Bogus Collection Calls

Just out of curiosity, I'm looking to see if anyone else has been getting bogus phone calls from a collection agency called Alliance One. They called my house yesterday and left a message advising that someone needed to call them back about a financial matter. So, when I did call them, they were looking for someone I didn't know. That didn't keep this guy from asking if I knew that person and where to locate them. Again, no idea who they were talking about.

Afterwards, I checked to see if there was anything about them online. Here's a site for people to express their feelings about their experiences with the Alliance One group.

www.ripoffreport.com...!&q5=Alliance+One

Because the link gets truncated here, you'd have to type in Alliance One in the search on that site.

Also, mods feel free to move this thread if not in the right section.



[edit on 31-12-2007 by DamnedDirtyApes]

reply to post by DamnedDirtyApes


I used to work in collections. They called your house because they probably had your phone number as a contact number, or, you are a neighbor, or relative. That is called skip tracing.

By the way, it's against the law for them to tell you they are calling about a debt unless you are the party they are trying to contact. At least in most states it is. They should have also begun that conversation with a mini miranda that goes, "this is an attempt to collect a debt, any information obtained may be used to do so."

If you did not tell them to never call you again, they might. You have to be very specific. If they bother you again, you have legal rights to sue them for harassment. I do believe it used to be $1,000.00 per incident and up to $100,000 if you sue the company, and or the individual collector.
It's been a few years for me working in collections, so this information may have changed.

Make sure you get the name of whomever the collector is, and if need be talk to the not his supervisor but the manager. Keep notes as to the days and times they call.

reply to post by Enthralled Fan


Thanks, Enthralled Fan. The guy was pretty cryptic about giving out any information, other than that he was looking for this person. I'll keep your suggestions in mind the next time they call.

If as you say, someone used our house number as a reference or one of us as a reference, we don't know that party. Back to the drawing board for them I expect.