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Was called on 10-9-2012 about owing money to a payday loan company. The guy was rude and called me every vulgar name possible, said I would be sued but did not know anything about me. Called back repeatly, I finally had to take the phone off the hook for an hour.

I was told this was the number to Cash USA, from a scam payday collector agency, saying that I owed an old payday loan, I called them into the FTC, Federal Trade Consumer Commission, and My Local Sheriff's office.

This gentleman called and said he was with CMS collections and that there was a lawsuit in my name and social security number and asked me if I was aware of it. I told him no and that I knew this was a scam so I hung the phone and he repeatedly kept calling back so I uplugged my phone. I have now added him to my call block numbers.

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.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt076.shtm

He called us today also. He said that we owed 700.00 and we need to pay them asap. He said that my husband borrowed money online to Westfield Union. This people are crazy and scammers. I told them to send my husband to the collection agency and I will pay agency directly. Watch out for this people. They have accent but their names are americans. Call the Police Department and Attorney General's Office right away.