anon
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Usually if you owe a debt the original debt-holder will notify you by mail that you must settle the account w/i 30 days or they will assign it to a collection agency.
What you are describing sounds like a scam.....
1) Do you owe anybody $$$$ ?
2) If you do, contact that company and ask them if they still have your account or if they have discharged it it a collection agency.
3) If they have sent it to a collection agent, ask them to provide you with the name of the agency and phone number and contact them yourself!
Plus collection agencies usually contact you by mail and tell you that they have gotten your debt from the original company, they give the amount owed and they provide you with a case number or file number that is different form your original account.
If someone is calling you and just asking for your SS number they are probably playing you! Next time they call, ask for the name of the company, ask to speak to a supervisor, ask why they are trying to collect from you. If you have caller i.d. and can trace the phone number, contact the FCC and let them know that someone is running a collections scam. |
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A.Mercer
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I would never give out my social to someone who called out of the blue. If the company expects you to do that, then that company is either very stupid or doing something illegal. Your best bet is to tell them that you will only deal with them thru the mail and tell them not to call you again. If they keep calling then they are breaking the law. |
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kja63
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Under no circumstances are you to EVER give out personal information over the phone. No legitimate company will call you and ask you to verify your SSN, other than the last 4 digits for confirmation. |
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mikiew80
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This sounds strange...
Tell them to send you a letter about your debt or a bailif to come to your address.
Just say that the government has warned of scams and i do not give personal information out to someone i do not know.
Ask them to prove who they are, just like we do when strange visitors arrive knocking on our doors! |
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wish I were
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You avoided a scam! Never give your SS# to someone on the phone. If they call again, request they contact you by mail. If it's a real collection agency they will comply! |
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spnkitman
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Its not harrassment but it is a scam. They are trying to get you Social Security Number so they can create phony credit cards and ruin your credit.
Just laugh at them when they call and tell them you aren't going to pay and ha ha ha. that will get them mad. |
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tabulator32
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Yes. It is harassment.
Never give your SSN over the phone.
Tell them to contact you by mail only.
Send them a letter to that effect and, by law, they have to comply. |
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Laura D
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I've never had to give my soc to anyone and I (shamefully) have had a lot of collection agencies call my house...I don't even leave the ringer on anymore...They will send you stuff in the mail. I've never had a collection agency that didn't. |
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G is for Grover
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this sounds like a major scam, especially if you have never dealt with the company before. next time they call, tell them that you will not give them any information or deal with them in any matter except through certified mail.
if you want more information about debt and debt collection check out www.daveramsey.com . his website has a lot of information on how to deal with debt collectors |
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P.Y.T.
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you can ask to speak to her supervisor, and tell her that she is very unprofessional and they should have to tell you the name of the company. |
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Hogfather
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Never ever give any information over the phone you dont know who it is .Usually debt collection agency's will send you paperwork first so be wary of this one . |
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dynamiteholly
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If you are un sure it is your debt dont ever give them your social. Go to true credit.com it will give you your scores at all three agencies and let you see your report. It will charge you $15 a month an you can cancel at any time. It will also help you dispute things you dont think are yours. I keep mine active because I've had some bad luck with identity theft etc. And the peace of mind the $15 a month gives me is way worth it! |
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Rick K
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never give your social over the phone to anyone unless you call them and know whom they are tell them to send you something thru the mail to verify debt |
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Fuzzybutt
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Scam Scam Scam
Never give out your social
I you dont trust them or know who the are.
Tell them to mail out a bill or information on what this is regarding.
NEVER NEVER NEVER give out personal info on the phone
computer or fax. |
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Ask M
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absolutely, don't agree to anything, don't pay them anything,
write a cease and desist letter, ask them to validate the debt, and don't answer your phone (if you have caller ID) and if
they leave messages save them. You might be able to sue
them back after you send letters.
www.creditinfocenter.com |
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David's Mom!
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It does not sound legitimate. I would alert the police department. It sounds like they are Phishing. No company will ask you to verify by telling them sensitive information. They may ask you for the last four digits of your social to verify what they have on file, but never the whole number. They need to tell you what company they represent. eg: We are the collection agency hired by Chase Manhatten for the visa credit card you have with them that is past due and need to collect from you. If they do not inform you of who they are, with a call back # for you to call back to verify they are legit, DO NOT OFFER ANY INFORMATION AT ALL! |
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donna u
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Do not give out your social security number!!!!
Some places ask for just the last 4 digits, that may be OK.
Even if you owe them, why do they need you SS#??
If you are being taken to a collection agency then they would tell you who it is. After all you are the one owing the money and you have a right to ask who sent you to them. (if this is not a scam).
Sounds like a scam to me. Call the number back next time and see who answers. |
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Staci
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I used to work for a collection company. I know Ugh. Anyway, in many states there are only allowed to call and talk to you once a day. If you do not answer they can call again, unless they leave a message on your machine. I would not verify a social without knowing the company. They can use other source to verify (i.e. address, phone number, madien name) I would be cautious about giving out my social too. Next tiem they call tell her to verify there social with you and see how they feel. Good luck. |
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Ray S
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it sounds like a new form of identity theft, by law they have to send you by mail proof of debt and allow you 30 days to dispute that debt |
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JB
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Your instinct not to verify anything was correct. This sounds more like a scam than a debt collection. Give them nothing. |
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Walkerfire
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DO NOT give them your SS number. If they are real (which they aren't) they would already have this or have no need foe it. Either way you did good.
As far as harassment? Who you going to charge, you don't know who's calling. If they continue you can call the phone company and they can try to trace the call but this doesn't work to often. |
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Thumbs ^ Up
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I just had this problem a while back. I was getting the same thing for about 4 months. They would call here I don't know how many times a day. The people were Asian sounding to me and was really hard for me to understand what they were saying. One even went as far as asking me for my SS#. The thing that got me the most was when I got a bogus statement in the mail saying that I owed this much, but, they would settle for less, calling it a "discount". I contacted the state in which they were calling from. In fact, I had a few state agencies look into it for me. Come to find out that they were a fony as bolony and it was all a scam. If you have caller ID, keep track of the numbers that come up. Taking note of time and date of their calls is also helpful too. Go to whitepages.com or any other reverse phone number look up web site and do a reverse phone number search. You might get information about who this could be, you might not as many of the numbers are unavailable.
Even if you can locate the area code in which the calls come from will be good. You can also do a reverse area code look up as well. That way, you can find out what state they are in and contact that state threw their web site.
Don't give these people any of your personal information either. They are just waiting for that and waiting for you to take their bait.
Good luck, I hope this helps. |
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kaffegeek
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a collection agency does not ask for social numbers.
they may ask for the account number of the debtor.
that are probably a scammer. |
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Answerer
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I knew a guy who worked for a collection agency, they pulled all kinds of tricks. They may be trying to collect a legitimate bill that you owe and what they do is not illegal. Asking for the SS number up front may have just been to gather more info on you or to test your gullibility to see how far they could push it - they often have to make deals for a lesser amount of the money you owe, and guaging your personality will give them leverage in the negotiation. What they do is sleazy though not illegal. I would call the company you owe money to and try to get the situation with them resolved as quickly as possible. |
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Mrs. M
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They can verfity you with the last four of your ssn or your bday.
They do NOT need to tell you the company is before you verifiy yourself.
It is not harrassment if they called and hu on you because you wouldnt verify. Your wasting their time if you refuse. The calls will cont.
also, they might have just gotten the account and mail is coming..... |
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Concerned
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If they are a true debt collector they have to give you there phone number so that you can call them back. Also look the company up online to see if they actually exist. Be very careful about giving out your personal info. It may come back to haunt you. By the way I was a debt collector for a while. They should have definately sent you something in the mail before calling. If you owe a company money they are going to go to an outside collector only as a last resort because the person who collects actually gets a portion of the outstanding debt once you have paid. Hope this helps......... |
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bmdt07
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If you ask what the debt is for they have to tell you. and if you don't want them calling you you can request by writing to them that not to call and only communication be in writing.
You need to get the fax number of the collection agency and the account number and the name of who you would address the cease the calls letter too. Its important that you document this and keep this letter as proof and the confirmation of the fax going through.
you would do this letter up as a business letter and at the bottom you must include your mailing address so they know where to send things to you.
If they fail to comply with your demands there is a consumer protection agency that you can call and lay complaints. Usually they will give you a number of a person that actually works in the collection agency, but there job is to make sure they comply within the rules.
I don't know but if you have a credit counseling service they would be able to give you a number to where you could lay your complaints.
I am not sure about this part, but I think they can only call 1 time to talk to you unless of course they don't get anyone on the other end.
Good luck |
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TheMrs44012
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First of all, YES, and reputable debt collector SHOULD say their name and the company they are representing. No, do not give your SS # to anyone who claims they are with a company and will not state what company it's for. That's very shady.
To see what protection you have from debt collectors, visit this link to see what your rights are, and good luck!
Some debt collectors have been known to use illegal practices to collect on and you can get harrased-- but by knowing what your rights are you will know just what is legal and what is not.
I wish you the best of luck!
http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm |
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trippystemny
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Yes, they have to tell you who they are, and no, it's not harassment. They can't ask for your entire SS# though, only verify the last 4 digits. |
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