Debt collectors target Facebook to get money back.

Well well, if it wasn't bad enough that you're employers can spy on you now comes the often unscrupulous DEBT COLLECTOR.

The Office of Fair Trading is warning debt collectors not to pursue people who owe them money on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. It is concerned that embarrassing details about their financial problems will be revealed on the internet. The OFT received complaints from debtors who were being pressurised online to pay off loans. The regulator says it could strip perpetrators of their consumer credit licences to deter the practice.

It should come as no surprise to me that whilst almost everyone on the planet is in the grip of impending poverty, these buyers of debt should up their game through FB. I find it shocking and stomach churning knowing full well what tactics they employ in person on the most vulnerable of society even for the most trivial of debts, now we see them in the act of destroying peoples reputations...

www.bbc.co.uk...

Please feel free to move this if it's in the wrong section. I'm only on my 2nd cup of coffee today. It takes at least 4 to wake up properly.

reply to post by Suspiria


Thankyou for using the word unscrupulous
Doesn’t really surprise me, it wont be long until almost all industries take advantage of modern technology..
Personally I would have thought that contractual discrepancies should at least be discussed verbally.

Oh well, debt collectors wont have a job much longer anyway..unless it becomes the worlds largest industry

Delete your facebook people

reply to post by ShortMemory


I'm afraid there is no other word for them. I've seen with my own eyes the callous disregard many of these people display even to confused pensioners who owe little more than £20 or in reality nothing at all due to some computer fail at the council tax office. Sticking their foot in the door and making threats. That's just the friendly face of it..

As for the indifference those comfortable on the other side of the phone display in their bile fueled warm office, no it doesn't surprise me that they would happily get paid to ruin peoples social standing whilst getting paid to jolly around on their own FB.

reply to post by Suspiria

you could say they are discombobulators
well i guess it all comes back to whos giving them the orders, theyre just trying to make a living.
its amazing how little money they will chase people after..
ive never seen debt collectors in real life but i could imagine they would use some pretty bad tactics..

well its really just another problem caused by facebook.

Facebook is a lovely concept but just one programme of Jeremy Kyle told me how this concept can backfire on people's lives. I do think if you wish to use it you need to be very careful about what you put on it about your life.

I wonder how the debt collectors can be certain about the identity of the person they are chasing on FB. I looked for an old school friend and found a huge number of people with that name and within her age group, so gave up.

When you use face book you are literally having a conversation across the world and I don't believe for one minute, some of the people wanting their money back, are not above paying hackers to get across any barriers in the way to finding their quarry.

I would say I don't believe in people getting away with deliberate debt but I see a line between circumstantial debt which make sup a huge amount of the debt misery for people today.

reply to post by Suspiria


If you don't want employers looking at your FB then don't add them or other employees/work mates to your friend list.

If you don't want debt collectors finding you on FB then use all the security functions FB provides by blocking access to those other than your closest friends and family.

It's as easy as 1,2,3

All you have to remember is if you haven't got the money, they can't have it, not matter what illegal threats and methods they employ. While it may be quite scary, if your financial statement shows you have nothing to give neither they or a judge if they take you to court (unlikely as it would cost them) can force you to pay what you haven't got.

The point is they will already stoop to such tactics as pushing cards through the door, or knocking on neighbours to make you feel pressured. Of course you can try to batten down your own Facebook page using the security features, but many of these companies already feel themselves above the law in that respect and will do anything to gain access.
If they can't they will just use FB to message you, if they can they have free reign to post on your wall or message those to be known as friends and family.

They may not be able to get blood out of a stone, but they will try their hardest.
As for those who run up debts intentionally, I'm sure they only do such things when they know they can get away with it - Those who employ identity theft for instance.

finally.... Blowback to all those clueless FB members who post all their actual, real time facts about themselves...

its not as 'easy as 1-2-3' to secure your FB page... its all those [likes] that friends & aquaintences put on you page that gets you linked to the matrix of information/data mining that you tried to avoid all along...


i think everyone that joined and gave away all that true personal info deserve to reap the whirlwind that they have sown


i used a pseudonym & my corn-fuzed daughter (using her true surname) has now gotten me linked to a hoard of advertisers that discerned my name & address from her link to my page...


Needless to say i dropped that FB page, created another to facilitate the 'sign-in' crosslinks, so as to avoid yet another list of information required data to be filled in on new links i find interesting ((the only true info is a verifiable email address, the rest is ficticous BS to throw sand into the matrix gear-works)

Hi all.

Did I not read, a little while ago, that Facebook retain all your messages, pages visited and personal details for ever? (Well maybe not forever, but for a long time.)

Looks almost as if it was a tool made for debt collectors to use.

Of course, I have to agree that law breaking is wrong, and suitable tools have to be used, but is FB really that suitable?

reply to post by Suspiria


That's pretty sneaky & low.

However, in a way, fair-play to them for utilizing FB in order to get back any outstanding loans

Again, very sneaky of them.

Thank God I deactivated my account, otherwise I'd have all sorts out my back.

Oh well ... because I feel comfortable with you guys so I have no problem telling you
'I'M SKINT AND OWE MONEY TO PEOPLE' !!!!

that feels better

To be fair I don't think there are many people at this moment in time that can actually stand up and say they have no debt at all! It could be uncomfortable for people, especially older folk having their why's and wherefores bandied about though.

Of course there's a fair amount of dirty knicker airing at the best of times on FB, this latest blow could be the final knicker sling for some.

reply to post by St Udio


You never click on to those links and you most certainly NEVER supply your private information on FB especially your phone and address. I mean, who does that?

reply to post by bluemirage5


Lots of silly buggers unfortunately. Not everyone is blessed with the common sense awash on ATS.

reply to post by Suspiria


I'm actually surprised how open so many people's FBs are.......everyone can have access.

I'm a debt collector and I use FB, every day.

However, the people I'm trying to contact have no idea who I am and why I'm trying to reach them.

The actual debt is NEVER discussed.

FB is used simply as a recon tool, to gain information about the debtor and to help "find" them and collect
the debt. Any and all actual collection attempts are made via the telephone or written communication and well
within the law.

reply to post by bluemirage5


From my understanding (I got shut of mine ages ago) people generally feel safe with the security features in place, but with each surprise update FB make to their site the security has to be redone and most folk don't realise until they've been merrily going about their usual posting of every minute of life for weeks...

reply to post by elevatedone


So you get paid to chat people up and then bang them with an unpaid bill?


And I thought cyber sex was dodgy before!!

Everyone flee, we have one in our midst!

Originally posted by elevatedone
I'm a debt collector and I use FB, every day.

However, the people I'm trying to contact have no idea who I am and why I'm trying to reach them.

The actual debt is NEVER discussed.

FB is used simply as a recon tool, to gain information about the debtor and to help "find" them and collect
the debt. Any and all actual collection attempts are made via the telephone or written communication and well
within the law.

Disgusting and sneaky behaviour.

My respect for you has just gone out the window. So you admit to actually contacting people via facebook?

It doesn't matter if you do or you don't discuss the debt, the fact is - you're snooping.