Got a call the other week from a debt collector for a family member. They asked me to have the family member call. I started asking questions, they said they couldn’t answer. Couldn’t tell me an account number, how much was owed, etc. I asked why they were calling me, since I’m not the person responsible for the debt, I didn’t co-sign, etc. They claimed the person listed me “as a reference.”
After a couple of minutes I sarted asking for the debt collector’s info - the person calling’s name; company address, phone number; etc. The caller got very defensive and asked why I wanted that info. I told them “I believe this is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Act and I’m going to be making a report to the AG.”
The caller got really quiet. I asked if they were still there. They said yes and asked if I could be put on hold so they could talk to a supervisor.
When they came back on, they gave me their first name only (Fernando), the address, and phone number. And then they hung up.
I filled out a complaint online with the AG and don’t expect anything more to come of it, but I’m sure that “Fernando” over there is shitting bricks, so at least I have that going for me.