Debt collection involving CBE Group. Has anyone else run into this?

Hah! I received a call from a debt collection agency 40 years after I graduated from college trying to collect on a loan. I worked my way thru college and paid cash each semester with no loans. I told the guy good luck and hung up.

I just got an email concerning a debt in Fla for Spectrum cable. I have lived in NJ since I was born. They found me because they searched the debtor's name and found one that matched. I looked them up and seems its a legit Collection Agency but I still won't respond. Anyone can use a companies letterhead in an email.

If this is not a scam—
Firms such as these assume collection in exchange for low percentage commissions after recovering debt that had been allocated as a probable business loss/write off.

One last thing to consider - if you haven’t done so, organize your aunt’s prior tax records and/or try to figure out whether she hired help from tax professionals.

DO NOT talk to them on the phone. Several years ago an insurance company called about life insurance for our home loan. After talking to them about their offer, I hung up. About a month later we had charges on our home loan for a life insurance policy. When we challenged the charges, they played back an edited recording of the call and using my voice from the call made it sound like I agreed to the charges. They were slick. I am dealing with debt from a family member who is in a nursing home. Do not take any phone calls. Deal with it in only in writing. Don't give your aunt's address because then the mail goes there and might get lost. If it is a legitimate issue, send a letter stating that the family member is in a nursing home and there are no funds available. Send it back to the company certified mail so you know that the company received it and had to sign for it. Keep copies of everything.

Call CBE and find out what they want.
I imagine it has to do with the sell of her home.

If you answer the phone and its the entity - they need to send out documentation of what the debt clearly was. Give them little to no information.

If it was IRS you should be able to contact them to see if there is anything outstanding. Maybe she was required to file and never did. IRS will send notice of non-filing of taxes to last known address. After a time, if no response, the IRS will figure out her taxes but of course with only standard/old deduction and personal exemption but nothing else and could have a tax debt based on IRS calculations. If that is the case LO will need to file and would be able to take any other eligible deductions not known to IRS. If over, I believe 3 years she won't be able to get any refund but if owes will owe original debt plus int and penalities.

I now file for mom, she makes just enough that she is required to file a tax return.

Hang up. It's a scam call They are hoping you will answer and give them personal information about your aunt.

DO NOT.

Rascal12: Imho, the call was no doubt a scam.

You know the best thing to do so you are safe, don't pick up any calls you don't know the phone number and/or the name. Let it go to VM. Don't return the call. If they know the phone#, they know the address. Very easy to find on the internet. Let them find you.
But Mom only lived with u a yr right? So if its a legit debt, they would have her old ph# and address. Its very easy to see on-line who is living in ur home. It may list Mom and age.

"How Long Can a Debt Collector Pursue an Old Debt? Each state has a law referred to as a statute of limitations that spells out the time period during which a creditor or collector may sue borrowers to collect debts. In most states, they run between four and six years after the last payment was made on the debt.Jun 3, 2021"

In my State of NJ its 6 years.

assume 99.9% of all calls are scams. If you happen to answer and they ask for money or info, tell them to mail all requests and info to the last known address they had on file for her. More often than not, they are going to ask you to tell them her last known address/phone number, etc. Scam. They make a call to your phone number just by robo dialing. One number after another until they hit pay dirt.

Never offer any info at all. If they know your phone number and ever had an acct with her, they know where to mail a letter. Hang up.

I started getting calls for my father. I told them he was deceased. The calls stopped.

No agency can touch you for someone else's debt. Ignore them.

As for this being an old debt, there is a statute of limitation on collections. It varies from state to state and can be from 3 to 20 years. It is easy to look up. If they bought the debt as suggested, they will have the information on how it was originally accrued. If they don't its probably a scam.

Is there another relative with a similar name? My father, who was very careful with money, used to get calls from bill collectors for debts incurred by a family member with the same first name, who lived many states away.

If you are going to answer the call and I understand the desire to make sure things are cleared up, be very careful with your words. I would be very brief; Them: “is this …” You “no” T “ May I speak with…” “no, she is no longer at this number” T “where can we reach her…important business matter…” “she is in a nursing home send the details in writing to the address you have for her”. If they are legit with a legit debt they are likely used to people mistrusting them so being short and not unfriendly but not friendly either shouldn’t offend them. It is hard in conversation to stop yourself from offering the words that trigger more harassment from scammers so don’t use normal conversational exchange, for me this includes asking questions. If I’m going to ask the questions I want to be the one to call them and that requires knowing who “they” are and their legitimacy, it’s a shame we have to be so suspicious of everything these days.

You said "we received a call", but you haven't explained whether you answered and actually talked to someone, or you didn't - - so which is it ???

Hopefully, you monitor your calls. Don't pick up and don't talk to them. If they are legitimate, THEY actually shouldn't even talk to YOU unless you prove your POA, and that's already giving them MORE information than they should have.

There CAN be OLD debts that have fallen through the cracks. But for most debts, there is a 3-year statute of limitations. But sadly, the SoL is only what's called an "affirmative defense", which means it can only used if you end up in court.

The worst thing is if they can catch you inadvertently "confirming the debt", that cancels the SoL time period, and starts the clock ticking from zero-point again.

If they are completely legitimate, you will receive something in the mail and you would then be asking a different set of questions at that point. In the meantime, ignore them and their calls !!!

Ignore. Do not answer. Do not answer. Do not answer. Do not answer.

Phone call is usually a scam. Scams are EVERYWHERE.

CBE group is a legal entity who collect on behalf of IRS, utilities etc. However they have a reputation in some quarters for harassment over debts, and pushing people to pay because their letters look official. Phone them up and tell them Aunt is no longer with you, and please to put all details in writing and you will take it to the nursing home. Don't give them Aunt's address as then she will get letters from them and get stressed out. It could be a very small debt from many years ago - a change of utility supplier or something that left a small balance and is long forgotten. They make their money by chasing these small amounts and hoping people will just pay them to go away, but insist on having all details in writing or by email and see what turns up.

There are many scams out there that claim it is debt. How would they have gotten your number? Is it a robo call? Did you Google CBE group to see if there is such a business involved in collection of old debts? If this is a debt, it could be 10, 20, 50 years old or more! They prey on honest people hoping they will do the right thing without questioning the motive.

To those who recommend answering the incoming calls, or calling them, I can't emphasize enough the potential dangers in doing this, which is why I recommend that contact be ONLY in writing.

What is said may or may not be recorded and used as you've said it.  I.e., I've read that some debt collectors record and "alter" the conversation, to alter/modify  it so that the individual called appears to have admitted to owing the debt.

I'm not sophisticated enough to know how to record and alter calls, but the articles I've read indicate this can and has been done.

And even if you take notes, which I do, it's hard to take the whole conversation, even in shorthand.  

This is the time to document, document, and document, and all in writing.

Your Aunt lived with you long enough that you would have received any bills that needed paying. I would not pick up the phone. Let them send a letter with the details then you have time to research. If they have ur phone number, they have your address. You could look up the phone number on the internet and see if its legit. Sometimes it will come up it has been reported as a scam.

I received a call for Mom. I asked what invoices were involved, they did not have that info because they had bought the debt. But they did know who the debt was with so I called that doctor. Turns out they had made an error on the first billing showing the invoices but saying 2 were still pending insurance. This was not true, the billing office had put the bills in the wrong column. I paid the balance on the bill but still owed $30 more dollars. I was never sent a second statement, it was just sent to collections.

Thank you!! We'll see if they call again and then I'll ask THEM the questions.

Calls about collecting unpaid debt are often a scam. I had so many I stopped answering calls from unknown numbers.

Internet search on "CBE Group telephone phishing scam" turns up several hits.

If you decide to respond, I think you should look up the published phone number for CBE Group yourself, instead of returning calls to an unverified number in caller ID or left on a voice mail. Tell them you want the information in writing, by US Mail.

Are you saying you didn't actually answer the call to find out what it was about? Wait for them to call back and then answer and ask them what their collection is about, and make sure you get specifics from them, not just that they purchased the debt from the original creditor. It may be a legitimate collection request. Don't give out any sensitive info to them, let them come up with all the necessary info for you, which they should have. Then request a hardcopy sent in the mail.