Facebook helps repo men get their job done

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Recovery Agent or "repo man" Jeff Grevelding breaks into a vehicle after it's owner fell behind in loan payments on March 8 in Syracuse, N.Y.

John Moore / Getty Images

A recovery agent for Advanced Recovery of New York searches for a delinquent car owner on Facebook.

The agents of Advanced Recovery of New York work day and night locating and towing vehicles repossessed by banks and loan agencies. Facebook has become a main investigative tool for recovery agents, as even delinquent car owners often post their whereabouts in Facebook status updates.

Recovery agents or "repo men" will even create fake Facebook pages in order to set up "dates" with delinquent car owners.  The repo agent then tows their vehicle while they’re inside awaiting their "date" to arrive.

-- Getty Images reports

John Moore / Getty Images

Repo man Jeff Grevelding searches for a vehicle after it's owner fell behind in loan payments in Syracuse, N.Y.

John Moore / Getty Images

Jeff Grevelding prepares to tow a vehicle after it's owner fell behind in loan payments on March 7 in Syracuse, N.Y.

John Moore / Getty Images

Jeff Grevelding of Advanced Recovery of New York repossesses a boat after it's owner fell behind in loan payments.

John Moore / Getty Images

Personal items left in repossessed vehicles await collection by their owners on March 8.

John Moore / Getty Images

Recovery Agent Amanda Husted returns a vehicle to an owner after she paid for its release on March 7.

John Moore / Getty Images

A sign hangs on the wall of Advanced Recovery of New York on March 9 in Syracuse, N.Y.

 

Discuss this post

Someone should educate the caption writer on the proper use of "it's" and "its."

    Reply#1 - Fri Mar 9, 2012 7:22 PM EST

    Someone should educate you on the proper punctuation of "its." and "its".

    See what I did there? -_-

    Does correcting grammar make you feel important? It was probably an honest mistake. A grammar-nazi approach should be reserved for something like, "they repossessed they're [sic] car". C'mon now.....

    • 2 votes
    #1.1 - Fri Mar 9, 2012 7:52 PM EST

    Cloke was right. You are wrong. The final period belongs inside the quotation marks.

    • 1 vote
    #1.2 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:42 AM EST
    Reply

    Repo men are the wicked ones. No compassion. No feeling. In the last photo, the story shows they are trying to use a bible verse to support their activities. Is it really to assuage their conscience?

    • 2 votes
    Reply#2 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:48 AM EST

    Repo men are the wicked ones for doing their jobs? It's simple, don't fall behind on your car payments and don't try to buy a vehicle that's out of your price range. They were towing a boat away in one picture; tells me someone either had money to spend on extracurricular activities and either went overboard on their spending or they never had the money in the first place.

    Whatever happened to responsible people and money management. My parents taught me how to balance a checkbook by the age of 17 when I got my first job. I have one credit card for emergencies and everything else is paid for in cash. Keeps things simple and I never have debt other than car payments and house which are not overly extravagant and out of reach of paying.

    • 1 vote
    #2.1 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:46 AM EST

    @Sean... True that Karma really can be a b****. But I'm not going to hold it against a repossession company who comes and takes away my vehicle or property due to falling behind on payments, for any reason. I recently lost my job and had to face the hardships of not getting unemployment and unable to find a job for 6 months; I talked to my bank and asked for a refinancing to be done due to my circumstances. Not only did I have them refinance I asked for payments to be stopped on both vehicle and house since I pay more on both than my monthly payments were (had payments taken out of account automatically).

    Now I'm not saying all are that lucky; but I consider that planning for those just in case moments. Because we all know that a job is not guaranteed especially in these times, but I know that I am not going to hold my grudge against another man or woman who is doing their job to keep their possessions either.

      #2.3 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:38 AM EST

      It's not the repo men's fault for people falling behind on payments. It's awfully dangerous for them sometimes too, with owners who don't feel so kindly about getting their vehicles/fun toys repossessed. There are enough people out there that are bad with their money to earn these guys a constant living, so you can't make an exception for every sob story and excuse out there. Their best bet is to get in, grab, then get out to avoid confrontation. Buy within your means. Just because you have a lot of money/high wages now to get credit out on doesn't mean you're safe. If you fall later, you fall much, much harder. Better yet, save and buy as much in cash as possible. Problem solved. Less owed, less likely to get screwed over on.

        #2.4 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:50 PM EST

        If you pay your bills, the repo man doesn't come knocking.

          #2.5 - Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:44 AM EDT
          Reply

          Ive been trying to educate people for years about facebook.....don't have a facebook account for starters and if you do decide to have one i hope your ready for an invasion of your privacy....Facebook can be used by your employer, your spouse, your enemies, if your into something illegal Law Enforcement can keep tabs on everything your doing and posting about and use it against you in a court of law legally, Hackers can download any images you post and use those images for whatever purposes they want to.......so stay off facebook people or you can continue to post up about where you've been and where your meeting your next date and if anyone else is looking to meet you than you might find out the hard way

            Reply#3 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:33 AM EST

            People it's very cut and dry. Pay for your car/boat/truck or it gets reposesed. Don't buy something you can't afford. And you don't need a loan to buy a car. It's called saving, if you do it for items you want then you'll have no problems.

              Reply#4 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:19 AM EST

              Faceboook - seek and destroy hahahaha

                Reply#5 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:16 PM EST

                Too many people buy a vehicle to impress ! No car is pretty impressive too ! LOL Go get a junker people :)

                  Reply#6 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 5:34 PM EST

                  Again, this is just another example of the greed that permeates the Republican Party. These repo companies are getting tax breaks and then they go take the cars of the poor and working class. First our homes, then now our cars. Obama now more than ever 2012

                    Reply#7 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:38 PM EST

                    As a repossession agent we use all kinds of "tricks" such as placing a non digital watch under your tire to see what time you leave to find out the best time to get the collateral. We might call you saying your package we are trying to deliver has a smuged label and we need the correct address. If debtors didnt hide , we wouldnt have to resort to these tricks!! We are honest hard working people trying to make a living.

                      Reply#8 - Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:51 PM EST

                      Repo Men & Women "shall all burn in Hell", so saith the apostle Paul in his sermon to the Kardashians on the Beverly Hill mount, Chapter $$, verse 69.

                        Reply#9 - Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:17 AM EDT

                        Why would anyone ever need to have their active location noted on facebook in the first place?

                          Reply#10 - Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:27 PM EDT

                          You get what you pay for.

                            Reply#11 - Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:04 PM EDT

                            got no problem with repo men.....but tow drivers i have a big problem with....got my car towed once from my friends apartment because the sign for my visitors parking spot was gone...the three other spots in either direction had signs but mine was gone( it had fallen off and never put back up) the whole row was clearly for vistor parking...two hundred bucks later, that particular tow deserves something nasty to happen to him

                              Reply#12 - Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:19 AM EDT
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