832-554-5211

Claims to be from Haynes and Associates with pending civil litigation which they say they would like to mediate. They will harass your family members as well. Debt collector posing as law firm.

I was harrassed today from the same mediation. They seem to have the first 3 digits to my social. How would they get that info.? Also they had my cell  number and my husbands cell, called him too. I didn't give them any info., they tried to get it from me with harrasment.

Your best bet is to call the original bank and confirm any or all information they have, I wouldn't just take anyone's word for it, even though in this case it turned out to be legitimate. Have you ever considered they have your social because you provided it to the bank when you were applying for the line of credit? If you don't pay your bill, someone may one day try to recover it... And when you chose not to pay the bill voluntarily, they have ways of forcibly recovering the money... Be an educated consumer not an ignorant one.

The poster doesn't say she applied for a line of credit.  

Per the FDCPA, the poster has the right to demand a debt validation letter - in fact, the caller must provide this within five days of their first call.  This documentation would give the original creditor, date loan was obtained, amount loaned, balance still owed, date of last payment and also whether the caller has the legal right to collect said debt.  Per the FDCPA, no one should pay any caller who refuses to mail this DV letter to them.  If, in fact, the caller is attempting to extort money for a bogus debt - or one already paid off - the poster should report them to the FTC and that state's Attorney General.

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors

do you work? or is your job to find ways of avoiding paying your bills. Also the FDCPA doesn't apply to business lines of credit.