Never leaves a message when I don't pick up. I called the number back. Spoke to someone trying to negotiate a debt settlement on old debt that cannot be verified. If it's past the statute of limitations (based on the type of debt & the state you reside in), they cannot sue you for it. These companies are counting on fooling you to make a small pymt. even just a $1 because this will restart the clock for the statute of limitations due to the acct. activity. As a result, they can sue you for the unpaid debt, plus fees & interest. If you don't settle the lawsuit, a garnishment order will be applied to your wages. DO NOT BE FOOLED by these deceptive practices. They are paid to use abusive, aggressive and threatening tactics because they cannot take legal action against you. They will try to collect even if the debt has been settled in bankruptcy. DO NOT give them any info or agree to a payment or acknowledge the debt. It's a money making scheme. They bought this stale debt for pennies on the $ trying to capitalize on consumers not familiar with the FTC's Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
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.>
My number private and when you give it to doctors , medication stores ect they say they never give it to anyone else but then how are people you don't know getting private unlisted number and I do not give it out or nor do i publish it any where online this number calls daily more then once I do not answer it matter fact its reject list now but they never left message of who they were or anything like they have nothing better to do but call all day every day like they need to stop and our private numbers needs to stay just that private please make them stop calling us thank you