A Florida debt collection firm is facing scrutiny after a woman recorded some of their calls and submitted them to a local television news station. The woman contacted the station because she was frightened by the legal-sounding words used in the repeated phone calls and messages and was not sure how the collectors got her contact information or if she actually owed them any money.
The phone calls that began last summer referred to the woman as a “person of interest” and advised her to contact them or run the risk of being faced with a legal action. In a message that as recorded by the local television station, the debt collector said that her Social Security number was linked to an overdue account.
After a brief investigation and an interview with the debt collection firm, the local television station reported that she did not owe any money and that the firm did not have her Social Security information. It remains unclear how the firm got her name and phone number and why the harassing calls continued despite their being no debt, but the story certainly serves as an important reminder for Florida residents about unsavory debt collecting practices.
The Florida debt collection firm said that it generally leaves vague messages and that it targets as many people as possible but denies that it threatened legal action or said that it had her Social Security number.
Florida residents should know that they don’t have to tolerate this type of behavior and that they have rights if they are being harassed by collectors, even when they owe a debt.
Source: Wood TV, “Fla. Debt collector stops calling woman,” Henry Erb, March 28, 2013.
More information about creditor harassment can be found on our Orlando law firm site.