You Want Me to Do What?!

The phone rings. The caller id says it’s long distance. I let the answering machine get it. I listen and hear a robocall asking if I’m Derek Reed (my father). The robot tells me it’s not a sales call and I need to call back. But the robot gives me no details.

Days later, I get the same call. This time, I listen more carefully and pick out the supposed name of the calling organization. I use Google to tell me if the company is legitimate. It appears to be a collection agency of some kind. Given my father’s declining health, I’m not surprised but I remain wary. I’ve had power of attorney for my father’s finances for about 18 months. I’ve closed and resolved all outstanding accounts to my knowledge. I’m suspicious of how this company has got my name and what they want.

The next week, the phone rings and it’s the same company. This time, I pick up and when prompted I follow the instructions to connect to a representative.

“Hello, is this Derek Reed?,” a woman asks.

“No,” I answer.

“Is Derek there?”

“No, he’s in a nursing home. This is his son, Wayne. May I help you?”

“I need to speak to Derek Reed.”

“What is this call about?”

“This is a collection agency. It’s a private matter with Derek Reed. I cannot talk to you about it,” the representative answers.

“I have power of attorney for my father.”

“You will need to send me a copy of the power of attorney before I share details of this matter,” the woman tells me.

“Let me get this straight. You are a collection agency. You won’t tell me why you are calling. But you want me to send you a legal document so that you can collect money from me on behalf of my father? Why would I care to do that when I have no idea whether you are legitimate or whether this call is a scam?”

“I will remove your telephone number from our system,” she says and hangs up on me.

I sit shaking my head. I understand the need for privacy rules. But why would I go out of my way to establish my legal representation for my father’s finances with a company purported to be a collection agency with no details of what the collection is for? The logic defies comprehension. I hope the collection agency, if in fact it is legitimate, finds a more effective way to reach their intended party the next time.