Turn the tables

I would be careful of representing myself as the Sheriffs Office- they may turn the tables on you!. The best way is to not talk with them, unless they are the original creditor, or have refused to work with you.

You can sent them a debt validation letter to make sure the debt is yours, and that they are the ones legally able to collect on it.

What type of debt is it, and who is it with?

KAren

Um it is a felony in most states to impersonate a peace officer. I do hope there are no consequences regarding this phone call. In the future,limit comms to writing.

guest never said she was a "peace officer". She could have been a clerk for all they knew.

sorry, not buying that...if a phone is evidence in a trial, then a clerk wont have possession of it, because evidence needs to be properly secured and accounted for. Someone can very easily make a claim that this was police impersonation, which as mentioned is a crime. Not a good way to go, especially when we have dozens of better ways to handle these calls.

On a lighter note, there is a comedian named Tom Mabe, and he keeps a tape recorder on his phone, for when telemarketers call. He actually did the police angle before, if you search for "tom mabe" you'll no doubt find it.

Can't you get in trouble for doing that? However.....seems like a good idea, in a way. CA's won't be calling back. Wow!! Kinda funny, actually.

Found a recording for my answering machine at an electronics store that says" sorry there is no one in the office at this time, at the tone, please leave your name and number" no one ever leaves a message, always hangs up...lol..

Ummm.. instead of stressing about a collection agency who calls all the time and is trying to collect on a bill from a store that closed/bankrupt in 1991, i turned the tables and had some fun with them for once and now I will ignore their calls again, although they haven't called again since that call. Plus I never said I was a police officer, just answered Clark County Sherrifs office. Plus if they wanted to charge me with something I could counter saying they never advised me I was being recorded.. yada ya da yada.. it was suppose to lighten things up for second on this forum.. sorry I thought it was funny :D 8)

It is funny guest, I have done the same thing. I sometimes answer in a gruff voice and say "SHERIIF'S DEPT" they immediately hang up.

um, guest, no one was trying to rain on your parade. We look out for people here--thats what this place is all about. So, when we see someone doing something that can potentially land them in legal trouble, we speak up--NOT to insult, or to be a killjoy, but to educate so that next time you can lower the risk of getting into unforeseen trouble.

Also, here's another angle that you should consider--pulling pranks on them like that may put a smile on your face, but sooner or later you will have to face the issue of these people calling. Doing this and then ignoring them is a good way to get yourself sued in the long run--why put yourself through all that risk and hassle down the road when there are some really good ways to handle it properly now--ways that can also stick it to them if they are out of line??

This is a perfect example of what I mean--it is legal in many states to record you in a phone call without even telling you. So, if they forget to advise you, in many places, it doesnt matter, they can still legally record you as long as they arent doing it for an illegal purpose. Your logic here is the same as someone stealing a lady's purse and running down the street, only to be caught by a cop that was right around the corner. The thief then says "hey, I didnt know a cop was right there!" It makes no difference whatsoever--it is an illegal act, and just because you didnt know they would record you doing it, that doesnt change anything about your actions.

At least they stopped calling, GUEST. I suppose 'we' are willing to use any tactic we can to get CA's to stop calling. Even though you try and 'work something out with them, they make you seem like you're just scum of the earth sometimes. I probably would have done the same thing.

Okay let me explain, they are calling about a charge card I had from 1989 until 1991 in NH. The store is called AMES, they tried to emerge from bankruptcy in 1992 but failed and eventually closed all their stores in 2002. Anyhow I have not lived in NH since 1991 and lets see that would be 17 years ago. That was 4 cars, 1 mortgage, several dogs, many cats and two children ago. These people have been calling twice a day for the past 6 months. I am not sure how they got my # but everything is public these days. Anyhow I am not going to waste a postage stamp on these bottom feeder CA who are trying to make a dollars on a $156.78 bill from 17 years ago. I will continue to ignore their calls and if I am so inclined I will answer sometime and mess around with them.

If this was a legitmate debt collection then I would acknowledge it and handle it appropriatly but this is STUPID collection practices and I will act STUPID along with them.

Guest - it would be in your best interest to go ahead and waste that stamp. Send them a cease & desist letter and inform them (though they know already, the scum), that the debt they are trying to collect is LONG past the SOL for credit card debt.

This sounds like a junk debt buyer that bought your old debt file from the original creditor at "fire sale" prices - for pennies on the dollar - and is now trying to collect on it. Most likely, they've added their own fees to it. The problem is, now that they have the file, it could end up on your credit record - and you'd have to take more time to get it removed.

So instead of all that hassle, just send them a C&D letter, and in fact, send it certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have proof you mailed it and they received it.

Check out our do it yourself section here for the letter:

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/diy/

Guest, if you ignore this, it will eventually land in your credit report. I know that from experience. You're certainly free to deal with this as you see fit, but I think you're making a mistake.

You're going to have to spend a few bucks on postage at some point, that's a given. A total C/D letter would [assuming they follow the law, which they often don't] stop the calls. In your position, I'd send them a strong-arm demand for validation, with a limited C/D clause restricting them to contact through USPS only. There's a very good template for that letter here. Chances are that they can't validate, in which case you'll likely never hear from them again. Doing it this way ensures that if they've faked up some crap, re-aged the account, etc, you have a chance at finding out about it sooner, rather than later. The postage will still be $5.41, regardless of which letter you use.

If you took it you should pay for it.

I made a call like that once from work. Those calls are kinda fun if you are smart enough on how to rebutt the person trying to be cute on the other end. After I hung up I called the Sherrif's department in that town and had a nice chat with an officer. Amazing how quickly the first person called me back, they were angry but hey.. it was fun.

took what??? something almost 18 years ago when I was 22 year old and stupid. When I can barely feed my kids, pay my mortgage and put gas in a car these days.. HA I don't think so, they are barking up a long dead tree in my book and as for your claim you called the sheriff... yeah right!

Guest....take it easy, wouldja?

Your "stupidity" when you were younger (your word, not mine) and the fact that you are struggling now are not our fault.

We are trying to help you out here, but you insist on ignoring it and continuing to play a dangerous game with a collection agency. As mentioned a couple of times above, this WILL end up on your credit report if you don't do one of two things:

-Pay the debt

OR

-Send the C&D letter based on it being out of SOL as mentioned above.

Your choice. But to be honest, I'd much rather spend the cost of a certified letter to take care of it than have to check my caller ID every time I pick up the phone.

How can a debt from 17 years past end up on a credit report? I understand after 7 years, a debt may not be listed.

Next time the collector calls just say no hablo english.

That's a great idea. Then they pass the file to a collector that speaks Spanish. Remember, there's a lot of CAs based out of Houston, TX these days. Far better in the long run to just take the bull by the balls and squeeze, er... Deal with the problem. All the info you need to do that is freely available right here in these forums.