I keep getting calls from a credit management agency

CallMeKate said:
This ⬆️ is a fake police charity scam. But another I looked up was Midland Collection.
Click to expand...

One could always simply call Midland Collection directly. If they're legit, then you can resolve your issue. Look them up, and if they check out, call them.
 
This happened to me, and it was a legit collection agency.
Reader's Digest had sent me two hardcover books I didn't order, so later when they tried billing me for it, I didn't pay it. I didn't order the damn books.

It turns out that it is a devious tactic that Reader's Digest uses that sometimes when you renew a subscription, in the fine print you also are consenting to having them send you these two hardbound books. I was used to seeing the renewal, so never gave it a thought.

Well, later they turned it over to a collection agency, and the collection agency informed me that if I didn't pay it, it would go on my credit report. I knew it was legit because I did receive the books. I had the choice to tell them to take a flying leap, or just pay for them and avoid it going on my credit report. The bill was $40, and I negotiated for $30 and paid it, and the claim was satisfied.

I cancelled my subscription with Reader's Digest, and till the day I die, they will never get another penny from me. If you suspect anything like that may have happened, it may be worth checking into.
 
If you don't receive a bill in the mail don't worry about it.
If you do send it back with a nice GTH note with it & don't sign your full signature.
It's the same with fake IRS. Print off a copy. Keep the original. Print with magic Marker "COPY" AND MAIL IT BACK.
SEND ORIGINAL TO IRS ASKING THEM, "PLEASE CATCH THESE CROOKS." Their in the next-door building.
 
Last edited:
debodun said:
Since I pay all my bills promptly or use an ACH and don't order online, I can't see why this is happening. When I moved, I could have gotten someone else's old phone number, but I still suspect a scam.
Click to expand...
Just curious...did you ever pay that doctor's co-pay from months ago?
 
Deb, if you don't have an answering feature on your phone that picks up those calls .. I recommend it.
When we don't recognize a number, we let it go to auto-answer. Rarely do they leave a message.
There is also a "block feature" that we don't have, so far.
 
Pinky said:
Deb, if you don't have an answering feature on your phone that picks up those calls .. I recommend it.
When we don't recognize a number, we let it go to auto-answer. Rarely do they leave a message.
There is also a "block feature" that we don't have, so far.
Click to expand...
I do have an answering machine. I also set my call blocking to "high".
 
Pinky said:
Deb, if you don't have an answering feature on your phone that picks up those calls .. I recommend it.
When we don't recognize a number, we let it go to auto-answer. Rarely do they leave a message.
There is also a "block feature" that we don't have, so far.
Click to expand...
Same here. Verizon will identify potential scams and flag them. I always go back into my phone and block the number.

Like many others here, I never pick up the phone unless it's a contact. If it's something legit (and sometimes it is), they can leave a voicemail.
 
Block the number.

Years ago my mother and stepfather were getting mega calls from a collection agency after they got a new number. They said this was a new number and they were not the people in question. The people on the other line said they were lying. I think they called the phone company and got another number after explaining what was happening.
 
Let's face it our phone numbers and Internet Id's are getting sold all over the world.
I will create an internet PT Ai. LOL
 
debodun said:
They are relentless. I wish I could block the phone numbers, but it's a different number every time they call.
Click to expand...
I sympathize. I made the mistake of answering a Colorado number thinking it might be my old coworker. It was a scammer and so now there are several scam calls a day with different numbers (mostly using CO prefix). I have been careful not to answer and I've been blocking each number. So far there doesn't appear to be a limit to how many I can block on my cell phone service.
 
A big problem is when the collection agency has a bill from years ago that they're trying to collect on.

This happened to my former son-in-law many years ago when he and my daughter were trying to close on a house. A "blip" showed up from a collection agency that claimed he owed a bill to an insurance company from five years ago. The insurance company had long gone out of business but apparently the collection agency had "bought" the debts and were just now collecting on them.

He was positive that he didn't owe the insurance agency anything but there was no way to pay it. The collection agency wouldn't produce any paperwork, just said that they'd go after him and ruin his credit. The kids were just about to go into closing and this would have stopped the closing in the tracks. There was literally no time to fight it. It was only about $150, so they gritted their teeth and paid it.

That's how these sleezy collection agencies work; they know that most people don't have the time or energy to fight the small debts and once a collection gets on your credit report, it's hard to get off. Yes, you can put a notice of "disputed claim" on your report, but it's still a big sore thumb on the report.
 
What does the average old guy need credit for ?
You pay your bills, like water, sewer, lights & power.
Maybe the wife's Credit Card, $500 a month.
It's cheap to call Uber, why than pay insurance to drive.
A 3-wheeler electric works well in decent weather too.

_________________________________

Your going to be ok. "F" the in a outhouse bunch.
 
For those getting scam email involving Amazon, just forward the offending email to the following address …
reportascam@amazon.com

At one time I was getting almost daily Amazon fakes. After forwarding several to the above address, the fakes stopped permanently!
 
debodun said:
Since I pay all my bills promptly or use an ACH and don't order online, I can't see why this is happening. When I moved, I could have gotten someone else's old phone number, but I still suspect a scam.
Click to expand...
Did you ever get a traffic citation (including parking), which might have required you to appear in court but you didn't notice or forgot or or just decided to forget it? If so, your county or state government might have had the collection agency they use to keep harassing you. They do that here. If the collection agency have just a name and can't find the actual legit person, they just harass anyone with a similar name. That happens here too and I read about it from local people here online And this is done by "legit" collection agencies. Lots of them are just plain crooks.

Call where you would go to renew your driver's license and find out if they have any dings against you where you have to pay
to get your license renewed. That's one way to start. If you just keep ignoring it, you're never going to find out and possibly keep getting harassed. When you moved, did you possibly have to change your car registration to the new location? The police might have noticed that and reported it but things do slip through the cracks.
 
CallMeKate said:
For what it's worth, Deb... I found this:

"Midland Funding LLC is a legitimate debt collection agency that focuses on consumer debts under their parent company, Encore Capital Group — a major debt buyer. If Midland contacts you, you should first validate the alleged debt. Once you verify that the debt belongs to you, you can choose how to deal with Midland. Your main options are disputing the debt (if the information is incorrect or you disagree with the debt amount), or negotiating a settlement so you end up paying a portion of the debt."

(Have you checked your credit report? I know you don't have credit cards and stuff, but since this seems to be a real collection company, I think I'd want to at least know what's going on.)
Click to expand...
Like Kate, I'd also find out what was going on. If it's a legitimate debt, they can put a lien on your home or bank account.

You may have an old debt you're unaware of, and whoever is owed may not have your new address. USPS forwarding would be long expired by now, so any letters sent to you at your prior address would be returned to sender as undeliverable. Is your phone number the same in this house as the last?

That could explain why you're not getting letters regarding this. If you call the company or pick up the call, you'll figure out pretty quickly if it's a scam or if it's legitimate.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top