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.>
This number came up as "Starnet - Paete" but the message purported to be from Vanderburg Chase , a collection agency.... and asked me to verify my name and social security number for a "legal matter". I know I have no outstanding debts in collection so this has to be a scam.
I googled them and it looks like they have used illegal tactics to try and collect on old debts that have been paid off.
I got a call from them less than hour ago. The man was SO RUDE to me!!! The backround from his phone was very noisy so I could barely hear him. He asked if this was Jessica Taylor (or so I thought..so hard to hear) and I said yes. So he gave the first 3 numbers of a SSN that was not mine so I said "No, that's not mine. Can you say again the first name of who your looking for? I think I misunderstood you." So he said "GLINDA Taylor." I said "Oh sorry, that's not me." Then with a big attitude he was like" WELL, WHO IS THIS THEN?!" so I said my name and he's like "I ASKED IF THIS WAS GLINDA AND YOU SAID YES." Then I said "Okay sorry. I didn't hear you too well because your backround is noisy." Then he goes "YOU KNEW I ASKED FOR GLINDA. GLINDA AND JESSICA SOUND NOTHING ALIKE." So I just hung up. What an a**hole. He was practically yelling at my. I heard him say my last name and just figured he had the right number....I mean, how often does someone call looking for someone else?
Received a message from them on my work phone. They use scare tactics to get you to call them back on outstanding debts saying you have a limited amount of time to respond or they will schedule a court date within 24 hours to see "the judge" in las vegas court. Give me a fking break. Even if it's a legit debt, I highly doubt they are that special of a collection agency and have the power to be able to schedule a court date that quick. Besides, I could care less, bring it on, they're not getting jack from me. Oh and by the way, they are associated with Delanore Kemper and Associates, another infamous collection agency that uses the same tactics, they are probably one and the same!
They told me they were a collection company and I am in legal trouble. First of all--I have no debt or anything in collection, secondly I am in law enforcement so I know Im not in trouble and when I told him this--he hung up on me!! This is a scam to get your info or CC numbers--WATCH YOURSELF!!