a phone call from a man who sounded like he just woke up telling me he is from the civil divisions department and he is serving papers tomorrow. I ended the call and disregarded the message. I am sick and tired of this debt collectors using so many different scams to lure me into getting money. Since they do not identify themselves with a legitimate company name, FTC and every other consumer agency cannot investigate on this. Useless complaints if you submit this report to them.
I just received the same call.. Asking if someone was going to be available to serve me papers. The guy asked if someone has called and verified my address.. I told him yes over the past 2 or 3 years I have verified the same info.. This is crazy
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.
Yeah these people call me and say the same things yet there is nothing on my credit report i checked all 3 companies I just Hang Up On Them and block there numbers from my phones they are in CA rely if i was being sued they would just show up not call you and warn you its a bunch of scam artist
I get calls from the same people telling me I owe them all this money and that I am going to jail. I told them one night to come on and arrest me. Im still waiting to be arrested.
Yeah, exactly; don't hold your breath. See Alfalfa's post above for more information if you need it, and definitely report these jerks - threatening to arrest you is against the law.