Life Or Something Like It

I am so pissed.

Big time.

I have been getting phone calls from a collection agency for about 3 months now. Ever since my charges for shoplifting were dropped, the company that tried to extort money out of me has been calling..Or, rather, sending their dogs after me.

See, Zehrs wanted me to pay the cost of their security guards, and other related costs for my arrest. They sent me a bill for over $300. As it turns out, that is illegal. (Here in Canada, anyway) and I was advised NOT to pay. My charges were withdrawn, anyway, which means that there will not even be a record of my arrest. Done. Gone. Finito. Bye - bye. So, ever since I told the reps that wanted the $300 that I am NOT paying, a bill collector has been bugging me for an amount that I supposedly owe. That amount is now $500 that they want to collect.

Now, I don't know, but it seems strange that the same company that couldn't collect an amount on bogus charges is suddenly, after 6 years, coming after me for another 'bill.'

So, I finally tracked down someone that could pull up my account, and this is what I am told.

I had a payroll cheque go into my account on December 31st, 2002. I have not worked since NOVEMBER 2001. Someone made several deposits into my bank account from a bank machine, and then took the money out. The problem? The deposit envelopes were empty. So......

The only proof that I have that I owe this money is from the company themselves, except, they say that can not send me out copies of my bank statements because it goes back too many years. How did they come up with this info, then? Where did a payroll deposit come from, a year after I quit my job?

So, this rude guy calls me today and tells me that I owe this money. I tell him, AGAIN, that I have ZERO money coming in, and until he proves to me that I owe this amount, I wouldn't even entertain the thought of making payment arrangements. He tells me that he spoke with my husband on Monday (2 days ago) and that my husband told him that I was on vacation.

Yeah.

He says that if I have money for that, then I can pay this bill.

WTF? He screamed at me to PAY MY BILLS.

I am exhausted. I am tired of all of this. I do not owe this money. I know that I don't. How do I prove it? Who do I complain about a bill collector being verbally abusive?

How do I get off this merry-go-round from Hell?