Seniors have been warned by officials of thieves who are impersonating debt collectors.
Their method is to place a call to the “debtor”, ask for the money, and use threats, such as filing a lawsuit, if they don’t receive a payment. They will demand that the money is paid via a prepaid card or a money transfer. Until the money is paid, they will harass the “debtor” until the money has been transferred. The cycle will then continue as the initial thieves sell the senior’s information to other fraudulent groups. The cycle of theft from scammers happens again, and again, as the name of the victim becomes more valuable once its known that they will cave in and fall for the scam.
There are ways to stay on the look out for activity like this. First, check to see if you actually are in debt. Pull you free credit report every year, or use a free service like Credit Karma where you can get your credit report as often as you want. If you don’t actually owe the debt, screen the calls being made to you by “debt collectors” and report them and any other wrongful attempts to collect, to the law enforcement agency in your area.
If it is a legitimate debt, always work with the professional calling you. Professional and legitimate debt collectors will not treat you with abuse, but with respect, and will work with you to resolve your debt.