Should I help a collection agency?

[TwixVoy]

I used to have a room mate a few years ago. She basically was a bum/user/con artist (no other way to put it).

She damaged our apartment intentionally before she left leaving me with the bill, and would not even pay half of it.

I still had contact with her after that, and turns out she applied for a credit card and used MY ADDRESS. (my new address in which she NEVER lived at) I figure she must have changed the address on her credit card before it went to collection probably so they would go after someone else instead of her.

So yesterday I started getting harassing phone calls from a collection agency. Apparently she stiffed the credit card company for over $1000. (she has a history of doing this)

Anyway this HIGHLY annoys me that she used my address and now I am getting harassed by a collection agency for her debt. Even though I told them I am not her, they still think she lives her and keep calling wanting to talk to her. I have nothing more to do with her at all, but they don't believe that.

I am preparing a letter to the collection agency telling them she has NEVER LIVED HERE, and to stop harassing me.

However, I am considering adding this line to the letter

"I understand that because she used my address you may have trouble locating her. I also understand that she has a history of getting loans and never paying them back. So it may be of use to you for me to provide her current contact information which is:"

Would I be wrong to include that? She literally IS a con artist. She has literally used peoples identity before for loans with out their conesnt. I am surprised she is not in jail yet.

[XemaSab]

1. Why not?

If she wants to evade their harassing phone calls, God bless her.

[Texasgal]

2. Wow!

You really enjoy talking about credit issues don't you?

[TwixVoy]

6. I sure do

Because I have experienced issues with it so much in my life! And once you are in the system you hear about it in one way or another even long after the situation SHOULD be resolved.

[AlCzervik]

3. i'm sure the collection agency has seen her credit report so they already know she doesn't

pay her bills.

[Wapsie B]

4. I'd even be tempted to ask the collection agency

what it would be worth to them if you could assist them in nailing her for good?

[npk]

5. I would

If you don't they will just keep harassing you. No other way around it.

[skygazer]

7. I have no love for con artists but I have just as little for collection agencies

I would write the letter telling them to stop harassing you and leave it at that. Chances are very good that they are sending things out to every known address she's had, including whatever one she received the card at.

Or if you really want to give them her address, just do it without embellishment. They don't care if she used your address or if it was hers at one time, and they know darn well what her credit history is.

[S n o w b a l l]

8. No...

tell them she doesn't live there and to never call you again and to remove your contact info from their lists.
It shouldn't even take a letter. By law, if you tell them to not call you, they can't. If they don't, threaten to report them.

Stay out of it. It's between her and them.

[baldguy]

9. Karma - what goes around, comes around.

[mwooldri]

10. I'd be quoting the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act right now...

Check out fair-debt-collection.com - they give tips as to what to do.

As for your circumstance, a carefully worded letter, and yes, giving them the location of your dead beat ex-roommate would be OK. In fact, if you do that, they legally can't contact you again unless they can prove in good faith that you lied to them in providing the location of your ex-roommate, or that you owe the debt instead.

Good luck,

Mark.

[NJmaverick]

11. Hey make her pay the money she owes

tell them where they can find the useless dead beat.