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

I just had the same thing happen to me today. Said that I had to pay 400.00 and wouldnt give me any info including her name and company until I gave her my  ss#. The same person called my family members and even people from my church. I told her to leave me and my family alone and she said since you dont want to pay good luck in court.  Said they were from Grace and mills also

I hate people like this.

I also got a call from this # at my job saying they are from the state and I wrote a bad check to pay $294.52 now or half using a card with a visa or mastercard if not I would have to go to court for fraud.I said No! looked up the # and found out Im not the only one who has gotten a call from this fraud firm.Be careful everyone.I also looked up the name Grace and Mills and associates but not found.

Same compliant as above, but he had both my first and last name wrong. Left a message in regards to suspious activity on my checking account.Then said I needed to respond or a warrant would be issued. I never write checks and knew it was a scam.

pls stop callingto my family members If u guys are real and professional people pls. do it on the wright way not harassing people ..god bless u

i recved a call from thIS # also it sound real fraudulant. I called and it tells you to pay 9.99 to get more info

someone called my sister in law and told them that they where looking for my wife, they called her by her first name and her now last name. they told her that my wife had court and that if she did not present herself she would get a warrent. They called my wife but they called her by her previous husband last name then. He called himself Mr. Washington then they transfer her to a nother individual that told her that she could either pick a court date or pay the sum of fourhundred and something dollars. It all seem suspicious because they wouldnt give information about themselves I called the number back and its a non working number. My wife dosent even know what they were talking abou. they said she wrote a bad check; but she has never writen checks before. I went to the website that this number takes you to on google and its a joke. people be careful out there, there is people who are to lazy to get a real job and all they want to do is take your money.

Got a call on my cell.