call came from Ohio, and I let it go to voicemail since I don't know anyone in Ohio. They said they had received a fax complaint against me and they would be serving me at my home or my work, Left a Washington state number 509-620-9010, and a case file number. When I tried to return their call it said the number was not available to receive calls. I have had this cell number for less than a week...smells a little fishy to me!! Never give their company name or even who they might represent. Final words of the message were: "You have been notified".
Debts are civil and not criminal matters. This is your first clue that this is a debt collection scam.
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.
I received a call from this number today. It was a robo call... insert name... message. They called for my ex-husbands second wife, whom I do not know her. Our kids are grown up. So strange how that name got associated with my number.
Just like the other comments under this thread this alleged business called my brothers phone never have once called my phone and left a message stating I've been notified and someone has initiated a complaint against me. My brother gave me the message and I called knowing my debts are clear and I verified my name and when she asked me to verify my date of birth I asked her what company she was calling from and I got hung up on. I called back several times and managed to get the same representative and informed her to cease all phone calls and that it was harassing she hung up on me. The extent some people would go through I can't recall the name but I believe it was NRA associates. The blatant harassment is crazy!
Told me it was a complaint against my son and when I asked who it was and what it was about she began to be rude and how I was a ref on his paper work so that made me responsible for his detp and that she was gonna block me . From getting my check and that I wasn't gonna take my paycheck but I don't know how my son could have had any debt here lately because he is in carserated. For the past 1 1/2. They could not tell me what kind of company they were and they could not tell there names . Just got an ext. 402
It is incumbent upon them under the law to prove that the debt exists and that you owe it, and that they have the legal right to collect it. You are not obligated under the law to prove that you don’t owe or that it is paid.
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) postmarked 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 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://800notes.com/faq/attorney-general