Do not pay them one red cent until you make them follow the law, which dictates that they must send you a letter in the mail delivered by the mailman and postmarked within 5 days of your conversation. Then you send them a certified, return receipt debt validation letter. Using the information in ?CWG40's post up there add it to this:
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt. It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes. The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days of receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices: http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
Received a call saying same as others - past debt and was getting sued. I paid off all debt 6 years ago and had the paperwork to prove it. He said it was showed unpaid. Said I'd call him back, got his name (Franklin Henry) and number. Quick look into number lead me here.
Same guy just called me on a card I SWEAR I paid off and closed. Said he'd send something to my email that I had to sign and accept the settlement amount or it would be filed tomorrow. He had my previous name..addresses I lived...knows the place of employment...says he knows I have the available credit to use to pay this off.....BUT...still nothing in my email to indicate that its genuine. He did say its "against the law for him to call me back about this" I will do some checking with my county offices that he mentioned...hopefully this is a scam and I wont regret not acting on it now. I have moved so many times since the original onset of the card that I no longer have any records...especially not 14 years old. He did make me have some anxiety about this...I do hope its a scam.
Warning!! Emails are NOT an official method of notification. Demand WRITTEN proof of the debt that is MAILED (post office) to you. Expect excuses but no documents.
Do not pay them one red cent until you make them follow the law, which dictates that they must send you a letter in the mail delivered by the mailman and postmarked within 5 days of your conversation. Then you send them a certified, return receipt debt validation letter. Using the information in ?CWG40's post up there add it to this:
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt. It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes. The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days of receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices: http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
Thank you!! putting my mind at ease. Sudden calls out of the blue where they have ALL you personal information will get anyone worked up and a little scared. I so glad I checked here soon as I hung up with him.