How Debt Collectors Find Out Where You Work

If you think you’re safe from debt collector calls at work, think again. You’d be surprised at how much information a debt collector can find out about you with a few phone calls and internet searches. Debt collectors may call your job looking for you, particularly if they’re not able to get in touch with you any other way. You may be surprised to learn some of their tactics.

Your original creditor. When you first applied for your account, you probably listed your employment information on the application. When the creditor sells or assigns your account to a debt collector, all your contact information is included. That means your employment information too.

Your credit report. Your current creditors report your employment information to the credit bureaus which means your most recent employment information is  listed on your credit report. Debt collectors can access your credit report and get your employment information from there. You can check your credit report once a year for free. Review it to learn what information debt collectors are seeing about you.

The employment verification database. The Work Number is a database that employers and lenders can use to verify your employment. Debt collectors may be able to retrieve your employment information through this database. You can visit The Work Number at www.theworknumber.com to learn what’s on your employment data report and get a list of companies who have accessed your report within the past 24 months. 

From someone you know. When debt collectors can’t get in contact with you, they may call your neighbors or other people connected to you (in any public database) to find out information about you. Debt collectors can’t tell anyone else about your debt, so their vague references to “an important business” matter may lead some of your family or friends to give your employer information to the debt collector.

Social networking and online resumes. A debt collector can access any employment information you've stored any public social media profile or an online resume. They only have to do is type your name into a few websites to find your profile. Even if you don’t list your employment information in your profile, mentioning your place of business in a tweet or tagging your co-workers can lead debt collectors straight to you and your job. Debt collectors have even been rumored to add debtors as friends on social networks to get access to an otherwise private profile.

From you. Some debt collectors may contact you under false pretenses, for example pretending to conduct a survey via phone or email, to gather employment or other information from you.

Debt collectors aren’t allowed to tell your boss that you owe money, or even reveal that they’re a debt collector, but they can call your employer to verify your employment.

Debt collectors aren't allowed to contact you at work if they know or should know that your employer prohibits these kinds of calls. If you get a call at work from a debt collector, let them know not to call you at work, and they’re not allowed to call you there anymore. You can stop debt collector calls for good by paying the debt (if it’s yours) or by sending a written cease and desist letter requesting they no longer contact you.