They are calling my cell few times per month. At first they were leaving messages about an unpaid loan with a case number. I ignore because I have no unpaid loans and dont discuss that stuff over the phone with some chump. Then they started to call with the same case # and leave messages threatening some guy named Sean or Shawn that he would be taken to court if he doesnt pay his debt. How did these jokes get my number?!!
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:
•is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
•refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
•asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
•exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
•Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.•Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
•Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
•Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
•Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
I was told to call or contact a certain person to make new arrangements on a debt. I tried contacting the person and was told they were in the office by their call center or answering service, and got no return call or response. I am very concerned about their tactics and ethics. Initially a woman called me and was very brash and abrupt. I felt threatened and manipulated. I did make an agreement with them because initially they gave me information on the party they said they were representing, after that initial call I received and heard nothing from them. I tried contacting them by phone and the line either rang busy or an automated voice told me the number was either disconnected, no longer in service, or the lines were overloaded and try back again later - later with no success. I received an email reminding me of payment agreement, but there was no information whatsoever about the original creditor, and I needed that for my records - I then attempted an email - initially my mail came back to me, as I apparently had the wrong Kramer, and received no response. I was told at the end of the original call that if something would arise to prevent me from making that payment to give a call and I tried with no success. I felt used badgered and bullied and severely duped.
I do owe a debt and I recognize I need to pay on it however, I have told these people MULTIPLE times that I just don't have extra money, I just had a baby and I lost my job. They don't even recognize this sentance they just keep repeating "It's your debt to pay. You must make a payment or we will take further action!" This time they didn't even day the company name for whom I owe debt to. One day a lady told me " well, I have had babies too but I still manage to pay my bills!" she then hung up on me! RIDICULOUS!