Random Insanities

Earlier this year I received a letter of notice from a debt collector stating that they had acquired a debt supposedly belonging to me and that, per law, I have 30 days to dispute the debt. I immediately drafted a letter and sent it to both disputing the debt and request validation of the debt as well as possible settlement arrangements had they actually been able to validate said debt

I sent this letter via certified mail. Always certified mail.

About a week after the 30 day period for them to respond expired, I received a Phone call very specifically crafted in a way to invoke urgency and panic and suggest legal action. So, naturally, I called this number only to discover this was a different company that had only just recently acquired said supposed debt. I reiterated to them that I was disputing this debt and required validation in writing.

The initial conversation went smoothly, they then called me back the next day and became aggressive. They accused me of lying and did everything under the sun to try and trick me into validating this debt as mine so that they would not have to legally send me that validation. I, knowing my rights, insisted that I was disputing the debt and that they were required to send me validation despite them claiming that they were not and that they already had and many other number of lies. I refused to continue the conversation until someone had sent me validation to which they continually responded that they would be forwarding this to their legal department and blah blah blah blah blah.

Surprise surprise, I get a phone call today from yet another company, this one claiming to be in the process of forwarding my account to the county clerks office. That was an immediate red flag as the county clerk does not handle debt disputes. They would have to hire a lawyer in my state to handle this case. I asked what company this was as they had not stated initially, and when they told me I realized this was now another company who had purchased said alleged debt and we’re trying to collect on it. this one outright illegally threatening to take me to court knowing they weren’t.

Beyond that, he tried to lie to me and tell me that a debt validation was not what I thought it was and that a validation was actually just a notice that they had purchased a debt so when I received a letter stating that they had purchased this debt that would be a validation.

That is not true! Debt companies are legally required to send you notice of an allegedly acquired debt in writing and you have 30 days to dispute and request that validation. The company then has 30 days themselves to respond and validate your debt or the debt is forfeit. This man tried to lie to me and tell me that a notice was the same thing as a dead validation in order to trick me into paying a debt that he cannot validate that I am actively disputing.

This is now the fourth company that has attempted to collect on a debt they cannot validate. They know they cannot validate this debt and instead have relied on trying to trick me into paying it. These tactics would absolutely work if I did not have a sales background and or know my rights.

And this ladies and gentlemen is why you always always always dispute a debt. The last debt I disputed was immediately pulled from collections and that allowed me to get back in contact with the original creditor and work out a payment plan so that it would never hit my credit and keep my account with them current. This debt is invalid and therefore they cannot hit my credit with it nor can I collect on it or I will sue them.

For anyone that has a debt sold to a Collections Agency do exactly what OP did and request debt validation (Google-able). Most of the time, the Original company you owed debt to did not give them your Social Security Number or your date of birth; just a good phone number and address. In order to be held legally responsible for it and to be on your credit score, they need your SSN or DOB to prove it's yours.

Usually, they're initial call will say "Hey so before we can discuss your debt of $Xxxx, we need you to verify your SSN and DOB." They're lying. That means they want you to confirm it so they can legally pin that debt to you. If you send a Debt Validation letter VIA CERTIFIED MAIL, that Collections Agency has 30 days to prove you owe the debt and that it does in fact tie to you. Since in most cases they can't, they'll send a letter saying "We don't have the necessary information to collect on this debt. It is now null and void." Send copies of that to the credit bureaus, and they wipe it from your credit report.

With OP, they did the shadiest thing possible by constantly re-selling the debt, thus starting over that 30 day response period.

This is so important.

Do not give your ssn on the phone to anyone who has called you, ever, no matter what the caller ID shows. If you are doing something for which you should be providing your ssn (e.g. applying for a loan), look up the appropriate phone number for the organization you should give it to you, and you call them. If it's at all practical, find a way you can give your ssn to the organization in person at their offices instead, or by a form sent to you via paper mail. (If they're committing fraud by paper mail, that's mail fraud, the feds actually take that seriously.)

Anyone who needs to confirm your identity based on your ssn will tell you the last four digits of your ssn (not the whole thing).

igas my parents went to many protests when they were younger, and although i can’t go to any protests because i’m too young (in their eyes) i do have some tips from them.

note: trump HAS given the word for the national guard to use lethal force against protestors. i understand that it is hard to stay silent if there is a protest in your area, but there is a chance the bullets won’t be foam or rubber. stay safe, stay smart. please don’t become a statistic.

secondly, if you are in the san diego area, do NOT attend the protest that was advertised on facebook. it was created by white supremacists to target black youths.

cover any scars, tattoos, or distinct features you have. cops will use this to identify you, especially if you live in the area. they will take anything you may have done and attempt to arrest you by any means.

wear a face mask, bandana, or some other covering. this is not only because of covid-19, but it will make it harder for them to identify you.

wear clothes you wouldn’t normally wear. this is for the same reason. make sure not to wear those clothes in public until after the protests are over, that way they can’t identify you based on your outfit. also avoid jewelry and accessories.

bring a backpack. this will not only help carry the items you should bring, but it will also keep your hands free and make running easier when needed. make sure it is a real backpack, one that is on your back. and over the shoulder bag or satchel will make it harder to run.

bring plenty of water, a tourniquet (or, if possible, the items needed for one) a medical kit, an extra face covering, and milk. the water is important for 2 things: rinsing your eyes from tear gas and putting out the actual grenades. a tourniquet will be especially important for when the cops start using lethal force. do your research before using one, though, to avoid causing additional harm. the milk will help with your actual skin that will be burning from tear gas, but don’t put it in your eyes.

prepare to be tear gassed. if you sense things are getting tense, try to douse an extra face covering (like a scarf) in water. it will keep the gas from getting in your airways. wear goggles, like the ones you use when you swim. they stick to your face to keep the water from getting in, and will do the same with tear gas. cover as much of your head as possible, and tie up long hair. don’t wear makeup, because tear gas clings to it like it does your bodily fluids. also, if possible, avoid contacts. it can get stuck behind your contacts and that isn’t something you want. similarly, don’t rub your eyes, because the chemicals can get behind your eyes, which will open a whole new set of problems.

if and when you get gassed, stay calm. if you are able, find anyone on the ground and get them help. tear gas will settle low to the ground shortly after being fired and will make their afflictions worse. make sure to watch out for yourself and others, and get out of the area as quickly as possible.

there are two methods to put out tear gas. the first is by covering the capsule with a traffic cone, then pouring water through the hole until it goes out. make sure to wear gloves and don’t touch your face. the downside is that this takes a lot of water because this is not very accurate. the second method needs to be handled with extreme caution. only do this if you are wearing heat protective gloves. take the capsule and put it inside of a metal water bottle WHILE WEARING PROTECTIVE GLOVES. shake it until the fire inside the grenade goes out. it is very important that you have proper protection, especially with such close exposure to the gas. a gas mask is your safest bet.

another way to avoid identification is by putting a rock in your shoe. im unsure of how advanced the stride detection system is in the us, but during the hong kong protests, they would recognize protestors based on their walk. if you put a rock in your shoe, although it will be uncomfortable, it will help keep you anonymous.

use your privilege for good. if you are not a poc and are attending the protests, protect your poc counterparts. unfortunately, cops are statistically less likely to attack white protestors. (see the physical protesting of the quarantine which was led mostly by white people.) if things are getting tense between a cop and a poc protestor, step between them if you are comfortable.

identify undercover cops. undercover cops will deliberately cause mayhem in a peaceful protest to give reason for cops to attack. you can identify them by their shoes and their masks, as well as their attitudes. all cops, undercover or not, will almost always wear the same shoes because they have iron fillings that allow them to break people’s feet/hands/other bones when they have no other defense due to being undercover. they will also wear the same gas masks as the other cops. if you see a protestor put on one of these masks, you should leave because it means there will be tear gas deployed soon.

don’t bring any weapons that are illegal. this will give them probable cause to arrest you.

most importantly: stay safe. protect yourselves and others. if things get bad, run. they can’t catch everyone, and if they take more lives it will only fan the flame.

if you’re white and are protesting, please, please listen to this. if you’re white and have white friends protesting, let them know

it wasn’t george floyd’s protesters who started reacting violently; it was the cops.

the protest was peaceful until the cops showed up in riot gear, and started using water cannons, followed up by tear gas and rubber bullets. i got videos from friends who were there, of people screaming and running away from the cops shooting the water cannons, rubber bullets and throwing tear gas at them. they were even shooting at the protesters dragging people away to get medical attention.

speaking of medical attention, dispatch refused to provide any medical attention to the protesters. people literally had to drive their bleeding friends to the hospital because they refused to send ambulances.

cops are using non-lethal weapons in a lethal way. they shot rubber bullets into people’s heads and injured them. there’s dozens of photos of protesters with bleeding head wounds from the rubber bullets.

multiple people used police scanners and heard that there were undercover cops pretending to be violent protesters who were throwing rocks and whatnot at the police, with dozens of eyewitness accounts confirming that information.

the person who instigated all the chaos last night (it was a fire at an autozone) with the looting and burning buildings is highly suspected to be an undercover cop pretending to be a protester, because the video of him keeps getting taken down. protesters tried to stop him but couldn’t because he had a hammer and they were scared for their safety.

the cops jammed cell phone towers and cut live streams to interrupt broadcasts and to prevent people from seeing what was really going on and who actually started the violence.

the cops lied about protesters being armed and about throwing rocks and are literally trying to continue the violence happening and yet no one is holding them accountable for that.

and during all this, the cop that murdered george floyd still hasn’t been arrested. he has had more than ten complaints filed against him and was involved in three other civilian shootings in the past. and yet he’s still out free along with his three other buddies involved, probably sitting on his couch while all this chaos is happening.

fittonia albivenis (nerve plant) will ‘faint’ when they need something – to be watered, to be removed from the sun, when they are too cold – however, they almost always recover quickly once their needs are met.

I gotta take mine off as soon as I am away from people in the parking lot or I’m in danger of passing out, and I just know we are gonna start seeing people falling out from the heat and the masks soon around here.