Due to unforeseen financial difficulty I was unable to pay my credit card debt with Citibank. Last September 13, 2010 I received a text message claiming to be from a publishing company (the name of the specific person who sent it was not indicated). The message stated that they will file a estafa case against me, that they will publish my name in leading newspapers, and that they will seize my properties. The text also stated that I should call Atty. Rhea (I forgot the last name) through that number.

I was wondering why anybody would file a estafa case against me when I never issued any cheque. So I dialed the number because I wanted to be cleared from whatever the sender was accusing me of. A man answered my call. He didn’t want to give his name. I asked him the name of the company he was representing. He said he was from an amnesty program. He was still evasive on the name of the company. When I persisted with the question, he said that he was from HSBC. But I told him that I didn’t have an account with HSBC.
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“Eh, bakit nakalagay ang pangngalan mo dito?” he asked me, irritated. From the tone of his voice he was ready to argue.
Thinking that he shouldn’t ask me that question since he was the one who contacted me, I asked him instead to verify his records. He said he would call again later. My guess was that he was handling multiple accounts from different banks.

Later that afternoon, I received a call from this same man. I will never forget his voice because he was rude during his earlier call. When I told him that he was the same guy that I had spoken to earlier, he denied it. He claimed that this was his first attempt to contact me. I knew this was untrue but I didn’t push the matter.

He said that our conversation was recorded. He was so aggressively rude and arrogant. He kept on asking me, “Ano ‘yung sinasabi mo na ako ‘yung tumawag kanina? Ano’ng pangngalan ng kausap mo? Inaakusahan mo ba ako?” He was deliberately trying to annoy me. He was twisting every word I said so I asked him to play our recorded conversion. He said that it was not allowed. It was pointless talking to him. I was calm throughout our conversation but he seemed to be egging me to get mad.

I was left shaken by the encounter. My whole body was shaking and I was on the verge of tears. This is a case of harassment and false representation. The incident is a clear violation of BSP Circular 454.

I acknowledge my debt with Citibank. I have every intention of settling my debt. I welcome “reminders” from them regarding late payments. I just wish that these collectors could exercise professionalism when dealing with creditors. I may owe the bank money but it doesn’t give them the right to humiliate and insult me.

There should be a definite line that debt collectors are not allowed to cross. Most people who are unable to pay their credit card debt have valid reasons. I pay my taxes diligently and honestly, and yet these collectors treat us like criminals. I have worked hard to gain the trust and respect of my friends and colleagues, and yet collectors are willing to damage my reputation just so they could collect a small commission.

This kind of harassment doesn’t speak well of Citibank’s status and reputation. An international bank like Citibank should employ professionalism and courtesy in dealing with creditors.

Nobody has the right to be humiliated and harassed by collectors who couldn’t even get their facts straight.

Ms. Harassed