Phone number kept calling me. Looked on credit report. Harassing me for a debt of $225.00. Really? No worries. I will pay them off so they can leave me alone. Not even my debt.
Received a dead call from this number and I called back. It was a collection agency and they asked me to confirm my phone number which I did and they knew my name. After I did that they asked me to confirm the last four digits of my Social Security number which I refused. They indicated that I had a debt to be paid but would not provide any further information without my confirming my identity. I am not aware of any outstanding debts whatsoever so I refused and hung up.
Since they talked to you, they are required by law to do the following:
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt. It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes. The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices: http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
Typically these people just call and hang up, but if you get someone on the line they sound like "official" debt collectors and can be very convincing. They may even have some personal info on you and your spending habits. But if you ask them a few questions you should see some red flags immediately:
- If I owe this money, why have I never received a bill? Why is it not on my credit report?
- Why do you call my cell phone all the time and hang up? Isn't that illegal?
- I have a credit card through X bank and they say I am in good standing. How can I owe them $1000?
- I see you're calling me from NYC. What neighborhood are you in? How's the weather there?
- Can you send me a written statement of my account, showing any interest or fees that you have added, along with proof that you have a legal right to collect this debt?
- I haven't heard of your company before. Can you show me a report from the Better Business Bureau that would confirm you are a legitimate business?
You won't get through asking even two of those questions before they hang up on you.
These are apparently the same people who used to call from 929-999-1816, and there is some info on that thread if you want to report them to the authorities. Most of these spoofed number schemes come from overseas, but this one seems to be coming from within the U.S.