What to do if Allied Interstate calls a friend for payment of debt

allied interstate called a friend of mine who lives in another state. They asked her for my home phone number. How in the world would they even know that this person was a friend? Do you know if they buy phone records from the various phone companies? The only thing I can think of is they bought my phone records and are calling everyone that I made phone calls to. These people are insane. I don't even know what supposed debt they are even calling about. Is it legal for a telephone company to sell your personal calling records? There's no other way they could have gotten my friend's number. It just seems like this must be illegal and I would like to put a stop to it. Any suggestions?

If you think allied interstate is doing something wrong, deal with it tactfully. Give a call and know their purpose. They will say something about your past debt. Your first step will be to get it validated in writing. You have the federal rights to ask for this info from a debt collector. Ask your friends to send a cease and desist letter to the collection agency's mailing address. They are not supposed to make one more call after receiving the letter. If they do, they can be sued on charges of FDCPA violations. They must not contact you until the debt is validated. Monitor your credit report closely because they are allowed to hit your file only if there is an authorized purpose.

While I agree with everything you said, I don't know if you can deal with Allied Interstate tactfully. I'm of the opinion that in dealing with AI, you must be forceful. Enforce your rights and let them know that you are going to avail yourself of any and all legal remedies if they violate the law. Everything else Steg mentioned is absolutely correct. Keep us posted.

Many people who hear from collection agencies don't know anything about their legal rights. I have seen many people who hear about fdcpa for the first time. It is very important that knowledge and awareness about individual rights needs to be spread fast so that everyone knows how to deal with these crappy collectors.

Today, most of the new topics here is about allied interstate and their illegal ways of collections. People who have internet and browse through such sites get knowledge on how to deal with collectors. Allied Interstate continues with their illegal practices as always. They must be reported with all law enforcement agencies and strong actions are required to be taken against them very soon. Allied Interstate is doing like this since very long time.

Hi, Mandidy

I agree with both of the previous replies. Know your rights, but plan to give whoever answers the phone the benefit of the doubt. If you come out swinging, that will just put their back up and make them hostile. Let THEM be the jerk with the chip on their shoulder.

Here's what I did step-by-step when allied interstate started leaving me messages:

Googled them and found the "got a call from Allied Interstate" thread here on http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/ . Read a lot, followed links to BudHibbs.com and the ripoffreport.

Pulled my credit report from all three agencies for free. annualcreditreport.com is the legitimate site that will get you the info for free. The agencies will all try to sell you extras, but you don't have to purchase anything.

Went over report carefully. Downloaded a log for phone calls. Document, document, document. There was no notation from Allied, but there was a collection I hadn't known about from another company (medical, small, CA seems to be VERY professional and legit.)

Left town for Xmas. Read Debtcc posts, but otherwise relaxed.

Called one of the callback numbers for Allied Interstate. Must be quiet around there around new year's because I was only on hold for about 30 seconds.

give them the number they're calling and ask what they want Don't give them any personal info such as social sec number or bank account numbers. THEY are calling YOU and should have specific info in front of them. If they don't they are PHISHING!

They may be looking for someone with the same name as yours, and the Skip Trace may have pulled out your friend's number from that. If it turns out they're on your credit report, send them a debt validation request and also a letter stating that you will only communicate via US Mail. Outlaw has a good letter in one of the threads here. He basically says "Mail Only Do not contact third parties or use third parties to contact me."

Good luck. In my case they were looking for someone with my last name and first initial but of the opposite gender. Very lame, unsophisticated way to find someone, those White Pages...

Keep us posted. If you haven't, read some of the other threads about Allied Interstate. You might also want to phone the people you call frequently and remind them not to give anyone your personal info. Just say "They don't live here."

Best,
Diva

Seems I just got sucked into allied interstate and have no clue why. They started calling my mothers house, and I have not lived there in 15 years. I will call them tomorrow and see what they think I owe them

Keep us posted on what you find out - this company seems to be popping up all over the place lately.

These people are incredible. 2 years ago they called me about a hospital bill they had of mine. The woman who called me was beyond rude..She was the nastiest, most angry woman I have ever talked to in my life.

She lied about the amount of the bill, and told me that she had already contacted my HR dept..Interesting, because I am HR. Anyway, I got it taken care of in a few months, but it was a bumpy ride. Good luck with them.

TRYING TO CONTACT THEM

From the site of Bud Hibbs:

Head Debt Collectors:
Part of the Intellirisk Companies
Vikas Kapoor, President & CEO
Randy Christofferson, Chairman of the Board
Norman Merritt, CFO
allied interstate, INC.(BAD REPUTATION!)
Jeff Swedberg, President
Jim Pond, Senior Vice President
55 N. Arizona Place, #505
Chandler, AZ 85225
Phone: (480) 722-7810
Fax: (480) 782-7001

5062 N 19th Ave Ste 102
Phoenix, AZ 85015-3225
Phone: (602) 841-4332
Fax: (602) 841-7388

31229 Cedar Valley Dr
Westlake Village, CA 91362-4036
Phone: (81 575-5400

3111 S Dixie Hwy Ste 101
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-1520
Phone: (561) 671-2121
Fax: (561) 671-2165

340 Interstate North Pkwy SE
Ste 140
Atlanta, GA 30339-2201
Phone: (770) 989-5700
Fax: (770) 989-5724

7103 Chancellor Dr., Suite 100
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: (561) 671-2152
Fax: (561) 671-2165

5910 Shingle Creek Pkwy.
Brooklyn Cntr, MN 55430-2322
Phone: (763) 503-6595
Fax: (763) 585-7881

435 Ford Rd Ste 800
Minneapolis, MN 55426-1066
Phone: (952) 546-6600
Fax: (952) 595-2311 13777 Ballantyne Corporate Pl
Ste 200
Ballantyne Corporate Pk.
Charlotte, NC 28277-3425
Phone: (704) 943-1000
Fax: (704) 943-1053

3200 Northline Ave Ste 135
Greensboro, NC 27408-7616
Phone: (336) 333-3100
Fax: (336) 373-4442

15 Hazelwood Dr., Suite 102
Amherst, NY 14228
Phone: (716) 691-1320
Fax: (716) 691-3534

1979 Marcus Ave Ste 100
New Hyde Park, NY 11042-1002
Phone: (516) 437-0800
Fax: (516) 437-6121

3070 Lawson Blvd
Oceanside, NY 11572-2711
Phone: (516) 561-6552
Fax: (516) 561-6548

3000 Corporate Exchange Dr.
Columbus, OH 43231
Phone: (614) 901-7988
Fax: (614) 901-7794

12655 N Central Expy, Suite 925
Dallas, TX 75243-1700
Phone: (972) 934-8448
Fax: (972) 404-1611

14550 Torrey Chase, Suite 550
Houston, TX 77014
Phone: (281) 580-2000
Fax: (281) 580-0396

Bud Says...

This company is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. Sloppy record keeping, failure to validate at every level, under-trained, uneducated collectors SEVERELY lacking in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act training.

Intellirisk must be making BIG bucks in collecting because they sure don't spend it to insure they comply with the laws. Student loans with these idiots is a nightmare. Most Allied collector's don't have a clue in handling even the most basic of consumer complaints. Loans that have been paid, in the wrong names and outdated credit bureau reporting are fast targets for lawsuits because Allied is unable or unwilling to respond.

If you receive a collection notice from Allied DISPUTE IT! Even though you will never receive a reply, it is important that you use the law to your advantage. Allied aptly fits the saying; "the right hand hasn't a clue what the left hand is doing" Brain-Dead! Idiots! Untrained!

May I state again....THANK GOD FOR THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT!! Someone in Washington must have had a dream about companies like Allied to enact the law. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

WATCH YOUR WALLET, YOUR CHECKBOOK AND YOUR CREDIT CARDS WHEN DEALING WITH THESE SLIPPERY CONS OF THE COLLECTION WORLD, THEY WILL EMPTY YOU OUT!