Beware of Some Collection Agencies

Posted by: Gene M. | May 07,2008


Have you gotten a call from a collection agency demanding that you pay a bill from ten years earlier?  No?  Well, it’s something to look out for.  Most people can’t remember every bill they paid, or defaulted on, ten years ago, so they might just take the collection agent’s word for it.  

Be careful.  There are many cases of identity thieves posing as collection agents as a way to get your credit and debit numbers over the phone.  People are so intimidated by the prospect of collection agents – much like people are intimidated by police – that they’ll willingly hand over sensitive information.  You might be more savvy about hanging up on a phone solicitor pushing a product you’ve never heard of, or fronting an unfamiliar charity, but getting a call from a collection agent can be intimidating.  

This is especially important if you are currently being contacted by legitimate collection agencies, as you won’t necessarily be able to differentiate between true agencies and fronts for an identity thief.  It’s important to get full contact information for the collection agency and then find out if the company to which you were being billed has an account with that particular agency.  Just because a collection agency is intimidating and calling you out for making a financial mistake does not mean you can’t make a little background check of your own.  

All told, this is not the most common scheme for identity thieves, but it is something to look out for.  The thief will say something like, “If you give me your credit card number now, this can all be settled.”  He may even ask for your social security number or pin – a real signal that it’s a fraudulent outfit.  Identity thieves work via intimidation and manipulation and if they contact you via a perceived position of authority, half their work is done.  

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