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.>
Man called an said he was from a law firm but never gave the name of it...then proceeded to say someone would be arrested in my household bc he didnt get to talk to who he wanted to. he was very rude...i called the number back an they answered saying law firm....very rude man
I got from a person telling me that I must pay thm $630.37 or they would arest me. M y lawyer told me that it is a scam.Told me to not pay that ths is a scam told me to give the police a call and file report so wen they figure ouy how to stop them they will have more complants to chage them with. So if you get a call lie this make sure to report it. te number that he called from is 714-888-5616 going by the name of Sctt Mitter THIS IS A SCAM !!!!!
I got the same call said I was going to be arested if I did not pay them $630.37 I called my lawyer he said it was a scam. His number was 714-888-5616 You can e-mail me at [email protected]
got a call on at my job today stating I owed Quick Cash $620...i asked questions and he couldnt answer them, he did have my personal information correct, but couldnt answer anything i asked. I am a single parent, and this scared me to death. Thanks for all of the posts letting us know that THIS IS A SCAM!!