The phone number that comes up on my phone is 803-335-1503 but the number they leave for me to call back is a 888 number.  This woman actually called my employer.  I called the so called Merchant that she said she was representing and this company assured me that this is Fraud and an ongoing scam.  I even got a call Christmas DAY .

i to have been getting a call from these people as well even though i don't deny that i do owe money but are they real debt cellectors or fake i will refuse to give any personal information.

the local # of the locator has been busy everytime I have called it for the last week.I also called the 888-320-4997#and was told I owe a payday loan that I never got.It has to be a fraud.

It's a scam and a rather stale one at that. Next time the 'locator' calls ask him to pick you up a bucket of Chicken and some Daiquiri mix on his way over.

Absolutely scammers, start recording and saving all the calls. Contact your Law Enforcement to make a record of it. They are not allowed to call at your work once they've been told not too and they also can't contact you on your cell phone. Legitimate companies anyway.

Thanks for the info I have already called the ftc and reported them. They said do not give any money and they did violate laws.

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

i have got a local call from someone claiming to be the "locator" and he needed my address to verify where I live. I told him I didnt know what he was talking about. He told me to call 888-320-4997. They told me I had to pay for a payday loan I didnt repay and If I didnt set up payment arrangments now the locator would come to my house and serve me with court papers for charges of fraud. I have called multiple times asking for proof and they will not send anything. Is this a scam.

8883204997/5108421383they've been calling my number for the last 3wks leaving msgs 3-5 a day. who are these people? say, we know where you live and work,you have charges against you,etc.

they called my job

I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING CALLS FROM A COMPANY TELLING ME TO CALL THIS NUMBER. I ONLY GET THE PERSON'S NAME AND TELLING ME A JUDGEMENT HAS BEEN MADE, AND THEY ARE OFFICIALLY NOTIFYING ME THAT THEY WILL BE SERVING ME ONCE MY ADDRESS HAS BEEN VERIFIED. TODAY, THE CALL SAID THEY'VE VERIFIED MY ADDRESS.  OK, I DATED A PROCESS SERVER, YOU DON'T GET NOTIFICATION. I PREVIOUSLY TOLD THIS PERSON I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, BUT NOT TO CALL WORK. HE DOES ANYWAY. HE GIVES THE NAME JAY THOMAS. I'M GETTING VERY IRRITATED WITH THIS NONSENSE.