I think I'm being scammed by a debt collector- what should I do?
Asked by
Haleth (
18947
)
April 14th, 2011
I started getting phone calls from this company, GC services, about a week ago, saying they want to collect a debt. I’m 100% positive that I don’t have any debts right now. I checked my credit report and it showed that I have a debt of $800 with this company for a past-due bill with Sprint, a company that I have never used. I disputed this with all three credit bureaus and they removed it.
The company uses a few different numbers to call, and today they said they were looking for my aunt. We have the same first name but different last names, and we live at the same address. I’m worried that my aunt’s credit will be affected. I want to have a plan when I tell her about this, to reassure her and calm her down.
I googled the company and about a million results came up saying that they were scamming people and collecting debts that don’t exist.
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16 Answers
You should just ignore them.
I had something like that happen a few years ago, I was advised to call the FBI (most of these groups cross state lines with their calls). If you have saved the numbers , pass them on. Not sure if the same thing applies here, but it can’t hurt to try! In the meantime, the next time they call tell them you have already notified the FBI, maybe the calls will stop.
@KatetheGreat: It’s hard to ignore them when they call multiple times a day for weeks and weeks.
Well if they are calling multiple times, you can always block the calls from coming in.
Does your aunt tend to get nervous? You could try the “There’s something you need to know, but you don’t need to worry about it because I already know how to solve the problem,” approach. Obviously she will need to know what’s going on if it could affect her credit, but if you think it will be too much for her, you could approach it in such a way that she lets you handle it.
@KatetheGreat The phone calls aren’t the main problem. These people are actually attaching debts to their victims’ credit reports. Ignoring that is unwise.
@bobbinhood Yeah, I don’t mind ignoring the calls, I just want to make sure nobody’s credit is affected.
These things work because too many people are intimidated and go ahead and pay up. Seems like trying to stop them would be a good thing.
“What does a debt collector need to provide as debt validation?
* Proof that the collection company owns the debt/or has been assigned the debt. (Bob is legally entitled to collect this particular debt from you.) This is basic contract law. It is very difficult to get a judgment without a direct contract between collection agency and the original creditor.
* At a minimum, some account statements from the original creditor. If you really want to get sticky, you can pin them down on the amount of the debt by requiring complete payment history, starting with the original creditor. (How the heck did Bob calculate this debt? What fees/interest Bob has tacked on to this debt and how he determined these fees?) This requirement was established by the case Fields v. Wilber Law Firm, Donald L. Wilber and Kenneth Wilber, USCA-02-C-0072, 7th Circuit Court, Sept 2004..
* Copy of the original signed loan agreement or credit card application. (Your contract with Joe establishing the debt between you.) However, account statements from the original can fulfill these requirements. ”
From this
FDCPA Section 809. Validation of debts [15 USC 1692g]
(b) If the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.
Contact Sprint and tell them they are being represented by this company.
Also contact the local and federal authorities. Police report for the ID theft should be filed also tell your aunt what you are doing and WHY.
If no debt exists then this is fraud. Pass on the details to the police. Arrange to discuss the issue with them at your local police station.
I would definitely call the police. We have an elderly neighbor who confided to me that she had given her bank account information to someone who had been repeatedly calling her on the phone. First, we helped her notify her bank and close her account, and then we filed a police report. I’m not sure what happened from there, but the scammers never contacted her again.
I just changed my phone number when they bill collectors started hounding me and had it unlisted. That took care of them. Haven’ t heard from them in years but my credit still sucks.
Call Sprint. And run a credit check on yourself and your aunt. You could be a victim of identity theft. A coworker went to refinance their house last week and found out that three years ago, someone took out a student loan in his daughter’s name with him as the cosigner. Problem is, his daughter was in middle school three years ago.
What @boffin said… Check out Clark Howard’s site and maybe even call in to the shoe if you need additional help.
HE’s AWSOME!
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