They just called my sister's phone for me and said that it was very urgent I call this 1800 number when I did it was for medicinal marijuana but the lady on the phone said it was for a court case pending against me.
I've been getting calls to my cell phone for at least a month--sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes I don't answer the call. Sometimes I do. they never leave a voice mail. There's never been anyone on the line until today. She asked for my son by name (as far as I know, she didn't know we were related). I told her she had the wrong number. She asked if I knew him, would he be available this afternoon for some sort of paperwork. I asked who was calling and she wouldn't say. So I played dumb. She persisted, asking if I had contact with him, etc. I asked again who she was with. She didn't say. She asked for my son's number and I told her good luck getting it and hung up. Later, I called the number and got a recording that the number I called is not a working number. Do I smell a scam here?
They just called my sister's phone for me and said that it was very urgent I call this 1800 number when I did it was for medicinal marijuana but the lady on the phone said it was for a court case pending against me.
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 get a call from this same number every morning at 10:03 like clockwork. every time it is just dead air, there is no one on the other end. I say hello, hello then hang up. I'm wondering is anyone else who is receiving calls from this number in the military or former military, like myself?