Woman claims to debt collector to get in touch with your family on Facebook-tampabay.com

By Curtis Krueger, Times Staff Writer
Printing: Saturday, September 25, 2010

"Melanie Beacham is on Facebook, the social networking site that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them."

Unfortunately for her, these "others" include bill collectors.XML

Beacham, 34, St. Petersburg, said that she already had called his company car finance summer to let people know that it was on medical leave their work and get some payments.

The company not only called it several times to get it to pay, she says, but also hopes on his Facebook page and found his sister and his cousin.

Then the company sent a Facebook message to them, which worried the two, which led them to talk with other relatives, who got even more worried, said.

"It was very stressful, is still very stressful," said Beacham. It was humiliating.

"Sue Beacham is to Mark One Financial Jacksonville seeking damages and also aims to prevent contact with friends and members of the family of the applicant, on the other sites for social networking, Twitter, or Facebook."

Bruce Newmark, managing director of the mark, says that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Beacham lawyer, Billy Howard said that this is the first of harassment by part case Facebook has come.But in an era of social network, waiting for more information.

"I have never seen a case like this, but it's no surprise, because collectors.XML debt are like any other business, change according to their environment."

Kelli Burns, Assistant Professor of mass in the University of South Florida, said that the incident "shows the dirty side of social networking.""Sample really isn't all that fun and connect with your friends."

Burns said that college students have gotten the message that they shouldnt prankish send photos of themselves online, because one day a potential employer could run through them.But people still need to remember that posting personal information open to all kinds of people.

For example, said, Facebook allows you to post your birthday and their parientes.Pero with birthday list and ' maiden names often become passwords online, you want to keep private.

Beacham said that your problem started this summer when she took a medical leave from his job as an Assistant in the Office of a chiropractor.She put a little behind in your monthly payments of $ 361.95 in its 2006 Chrysler Sebring.Ella lost a single payment and was the second when she called the company to alert them, he said.

Demand says that the company began to calling it six to 10 times a day, and said once called their 35 times in one day.

"That is the _invasion_ privacy," his lawyer, Howard has dicho.Bajo the Florida law, said, "you can not communicate with or contact with someone with such frequency to be considered harassment".

Howard handles complaints from collection of debt for the Division for the protection of the consumer "Morgan & Morgan's signature the ley.Dijo looks more than 100 such complaints each week, and we take care of hundreds of cases in litigation at a time."Said that the weakness of the economy has worsened the situation.

The person who contacted the families of the Beacham Facebook used the name of "Jeff a chance" and left a phone number for the company, for the moment, demanda.Otro someone texted her, urging her to call "supervisor Dufffus."

Collectors.XML debt are allowed to get in touch with their families, if you are simply trying to find a debtor, said Anne Marie Millet, a researcher with the Department of Justice of Pinellas County and consumo.Pero Beacham services that Mark One was already fully aware of how to contact with him.

"Moreover, the rules of Facebook ban using information profile for commercial purposes, including the collection of debt, said spokesman Barry Schnitt.Dijo Facebook users can go to the"Block people"configuration to avoid unwanted contacts privacy feature, and you can also click the"report"link in several places around the site to report abuses".

Beacham said got so annoyed with calls that it has offered to allow mark 1 to retrieve your car, but one has not done by the marca.En Meanwhile, she said, she is still paying car loan, but is still a month ago.

"" I feel as it was harassed,"said.""I feel that I was treated unfairly.... no one should be treated by anyone along the way you treated me."

Curtis Krueger can be a host to the ckrueger@sptimes.com or call (727) 893-8232.

[Last modified: January 24, 2010 10: 16 PM]

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