How can I stop debt collectors calling for my roommate?

Question

So I have a home phone, its in my name and my roommate never uses it, or answers it. Since he never uses it I pay the whole bill. I assume that the debt collection agency has his address and looked up the home phone number associated with his address. I have told them that indeed he does live here but that this is not a viable way to contact him and that I have no intention of providing a contact number for my roommate. The calls still persist. How can I make them stop?

Answer 1

Rock and a hard place.

You can't. If they have the number then they will continue to call especially as you told them he lives there. You need to change the number and not allow him use of the phone.  

Answer 2

Make your number private, roommate pays debt collectors, or stop telling them that he lives there, and that you will not provide contact information for him.

Answer 3

put your number on the "no call list"

:)

https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.a...

Answer 4

Tell your roommate to tell the collectors that you used to live there and left.  That he pays the phone bill now.  All he has to do is tell them to stop calling..and by law, after he has told them..they have to stop.  HUGS!!

Answer 5

Tell them he no longer lives there

Answer 6

1. cancel your home phone and get a cell phone  instead. then if they get your number, tell them they have the wrong number.

2. get caller id and don't answer any numbers you  do not recognize. If you have an answering machine, you let all calls go to it and delete them if it is for him.

3.  call creditor harassment companies

Answer 7

if they call after 8 its harassment. then you could report them.  

Answer 8

Well the No Call list does not work for Bill Collectors.  The best way to do this is to tell them to stop calling again or speak with a manager about harassment.

Answer 9

Get call back numbers for each of the creditors who are calling for your roommate.  Then, simply call them back and in plain words tell them that your number is NOT a valid contact number for (insert roommates name) and that if they continue to harass you, you will sue them.  When creditors began to call my father's house regarding my mother's debt (they are divorced and live in different states but somehow a bunch of creditors got his number) this is what he did and all the collection calls have stopped.

Answer 10

I don't know...I had collection agency working on behalf of a hospital call my neighbor...repeatedly.  Quit answering the phone...change your number...I'm sorry I can't offer a better solution...but debt collectors get away with a whole lot more than they should.  

Answer 11

you can let them know that they're calling the wrong phone number and that if they continue to call your phone, listed in your name, etc., you will report them to the federal trade commission.  

Answer 12

call baring or reporting .this is a crime and an invasion of your space

Answer 13

tell him to pay his bills. simply as

Answer 14

Legally, they CAN'T contact anyone other than him except to ask how to contact him.  If you KNOW they are collectors, they have already violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, a Federal law.  If they have called again after you told them to stop, they are not going to stop.

Legally, you can send them a letter instructing them to cease all contact except to inform you they are suing you, which they have no grounds to do.

Practically, go to a sporting goods store and buy and air horn.  Next time the collectors call, inform them you consider them prank callers and the air horn will sound in 3..2..1..BLAST AWAY.  They should get the message.

Answer 15

I read something a while back about you would have to follow the following rules:

1. tell them they need to quit calling.

2. If they still persist, notate how often they call you for a week-2 weeks.

3.  Report them either with the state of the corporate office (since they would have to know where the collections department is for that company), or report them to a website, and I'm sorry, but it slips my mind on the name of it.  I'm sure if you did a google search on "reporting harrassing creditors", there would be a good website to go off of.

Good luck!  I know what you're going through!  

Answer 16

A) Stop paying the bill, they'll cancel the service eventually.

B) GIVE THEM A CONTACT NUMBER. Don't protect an idiot.