It is a debt collector, Barrett Smith and associates based out of CA and GA. I researched the number and found may people where writing about the calls they received from this number on 800notes.com. Hope that helps, I received the same call.

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

HERES THE DEAL--BEEN A BILL COLLECTOR FOR 22 YEARS--ABSOLUTELY DO NOT GIVE THESE GUYS ANY CHECKING INFO--IF YOUR GOING TO PAY THE BILL, DO IT BY MONEY ORDER...THEY ARE NOT SCAM ARTISTS--THE DEBT IS PROBABLY VALID--ITS HOW THEY GO ABOUT IT WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW---LEAVING DETAILED MESSAGES--THREATENING TO COME TO YOUR HOME OR JOB--ABSOLUTELY ILLEGAL---FIND AN FDCPA ATTORNEY IN YOUR AREA AND SAVE THE RECORDINGS....CONTACT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN GEORGIA...DONT JUST IGNORE IT AS THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THIS TO EVERYONE AND ANYONE..AGAIN THIS ISNT A SCAM..THEY JUST VIOLATE THE LAW COLLECTING DEBT.

I received a call from them a couple days ago about a claim that is in their office and they would come to my home or job to serve me papers. I called them back to find out what they were talking about and they seemed to not know what it was. I let them know that I have an AG and she will contact them. I said I would call the police if they attempted to show up at my house or my job. I reminded them of their rating in BBB. They quickly said please fax us paperwork on this if you have no info and quickly hung up the phone. They didnt leave a fax number or anything which shows they are fakes. Also, I'm in Alaska! No one is coming from GA or CA to serve me papers! If they show up, they will quickly regret it!

Whose # is this? Any help is appreciated.

These people called me today and I clearly went all the way in on them. First off they had my daughters date of birth and then they asked me to verify my last four digits of my social...i verified and they didnt have it correct, he put me on hold and came back and said my social security number but then gave me another date of birth so im guessing i have 3 birthdays? They said it was for a bad check and I asked them if they reported it to the Attorney General and thats when it hit the fan. they wanted to settle this out of court and blah blah blah! Im guessing ill have to get my mother in law involved because she works for them! they got the right one today. SCAM ARTIST

Did they show up? I got a call today. They are supposed to be coming on Friday. I'm wondering if I should get the police out here at the time they said they were coming. It sounds like a scam!

I have found out a great deal about this company and it's practices. They are in so many violations, that if you DO have a debt, the can be sued and YOU won't have to pay! Also, I read up on the owner, Peitro A. Vinci, owner. Found out that he is a drug dealer. Ignore any calls coming from 866-678-9479 or 951-488-7215. One number is from GA and one is from CA. Somehow, I don't think that GA and CA are close. Call the police if they show up, contact the FTC, the FDCPA and the Attorney General. I saw on another forum that someone is trying to get a civil suit started against them! Get involved; I am!  Good luck to you!

Just found this information on a debt collection forum:


***CONSUMER ALERT***SCAM ARTISTS***
Barrett Smith & Associates, LLC
fka\Federal Check Recovery
1950 Riverside Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Phone: 877-812-1761
Fax: 770-339-1531

http://barrettsmithassociates.com

info@barrettsmithassociates.com

Peitro A. Vinci, owner
2021 Amber Dawn Way
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043

BBB Rating "F"

No license or bond found in any state we checked.


Notes:

1. This company obtains personal information from each case they receive. The cases are sold to them by payday loan companies and other organizations like this type of company. What is sold is credit card information, social security numbers and relatives information. This information is sold to the company at lower prices than what is owed, as larger companies do not have time to pursue these little charges. For example a loan that is owed for $400 they will buy for $200 or less.
2. They contact you from an unknown number and leave a message stating they are coming to your place of business or home to serve papers and this is a private courier. They then tell you if you need further information to contact Barret Smith and Associates. Each employee in the company has a fake name they go by for this first call. When you call back and reference that name they can see on their computers who actually placed the call within the company.
3. They then jack the price you actually owe up and refer to themselves as lawyers and threaten litigation. This is not true as a great majority are actually not even college graduates. They portray this story to threaten you and get your money as they actually have no power to bring any law suits into existence. If the original loan was for $400 and they paid $200, you would be told you needed to settle this for at least $1000. This is how the company stays in business. They threaten and harass, then extort money under threat of imminent litigation which they are incapable of doing.

Need Help? assistance@consumerjustice.com

DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THESE SCAM ARTISTS-YOU DO NOT OWE THEM-YOU WILL REGRET IT!

Received a call from them again today....Told them They have an F rating with the BBB and they are not accredited. Told me they were a legit company and If they do not have an arrangement set up with me someone will be coming to my house to serve me with papers!! Tried to get an actual address and not just a PO box number told me they were unable to give me that information. I told them they were scammers  got upset and became very anger and tols me they don't have time to listen to my nonsense and are hanging up the phone...So now I'm just waiting to receive papers to go to court!!

I got a call too! I called the 1-866 number. It said it was a company called Barrett Smith and associates. They are a scam! I checked them out with the BBB. They are trouble!  They are located in GA, and certainly cannot practice law other than their state...if they are real lawyers at all. Check out their website www.barrettsmithassociate.com See if you can find out the mailing address for who ever calls you. Send them a cease and desist letter. There are plenty free templates online. If this company sent you a letter, then called you, it is called "overshadowing'. This is illegal. If they show up to your home or work, that is also illegal. You can call the police to have them removed.

I got a call from this number. The guys name is Josh Smith and said that he had my name on file and that this information came to him today (Presidents day--everything is closed mail-wise) and that if he didn't hear from me, that he was authorized to come to my house and place of business. He left a phone number 1-866-678-9479 and a reference number. I hope he doesn't come to my house. I'm gonna have something waiting for him!