does anyone have companies call you about your neighbors???

[old fashioned]

This has happened to us 3 or 4 times in the last year or so. I don't know who the companies are for sure, probably bill collectors, but I'm always shocked and suprised there aren't any laws against this.
Here is an example of a call......
caller-hi, I'm calling from XXX wondering if you know you're neighbors (name) at (address). Do you know them or of them? Can you......at this point, I usually tell them not to call me anymore and hang up. I always figure, if you want them then you contact them but don't go thru me to get them. I don't tell the caller anything about the neighbor or whether I know them or not or anything.

Has anyone had this happen before and/or know what I can do to stop it? Is this even legal? Any info would help to understand it better.

 

[Beekissed]

Some companies do an extensive background check on their employees....particularly govt. employees. These folks sign a consent form for this and it is a condition of their employment or continued employment.

My son just had one done on him, as he is learning classified information about the army's bomb systems. It's no big deal, if somewhat invasive. They ask some pretty personal questions of mere acquaintances.

 

[miss_thenorth]

In Canada, companies can not call anyone without consent. and usually when consent is given, the person used as a reference is notified. I do believe there are laws about this.

bill collectors, otoh, are unethical, so I wouldn't put it past them. Next time they call, I would get their company info, phone number, the callers id number, and tell them you are going to call the cops on
them. I;m sure there are laws about this, but who knows nd I;m sure bill collectors don't care. I sure would be upset if I got calls like that too.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I have both had call made about me and received calls like this- but I let people know that they might be called and was told that I had been listed as a reference neighbor too. I wouldn't respond to anyone just calling out of the blue either.

 

[old fashioned]

The call I got today was for someone I don't even know. The caller kept asking if I knew this person, if this address is close to me, etc. In the past, I had gotten a call about the people next door but when I mentioned it to them, they didn't know anything about it. So it's not that they have used me as a reference, that I could understand and the caller would explain the purpose of the call like saying"hi, I'm XX from XXX, and so & so has given us your name as a reference for...." But the caller seems more to be "fishing" for info about the neighbors and is more concerned if I know them. I don't like it one bit. Maybe next time, if I remember and not distracted, I'll have to ask more questions.

 

[FarmerChick]

I never heard of this happening.

I wouldn't give out one sentence of info. HANG UP.

 

[Wifezilla]

I would totally mess with them...

"Oh, you are calling about the Johnson's? They just bought a helicopter. How cool is that?"

 

[ScottSD]

I have heard that the people taking the census ask various questions about things that they have no business knowing.

 

[big brown horse]

I would totally mess with them...

"Oh, you are calling about the Johnson's? They just bought a helicopter. How cool is that?"

 

[PamsPride]

As a landlord I used to get calls on my renters mostly bill collectors or references for welfare type things.
If it was bill collectors I usually had to tell them to stand in line because they have skipped out on me too!

I did have the FBI stop by unannounced asking questions about the neighbors...evidently they forgot to tell us we would be references. I knew the boy was going into the air force and she had all the proper ID.