Phony debt collectors abound today. My office deals with at least a half dozen inquiries from people who have been contacted by these sleazy operators. Frequently, these fake debt collectors are employed by payday loan companies. They are usually located off shore which is just beyond the reach of the United States courts and, of course, the Federal Trade Commission.
These sleazes are effective.
In 8.5 million calls tracked over four months in late 2010 by the Federal Trade Commission, the callers raked in more than $5 million in payments from intimidated consumers. The sad part is that none of these people owed any money to anyone.
Here is how they work
They call you continuously at home or at work. They misrepresent that someone owes money and threaten to have the police arrest the consumer immediately. Sometimes, these scammers will get someone’s work telephone number and call them repeatedly there. Many people are rightfully intimidated and will do anything to get the calls to stop.
How to stop the calls
You stop these thieves the same way you stop any recurring nightmare. You call the debt collector out on the fact that you know that they are off shore and that there is nothing at all that they can do to collect a dime from you. Stand your ground. Tell them that you are not going to pay them, anything….at all….ever. In our experience, this is usually enough to stop the calls.
If you are or have been the victim of a debt collector, call or email Attorney Gary Nitzkin for a free consultation at [email protected] Call toll free (888) 293-2882. For more information about our law firm, Michigan Consumer Credit Lawyers, visit our website at www.micreditlawyer.com