would like to know

It's impossible to shut these types of people down, because they hide behind several names, they use several phone numbers and when it comes to collections, these people spoof their names and phone numbers so you never know where there calling from. Thank the I-Phone app, Skype and companies like that who have made spoofing possible.

yea i guess u are right but these high tech phone have certain apps that u can download on your phone also called mr number and u can download it to your phone and what it does is it blocks numbers for u u put allthe numbers on your block list and your phone blocks them from coming through and like u said they can call from so many different numbers and spook their names u just put everbody except the people who u have in your contacts on the list this way u can sensor your call to see where the call is coming from try it it works very good i added them to the list today so now they cant get through anymore

The worst ones are off shore. They are untouchable by any US law enforcement agency. The nice thing is their only weapon is the phone. If you simply ignore the phone calls then they have no other method of collection. They are illegal and can not sue. The can not leave negative information on your credit report.

The easiest way to deal with them if they get your phone info is to change your number and keep it unlisted. Hopefully you would have learned from your past mistakes and don???t go out and post your info all over the net again just for a couple bucks.

[SIZE=3]I wished our government would wise up and outlaw predatory lending. That is exactly what a pay day loan is. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]I wish all phones would come with a built in setting to block all unknown numbers. In addition, they should have a setting to block numbers with wild cards. For example, if you want to block all numbers from a certain area code then you should be able to put in that area code with asterisks after it i.e. (111) ***-****. This would be useful if you wanted to block 800 numbers which mostly are collectors or solicitors. It seems like it would be simple to add to phone software. Also, any blocked call should not show up as a missed call, should not be sent to voicemail and should not be picked up and then hung up. [/SIZE]

How can they be untouchable if they are offshore? They have been hired to represent a collector here in the U.S. I assume and as such whoever hired them is responsible for their conduct. Surely there must be something that can be done to the company they are making these harassing phone calls for. You can't just hire some thugs to do your dirty work and then claim you aren't responsible if their conduct is unlawful.

Well, there are phones that block "private" calls etc. I have one. The phone rings once and then that's it they are cutoff. The problem is that anyone who calls me, such as a doctor's office using a private number won't get through either and so that is not a good thing totally.

If you want to get rich, find the technology to cut these people off before they get started with a phone capable of handling these scum and you will be rich beyond measure.

The calls that bug me the most are the ones where they use technology that makes their number show up as for example 1111111111 or 0000000000. That's just annoying because it is obviously meant to be deceitful. If they can't come to my door OR my phone undisguised then they will not be answered by me. That's the thing I dislike so much about collectors, that they are smug and arrogant and think that just because someone may have fallen on hard times and is struggling that is a license to use any type of abusive behavior they choose to.

I was watching on online video from a year or so ago, I think, it was on Dateline if I recall correctly. They were interviewing debt collectors about how they operate and there were a group of young debt collectors who had not been doing the job too long maybe a couple of months and they were showing off for the reporter interviewing them, being arrogant and smug and condescending about the people they were calling.

They were bragging about the kind of things they do to "get to people". One in particular was bragging about what he likes to do best is to get the phone number of the debtor's boss and call him at night about the debtor, so that its not bad enough to annoy the debtor but they annoy his boss too, which could cause the debtor to lose his job. But it is a message, I guess, and a way to turn up the heat and "make" people pay out of intimidation.

I loved it though because at the end of the film it was disclosed that all those smug young collectors who were so cocky about their tricks got fired. They got fired because they were not as smart as they thought in exposing their underhanded methods to the tv crew because when THEIR employer got wind of it of course their employer felt the need to distance themselves from what they were doing and so in the end it was poetic justice. THEY got fired by their employer, the same ones who call the boss at home at night to cause trouble ended up getting themselves fired in the same way.

I really enjoyed reading that. A pity everything can't be so satisfying to read.