Yes.....to everything that jj said!
You should NEVER have to put up with someone talking to you like that........regardless of how much you owe.
Send them a DV w/a limited C&D asap (if you want to even overnight it so that the harassment stops quickly, you can......just make sure you can get a signature confirmation). Avoid their phone calls until then. I know it's kind of hard to do that at work but tell your wife to try and stay very calm and just state "I do not wish to be called at work".......and no matter what they say keep repeating that and hang up on them if she needs to. I've learned that being a broken record irritates the hell out of CAs (especially when you are calm about it). If she wants to, have her tell her co-workers that she is not going to accept any personal calls unless it's an emergency.
You can look up and see if recording phone conversations is legal in your state......but yes, if they keep calling.......you can either do that or take pictures of your caller id to prove they called. (I had to do that once and it got me a settlement check). It would also be a good idea (while it's fresh in your mind) to document EVERYTHING that was said, the times they called......etc.....in case this does go to court.
The SOL info would be good to have. Exactly how old are these? What is the collection SOL for your state?
Now as far as what to do in the long run......if you are worried about being sued and do not have the money to pay for these large debts......then maybe bk would be something to consider. I always say that should be a last resort......but unfortunately sometimes it is necessary.
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