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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    15

    Default What to Do if a Debt Collector Sends a Letter to Your Home Meant for Somebody Else

    My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Nebraska

    Got a letter from a collection agency today (actually 2 letters) addressed to our daughter-in-law for medical bills related to child birth, 7 months ago. We are estranged from our son and daughter-in-law, strangely enough, due to money issues. Our son currently owes us over $16 K.

    My question is how do you think our address got tied with our daughter-in-laws name? We have only lived her a few months and we have had no contact with them since early June. We have received no other bills or collections or anything with their names on it and since they have never even been to our new home I found it strange. You would think the same address the hospital had been using to bill them ( I assume they have been being billed monthly at THEIR address) would be the same address the collection company would be using?

    Now, I'm not angry or upset about this, just curious how we got tied together. Have had several debt collectors over the years phone about about bills not related to us, recently one regarding late my father-in-laws estate. I understand the game, they call, get you hyped up so you reach out to the dead beat relative or neighbor and this is suppose to shame them into paying. Probably a good tactic but then why not in this case? Possibly they are using our address for something, maybe credit applications?

    I am calling the collection company on Tuesday and look into and see if I can help them with current addresses and phone numbers I hope they stick it to my deadbeat son and his wife, maybe learn them a lesson.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    24,521

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    There are information-gathering websites out there that know a scary amount about you. They match up addresses, phone numbers, tax records, and various other things and can come up with a frightening amount of information.

    If I run my own name on Spokeo or Zabasearch, I am reminded of emails I gave up so long ago I'd forgotten I even had them; they know my maiden name, my husband's name, and matches me up with my best friend, her deceased husband and her stepson. My best friend and I did share a house at one time, before either of us were married, but I never shared living space with her after she was married. Yet these search engines know that I have a connection with her husband, even if they get wrong what the connection is. One of those searches had me connected to someone whom I do know, have met in real life, but whose only real connection with me is that I've known her husband for twenty years in an loose employment context and she and I are Facebook friends. One of them has matched me up with my husband's ex. My picture is attached to someone who shares my first and last name but who has a different middle initial and who lives in the same state as me but in a town where I've never lived.

    There are any number of connections that could easily match you up with someone to whom you're actually related.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    15

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    Quote Quoting cbg
    View Post
    There are information-gathering websites out there that know a scary amount about you. They match up addresses, phone numbers, tax records, and various other things and can come up with a frightening amount of information.

    If I run my own name on Spokeo or Zabasearch, I am reminded of emails I gave up so long ago I'd forgotten I even had them; they know my maiden name, my husband's name, and matches me up with my best friend, her deceased husband and her stepson. My best friend and I did share a house at one time, before either of us were married, but I never shared living space with her after she was married. Yet these search engines know that I have a connection with her husband, even if they get wrong what the connection is. One of those searches had me connected to someone whom I do know, have met in real life, but whose only real connection with me is that I've known her husband for twenty years in an loose employment context and she and I are Facebook friends. One of them has matched me up with my husband's ex. My picture is attached to someone who shares my first and last name but who has a different middle initial and who lives in the same state as me but in a town where I've never lived.

    There are any number of connections that could easily match you up with someone to whom you're actually related.
    I agree, if I input my name these sites match me up to all kinds. Parents, siblings, ect.

    But in this case the collection agency would have been given by the hospital all pertinent data including addresses, phone numbers, etc. I do wonder how we got mixed in? Did they give up on sending the bill to her (them)? Did they send this bill to every "Smith (s)" address that they think may be related to the debtor? Seems very sloppy indeed. I wonder if the DIA someone was stealing our identity or something?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Posts
    1,279

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    What cbg said is correct.

    Many of these data harvesting companies put 2 + 2 together and often come up with 17.

    I often purchase items online for my mother and have them shipped directly to her home, which is over 50 miles from where I live. Because of that, many data collections sites show that I am married to my own mother and live with her. At the same time, many years ago my mother ordered a razor for a son's friend and had it shipped to her own home. Because of that, other data vendors show the son's friend as being married to my mother and living there. Someone with my same name is constantly getting sued in the next county. Attorney referral services frequently send letters to me at my mother's address, thinking I am the defendant and offering representation. I own rental property in the same county as my mother. Although it is registered as being owned by my LLC in a different county, people frequently call my mother asking if it needs repairs. I keep getting solicitation calls on my cellphone for someone whose name I don't recognize. When I did a google search of that person's name and my cellphone number, I found it was erroneously listed in several places on the internet as belonging to that person. Companies who harvest data such as that sell it to people who cold call selling everything from life insurance to solar electricity and now I get this guys calls.

    My point is, that data amassed about individuals is huge, but no one makes an effort to keep it up to date or ensure its accuracy, which can be a real bummer.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    15

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    In this case though is it even legal for them to be sending debt collecting information where they know the person does NOT live?

    I thought debt collecting had to handled be carefully as far as the hard details were concerned. Of course I probably should not have opened it (it was addressed to DIA) but when mail arrives generally I do open it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    24,521

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    I think identity theft is very far down the list of possible reasons.

    Even before the internet and data harvesting companies, things happened. Not everyone knows that the IRS will assist administrators of retirement plans in tracking down lost participants. I didn't either until some twenty years ago I received a letter from the IRS, forwarding information to me from a former employer's retirement plan. The former employer had somehow mistakenly updated my address and was trying to send information to me at an address where I had never lived, in a state which to this day I have never set foot.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    15

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    I guess I'm not stating the question very well. I am not surprised we were linked, I am surprised the people collecting the debt have decided this person now lives at this residence. There is NO data to support it what so ever. I will report back Tuesday and tell you what they say

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    401

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    Quote Quoting nejeff
    View Post
    I guess I'm not stating the question very well. I am not surprised we were linked, I am surprised the people collecting the debt have decided this person now lives at this residence. There is NO data to support it what so ever. I will report back Tuesday and tell you what they say
    They haven't decided that. They're likely taking a shotgun approach and sending the demand letters to every address that the data harvesters have identified as being potentially associated with your son and daughter-in-law. It costs them nothing more than some printer paper and a stamp.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    15

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    Quote Quoting bcr229
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    They haven't decided that. They're likely taking a shotgun approach and sending the demand letters to every address that the data harvesters have identified as being potentially associated with your son and daughter-in-law. It costs them nothing more than some printer paper and a stamp.
    Except that they are potentially sharing confidential account information with people who should not be seeing and/or receiving it. I get your point though, likely you are spot on and they are hoping I pickup a phone and call my DIL and tell her to get her crap together. I took a drive tonight and verified they are still living at the same place they were when the baby was born so the debt collectors have to have their information as it would not have changed.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    California
    Posts
    459

    Default Re: Got a Letter from a Debt Collector Today Addressed to Someone That Does Not Live

    DO NOT CALL THEM. Write on the envelope, NOT AT THIS ADDRESS, RETURN TO SENDER, put it in the mail and send it back.

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