Pardon me, as I'm not quite sure as to how to write this. In Jan of 05, I started receiving calls every two to three days a week, informing me that I had a defaulted student loan account and the person calling was with some collection company and wanted money right now! Not just money but the full amount, and wanted me to pay with a credit card or a check over the phone. My first response was "who are you?, and what are you talking about? The person on the phone would tell me their name and the company name and that I owed something like $14,000.00 for a student loan. My response was to inform them that they are on drugs. That response was on the first call only. After 7 calls I finally got the information, the collection companies name was CTI and they are out of California. They are a collection company that is working for the Dept. of Education whose sole purpose is to collect on all debts owed to the Government.
1. On the second call forward, I remained calm and asked questions.
1 What loan are you talking about?
2 What school did I go to?
3 What year did I have this schooling?
4 Why am I just now hearing about this?
5 Could I get a paper copy of what your talking about? I.E. Do you have any proof that I can have a copy of?
The responses varied from direct threats against me to threats against my wife of 1 year. I was refused of every request I made to obtain proof of what these people were talking about. (to date I still have not received any type of paperwork involving a student loan)
I have finally got some information but verbally from a caller from CTI.
My loan was in 1993 for a truck driving school. The school was located in Wisconsin, and the loan was for $6,000.00. Here it is, 12 years later and I'm just now hearing about this so called loan. Why did it take so long to hear from anyone? I was told that with a student loan the Dept of Ed. will just sit and let the loan default then wait even longer so they can collect interest. If when contacted a person refuses to pay right then and there, the Dept of Ed., then passes this loan on to a collection company which can say and do anything it wants to, to get the money owed.
Now to clear things up for the reader. In 1997 I was working in a die casting business when I was burned alive by two tons (4000 lbs) of molten aluminum at 1400 degrees. Needless to say and several weeks in the critical burn unit then several months of therapy, it was found that I had lost several years of memory. Best that I can inform you is that I have lost at least 10 to 12 years back. I'm just not sure. It stinks not knowing things. I can remember the day and date as well as time of the accident but not much after and the before? well basically I'm in a fog. It is in this lost time frame that I had taken out this loan. Until April of this year I was not sure of where my 3 daughters lived in Missouri, nor did I know how old they were. I do now and have wrote it down. Notebooks are now a part of my memory. I write everything down that I can. I do this to be safe. I had child support taken out of my checks now for years by my own request. This Company even threatened to take those payments away from my children just to pay this debt.
Since my accident, obtaining and holding a job has been difficult at best. When these calls started happening, I had just been forced to quit a job due to an unknown illness, which left me basically bed ridden for 3 months, from Jan 1, 05 to April 7, 05. It is during this time that the calls started to come in. I have no idea what to do. Yes I am handicapped but do not have or receive any type of disability.
I would like to know how this is legal. I'm now out looking for work and hoping to get a job, however, I'm not holding my breath. If I could afford an attorney, I would get one and take my case to the Supreme Court. Our Government forgives Countries of their loans of billions of dollars, yet they offer no help of any type of assistance to their own peoples. I'm currently being treated for Post traumatic stress disorder as well as high blood pressure and a boiling stomach. Because of the threats being made, I'm now taking Zoloft just to help keep myself calm.
These people even threatened to take my wives income to pay this loan up.
What the heck is a person supposed to do?
All I know is that this is not right. Not right at all.
Thanks for your time.

If it is a federally backed loan, then yes, they will continue collection attempts indefinitely. I'm not sure since this seems to be a vocational/trade school- does the govt. offer loans for those? Forgive for the ignorance, I just don't know.

You need to gather more information about when you attended the school and find your paperwork regarding your tuition/fees/etc. Did you graduate? Were you still in school when you were injured? There may be a way for you to work repayment, if the loans are yours, without paying in full.

It is called rehabilitation and is a federal program. Of course the collection agency wants you to pay in full. Duh. That's just usually not possible.

Sometimes loans can be discharged due to permanent disability. You might qualify- read up on it.

Good luck.

[SIZE=1]edited to correct spelling

Yes, staffords and direct loans are available for vocational/trade schools.

Your student loan became due 6 months after you completed the truck driving school. Did you move shortly after completing it?? Mail would have been sent to the address that you gave to them.

A lot of the trade schools in Wisconsin used to be funded by Great Lakes Higher Ed....does that ring a bell???

I looked up CTI...they are listed as a CA for the Department of Ed. Have you been receiving any mail from them??

Collection Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 7888
Burbank, CA 91510-7888
(800) 620-4284

Unless you are or can be declared permanently disabled, they will keep after you. I also recommend that you try to rehab the account.