False Collection Attempts

I simply never pay collection agencies unless they can prove the debt in writing. Merely sending me a letter claiming I owe them money won't actually get me to pay. Calling me on the phone harassing me over a so called debt will get them first laughed at, second quoted the statue of limitations on old debts for my state and if they haven't hung up by then, I'll tell them that the Fair Debt Collection Act prevents them from calling to harass me about a debt they haven't proven I owe and I want their address so I can write to tell them to not contact me by phone again.

Usually, laughing does the trick. Works sometimes for telemarketers too. :laugh:

 

I've gotten several letters from "Bank of America" telling me if I didn't provide my SSN immediately the would cancel my account. Funny thing was that my account number was no where on the letters nor were there any contact numbers. There was a form called a W9 requesting name, rank and serial number. I pulled out my card and called BOA and ended up spending quite a bit of time on the phone with them and several departments all of which were very interested in this little scam. I ended up faxing all the paperwork to them only to get another batch in a few days. The logo was very good.

 

Glad you self-corrected before getting into hot water. Some suggestions for ya (you probably know most/all of this...but if nothing else, it's a public service kind of announcement):

• NEVER reply to these folks without checking things out. If I get an email from anyone that is/was a creditor, I don't respond. Instead, I send out a new email (spammers/scammers gotten pretty clever at disguising themselves).
• If I ever do get fraudulent stuff/phishing/etc., I forward the attempt to the fraud division of said entity being impersonated. Pretty much every pivate entities have an email to report fraud (it's usually "[email protected]").
• Also, many state Attorneys General will have a way to report identity crimes. My experience is that most of these folks (private AND public) are very appreciative of folks being on the lookout, and turning in lowlifes.

Gina...being this kind of happened suddenly, keep your eyes open. Often times, your name/email/phone will have been "discovered" by someone, and there can be an uptick in attempts by these goons. (For instance, if I get one "Bank of America" phishing attempt, I can usually count on getting 2-3 in a short while.) But...if you see a serious increase in this stuff, or if it comes from several different sources, you might want to make sure you haven't had any information compromised. Not trying to be alarmist, but just offering some tips.

Hope it all works out & that it ends up being little more than an inconvenience. It bears repeating: Never give out private info unsolicited, or over phone/email...unless you've initiated the call. I suggest always calling back (after checking to make sure of the right contact information using "official" numbers & addresses--not ones they give you. And if you suspect an attempt at fraud, take the extra 2 minutes & tell on them. It's worth it!

Or, you CAN do what I often do...I just give them Salty's SSN and info. It's amazing how appreciative they are! :saint:

DISCLAIMER: for those whose sense of humor isn't fully developed, the above is known as a "joke." I can't give out Salty's SSN. You see, Salty's on up there in years. He's so old, his SSN is "Twelve." Most telemarketers don't know what do do with all the extra unused digits... :tonofbricks:So they usually hang up on me. Heck, it takes me 4-5 extra attempts for me to get them to answer my call, and take the rest of his personal information!