Phony Debt Collectors – How to Spot Them and What to do About It
Increasingly, fraudsters are posing as legitimate debt collectors or attorneys and offering to accept a discounted amount to settle valid debts. They call unsuspecting consumers and are convincing. They typically know your social security number, your address, the amount of the debt, and the name of the creditor. They will claim to be from an organization with an official-sounding name. They will send you official-looking documents to sign. And, after you’ve paid, the real debt collector will still be able to pursue you for the full amount owed. Some common red flags are:
They try to schedule a time for you to be home to serve you papers.
They threaten to send the police to your house if you refuse to pay.
They get mad if you try to ask questions.
They refuse to send you verification of the debt.
They give bogus case numbers and court names.
There are certainly more tactics that they will try. If you get a suspicious call, you should never agree to pay any money without first verifying the validity of both the debt and the identity of the people trying to collect it.