Katie Scott called claiming I would have to appear in court in New York because my name and number were on the back of a bad check written there. She said the charges were being filed in New York and the company that received the check was based out of Atlanta. She gave me a case number and everything. She told me it may be linked to social networking and if I could figure out if I knew the woman to call her back. I called her back and told her I did not know the lady and asked who she worked for. She said Nationwide Investigation. She also said my number would be removed from the "system" since I didn't know the bad check writer. It was all a little fishy and after some research I found out she's a scammer. Take your mobile numbers off of your Facebook or other social networking accounts so that she can't use your number or your friends' info to run the more serious scam of saying you owe money!
Received a call asking for my wife. The caller indicated that she was Investigator Katie Scott. She was hesitant in giving me any information and it was like pulling teeth to get anything from her. Scott advised that she was from the Fraud department and needed to speak to my wife. She did not say what Fraud Department and when asked tried to make it sound like she was an official with Maricopa County (Az.) I asked which department she was from and then she stated that she was with the Law Firm of O'shea and Devine. She indicated that a Carl Young had used my wife's name as a reference and they were turning the matter over to the D.A.'s office today. She referenced 537547AZ and the complaint number. She did have our home phone number and address which is scary enough.
A so called investigator Katie Scott called my sister at work stating that my son was under investigation for identity fraud for writing a bad check. Well first of all how in the hell did she get my sisters work number when my son doesnt even know where she works or what her number is and second of all she said he wrote my name and phone number on the back of a check in oct of 2010 and he was sitting in our county jail at the time i told her she was a liar and and called her a few choice words at which she came back with i got your [***], [***] real nice way for an investigator to talk huh? well i am taking this phone number and her name to the peoria co. sherrifs dept today and they can INVESTIGATE her...rediculous! Also she said she had a physical copy of the check and i told her to send me a copy to my address and she said no we arent going to do that and i said thats cause you dont have any copy of [***]. thats when she got all irrate.
Katie Scott called my entire family leaving messages that I was under investigation for check fraud. I called her back and she demanded I send $386.47 by today or else I would be arrested. I asked for proof of this so called debt and her information but she would not answer me. She said I wasn't going to get it so I said I wasn't going to pay and that I would just go to jail then. She got really mad and after a long shouting match I hung up. Its a scam but nevertheless extremely distressing because of how she left these messages on my family's phones and even threatened some elderly people I know.
Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?
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.>