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A family member received a phone call from a woman identifying herself as "Kaylee" and nothing more.  She was fishing for information regarding me, and told my family member that there was a court case pending against me in Austin TX.  When pressed for information about the company she was calling from, she became belligerent and rude.  When she was told to send everything regarding this matter in writing, she outright refused.  She left off saying that she was going to pursue the case in court and hung up the phone.  She violated numerous tenants of the Fair Debt Collection Act in this conversation.  

As a former Collections Manager, let me outline details of the Fair Debt Collection Act for your protection and reference:

Can a debt collector contact anyone else about my debt?
If an attorney is representing you about the debt, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you don’t have an attorney, a collector may contact other people – but only to find out your address, your home phone number, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting third parties more than once. Other than to obtain this location information about you, a debt collector is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?
Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money and all original documentation from the creditor.  They can not just send you an invoice they generated.  They have to provide actual proof the the debt and all supporting documentation.  Also, they have to how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money.

Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don’t think I owe any money?
If you send the debt collector a letter stating that you don’t owe any or all of the money, or asking for verification of the debt, that collector must stop contacting you. You have to send that letter within 30 days after you receive the validation notice. But a collector can begin contacting you again if it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of a bill for the amount you owe.

What practices are off limits for debt collectors?
Harassment.
Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
use threats of violence or harm;
publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);
use obscene or profane language; or
repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.

False statements.
Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;
falsely claim that you have committed a crime;
falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;
misrepresent the amount you owe;
indicate that papers they send you are legal forms if they aren’t; or
indicate that papers they send to you aren’t legal forms if they are.

Debt collectors also are prohibited from saying that:
you will be arrested if you don’t pay your debt;
they’ll seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages unless they are permitted by law to take the action and intend to do so; or
legal action will be taken against you, if doing so would be illegal or if they don’t intend to take the action.

Debt collectors may not:
give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company;
send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency if it isn’t; or
use a false company name.

Unfair practices.
Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices when they try to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
try to collect any interest, fee, or other charge on top of the amount you owe unless the contract that created your debt – or your state law – allows the charge;
deposit a post-dated check early;
take or threaten to take your property unless it can be done legally; or
contact you by postcard.

Also, please be aware of statute of limitations for old debt.  Each state has different strictures regarding the amount of time debt can be legally collected in the state where the debt originated.  In most states, the legal limitation for most debt is 6 years.  Afterwards the debt is considered to be uncollectible.  Keep in mind the statute of limitations is not the same as what is reported on your credit report, which hold different data from 7 up to 10 years (in the case of bankruptcies and the like).

These are the unfortunate case scenarios when dealing with unscrupulous debt collectors.  Trust me, if you are dealing with an upstanding firm, they will not do any of this to you.  As a general rule, ask for everything to be sent to you in writing for your review to protect yourself as: you may have paid the debt previously and forgot about it, it may not truly be your debt, or it actually may be a valid item that you need to take care of.  Do not hesitate to contact a lawyer if you feel that your rights have been violated.