The Fake "Answering Service" Trick

Debt collectors do all sorts of sneaky things, they pretend to be law firms, child protective services, the police and long lost friends.

The problem with this is they have to follow the law.

There is no law keeping you from lying to or deceiving a debt collector.

If you have caller id (and who doesn't these days?) use it to see if an incoming call is from a known debt collector number or an unknown number.

You also need to know that the phone call is the debt collector's favorite method. Well, you are about to remove that option!

When you get one of these calls, answer your phone with the last four digits of the number:

(phone rings)

YOU: One seven four two

THEM: Hello, Bill?

YOU: One seven four two, can I help you?

THEM: Yes, Bill Smith please.

YOU: This is the answering service.

THEM: Did I reach two two two, eight eight eight, one seven four two?

YOU: Yes, this is the answering service.

THEM: OK, I need to speak to Bill Smith.

YOU: This is the answering service.

THEM: OK, can I leave a message?

YOU: Certainly. What is your code, please?

THEM: Code?

YOU: Yes, code, a code is required to leave messages at this number.

THEM: Well, I don't have that.

YOU: Sorry, a code is required.

THEM: Well, can you tell me, did I reach 2831 Elm Street, Springfield, OH?

YOU: I don't know, this is the answering service.

THEM: I really need to reach Bill, is he at this number?

YOU: I cannot confirm anything else without your code.

THEM: But this is important, let me speak to your supervisor.

YOU: Sorry, no supervisor is available at this location.

THEM: Look, let me talk to Bill.

YOU: If you cannot provide your code, I must terminate this call. Please do not call back without it.

THEM: You can't give me anything else?

YOU: No, I cannot. Now I must terminate this call.

(click)

If they call back, just let it ring.

You can have some fun with this. You can be very snotty and arrogant. You can sound bored. You can act just a little odd.

Eventually they will figure out that they either can't "get past" the answering service or that they have the wrong number.

If they call back and "phish" for the code, demand to speak to THEIR supervisor.

Tell the "supervisor" this is a serious matter and that the calls must stop or you will report them for attempted fraud. If you really want to push things, demand that the "supervisor" provide the company's full name, their full name, and contact phone number. Tell the "supervisor" you are going to have to file a report with "security" who may be going to the local police.

If all of this sounds like a bit of work, it is. But, since debt collectors will use the phone to harass you, you can take this away from them. They may even decide that the account is too much trouble, and go on to something else. Don't forget-collectors' time is monitored VERY closely. They will not want to spend a lot of it dealing with the "answering service" and the requirement for a "code"-they want someone they can harass and berate, there and now!

If you really want to have "fun" with them (and the objective is not fun, but making them leave you alone) is to ask them a very odd "security question" for which there is no right answer (it won't be in their file, and it won't be in Google). Make up your own, but you might want to use something like "what is the simplest form of the Dirac formula for the gravitational constant" and it is almost guaranteed they will hang up.

Of course, if they call back, tell them the questions are chosen at random!

Enjoy!