Received a call this morning from a Kelly Reed stating I am awaiting charges to be served to my at my home or place of employment. First of all, you can not be served at your place of employment. This is illegal. Secondly, as a debt collector, they have to state to you that they are a debt collector and not this place that is threatening. DO NOT pay these people. One way or another, they got your personal information from whether you applied for a loan in the past or maybe did obtain one and paid it off. They use scare tactics stating you owe a loan from 2-5 years ago trying to get you to think that perhaps you didn't actually pay it. If you didn't pay a loan from 2-5 years ago, you would have this on your credit report along with received bills in the mail. You always would have been served papers way before this time could even pass. Kelly Reed provided me a number with a formal claim number of whom I was to contact regarding this. They also called my mom and grandfather as well and I have no idea how they got their information but that too is illegal to notify anyone other than the person about financial information as such. I spoke with a man at 213-289-9156 who said he needed to know where I would be to serve papers. I told him he obviously has my address so he can find me. The man said that he is sending a locater out and he needs to know when I'll be home. DUMBASS!!!!! When you are served papers, they do not schedule a time to find you. They want to catch you off guard and they NEVER notify you when you are going to be served. This is a SCAM and these people are doing illegal business. Just ignore them!!! Report them to the FTC immediately!!!
I just got a call from these people. I do not owe anybody money so I am not sure what this is about. Is this a scam? They have called my phone all morning with different numbers until I answered. I am not going to worry about it because they are operating on illegal practices with threatening jail and being served papers and committing fraud. They should probably understand the laws first before they try fooling people in to paying a debt they say they owe from 2011. Nice try! I feel sorry for the idiots that fall for this!
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.
Same as everyone else, received a call asking for my sob-in-law and then my daughter. I stated I was her mother, she said that my daughter had had charges against her claim # 1810393 that she needed to call 213-289-9156 that she could concider herself served! And hung up.