The woman on the phone was VERY rude & asked if I was receiving my magazines. I do not order magazines so I said that I used to get mailers from Reader's Digest but cancelled them. She informed me that their company pre-pays for sending these magazines out and they cannot be cancelled. She then tried to tell me that I owe $49.95. I informed her that it is impossible to owe anything as I have never received any magazines, nor order any at anytime. This to me is a scam to get cash and your information. Somehow, she knew my mailing address.. :/
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.>
Just received a call from this number...720 389-9040, the lady insisted on telling me that I owed money on a magazine subscription I had taken. When I asked her which magazine it was, she wasn't able to tell me, only saying that I owed money and that the magazines were prepaid and I must reimburse the company. I asked which company; I told her that I hadn't ordered any magazines and that the magazines I was receiving were already paid. She kept on saying that I owed money. When I insisted on her telling me WHICH magazine it was, she hung up. Again BEWARE!! Do not pay for anything unless you are the one placing the call and you are sure that it is legitimate.
Saw it on my cell phone this morning. Similar call from 7203989421. When you try calling back the numbers there is no answer. Also what happened to placing our cell phones on a do not call list. How do we stop this?
Thanks.
This company calls me daily, never leaves a message but it pops up on my caller ID. This is getting to be harassment now. If you have legitimate business with me and I'm not home, leave a message on the freakin machine! That's what it's for! I only have one magazine subscription that I took out for three years and it's not even with this company. I'm getting fed up with this company calling me and I'm about ready to tell them that myself.