Got home from work yesterday and there was a message on the answering machine (yes I still have a landline and answering machine) from some outfit called Bryant Hodge (or Hodges) and Associates. After a little research, I found out the apparently try to collect on ancient debts (like well past the statute of limitations) which is an extraordinarily dick move to begin with, but to take it into the stratosphere of dick moves, I don’t have any ancient debts that they could even collect. As a matter of fact, I got a copy of my credit report in March and it is the squeakiest of cleans. Dicks!!
Yes I’ve gotten one of those to from some important sounding guy (forget his name now), from a company where he only gave the acroynm (DRS I think is what it was). Did some research and found out that the call I received was just a scam, canned recording that they play for answering machines, and I just blocked the number. It’s annoying for sure, and scary at first. But I’ve become pretty good at recognizing these debt scammers thanks to that one incident and a couple others.
Of course, it’s fun when you get one live on the line who essentially calls you a liar, and gets all indignant that you won’t give them your social security number to a random stranger over the phone.
I just got the same thing: my thread.
I spoke on the phone with these yahoos a couple of times, nervous that I had some outstanding debt. I knew this one was ancient since they told me it was from Pac-Bell, which no longer exists, not to mentin the fact that I moved from California in 2002.
At the end of the day, the last time the called me, before they even finished their schpiel, I said, “Stop fucking calling me!” And they have.
One of those assholes harassed my mother for a while. She doesn’t owe anything, but it was still nerve-wracking for her to get calls from them.
I still have hi-def color fantasies of sinking my thumbs into someone’s windpipe. A gruesome death is far, far too merciful for those fuckers.
I’ve read about scammers who try to intimidate people into paying debts that aren’t even theirs, for instance from a different person.
These clowns buy up debt cheap and try to find people dumb enough to pay. If by some chance they get hold of you, they usually stop once they realize that you know you aren’t responsible any more. They will try to make you feel guilty, so prepare your best snarky response.
If all else fails some choice four letter words might work - the person hanging up on you is a plus. But only if they are so obnoxious they drive you to it.
I was getting these calls for my old upstairs neighbor, which would be a weird coincidence if it were accidental. The guy asked for his name and I told him he had the wrong number. Then he asked me for a better number to try and I told him he had the wrong number. Then he asked if I could take a message and I said, “Are you fucking retarded? What part of ‘wrong number’ do you not understand?”
And, yes, I know it wasn’t a coincidence, it was low-grade harassment. In any case the neighbor had moved and we weren’t close so I couldn’t have helped him if I’d wanted to.
About 20 years ago my doctor had me take a couple of routine tests as part of a physical. Used Sterling. Big mistake.
My insurance company paid, I recall seeing their notice - a piece of paper I never routinely saved. I also never saw the results of the test. Not sure if they ever did any work.
About two years later I started getting invoices for that one test. Naturally, I ignored them. Finally they turned the matter over to a collection agency. Because the amount was small, I paid. But this time I saved the cancelled check and a copy of my cover letter wherein I said the amount had originally been covered by my insurance company.
About a year after that a second collection agency tried billing me again! That time I was ready and fired back a copy of my cancelled check and cover letter. I cc’d the Better Business Bureau for good measure. (Not that BBB ever does any good.)
Saved that documentation for another 15 years.
I started using my local hospital for lab work. Never had a problem.