New twist on phony debt collection
- Kim Thompson: Better Business Bureau
- June 4, 2019
- 1092
Debt-collection scams are nothing new, but scammers have recently switched up their tactics. In the past scammers scared targets with threats of arrest or lawsuits, frightening victims into paying a nonexistent "debt."
Now www.BBB.org/ScamTracker is seeing increasing reports that scammers have switched from "bad cop" to "good cop" in a similar version of the scam.
You receive an unsolicited call from a debt-collection agency. The caller claims you have an unpaid debt that is about to go to court. The person who speaks with you is extremely polite and appears to have your best interest at heart. They seem like they sincerely want to help you avoid going to court. To fix the situation, all you need to do is make a reasonable payment, perhaps even divided up into several installments.
No matter how polite the caller appears, don't fall for it. If you make the payment, the person you spoke to on the phone will take the money and disappear. Any future efforts to contact them will be in vain.
Ask for an official "Validation Notice" of the debt. In the U.S. debt collectors are required by law to send you a written notice that includes the amount of your debt, your rights and the name of the creditor you owe. If a caller refuses to send you this information, you're probably speaking with a scammer.
Ask for more information. If you do owe money and aren't sure if the caller is real, ask for their name, company, street address and telephone number. Verify before paying up.
Just hang up. If you know you don't owe money to anyone, hang up the phone immediately. Con artists don't just steal money; they often try to obtain your personal information too.
Learn more about debt-collection scams by reading www.BBB.org/DebtCollectionScam.
If you've been the victim of this or another scam, help others avoid the same fate by reporting what happened at www.BBB.org/ScamTracker. To learn about other kinds of scams, go to www.BBB.org/ScamTips and learn to protect yourself at www.BBB.org/AvoidScams.
Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review and read tips.