I would not get too upset by a call from this law firm since I think they are pushing the limits of the law in attempts to collect debts or are somehow scamming the public.  

I have had several calls left on my voice mail from this company.  Their phone number is always blocked, but this is the phone number they ask you to call them back at.  It is always a lady,  who is always quite polite and tells me a "case number" and that the firm will be filing "criminal and/or civil" charges if I do not respond by a certain date and time.  She always ends the call with a friendly "and have a nice day" before hanging up.

There are several things that make me suspicious of these calls.  First, they keep calling me back over and over with the same "case number" but with new deadlines when I don't respond to their earlier threats.  A legitimate legal service would not make idle threats, but would follow through if they got no response.

Second, they goof up when the lady says "if you don't call us back by (time), we will enter a guilty plea in your behalf".  There is not a court in the country that would permit a plaintiff to enter a guilty plea for the defendant in any civil case.  

Elsewhere on this thread people have mentioned that when they call back, nobody answers.  This is probably because the initial call is a "feeler" to see if they can get a response.  If you answer, that is a response. If you call back, the caller-id number you leave will indicate to them that you are actually getting their messages and taking them seriously.  If they know you answer their calls and/or return their calls, they almost certainly will call you back on their terms.  If you try several times over a few days, they assume you are panicked and might settle more quickly.

Another thing collection agencies will do if they are answered by a real person (of if you call them back) is pump you for information while acting like they are doing something else.  They might say "Can you get Jack R. Smith on the phone." you respond that there is no Jack R. Smith.  They then ask "Well is this the Smith Residence", is this your address (or worse "what is your address") and do other things.  You might even tell them that you are Jack L Smith, and they will ask some more questions and apologize for calling you in error.  They do this to verify you are the person they are trying to contact without you realizing what they are doing.  A week or so later a different, more aggressive person will call asking for you and knowing you use this phone since you admitted it earlier.

I have had several lawyers -- both those who have represented me and casual acquaintances -- tell me that if you don't want to deal with telephone collection calls, don't bother.  The law does not recognize them as a legitimate method of communications (this is why you have to WRITE them when you want them to stop calling you).  You really don't have to do anything unless they go to court and file a complaint against you.  They can call you over and over and send letters and without the courts involvement, it is all moot.  This does not mean they can not mess up your credit report, but legally they can not force you to pay a penny without a court judgement.  As mentioned earlier, you can request they stop calling you (this must be in writing) and they must stop.  However, many places will immediately sell your collection to another agency the minute you request a stop, and you must request the stop again and again each time the agency changes.

As far as them going to court, this is a generic description of what sould happen:

If you are sued in civil court, the person doing the suing (the plaintiff) will have to file paperwork (a complaint) with the appropriate court, and pay a filing fee.  I don't think there are many courts that will proceed with prosecution without the proper legal paperwork and filing fee.  These cost money -- anyplace from maybe $25 to perhaps as much as several hundred dollars.  A collection agency who does not have much of a case or who is collecting a smaller amount would probably not bother with paying the fee unless they were pretty sure they would get their money.

Next, the courts will require that the person being sued (the defendant) must be served with copies of the complaint which was filed by the plaintiff.  This is usually done by a court-approved process server, a law enforcement person or some other public official or by Certified mail.  Again, the plaintiff will probably have to cover the costs for serving the paperwork on the defendant.  If you can not be found or if you refuse service, the plaintiff may petition the court to file a "guilty plea" in your absence since you could not be found.  However, they can not simply file an initial complaint and at the same time ask the court to enter a "guilty plea" in your behalf without having tried to server you with a copy of the complaint.  Most courts will bend-over-backwards to insure that the process servers tried their best to find you and serve you with the paperwork.  

If you ignore notices from your letter carrier that you have something that needs to be signed for, the courts generally do not consider this proof that you "refused" service, since they don't know why you didn't respond (you could be out of town, sick, or whatever).  If you tell the mailman "I won't sign for it" then you have refused service, and you are usually treated the same as if you had accepted the paperwork.

Similarly, a process server is not required to have you sign for paperwork, only give it to you.  In most cases, he or she only needs to touch the paperwork to your body (even through clothing) and announce that they are a process server and you have been served.  It does not matter if you actually look at the paperwork, tear it up, or simply leave it laying on the ground.  You have been served.  In extreme cases, a process server may carry multiple copies of a complaint and throw a quantity at the person being served, hoping one will touch the person.  There is no requirement in most cases that the process server must be holding the paperwork as they serve it on you.

Sometimes courts will permit paperwork to be served via "regular" first-class mail if other methods are unsuccessful, or to leave paperwork at your home.  For example, in some areas, foreclosure paperwork can be attached to the homes front door.  Some courts will permit legal notices to be posted in the legal ads section of an approved local newspaper.  This could be a "court reporter" newspaper or even a community shopping news as long as the court approved their use.

In any event, after you have been served with a copy of the complaint, you will be given a chance to respond.  Remember that you are responding to the plaintiff, not the court, and often you address your response directly to the plaintiff and only send a copy to the court.  This is often done with the aid of an attorney, but you have the right to respond without one in most cases.  

You can simply deny their claim "I am not guilty" or present a substantial argument for why you should not be sued.  This argument could be something like "I am not the person responsible", "I already paid this and am presenting proof that I did" or whatever.   Often, this is the point where a defendant realizes that the plaintiff is serious about the matter he is suing for, and often the matter is settled during the time allotted for the"response".  If you do work things out with the plaintiff you still should respond by the required date and time, as outlined in the paperwork you received unless the case is dropped by the plaintiff and you can verify this with the courts.  Failing to respond generally will cause most courts to enter a guilty or  "no contest" type plea in your defense, and it will be much harder or perhaps impossible for you to defend your case if you fail to respond.

After you respond, the plaintiff usually is required to answer your response, and if they still think their case is legitimate, ask the court to proceed with the action that originally had been  requested.  If you were to admit in your response that you were guilty, then the plaintiff will probably ask the court for a judgement without any further actions. If your response causes the plaintiff to realize that they should not ask the courts to proceed, they should ask the courts to drop the case.  Normally if the case is to proceed, a hearing or preliminary hearing may be scheduled.

Now about process servers -- they are there doing a job which often has unpleasant overtones.  Please be civil to them if you are ever served.  They are not the ones suing you.  They are just doing their jobs.  Many people "hide" from process servers, thinking it will eliminate their need to pay a debt or whatever.   In reality, it usually only delays the inevitable.  

As mentioned elsewhere, process servers would probably not "call ahead" but would just show up at your door without notice.  They might come at dinner time, or in the evenings.  Some states have strict limits on the hours a process server can approach a person being served, or may not permit serving activities on Sundays or holidays for example.  At the same time, they actually can be pretty sneaky about getting to you if you seem to be trying to avoid them.  They can find out your license number and follow you to a store or other business and serve you there.  If they know your workplace, or the address of a friend where you regularly hang out, they can go there and wait for you to show up.  They can interview neighbors about your daily schedule, but this sometimes fails since the neighbor may tell them something wrong or tell you what they were asking about.  They have been know to impersonate a pizza delivery guy who is lost, or utility worker with some vague reason for you to open your door.  They are not permitted to actually lie about who they are, but can wear a costume and if you assume they are delivering food or flowers or a package and open the door, they can serve you.  Some government agencies stage "events" for things like people with multiple parking or traffic tickets that have not been paid.  They send out notices of a special event or contest the person can go to, and the process servers are on hand to hand out their paperwork as people come by to pick-up tickets or register for the event.

Obviously, if a legitimate business knows your phone number, and knows who you are, they should know more about you as well.  If you are basically honest, and represented yourself honestly in dealings, then they will also know your address, and where to send you mail.  Still, they might have copied an address wrong or done something else that would make you seem to be hiding from them.  Unless you have moved recently, make it a habit of using false addresses, or have refused certified letters, you probably have never been served at all.  

There are legal limits to what a can be said legitimately when a collection agency leaves a message either with a actual human or on a voice mail device.  They should identify who they are leaving the message for, in case they are not speaking to that person or in case someone else listens to the voicemail.  They are not permitted to say specifically why they are calling.  This means if they say "we are calling Mr. Smith about his past-due account" they are in violation of the law.  They are not permitted to threaten you even if talking to you in person "we will be filing a complaint if you don't call us back by a certain time" or "we will have you arrested" are illegal threats at all times.

Also remember that no private firm can prosecute you for "criminal" charges.  While a private firm may be hired to assist with the work-load of a prosecutor, district attorney, or attorney general, they must identify that they are working for that person.  They must say something to the effect "Please call Jones Law firm about case number 12345.   We calling in behalf of John Doe, Michigan Attorney General and need your response."

And just like in civil law, in criminal law, the district attorney or prosecutor can not file paperwork in a court and at the same time enter a "guilty plea" for you.  Unless you ignore being served, nobody can plead guilty for you.  In some cases a court might automatically plead "not guilty" in your behalf to force a trial action.

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

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE I CALLED ALL THE COURTS TODAY AND GAVE THEM THE DOCKET NUMBER AND THEY ALL SAID THAT THERE IS NO SUCH NUMBER AND ALSO THEY WERE TRYING TO SAY THAT IT IS A CASE FROM 2003 WHEN NO COMPANY CAN COME AFTER YOU FROM SOMETHING THAT HAPPEN 9 YEARS AGO

Actually, my bankruptcy lawyer has no website, he does have an email.  You can find him listed in the yellow page type listings, though, and the phone book.

SOME GUY JUST CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE FROM A UNKNOWN NUMBER AND SAID THAT HE WAS A PROCESSOR SERVER AND HE WAS COMING OUT ON FRIDAY TO SERVE ME PAPERS AND I WAS TO CALL THIS NUMBER 1877-523-5580 AND GAME ME A CLAIM NUMBER AND SAID HE HAD NO INFORMATION ABOUT IT HE WAS AT THE COURT HOUSE NOW BUT I CALLED LAKE COUNTY AND THEY SDAID THAT THERE IS NO CASE NUBER LIKE THAT WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO

i just got the same call today saying that they were going to be out to serve me papers but i dont know of any processor to call before serving you did you contact anyone in regaurds to this

i recieved a call from my family in Ohio saying she just got back from vacation and had two messages from Kaslow an Kelly with the same MO and I like Kristen idea why dont we call them day after day and harrass them till the shut there number down it is a scam to get personal information from us  lets not tolorate this

I got the same call, they called my cell phone, my dads house in Oregon and my moms house. I'm.in Ca. These people won't answer if you call back. You can't get through however you can leave a vm and I've been having a hey day leaving them horrible terrible mean messages.

They did the same thing to me, they also called my dad in another state and left a message sat my moms as well as me. I have left them horrible terrible messages back. May they rot in  hell , and that's exactly what I told them. In fact ill leave them message after message until that numbers disconnected.

I  got the same phone call saying they was from a law office

This "process server" scam has been around for a long time.  Just looking to scare people and get personal information.  If you're getting served with papers, they do NOT call first!!!  Ignore...better yet, just NEVER answer calls if you don't know who they're from.  Or play along and try to get a real name and address (good luck with that).  These calls are usually coming from call centers in India.  IGNORE!!!

Same MO with me. But they were looking for my son. The last call was a man. He said he was Kaslow. I asked him where he was calling from he said Chicago. This time they used a 312 area code from Chicago. He said he was an attorney. I asked him for his web site. He said he didnt have one. I said to him what kind of attorney does business without a website. I told him that they was a scam and that I looked their number up in the internet. I hung up.

Oh, and btw, if you search "Law Office of Artem Kaslow" on yahoo, you get nothing....what kind of "lawyer" doesn't even have a website?

Eric: They left the same message for me before I returned their call. Please report this to the attorney general in your state and let them know they have been reported to the AG in Ohio and the AG in Ohio said they are using illegal debt collecting procedures and violating FEDERAL laws. I don't know where you are but in Ohio it is Illegal for them to threaten you with criminal charges. The "attorneys" have never called me back but I get 15 or so calls from them at different various 877 #'s each day since I spoke with them but they NEVER leave a message. Hope this helps.

Also, if it was a law firm u should be able to look them up or when u call they should pick up! When u call it goes to voicemail and u wait on hold and then goes back to voicemail! No extention !

I received a call from this lady and she gave me a number that suppose to be a docket # for court, i called court house there was no record, they said don't give them any infromation about u! 1. the call was blocked 2. the voicemail no answer 3. the telelphone number is a 1877 number. Call ur Superior Court and let them know, other thing how are they giving u a docket # if the courts don't have it!

Interesting I had the same experience today.  I found this post on another forum, sounds like they're trying to scam peeps

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8775235580#p440815420554191955

Hello - I just got a call from these guys, the same exact thing.  Although I haven't called back.  I had a lady calling saying she's a process server and that I had to respond or she'd have to come out to my home to serve me.  Claiming it's a criminal/civil manner and I have court dates.  Love to know any follow up you have had to this?

Said they are legal counsel working w/ state of Ohio for a debt owed to Checksmart from 6 YEARS AGO...said criminal charges have been filed on me for not paying a check. Said I have been found guilty because I didn't show up for court and criminal charges of check deception have been filed against me. Said I would be facing jail time. He said I needed to pay by 5pm today in order to not be served a court summons. I told him I would call back with payment before 5. My dad suggested I cal the bar association and verify the "lawyer's" info so I did-she said she has had 4 exact same calls today and referred me to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. The AG said right from the get go that this is a scam.....In Ohio they cannot threaten you with criminal charges for a private debt, they cannot threaten you with being arrested and the AG said any real "lawyer" would know this. I called back to 877-523-5580 and asked for the firm name, address and license number. They gave me the info but conveniently the "lawyer" who was waiting for me to pay was unable to speak to me after I said I reported them to the AG. I called the AG back and gave them the info and guess what? ALL OF IT WAS BOGUS!!! The address they gave wasn't even real! If they call you, report it to your Attorney General office!!!!!

OMG they did the same to me, I wish I could find them and scaret the s*** out of them

I got a call from this number saying they were a process server and would come to serve me papers. The caller claimed that I have some criminial or civil complaints against me and needed to contact Artem Kasolow within 48 hours. Then she gave a case number and confirmed my id by giving me the last 4 digits of my SS #. When I called, an automatic message said that he was unavailable and to leave an message.

I also forgot to mention on my caller id the number was private.

A woman from some lawyers office called from this number and left a detialed message looking for a Francis Diaz.  No one named Francis has ever lived here.  The caller claimed that this Francis person has some criminial and civil complaints against them and needed to conctact them in 48 hours.  I tried calling this number a few times once put on hold for a while the phone just hung up and I did not get to speak to anyone.

got a message from this number saying they were a process server and would come to serve me papers they didnt  show but left another message this has me scared to death im 60 yrs old and dont know what i did