Just received a call from this number and they will not tell me who they are or what the debt is. I have asked them to validate the call and they would not. I told them I was recording their call and they hung up on me and told me to call back when I a ready to discuss. How do you stop people like this?

I received a call today on my cell phone stating the same as above.  When I called back he asked me to verify the last 4 digits of my SS number when I refused he became very defensive about making sure he was speaking to the correct person.  I did give him the 2 middle numbers in which he immediately replied "Oh, we have the wrong person".  Then he gave me the address and the SS number of another person with the same first and last name.  How confidential was that other person's information?  I also asked him how they got my cell phone number and he stated their investigations company found it.

Just got a call at work from a company called document support services telling me that they will be serving me papers at worl\k and i need to call a comapny to put it off. she didnt know what it was about but didnt want them to deliver it to me at work.   then they gave me a file number. ...  I have gotten  100s of calls from thiat number 1-877- 296-0359. is this for real. i asked this company before if i owe a debt send info to my home . i have not received anything

Update, I called them up asking for an overnight payment address and did not give them any referance to the collection account. then i mailed the validation letter been more than 30 days. so far so good.

Anyone who is actually going to serve you will not call to ask they will just surprise you so you can dodge it. all serving does is tell you that you are required to show up in court any way. if you do get one GET A LAWYER!

Send them a letter that requires them to validate the debt. most companies that purchase debt can not get the PROPER proof from the original company that the debt came from. this gives them 30 days to prove it or stop. they must also report to the credit bureaus that you dispute the debt and they are supposed to remove it until proven. a good place to start is http://www.debt-n-credit-letters.com/Debt-Dispute/debt-dispute-index.html

i got a call today at work from a ken smith saying he need to serve me paper and to call this number with a case number. its a scam

This call came in as a blocked number.  It was a Jennifer Richey calling from the Special Investigations Unit, in reference to an asset and liability investigation pending.  They need my current and physical location in reference to the complaint that was forwarded to their firm.  To give my statement and discuss the possible pending action that is being filed against me in this complaint I must call the number of the Pre-legal department at 877 296-0359 and give them their case number. If they don't hear back from me or my attorney within three hours they will be forced to take further action without my input or cooperation.  It is now 10:59 am.  Good luck.  Slimeballs, can you imagine how that could scare some people?  I think they have reached a new low but I still don't know who they are.

got a call from them they said the name of the company but i did not understand what he said . I was put in contact with Jonathan who said they could put a lien on  property but the property is not in my name. can they actually do this if the property is in my husbands name. Said they would take me to court. I am on disability and told him this he says that legally my husband needs to pay. but from what i get from reading on line is that is not true. anyone know this at all  said they purchased the debt and last payment was in 2009. and that statue of limitations is about to run out so they are going to sue me..

got a call at work today claiming they needed to know if it was ok to deliver a summons at my work place . . . I asked them what this was regarding they gave me the above number to call. They are trying to collect a debt that is beyond the SoL (statute of limitations)  . . . . the man on the phone (frank) kept giving me the run around never giving me there mailing address to send them a letter and refusing to send me any form of documentation to validate the debt. if they call me again I am gonna pull out the FDCPA (fair debt collection Practices act) playbook.

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

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

Just recieved a call from them telling me to call due to court for a credit card. The credit card is real but already paid off. They are the ones who are trying to steal your identity i think.

Employees calling from this number leaves messages ranging from "I'm calling from (insert your county here) County Investigation office, you need to return a call to us at...", to a message indicating "this is not a debt collection attempt but you need to call us concerning possible identity theft and fraudulent charges on your Sears account", to "I am calling from the special servers investigative support services, you need to call our legal (intentional but deniable slip), or pre-legal, department at....".  Most of these messages indicate or suggest I could be served papers for some phoney debt they say I owe.  (same thing others report for this number) One thing is VERY clear from the number and nature of the calls:  This is not a reputable firm and certainly not an actual law firm.  Law firms don't spend months leaving hundreds of messages or impersonate police officers - you get a notice from your county circuit clerk indicating you must appear in court, not 150 messages threatening such action.  Phoney.  These calls started a few weeks after I paid off my vehicle loan - don't know if that is related or how they pegged me as someone with some money to be scammed.