Stop calling me...

[myrrh]

About five months ago I started a new position with the state. I inherited a phone number from a guy who retired before I started, who I'll call John Smith. Recently I've gotten several messages stating that this is a debt collection call from MediCredit Incorporated and that (dead air space) owes a debt and to call this number. There was one message where they said "S John" owes a debt and to call this number. 

Is it worth trying to call and tell them I don't know this person, don't know how to get in touch with him, and that this is a work number for a state agency and not to call again? It would be nice to get the messages to stop. On the other hand it's not that much work to just delete the messages, and I'm not sure I want to open myself to more harassing phone calls.

[tloonya]

Its been about 5 years when people were looking for Garry Williams calling my number. Once I have gotten his ex MIL who wanted Garry on the phone because he doesn't help his children. It took me a while to explain it to her that
1. I am not Garry
2. I am not Garry's wife
3. I do not know Garry
4. I will never see Garry to give him her message
5. I have inherited this phone number...
6. I have not inherited this number from Garry
7. It is not Garry's phone, I had purchased it and he never gifted it to me
oy, vey! I do not even remember all things she asked. 

[Chocolate Lover]

Be snotty, it's what they expect from a government office  Mr. Smith no longer works here don't call again, I have no idea how to get in touch with him. Then again, I was actually getting these calls and not voice mails. 

I love the calls from Google. 

[alabamagal]

If I answered the phone I would tell them it is not his number.  I would return a call.

When DS was 13 and got a cell phone he used to get lots of calls for previous owner of the number.  But even when you told them not to call any more it didn't work.  Lasted maybe 3 or 4 years....

[Chocolate Lover]

Oct 27, 2014 11:11:57 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

If I answered the phone I would tell them it is not his number.  I would return a call.

When DS was 13 and got a cell phone he used to get lots of calls for previous owner of the number.  But even when you told them not to call any more it didn't work.  Lasted maybe 3 or 4 years....

My cure for the calls to my son's cell when he first got it was to answer in an annoyed voice, tell them that person no longer has the number it now belongs to a minor child and to lose it.  If they called back, I added them to the blocked list of numbers. I think I could use 10 then, IDK what you could do now. 

[mmhmm]

Could you, perhaps, give a call to your Human Resources department and tell them what's happening? They may have the best chance of dealing with the problem effectively.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Is it worth trying to call and tell them I don't know this person, don't know how to get in touch with him, and that this is a work number for a state agency and not to call again? It would be nice to get the messages to stop. On the other hand it's not that much work to just delete the messages, and I'm not sure I want to open myself to more harassing phone calls.


I do, and it's always worked for me in the past.  The worst time I had was when someone from the collection agency insisted that someone else lived in my apartment and took out a loan using my phone number.  I gave them the number of my apartment complex management office and told them to ask them how many people are living in my apartment.  That was the last time I got a call from them.  YMMV.

[justme]

I'm the only one that's ever had my number (yup, first and only cell # still) and I still get probably one call a month from people looking for someone else.

As for collection agencies, call back or answer and say that the phone number does not belong to them and if they continue to call you'll report them. Even better if they leave a name on the vm, I'm pretty sure that's still illegal so I would mention that. Got them to stop calling for my bro years after he moved out.

[cael]

When I got my cell phone 13 years ago, I would get occasional calls for a Michael. I just politely told them the number was someone else's now, and people were fine. Then about a year later, I got a call for Michael from a NJ number (recognized the area code) and it sounded like an older woman, who was dismayed it wasn't his number. I told her I'd been getting calls for a while, and she said this guy had been in prison and was now out, and apparently people were trying to contact him! I told her to check the number though... after realizing it was NJ numbers calling for him, I told her the area code may be wrong. My area code is 978, and NJ has both 973 and 908. Never got any more calls for him.

The last few years I've gotten several wrong numbers from Spanish people... they just start speaking Spanish when I answer then realize when I don't respond that I'm not who they were looking for... lol

[busymom]

I think it's worth calling back & telling them they're calling the wrong number. Collectors call off of lists. Otherwise, they'll keep on trying back.

[Bonny]

When we moved to AZ we kept getting calls for a woman who had gone AWOL from the Military.

Those folks were probably the scariest people I've had to deal with. They were VERY insistent and convinced we must have been hiding her.

[trippypea]

When I switched to a new cell phone I couldn't port my old number. Immediately I started getting debt collection calls for a dude who's car was apparently getting repossessed. In the two weeks I kept that number, I got more calls for him than for me. I asked for a new number. I rarely get any wrong numbers on my 2nd number, though recently, I did have a pizza place call and want to know why I ordered and didn't pick up my food. Never heard of the place, the town wasn't mine, etc. They were calling back the number on the caller ID, I suppose, or the number the person left (Jessica). I told them that's not me and I had no idea how they got my number, but it is easy to spoof numbers. I don't see the point to fake a pizza pick up though.

I get a ton of 'scam' phone calls on my landline. I got one last week from a very Indian sounding fellow with a very American name telling me that I, or my attorney, need to call back immediately for a matter most urgent, and if he didn't hear from me, or my attorney either, all he could wish me was to get luck, as the situation badly unfolds on us. It was one of those IRS scams. I also, apparently, have won a lot of free cruises...

[Peace Of Mind]

The first 7? years living here with this number we kept getting the strangest phone calls all hours of the day and night.  We couldn't figure out who they were trying to call and the messages were all over the place.  They'd complain that nobody was there and they were all waiting outside.  How come the gas was shut off or not working?   Were we hiring or how come we didn't call them back.   The coffee was burnt and tasted horrible or they wanted to talk to management.  If I answered the phone I'd get yelled at when I said they had the wrong number and they'd argue that they were calling the correct number.  When they repeated it I kept telling them it was MY number and it was posted wrong but they just thought I was hiding in the store and didn't want to deal with them.  

Finally some cops called me about our alarm going off but nobody was there so they were calling the number posted on the door.  Huh?   When I called the cops back they told me our phone number was posted at the Kangaroo store up the street that had one number different than ours and that's why we were getting these odd calls.  They finally fixed it. 

No more crazy calls.  For them any way. 

[swamp]

I keep getting calls at my new office number from the Walmart Pharmacy. My prescriptions are ready. But I don't go to Walmart pharmacy.

[lexxy703]

Oct 27, 2014 15:11:45 GMT -5 swamp said:

I keep getting calls at my new office number from the Walmart Pharmacy. My prescriptions are ready. But I don't go to Walmart pharmacy.

That is odd. My coworker just got the same call 2 weeks ago at the office. She doesn't use Walmart either.

I keep getting one at home that says charity on the ID. The robo voice talks to the answering machine. Lexxy are you there? Hello, Lexxy pick up. Then it hangs up.

[sesfw]

My brother uses my cell # for reference when he buys something. They call me when he doesn't finish paying for it. I even had one lady tell me I co-signed with an electronic signature. I was not very nice when I told her I hadn't done that.

Other than that I get wrong numbers from Spanish speaking people and I just hang up.

[Chocolate Lover]

Some guy left me a couple of messages about some SUV I had for sale, except I've never owned an SUV  I never did call him back. I think he forgot to pay attention to his area codes.

[Abby Normal]

Oct 27, 2014 14:04:30 GMT -5 trippypea said:

I get a ton of 'scam' phone calls on my landline. I got one last week from a very Indian sounding fellow with a very American name telling me that I, or my attorney, need to call back immediately for a matter most urgent, and if he didn't hear from me, or my attorney either, all he could wish me was to get luck, as the situation badly unfolds on us. 

We got that one about two weeks ago.  They claimed to be the DOJ and it involved a which needed to be address prior to issuing a warrant. DS happened to find the message when he got home from school and it freaked him out. I took him through the message and pointed out all the flaws.  Now he is wiser.