I keep getting phone calls from this number, I think it is a scam. They say that I need to call them so they can fill out preliminary paperwork on an urgent matter. They never say who they are trying to contact at the number so if it is a collection agency how do you know who they are looking for. I have also received calls like this from other numbers all across the country. All of them saying the same thing. I have a 740 fico and pay my bills so there would be no reason a debt collector would or should be calling me.

YOUR ARE ONE OF THOSE PSYCHO

It's a recorded message from over ten different numbers . I have never gotten a letter with ms knights name on it. No return number to call them back?.  Scam I think !.

The reason for the cryptic messages; not asking for you by name, not saying they are a debt collector, etc., is so they can't be sued. If a debt collector leaves you a detailed voice mail message, they are guilty of violating the third party notification provision of the FDCPA. No one else needs to hear the message for the collector to be in violation. There only has to be the chance someone else might hear it.

Absolutely.

Because it is a recorded message. Duh. The same message that goes out to thousands of others. They don't know your name. They don't pick up the phone. They just want you to call them.

We don't owe anything and they call every day. So what do you say to that?

You need to fight back and call fraud on them! Signature forgery? Fraud bank charges..  Stolen card numbers? Theres also a lot of scams going on lately as well! Have you contacted the bank directly in person?  If not, do so! Did they send a bill?

Please do file reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,FTC & FCC..

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
http://www.fbi.gov/
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action
https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

Also read up on the laws and your rights:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ...
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf

And see:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
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http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm
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Section 809 of the FDCPA http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf requires 3rd-party debt collectors to give debtors written notice of debt (the key word is *shall*) :
"§ 809. Validation of debts
(a) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing?
(1) the amount of the debt;
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;
(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;
(4) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector; and
(5) a statement that, upon the consumer?s written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor."
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A Collection Agent May Not?

Here are the top 11 actions prohibited by the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:

Misrepresent Him or Herself

  A debt collector may not misrepresent himself as an attorney or law enforcement officer.

Use the Telephone to Annoy or Harass

  A collection agent may not cause a telephone to ring or engage any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with an intent to annoy, abuse, or harass anyone at the called number.

Threaten Arrest or Lawsuit

  A collection agent may not threaten a consumer with arrest. It may not threaten legal action that is either not permitted or not actually contemplated. In other words, a the threat of a lawsuit may be an empty one.

Use Abusive or Threatening Language

  A debt collector may no use abusive or profane language in the course of communication related to the debt.

Publish a Bad Debt List

  Publishing the consumer?s name or address on a "bad debt" list is prohibited.

Contact By Embarrassing Media

  A debt collector may not communicate with a consumer by post card. It may not use any language or symbol, other than the debt collector?s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram. A debt collector may use its business name if such name does not indicate it is in the debt collection business.

Contact a Consumer at Work

  A collection agent may not communicate with consumers at their place of employment after being told this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer.

Seek Unjustifiable Amounts

  A debt collector may not demand any amounts not permitted under an applicable contract or as provided under law.

Contact a Consumer Represented by an Attorney

  A collection agent may not contact a consumer after it learns the consumer is represented by a lawyer.

Communicate With a Consumer After Receiving a Validation Request

  If a consumer sends a written §1692g response within 30 days, the collection agent may not communicate with the consumer until it mails the consumer the requested verification of original creditor's name and address.

Communicate With Third Parties

  A debt collector may not reveal or discuss the nature of a consumer?s debts with third parties other than the consumer?s spouse or attorney. A collection agent may contact neighbors or co-workers only to obtain location information. It may contact a third party again if it has reason to believe the information the party provided previously is false.

Bills.com FDCPA FAQ

Below are questions Bills.com readers ask frequently:

Can a Collection Agent Call My Cell Phone?

  Yes. However, if you tell the debt collector it may not use that number because it is a cell phone, it may not contact you again at that number.

I Keep Receiving Dozens of Calls From Collection Agents. Is That Legal?

  No. Unscrupulous collection agents will use "block parties" or "office parties" where they contact a consumer, multiple neighbors, or co-workers telling them they need to reach the consumer on an urgent matter. This is not permitted under the FDCPA.

A Collector Says I Will Be Arrested if I Do Not Pay

  This was a true statement before the US Civil War, but has not been true since. People may be arrested if an aggressive judge files a bench warrant for a person who does not appear at a hearing relating to a lawsuit regarding a debt. However, in that case, the offense is the failure to respond to a court order, and not the existence of the debt. As stated above, it is illegal under the FDCPA to threaten a consumer with arrest if the consumer does not pay the debt.

I have no idea who called me Capital Bank f'd me over after taking over ING banking they paid all of my online banks late and then I withdrew money and destroyed my cards.  Six months later they put something through in another state and said it was my debt!!!!  How I destroyed all cards (ATM cards)

I must agree with you.

I got a call from this number. She says her name is Amber Knight. She does not say who she is calling for or where she is calling from. Just says I have a matter in my office. It is not legal for themto call and not identify whom they are calling for or where they are calling from. I believe this is  a scam period! There are too many of them out there. Check it before you call it back.

I have people calling me, for a person with the same name, who used to live in my small town, on the same street, but he moved a few years ago.   So now, the low lifes google the guy's name and my info comes up, so they think it is me.  Then once you square it with one of these scum bags, they sell it to another, and it just goes on and on.  I not only get phone calls for this guy, I also receive his bills in the mail, to include his child support invoices, collection agencies, and even correspondence from the IRS.  However, its the phone calls that bother me the most, they call at all hours of the day and night.

I have found the answer to all these annoying calls, it's called the Call Blocker, and it works great. I was looking for the solution to these phone calls, for years, and this is the best solution I have found yet. I bought mine on ebay, and it works like a champ.  

Here is a link with the description for the Call Blocker.  
http://hqtelecom.com/phone-call-blocker-manual-803/

No, I don't sell them, or have any affiliation with them; I just know this thing works.

Bite Me! You pompous a**! They call people's neighbors, they say they'll take you off the list yet call every day for months afterwards. Your words fall on deaf ears posting here! Jack***!

It is illegal and massively unprofessional to leave a message without identifying the person you are trying to reach or the company you are calling on behalf of. This Claire did just that today, despite the fact that my outgoing message specifically states that you must leave this information if you expect a return call. I got basically the same message that GingerLisa did.

Given the unprofessional, unethical nature of the message, I find "Claire" to be at best shady and at worst a criminal.

I have a gut feeling this message is related to all the "we have a matter on our desk" scams.

It's a debt collector.

Your comments do not match any other posts from this company on any other number. I may not be able to pay my bills in the manner i intended but I found these people to be very professional. There was not threat.. and the names you gave were wrong also. Just because you cannot pay your bills does not mean you should start slandering the people you owe. Try working with them. You may get farther than you thought you would. I did.

How is it a scam? because they will not tell you why they are calling for someone other than you?
If it was a scam they would be trying to scam you... not ask how to reach someone else.

If the phone call is for you, then you should expect the call. If it is not, the caller will never know if they have a wrong number until you tell them.

Over 450,000 people in this country are debt collectors. They are normal people. Why avoid a debt collector? Most people that owe a debt want to pay it in a manner they can afford. If you cannot agree on terms or you do not want to pay for any other reason, it does no good to avoid contact. The collector has no idea what your situation is until you tell them and you may be surprised with what they are willing to do to HELP you. If you tell a debt collector you will not or cannot pay, they usually will not want to waste their time calling you and look for other options instead. Debt collectors are normal people despite the inflated reputation the media has given them from abusive practices by a few bad apples. I would hate to judge every athlete by the actions of one cheater, or every teacher by the one who had illegal relations with a student.

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

Called saying his name was officer David Marshall and I defaulted on a loan and if I didn't comply I was going to jail Monday so they must be spoofing cuz they used a local number claiming to be officer Paul Allen I asked for adress and zip code info because I know the city like the back of my hand and the numbers didn't match so I gave a huge LOL and hung up because if they were from the city they would know the area code "they want your money" not a debt agent a scam

its Scam

Call from a "Claire" saying that she was sorry that she missed me.  Asked me to call her back at 954-703-4421.  Don't know this number or who this is so I didn't answer.

robo call - press one to talk to live person - credit collection agency