A phone call, email or text message from a supposed debt collector is not legally sufficient evidence of debt.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) includes statements such as this:
* Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money. ["Written" means snailmailed ... not emailed or texted]
Therefore, if that caller wants you to pay immediately, before you get the written validation notice via snailmail, or if the caller wants payment via green dot, Western Union, or other untraceable means, then the call is definitely not legitimate.
IF you wish to communicate with the supposed collector / creditor, visit the following page, for example "Action Letters" to snailmail:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/debtcollection/
If you KNOW you owe no money, or believe the call was from a fake debt collector, please take the time to read this:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
I just got one too. from Julia. same message. I called them and they had all kinds of info on me. Thank God i have 2 different emails and phone. 1 for the place i work for and 1 for my personal. They have my work. but they also have my bank. Guess what they said I owe money to a pay day loan i never had. But to be sure if i had fraud or not. I had my bank pull up a date which they gave me as to when it happen and guess what. no such thing every happen. SO My Bank is putting out a notice of this being a scam.