No, it is NOT legal. A lot of these scammers attempt to sound scary because they don't want you asking questions, they just want to steal your money. Do NOT give in to them!
What practices are off limits for debt collectors?
Harassment. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
use threats of violence or harm;
publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);
use obscene or profane language; or
repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.
False statements. Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;
falsely claim that you have committed a crime;
falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;
misrepresent the amount you owe;
indicate that papers they send you are legal forms if they aren’t; or
indicate that papers they send to you aren’t legal forms if they are.
Debt collectors also are prohibited from saying that:
you will be arrested if you don’t pay your debt;
they’ll seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages unless they are permitted by law to take the action and intend to do so; or
legal action will be taken against you, if doing so would be illegal or if they don’t intend to take the action.
Got a couple calls from this number and the calls won't stop!!!! Whoever the heck it is can't seem to grasp the concept, that I am not wanting to talk to whoever is calling!
came thru on my cell. very difficult to understand the person (english was not primary language). i could hear a lot of other people in the background, so i knew it was some telemarketer group. lady started spouting off about that they just opened a new office in Fort Worth and that I had won a vacation. I interrupted her and asked her if she knew my name. repeated my question 2-3 more times and she hung up on me.