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Liberal_in_LA (1000+ posts) Mon Sep-14-09 11:57 PMOriginal message Pakistani debt collectors cajole Americans from afar As U.S. fortunes fade, Pakistani debt collectors dial it up a notchAt call centers in the South Asian nation, young Pakistanis put on American accents and match wits with Americans with bad debts. Tactics range from cajoling to needling and bluster.after which a photograph of dark-skinned bill collectorsSeptember 14, 2009 | 5:10 p.m.Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - It's 8 o'clock on a Sunday night in the Pakistani capital, but collection cowboy Sharoon Hermoon is living on U.S. time. Headset in place, feet on his desk, he aims his speed dialer at a debtor in Fort Worth, Texas."Hello, ma'am, how ya doin' today?" he says in a convincing American accent. "My name is James Harold and you owe us $11,000."------------------------------------------As Americans struggle under a mountain of debt, they might be surprised to learn that their collection nightmares may originate in a nation better known for its Taliban insurgency, instability and extremism. With more economic uncertainty, job losses and mortgage defaults expected, long-distance arm-twisting has become something of a growth industry in Pakistan.And though the mostly 20-something crew at the call center expresses empathy for the troubled voices on the other end of the line, some of them also wonder how the Americans could let themselves slip so far under water."Americans are rather addicted to their credit cards," Siddiqui says.After the woman from Fort Worth slams down the phone, the Touchstone crew goes to work. Predictably, she doesn't answer their return calls. So in subsequent days they use tracking software and loan document details to generate letters and leave phone messages with neighbors, co-workers and relatives that they're trying to reach her. Finally, a few weeks later, worn down, the woman accepts a repayment plan.http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pak...
chalky (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-15-09 12:07 AMResponse to Original message 1. "...leave phone messages with neighbors, co-workers and relatives"? That doesn't sound exactly legal.
Louisiana1976 (225 posts) Tue Sep-15-09 12:14 AMResponse to Reply #1 2. Could it be legal in Pakistan?
flvegan (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-15-09 12:20 AMResponse to Reply #2 4. Doesn't matter. They operate under the FDCA, regardless.
backscatter712 (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-15-09 12:14 AMResponse to Reply #1 3. Neither is threatening to have people arrested. I guess that's why big lenders are outsourcing collections to Pakistan - hard to enforce the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act over there...
JoDog (927 posts) Tue Sep-15-09 08:11 AMResponse to Reply #3 7. According to the article, this company is a subsidiary of an American company. Since they are taking orders and getting leads from their American parent, the FDCPA is enforceable. The American parent would have to take the sanctions and pay the fine if found in violation.And yes, threatening jail is absolutely against the act. Failure to pay a debt is violation of a contract, not the penal code. The only exceptions to this are cases of fraud and tax evasion.
JoDog (927 posts) Tue Sep-15-09 08:04 AMResponse to Reply #1 6. Yes, it is legal It is OK under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act so long as no specific financial information is released. This type of "fishing expedition" letters and calls serve 2 purposes: 1. to use the friends/family/neighbors to confirm that the debtor is at the address and phone number and 2. to use peer pressure and shame to get the debtor to pay.So long as the collector does not give the fourth parties the specific amount or nature of the debt and does not harass them, it is all legal.
Skittles (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-15-09 12:23 AMResponse to Original message 5. I find it hard to believe he has a "convincing American accent" the offshore idiots I deal with can barely speak English, and it's supposedly a job requirement
The Skittles Primitive is horribly bigoted. In their kumbaya world I thought it was racist to expect anyone from another country to speak English much less make it a job requirement. How dare the Primitive 'diss' that poor Pakistani that way!
