that Deadbeat Boss is a lying sack of shit, and “here’s his home address, guys! Sic 'em!”

Then, you’d be in breach of his privacy, and down to his level, but – pity.

5

Get DB’s phone number and address. Cell phone too, if you can. Give it to the creditors. They’ll be happy, you’ll be happy. DB will NOT be happy, which is as it should be.

6

Subscribe to some raunchy porn in DB’s name and have it sent to his boss’s work address. “Whoops, I just got the name and address wrong. Sorry.”

7

Careful on that. A former coworker got back at someone by faxing him gay porn. His clever revenge was answered with a little visit from the FBI.

It looks like I may be facing a similar situation myself. (The collections thing, not the faxing gay porn thing.) Apparently a woman with debt problems just married a guy with my last name, and now I’m getting three collections calls every day.

8

Am I the only one who finds this whole thing extremely. . .I’d say “unlikely” but I don’t want to accuse HQ of lying.

I just don’t get a boss giving out an employees number to debt collectors. What the hell? I’ve had 10 bosses over my life. What kind of job is this where the boss feels free to give out an employees home number to a debt collector?

Why wouldn’t he just give a fake number?

This whole misunderstanding came from the fact that the person asked, “I’m calling for Joe”, the OP said, “I’m sorry, my husband isn’t here” and from there it just escalated to 5 calls a day and a possible VISIT?

Did you co-sign for something for DB?

Now, you also said, DB gave your address an an alternate residence? So, he’s given them YOUR phone number and YOU address and an alternate but all he is is your husband’s boss?

Is there something else going on here?

Sounds like there’s some reason for them to think he lives there.

9

It sounds pretty damn “unlikely” to me too. That’s why I can’t believe he did such a thing!
This mixup with me thinking they wanted to speak to my husband, was just me not understanding who was calling. It has nothing to do with why they’re calling. They already knew my husband’s name. They just didn’t know which one of them was MY husband.

They work for the State, so I’m not sure DB can be fired for this. Although, if it’s proven he did something illegal, he will get fired immediately. They work for the Dept. of Corrections, and aren’t allowed to even associate with anyone who has wandered over to the other side of the law.

I also wandered why he didn’t give them a fake number. It’s what a normal deadbeat would do. I asked my husband if he had pissed DB off about anything. But up until this they were buddies.

10

Is it possible that your husband got into a financial dealing of some sort with this person without your knowledge?

11

I take care of the household finances. Plus, my husband is the type of person, that can’t decide anything without consulting me and his mom first.

My husband seems to think, that DB needed to give the creditors an alternate number & address, in a hurry. And ours, was the first one he thought of, since he apparantly doesn’t have any friends (I wonder why), or family. He said DB was surprised that the creditors actually called us. :rolleyes:

12

You can check your credit report once a year for free. Go to Annualcreditreport.com. You can check the big three for free. A buddy of mine work in corrections, and an inmate had actually acquired enough information on them to start screwing with their credit. It’s free. I highly suggest you get it checked.

13

Hmm. Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark. I third the suggestion to get a copy of your credit report. I’d also query the debt collectors as to the exact nature of the debt. Is it J.C. Penney? A bank? I’d also contact the boss directly and ask him what the hell is going on.

Either your husband co-signed for something behind your back or his boss fraudulently used his information to obtain credit.

After you’ve obtained all the information you can, don’t be nice to the debt collectors any more. Tell them in no uncertain terms that Boss does not reside at this phone number and they are to not call you again. As Lynn suggested, I would give them his real phone number and address if I was 100% convinced that my husband was an innocent party in the whole mess.