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

These people called several times and left a message saying I was a person of interest in a county that I used to live in and they were using federal regulations and trying to get in contact with me. I called to see what it was and they said about 5 years ago, I had a checking account that was closed because it had been overdrawn, which I remember nothing about. They said it has gone through many collections and that if I didn't pay, they would be pressing bank fraud litigation charges against me. Sounds like they are trying to use Scare Tactics. I have requested paperwork to say I really owe this debt.

Got a call voice mail from this number today. The caller said she was calling regarding a litigation, cited a case number, rambled something about all necessary paperwork being filed, but that she wanted get "your side of the story." Also used the misleading phrase, "person of interest." "Person of Interest," by the way, is a term with no real legal standing, which nonetheless, is used with regard to criminal, not civil (debt collection) cases. The caller asked that I or my legal representation contact her.

On the onset, it sounded very important and serious, but on closer examination, the vagueness, and misuse of legal terminology was a huge red flag.

But the most obvious sign that something was fishier than than an aquarium? The caller used my maiden name, which I haven't used in nearly 20 years. Also, she referenced a county where I last lived twelve years ago. My credit is great because I always pay my bills, but even if this was a genuine outstanding debt, it has since long passed the statute of limitations.

I also got a call from this number. All spooky left a VM saying I was a person of interest in a county that i haven't lived in in over 6 years. Left a case number sayin I need to call back or have my lawyer call back....creeped me out but I looked this number up online and seems its either some kind of scam or some kind of collection agency. Although I've never taken out payday loans or have any idea what debt they may think I have.....if I'm a person of interest I'd imagine someone from my own home state would be calling, not a random SC number.

Been getting calls for a couple of weeks stating that I owed a payday loan that I explained to them I was so sure I paid a couple of years ago. Because I wanted to show good faith of paying any debt I owed, I have already paid 100.00 of my money with a pre-paid debit card. I am so upset that I paid money to scammers once again. I made an initial payment until I received the paper work that proved that I owed this debt which I never got from them. I requested the information three different times and they continued to ensure me that it was on its way. So I vowed to myself that they will no longer get anymore money from me until I saw proof regardless of the threats of court and fines. Please do your research or wait to receive physical proof before you hand over any money. I have learned my lesson once and for all.