I never answer the house phone anymore since we just dont use it. In fact I dont think it's been off the hook in 4 or 5 years. But this morning it lit up and being as I was still zombified/mostly asleep I blindly grabbed it.
The slick bastard said Hi Chris how are you doing. Still groggy and thinking it was a family member or friend I responded in kind and they said I need to talk to you about a hospital stay from 1992. Dafuq? I say now waking up I said who is this. They proceeded to tell me that while in the hospital for back surgery with Dr... you had an unpaid balance of 1500 dollars. They got the hospital, date and Drs name correct.
Being unprepared to repel boarders I didnt have access to the air horn i use in instances like this so I stalled for time while I looked for it. I mean they deserve a terminal case of tinnitus for this crap right? I asked who this was and they gave a name like rj2 recovery services, sounded like that anyways.
Pissed that I cant find my air horn I asked where to send the check to and dont give me a Ugandan address either. Of course they would be happy to take it over the phone. I laughed and said you're smarter than you sound but let me tell you where you screwed up. First you called on the weekend, 2nd your trying to collect a debt from almost 30 years ago which you cant do and as such you have no leverage to compel payment as you cant sue me or ding my credit and thirdly...this is the really important part...that Dr died 12 years ago, the hospital was torn down probably 15 years ago and a new medical center is there now, the entity that owned it has changed hands a dozen times and my employer provided insc that was all but 100 percent full coverage with only 50 bucks copays for a surgery like that. Add to that I've never had an outstanding or unpaid bill in my life and you failed spectacularly in you planning stages. I said did you miss that day the the Ugandan school of internet and phone scams for dummies?
He stammered out, that the police were on their way to serve a debt lein and debtor arrest warrant. I said now your not even trying and where did your American accent go, you sound brittish now.
He hung up I blocked the number, spoofed probably, with a Wyoming prefix. So I guess it was more of a fishing call/scam but I wonder how he got the info he did and my number in Texas since the dr and surgery was in Scottsdale AZ. That was pre internet and computerized medical records and I wouldnt even know how to get them.
Maybe a data breech from a DR/surgeon in Texas who scanned copies of that info into a chart here?
I guess nothing's safe anymore.
.
The slick bastard said Hi Chris how are you doing. Still groggy and thinking it was a family member or friend I responded in kind and they said I need to talk to you about a hospital stay from 1992. Dafuq? I say now waking up I said who is this. They proceeded to tell me that while in the hospital for back surgery with Dr... you had an unpaid balance of 1500 dollars. They got the hospital, date and Drs name correct.
Being unprepared to repel boarders I didnt have access to the air horn i use in instances like this so I stalled for time while I looked for it. I mean they deserve a terminal case of tinnitus for this crap right? I asked who this was and they gave a name like rj2 recovery services, sounded like that anyways.
Pissed that I cant find my air horn I asked where to send the check to and dont give me a Ugandan address either. Of course they would be happy to take it over the phone. I laughed and said you're smarter than you sound but let me tell you where you screwed up. First you called on the weekend, 2nd your trying to collect a debt from almost 30 years ago which you cant do and as such you have no leverage to compel payment as you cant sue me or ding my credit and thirdly...this is the really important part...that Dr died 12 years ago, the hospital was torn down probably 15 years ago and a new medical center is there now, the entity that owned it has changed hands a dozen times and my employer provided insc that was all but 100 percent full coverage with only 50 bucks copays for a surgery like that. Add to that I've never had an outstanding or unpaid bill in my life and you failed spectacularly in you planning stages. I said did you miss that day the the Ugandan school of internet and phone scams for dummies?
He stammered out, that the police were on their way to serve a debt lein and debtor arrest warrant. I said now your not even trying and where did your American accent go, you sound brittish now.
He hung up I blocked the number, spoofed probably, with a Wyoming prefix. So I guess it was more of a fishing call/scam but I wonder how he got the info he did and my number in Texas since the dr and surgery was in Scottsdale AZ. That was pre internet and computerized medical records and I wouldnt even know how to get them.
Maybe a data breech from a DR/surgeon in Texas who scanned copies of that info into a chart here?
I guess nothing's safe anymore.
.