they said I owe $1500.00 to an online loan company. They had the last 4 digits of my social security number, my prior address (from 4 years ago) and the name of my current employer. The uneducated girl who liked to use legal jargon advised I was being charged with 2 counts of maliciousness and facing up to 2 years of prison and a felony on my record. Also gave the name "Attorney Knocks." Wanted me to settle today and was willing to do installments of the money I owe and oh, good news, was able to get the fee down to$1275.00 since the collection agency was unable to get a collection from me for the monies I have owed since "2011". It's 2016. Why are you now all the sudden after all these years trying to get the funds owed from me? The girl spoke quickly so I was unable to catch the name of the company. Every time I asked a question I was quickly placed on hold so she could "contact another department" and the attorney of record was "unavailable for the rest of the day."
Total scam. Being in ordinary civil debt is not a crime and you cannot be arrested for it. Ignore and block the calls.
Just because someone on the phone calling you says you owe a debt does not mean you actually owe it.
If a voice on the telephone claims you owe a debt:
1. Demand the person give you his or her name, company name, and address
2. Demand a debt validation letter by US mail. E-mail no good.
3. Do not pay the collection agent or anyone else a dime until the debt is validated
Of course they won’t do this, no scammer ever will, so simply ignore them and block their calls.
I
f they are bothering you, report them:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection (Threatening criminal process in order to collect a civil debt is a clear violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.)
Also contact your local attorney general
If they continue to bother you, and you know you do not owe any money, tell them that you know this is a debt scam and that you are making a complaint to the police for extortion. Once you get a copy of the police report and they call you again , just read out the file number and the name of the PD or Sheriff’s office involved. Tell them you’ll be glad to send a copy to them at whatever address the jack***es are working out of now.
You'll probably have to yell at them and talk over them. Tell 'em no scammy debt collector is going to push you around.
You have to get tuff with these people because, being akin to thugs, brute force is (metaphorically speaking). the only thing they understand.