I was going to write a funny little piece about something else, but today’s events require me to focus on… uh… today’s events. And by “focus” I mean “rant.”
We got a collections notice this morning… addressed to Matt. He must have given our location as his billing address. [Apparently, I failed to mention in the first published draft of this: Matt is Tim’s brother.]
We’ve gotten calls for him, but never actual mail. Actually, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office called because it’s investigating him for fraud.
Of course, he told his parents that it was his ex-friend Jay who was ratting on him, trying to make his life difficult.
First of all, people have to make up very little when it comes to Matt. Matt’s really the only one who makes up things about Matt. And he does it a lot.
Second of all, Jay (like almost everyone Matt has ever met) has plenty of reasons to hold a grudge. The last time he kicked Matt out (after letting him live rent free), Matt ended up outside Jay’s house one night, shouting and firing a gun multiple times into the air.
Most importantly, Jay doesn’t have our number. Matt moved to Indiana before we moved down here. In fact, Matt didn’t have our number until his parents moved in. Even if he still talked to Jay, which is doubtful, he had no way/reason to provide it.
Moreover, the AG’s office wasn’t calling for Matt’s parents. They were calling for Matt. They were surprised to find out he didn’t live here. Even if Jay’d somehow had our number, he would have known it wasn’t Matt’s.
But none of it matters. He’ll have an excuse, and his parents will eat it up. To question it would mean admitting that he hasn’t changed and clearly has no interest in doing so.
I had to have a talk with his parents. They’re to tell him not to give out our address or phone number to anyone else. If he does, we’re changing the phone number, and they’ll need to use another way to contact him.
Also, if any of this causes us legal problems, Tim is going to fly to Indiana to beat the crap out of him. I would absolutely dip into savings to pay for that.
jestjack says
Perhaps a little background….I'm gonna assume Matt and Jay are related to Tim? The scenario you describe with the AD having false info …happens all the time in this neck of the woods. ..with all forms of law enforcement. Just had the immigraton folks stop by a rental I was working on looking for someone that I have never heard of…they claim he has been living there for three years….to which I responded….NO HE HASN'T. It's sad they don't keep up on this crap!!!
Abigail says
Oops, sorry! Matt is Tim’s brother. Jay is just someone who was dumb enough to be repeatedly kind to Matt.
Sonya Ann says
Maybe you should start a fund raiser and we could all add to that fund!
MY husband has an aunt that is completely worthless, as in drug addict/alcoholic/prostitute. She stole a car and used my info. And the kicker is she tried to extort money out of us by threatening to have someone rape me and kidnap our kids. Needless to say, it was an empty threat but still, who does that? She went on the run because the cops were searching for her. We haven't heard from her but if I ever find her, you may need to dip into a fund to bail me out.
Abigail says
Hmmm, would that be a bail fund for when Tim locates his brother? Might be worth thinking about. A Kickstarter campaign for “Get my husband out of jail after he beat the s**t out of his brother.” I’m sure I could think of a catchier name.
Catseye says
Wow! I didn't even know Tim had a brother but I can sure understand why you've never mentioned him before now. I'll be hoping and praying the situation does not worsen. You and Tim shouldn't have to spend your hard-earned money on ANYTHING connected with Matt.
Abigail says
Until today, I never realized how little I talk about him. But yes he’s not really associated with good things in our life and certainly not good financial stuff.
Kat says
Small suggestion. Talk to your in laws again, and get information about how they contact Matt. Call the AG back, and pass along the information, then request a letter clarifying that Matt has never lived at your place, and that you cooperated fully. That letter will come in handy with any collection agency, bounty hunter, etc. Finally, and this is the nasty part, you need to have a third talk with your in laws. It's the one that explains that you don't need your property having issues associated with it- and that means they will need to move out if they provide anything to Matt while he's under a warrent for fraud. Then tell them that you will drive them to a store so they can buy a prepaid cell phone to contact Matt through. Then change your number immediately. Don't wait until you've got a major paperwork mess to sort through, or things like liens against your property that you have to fight. This guy has shown he's willing to threaten with a gun. That means you do everything- including not associating with people who let him continue to act like that- to protect yourself from the fall out.
guest says
While it's important to protect themselves and their property, telling Tim's folks they'll have to move out could cause anger/resentment in their own marriage and keep in mind the folks pay rent, which is a source of income for the couple. Changing their phone number immediately won't stop bill collectors or authorities from contacting them. Your suggestion for contacting the AG by mail (certified if possible) is a good one. They can also send certified letters to various bill collectors, and if they know how to contact Matt, pass that information on as well. It might be a good idea to have a short consultation with a lawyer to make sure they/their property are legally protected in the event Matt refuses to cooperate with the AG investigation. My understanding is no warrant has yet been issued? In other words, it's cause for concern, but not panic at this point.
Abigail says
I will definitely consider the lawyer thing. But we’ve already cooperated with the AG’s office. We gave the cell phone number we had for him, based on previous calls he’d made. In this case, it’s Comcast alerting Matt about collections.
Like you said, asking them to move out is a drastic step and one that we’re not considering. Now that he has our address apparently, he’ll continue to give it out whether or not they live here with us.
Crystal @ PET says
Oh that sucks. We have gotten letters from lawyers trying to track down our ex-roommate for unpaid tickets and for the last owner of our first home for back child support. We just either stick the letters "Return to Sender – Doesn't Live Here" or call if we accidentally opened the mail and let them know that those guys no longer are associated with our house.
Abigail says
Yep, I think that’s going to have to be our MO from here on out. Wish we’d thought to call Comcast to find out why they had our address, but I think we already know the answer. Just would’ve been nice to present it as fact if Matt says something else.