Would the Real Rick Beck Please Stand Up...

Seriously...if I could find this man I would take off my shoe and do some damage. At 8am the phone rang this morning. I could almost anticipate how the conversation would go because this call surely wasn't for me. No one who knows me would call me at 8am.

I pick up the phone. "Hello" I say.

"Would the owner of (insert something here, I would write it but I couldn't understand the man due to the fact that his English was not spectacular) be home."

I say, "Excuse me."

He repeats his question and then says, "Rick Beck. Is he home."

I silently pat myself on the back for having figured out (before ever answering the phone, or looking at the caller id) that it would be for this man who has be the cause of great consternation in my world the past few months. I, very sweetly, tell the man that this is not Rick Beck's phone number, nor does he live here. I have never met the man and don't think I will be meeting him any time in the near future. He seems confused. I'm not sure what's so confusing. I felt like I was very clear in my statements, but he doesn't give up easily. He asks me, "Is this your phone number."

"Uuhhhmm, yeah."

At this he asks me how long I've had the phone number. I tell him for almost 6 months.

"Interesting," he says.

I don't know how interesting it is, but I decide to go with it. He tells me that on December 23rd they had a phone call from Mr. Beck from this phone number. I tell him that no one could have called him from my number because I am the only one who uses it and I didn't call him. Then, being the incredibly intelligent person that I am, ask him,

"When Mr. Beck called you did he tell you this was his number, or do you have a machine that registers the actual numbers that incoming calls are coming from?"

And he tells me that the only numbers they have are the ones that people give them. So there ya have it folks. There is a man out there by the name of Rick Beck who once had my phone number, no longer has it, but continues to call creditors and tell them that my number is his number and I get all the harassing bill collector calls. Great. Just what I needed.