ANNIE’S MAILBOX: Relatives harassed by bill collectors

June 29, 2010 at 4:09a.m.

By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: In these tough economic times, my husband and I have managed to stay ahead of things by working hard and being careful with our money. We know we are both fortunate to have jobs. Some family members are not so lucky and have lost their homes.

The appalling thing is that bill collectors have started calling us looking for these relatives. I have no intention of helping them. Each time they call and ask for the extended family member, I first ask their name and that of the company they’re calling from, and I write this down along with the date and time. I then tell them there is no one here by that name and never has been and ask that they please not call again. But these snakes still call.

I now have a list of these repeat offenders. To what agency should I report this harassment?

Tired of the Harassment

Dear Tired: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act says a debt collector may contact a relative or friend, but only to learn the location of the debtor. They are permitted to do this only once, unless the collector has reason to believe you have new information or that previous information was false. It can be a form of harassment if a debt collector contacts you repeatedly or is abusive or threatening. You should be able to stop contact by writing directly to the debt collector. You also can lodge a complaint with the FCC. For information, go to fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html or call 888-CALL-FCC (888-225-5322).

Dear Annie: Is there a scientific or medical term for a person who has an obsession with another person’s terminal illness and death, or is this person just weird?

When someone is near the end of life, my friend “Lou” wants to be in attendance as often as possible until the person dies. Lou appears to almost experience euphoria when the person dies, but shows little or no emotion after.

Keeping My Distance

Dear Keeping: An entire cottage industry has developed around “death voyeurism,” or watching people die. Those who are sexually aroused by the process may have some form of paraphilia.

Dear Annie: “Not Over the Hill Yet” said her teenage grandson asked if he could be nude around his friends because they all did it. My husband and I have two teenage sons and, between us, seven brothers. Not one of these guys has ever felt it normal or natural in any setting to be naked with a group of their buddies.

Oh, and what is the mother of “Jay” doing when her son and his friends are hanging out naked in her home? If there were a bunch of naked girls in front of one of the fathers, the other parents would be horrified.

Not Nude in Glendora, Calif.

Dear Not Nude: You make a good point about naked girls, and a lot of readers agree with you about Jay’s mother.

E-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

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