Mrs Bridges
Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maine
My sister and I live in the same city, but we are not close, and rarely speak due to her having borderline personality disorder. One of the symptoms of BPD is uncontrollable, unprovoked rages. This makes it very hard for anyone to sustain a relationship with someone who suffers from this disorder.
A while back, in desperation, my brother-in-law shared with me that my sister was talking about suicide all the time (another symptom), and that they were in financial trouble and he might have to declare bankruptcy. Like I said, we are not close, and I have heard nothing else since. He did tell me that they have their land line phone permanently off the hook so that debt collectors cannot reach them. I kinda wonder why they don't just have their phone disconnected, rather than paying a monthly fee for a busy signal, but, hey, it's NOMB. Anyway, I just checked, and you still get a busy signal when you call their land line, and it has been this way for at least 18 months.
Yesterday my husband got a call on OUR land line from a woman asking to speak with my sister. He said, "She doesn't live here." The woman said, "Do you know her?" My husband replied, "Yes, she is my sister-in-law, but she doesn't live here, and we don't ever see her." The woman continued, "Would you be able to get a message to her?" My husband said, "Yes, I guess I could do that." She said, "Please tell her to get in touch with Capital One at (phone #), and this is NOT a marketing call, it is BUSINESS!!!" My husband said the woman sounded extremely aggravated. So my husband called my brother-in-law's cell phone, and gave him the message. My sister has a cell phone, but I'm not sure where the number is, and she doesn't answer it anyway. A while back, my BIL told me not to call my sister, or to give her number out to anyone (not even doctors on behalf of our elderly mother), but just to use his cell phone number.
So my question is: Is it illegal for folks like Capital One to be calling my house? My husband and I have excellent credit, and I don't want anything to do with this. How would they have gotten my phone number in looking for my sister? Are there databases out there that show we are related?
Can I say anything to stop these kinds of calls, or do we just have to suffer through them / hang up? Will it hurt our credit if we hang up on them?
I'm sure that my husband and I are not the first couple to have this happen to them, so I will appreciate whatever knowledge you can pass on to us.
My sister and I live in the same city, but we are not close, and rarely speak due to her having borderline personality disorder. One of the symptoms of BPD is uncontrollable, unprovoked rages. This makes it very hard for anyone to sustain a relationship with someone who suffers from this disorder.
A while back, in desperation, my brother-in-law shared with me that my sister was talking about suicide all the time (another symptom), and that they were in financial trouble and he might have to declare bankruptcy. Like I said, we are not close, and I have heard nothing else since. He did tell me that they have their land line phone permanently off the hook so that debt collectors cannot reach them. I kinda wonder why they don't just have their phone disconnected, rather than paying a monthly fee for a busy signal, but, hey, it's NOMB. Anyway, I just checked, and you still get a busy signal when you call their land line, and it has been this way for at least 18 months.
Yesterday my husband got a call on OUR land line from a woman asking to speak with my sister. He said, "She doesn't live here." The woman said, "Do you know her?" My husband replied, "Yes, she is my sister-in-law, but she doesn't live here, and we don't ever see her." The woman continued, "Would you be able to get a message to her?" My husband said, "Yes, I guess I could do that." She said, "Please tell her to get in touch with Capital One at (phone #), and this is NOT a marketing call, it is BUSINESS!!!" My husband said the woman sounded extremely aggravated. So my husband called my brother-in-law's cell phone, and gave him the message. My sister has a cell phone, but I'm not sure where the number is, and she doesn't answer it anyway. A while back, my BIL told me not to call my sister, or to give her number out to anyone (not even doctors on behalf of our elderly mother), but just to use his cell phone number.
So my question is: Is it illegal for folks like Capital One to be calling my house? My husband and I have excellent credit, and I don't want anything to do with this. How would they have gotten my phone number in looking for my sister? Are there databases out there that show we are related?
Can I say anything to stop these kinds of calls, or do we just have to suffer through them / hang up? Will it hurt our credit if we hang up on them?
I'm sure that my husband and I are not the first couple to have this happen to them, so I will appreciate whatever knowledge you can pass on to us.
