How to Avoid Bill Collectors
Change your address., Use burner telephones., Update your credit report., Limit your online footprint.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Change your address.
Your address is your primary point of contact.
Moving does not alone solve the problem, as you will still be legally responsible for paying your debt back to your creditors.
The goal here is to hide from the collectors who are trying to contact you on behalf of those creditors.
If your new residence is a rental, before you commit to moving make sure the new landlord will not run a credit check (which would alert the credit agencies to your new physical address).
When signing up for utilities, ask the utility companies to use your old address for any credit check they might run.
Obtain a post office box for all your mail.
You will have to give your physical address when you sign up for it, but the post office will not divulge your physical address (without a court order).
Another option is a "private mailbox" (PMB) at a private firm unconnected with the postal system.
One example is "Earth Class Mail." They will provide you with a generic address for your mail, and can even scan your mail for you to read online.
Tell every company you deal with to use your post office box or your PMB.
They may ask for your home address, but you're not obligated to share it. -
Step 2: Use burner telephones.
These relatively cheap phones come with prepaid minutes and require no contract.
Brands like "TracFone" can be purchased at Walgreens, gas stations, and convenience stores.
Get two burners, one for family and friends, and the other for dealing with collectors.
When you feel like you need a break, you have the option of turning off your collector phone.
Again, this does not equate to the debt going away
- you'll still need to pay it. , This is crucial in order to put into effect the previous two steps.
You will need to order a consolidated credit report and then using the contact information on the credit report, contact the three main credit bureaus and update them of your new address and phone number.
You are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months.
You can get that report here: annualcreditreport.com.
This will feed your new information to the bill collectors.
From now on, you should be more in control of how they can get ahold of you. , The internet has greatly expanded collectors' abilities to find personal and contact information.
You should keep a low profile online, and work to take down any information that might identify your whereabouts and lifestyle habits.
Delete of restrict public access to your social media accounts.
Your goal is to keep a low profile and stay anonymous, which is hard if you're documenting your life on social media. -
Step 3: Update your credit report.
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Step 4: Limit your online footprint.
Detailed Guide
Your address is your primary point of contact.
Moving does not alone solve the problem, as you will still be legally responsible for paying your debt back to your creditors.
The goal here is to hide from the collectors who are trying to contact you on behalf of those creditors.
If your new residence is a rental, before you commit to moving make sure the new landlord will not run a credit check (which would alert the credit agencies to your new physical address).
When signing up for utilities, ask the utility companies to use your old address for any credit check they might run.
Obtain a post office box for all your mail.
You will have to give your physical address when you sign up for it, but the post office will not divulge your physical address (without a court order).
Another option is a "private mailbox" (PMB) at a private firm unconnected with the postal system.
One example is "Earth Class Mail." They will provide you with a generic address for your mail, and can even scan your mail for you to read online.
Tell every company you deal with to use your post office box or your PMB.
They may ask for your home address, but you're not obligated to share it.
These relatively cheap phones come with prepaid minutes and require no contract.
Brands like "TracFone" can be purchased at Walgreens, gas stations, and convenience stores.
Get two burners, one for family and friends, and the other for dealing with collectors.
When you feel like you need a break, you have the option of turning off your collector phone.
Again, this does not equate to the debt going away
- you'll still need to pay it. , This is crucial in order to put into effect the previous two steps.
You will need to order a consolidated credit report and then using the contact information on the credit report, contact the three main credit bureaus and update them of your new address and phone number.
You are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months.
You can get that report here: annualcreditreport.com.
This will feed your new information to the bill collectors.
From now on, you should be more in control of how they can get ahold of you. , The internet has greatly expanded collectors' abilities to find personal and contact information.
You should keep a low profile online, and work to take down any information that might identify your whereabouts and lifestyle habits.
Delete of restrict public access to your social media accounts.
Your goal is to keep a low profile and stay anonymous, which is hard if you're documenting your life on social media.
About the Author
Diane Reyes
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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