Fast Cash International Fraudalent calls stating I owed them money for a payday loan I never took out. Montgomery, Alabama

   As you know, they have all of your personal info.  This can be used to easily steal your identity.    Get fraud alerts out on all three credit reporting agencies, then head over to the FTC identity theft website at :

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

Good luck!

There are quite a few reports on this type of scam lately. It's a scam that relies on fear, intimidation and often, an "outstanding debt" that is in the relatively distant past, so as to make the victim question themselves if they may have actually incurred the debt in question.

If approached by this type of scam, you have the right to ask for "proof of debt" from the collector, be it the original creditor or a collection agency looking to recover the funds in question. They cannot refuse this.

If they are unable or unwilling to provide proof of debt, then take the position that you, in fact, owe no monies. If they can provide bona fide proof, then exercise your rights under the Fair Debt Collections Act and work with the original creditor to resolve the situation. In your particular case, you obviously had the ability and desire to settle the "debt" in question, since you originally issued a payment to settle.

Do not be intimidated by thugs. The only power they have over you is your own fear. Be firm and assertive. You don't have to be rude, but presenting yourself as calm, measured and sure of your statements will go a long way.

If you genuinely believe (or know) that you have never done business with a company that a "collector" is calling you about, tell the collector this. Absolutely ask for that proof of debt, and follow through on your own initiative by calling the financial department of the company in question personally and inquire if an account with your details has, in fact, been forwarded to a collection agency for action. In this case, you would likely get a negative response, at which time you can tell that financial department that someone is acting in bad faith in their name by using them to fraudulently "collect" on delinquent accounts that don't exist. They may very well want to launch an investigation of their own.

In any scam, the devil is always in the details.... Ask questions! Ask the name, physical address, phone number and such of the company who the "collector" claims they are collecting on the behalf of. Ask for the name of a contact person at that company. Enough grilling, and often the whole story of the "collector" will begin to unravel, as they'll be unable to fill in vital pieces of info that should be a snap for any real collector with legitimate collections business with you.

Be especially wary of any "collector" that claims they are trying to collect on a debt that is, perhaps, years old. It's a memory confidence trick designed to make you second guess yourself.

If you know 100% you're in the right and the collection is bogus, stand up to the shyster, tell them to sod off and let them know that you will be following up with your Attorney General's office and the local law enforcement's Internet Crimes/Fraud Division with every scrap of information regarding them that you have.

Finally, and this is a HUGE tip off, remember that any legitimate collector can not present themselves as a spokesperson or representative for any law enforcement agency. They are not allowed, by law, to threaten you with arrest or seizure of your assets. They cannot tell you that repo men are on the way or the police will come and arrest you and they certainly cannot tell you that you "have warrants out for your arrest". It is, in fact, none of their business or concern, and really, they shouldn't even have any access to such information at all. If they approached a law enforcement entity asking for warrant information on an individual, they'd be sent packing in short order.