Collection Agencies Turn To Facebook To Remind Users Of Old Debts

Collection Agencies Turn To Facebook To Remind Users Of Old Debts: "

Facebook has proven to be an excellent way to re-connect with old friends, but collection agencies are now using it to re-connect with old debts. A recent article from the New York Daily News highlighted one Long Island resident who had an agency find him through Facebook, where they tapped into his friend network to attempt to collect a 15-year-old debt, and there are also reports of agencies posing as attractive girls to lure debtors into accepting friend requests.

Collection agencies have been using Google to find these people on social networks. Traditional methods of collection through the mail and phone calls can be easily ignored, but it’s a little harder to turn a blind eye to a collection agency sending messages to friends and family on Facebook.

In the case of Michael Buccello, the collection agency tracked him down on Facebook, going as far as sending his mother messages that his debt could lead to jail time. While it isn’t uncommon for collection agencies to contact relatives by phone to attempt to collect a debt, Facebook news feeds and wall posts can spread word of a debt much further and quicker. The negative social stigma of an unpaid debt may lead to a quicker resolution, as most Facebook users are not likely to enjoy having their dirty laundry aired through their news feeds.

So how can one avoid having a debt collection agency pollute his or her page with notices? The obvious answer is to pay off one’s debts, but that’s not always possible. Being cautious about what friend requests get accepted is a good first step, but all the agency has to do is find one friend or relative in your network to accept their request to spread notice information. Another way would be to set your privacy settings to make your profile hidden.

The simple fact is that being a part of a social network like Facebook means putting yourself into the public eye, making it easier for agencies to track you down. This is just another reminder that it’s important to think about what information you put out on the Web; it seems there’s always someone out there looking to use social networks for less-than-friendly reasons.

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