Bill Collectors and Free Social Networking Sites, oh my...
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
United States
September 9, 2010 9:04am CST
Hot Off The Press!! Oh my I was listening to the news today and to my surprise a new strategy Bill Collectors are utilizing to track you down when you have old debts.
Imagine finally landing a brand new job and possibly earning 1/2 of what you use to earn. Out of excitement you log on to one or all of your free social networking sites to update your new employer information, telephone number, address and great daily happenings. As soon as you arrive at home to find well over 50 messages from the not so nice collection agency who tracked you down with the very information you publicly displayed on your profile page.
Imagine trying to buy a house and as you are bursting out of your seams you post the information on your wall for all your friends to see. Well all this information is being viewed by the not so nice collection agency you thought you no longer had to worry about as now your contract will not be honored as the bill collector must be paid first. Oh my...
We all should know about the potential dangers by displaying way too much information, yet some still do it and guess what, you are literally giving the collectors avid proof of great happenings that they actually utilize against you in court to obtain a judgment and or wage garnishment as they will have printed the wonderful things you posted on your profile page. According to the news the bill collectors are posing as a friend and now has access not only to all your personal information but to all your acquaintances who will freely give out your information as the bill collector utilized a made up real person's name and now your friend wants to friend them too.
So a quick tip that perhaps the private button should be used more often or just not post direct information as your wonderful happy moments will now be a very unhappy time in your life. Oh my...
3 people like this
6 responses
@aurorastorm (1131)
• United States
9 Sep 10
This is just horrible. Most people would never realize this and you are right a lot of people do not use the privacy button or even know how to use this. Bill collectors are very savvy these days, act like your friend when they harass you.
1 person likes this
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
9 Sep 10
Girl I know what you mean I just dealt with four straight wonderful ugly ones calling me to collect.
We really have to be extra careful as we never know who is watching.
• United States
22 Sep 13
@hardworkinggurl - Bill collectors used to call me all the time but now I only get about one or two calls a week. I don't mind bill collectors really. It's just the very rude ones that don't understand when you tell them that you don't have the money.
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
21 Jul 11
Personally this is Sad to think anymore you cannot post anything on Facebook that is personal or it could be in turn used against you later on. I know that when posting things on there, unless in a personal message I never share there what I share on here. Eventually I am wanting to get a better job, and feel the less others know on there that is posted, the Better off I will be.
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
23 Jul 11
Wow!! Looking on Careerbuilders.com to see if their employees are thinking about leaving, and then reprimanding them? Is this even legal? I know I have my resume posted on both Monster.com and Careerbuilders.com etc. My boss is aware before all the recent health issues I was looking for a New job. Now just taking some time to get my Health in order, and then I will really start looking again.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
15 Aug 11
Oh yes it happened in my sisters office and a person got fired. In fact while her employer was looking he noticed an old one my sister had on there. Due to his st@pidity he began grilling her when she told him to check how old that was.
They are all stricken from using certain sites now at her job. I think that an employer can get away with it as they will make up excuses the the employee is no good and fire them instead of saying whey they fired them in actuality.
According to the Labor Law here an employer has the right to fire anyone, of course there are some exclusions but looking for another job in hiding without informing a boss in the labor law eyes is that one is going to leave the employer without after one leaves so they stand up here in this type of case for the employer, sadly.
Sad because some employers give no fore warning about firing so not sure why an employee looking to leave is any different. 
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
21 Jul 11
Yeah it is another avenue for companies to get a first impression from prospective employees. I have heard about employers looking on sites like careerbuilders to scope and see if their employees are planning on leaving. I have heard employees being reprimanded for doing so.
Technology today is convenient but also has it's disadvantages also. I am with you on not posting anything we post here on facebook. lol
1 person likes this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
19 Oct 10
Interesting new strategy by those lovely bill collectors. This is one of those things that urks me why people show their DOB's, maiden names, current city, hometown ect.
I would like to know how they know who you'll accept as a
"friend" especially if you have privacy settings on ect. I know I don't accept friends thru games unless they are on my friends list already. Though I know someone who does whom has acquired over 1000 friends! That's 1000 people too many this person probably never met.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
19 Oct 10
See you and I do not but many on facebook do. Some people have the need to display they have x high number of friends as if it to show off. As really why would we instantly chat on Facebook with people we just do not know.
It is not like they are getting paid or even care, they just want to show off the hey look I have such and such number of friends. Little do they know that the whole world like bill collectors are looking in.
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
11 Sep 10
Hi ya hardworkinggurl
Ok the first thing I would say is that I have little sympathy for those who post all their private information on such sites and also if you pay your bills then you have nothing to worry about they are only trying to get back what is owed to their clients and they are entitled to do so. What I don't agree with is them falsly posing as a friend that is very wrong. If you freely post your personal information like your email address and work information then they can communcate with you and work out some kind of repayment.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
16 Oct 10
myLot is not always good about alerting us that we have responders to started discussions after so many participants. Just looked back at this one and notice you had responded.
I like to be informative so that us hard working earners can always be on the look out for scamming folks.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
13 Sep 10
Absolutely I agree that people should pay their bills, but what about the people who as bad luck might have it just cannot?
I believe in being private not so much to hide of bill collectors just putting too much information out in cyberspace leads to dangerous situations.
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
10 Sep 10
Leave it to the debt collectors to find a new way to track you down! That is awful! I make sure that I don't put any identifying information on FB - atleast not employment information. I tell my kids not to even put the exact town we live in. They list the closest big city. Another bad thing is that a lot of employers are doing credit reports, which would list your current info. and I am sure that collectors can gain information that way.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
10 Sep 10
Absolutely, while we are getting smarter in protecting our information, so many businesses today are gainfully exposing us to the entire world making us vulnerable to hackers and scammers.
We have continue to protect and search what is out exposed in cyber today as each day more and more is listed for the world to view.
Be blessed!
• United States
22 Sep 13
Yes, its terrible. I blogged about this exact same thing in a recent article entitled "Facebook Bill Collectors." That is why I never accept friend requests from anyone that I do not know.
