A namesake has become a victim of relentless debt collection efforts for bills owed by an individual with the same name, raising concerns about privacy breaches and the effectiveness of debt collection practices. Over the last ten years, this one person has received continuous letters from different debt collection agents. These agents attempt to collect on debts associated with payday loan companies and a telecommunications provider, despite this individual having no connection to either.
And then things blew up. When they tried to collect, a collection agent disclosed the namesake’s information, which violated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This unexpected disclosure sheds light on rampant privacy infringements within the debt collection industry. Her namesake found herself caught in a never-ending loop of persecution. They were subject to harassment for repayment on debts that didn’t belong to them.
Throughout the years, our namesake has been inundated with correspondence. Over a half a dozen debt collection agencies have doggedly pursued people on debts that aren’t even theirs. Most letters threaten future bailiff visits and/or legal action, compounding the nightmare with threats. One of these objection letters even estimated that the namesake currently owes £146 to a telecoms company they’ve never used.
One debt collector offered them a promise of relief, and one caller wasn’t going to let the promise go unheard. Within a month, the harassment began again. We know that debt collectors can be confusing and inconsistent in their communications. One company falls silent, only for another to emerge, all while producing a nonstop, teeth-clenching cycle of fear and uncertainty.
The namesake was served with payment demands from creditors to whom they have never done business with. In one example, the name collector guessed that the debtor was a former romantic partner of the namesake. As a result, they were instructed to separate their accounts from this supposed deadbeat.
This situation poses significant questions. Americans are demanding transparency around the practices these debt collection agencies employ, and what their obligations should be to the people they falsely accuse.
“to do everything we can to help you get to a better place” – CRS Recovery’s website.
This one-shot hoopla is typical of the feigned promises that debt collection agencies make when promising to be supportive and customer-friendly. For the namesake, these assurances have rung hollow, as they still fight against unjust calls on payment.
The continued harassment raises important questions about the limits of consumers’ rights. It brings debt collectors accountability to ensure they can back up their claims before pursuing an individual. Second, the GDPR breach demonstrates the critical need for stronger industry standards. We need to do more than that; we need to prevent consumers from finding themselves in the same situation going forward.