The Better Business Bureau has reported a massive increase in telephone calls from phony debt collectors, people or companies calling unsuspecting consumers claiming to be a collection agency and millions of people fall victim to identity theft every year.
According to the website EveryCall.us, there has been a surge in consumers reporting harassing calls from companies like NCO Financial Systems which call repeatedly throughout the day requesting personal information about friends and family members. It is unclear if these calls are legitimate or not, but experts warn to ensure the legitimacy of the caller before surrendering any personal information. Consumers have reported telephone calls from literally hundreds of other purported debt collection organizations, many of which have a poor rating with the BBB or simply do not exist and are front companies for scam artists to commit fraud.
One recommendation is to ask the caller to call them back and then perform a lookup of the telephone number of the caller. That way you can review what others have said about the caller to help you confirm if they are a legitimate agency or not.
When you receive a call from a debt collector, be sure to ask the caller for their name, business name, address and telephone number so that you can call them back after you verify the legitimacy of their business.
The Better Business Bureau recommends that you demand they prove the legitimacy of the debt they are collecting by US postal mail.
The next time you receive a spam call or debt collection call, we hope that this article has helped you with some tips to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. It is important to be skeptical of any telephone calls you receive until you confirm the identity of the caller.
The next time you receive a spam call or another call that you don’t recognize, be sure to find out who calls you at EveryCall.us, a free service to lookup spam callers and report telemarketers. Blackberry owners can download Call Control, the best blacklist application for Blackberry to block debt collectors quickly and easily.