Merchant Credit Guide Company Aka New York & Company Another Victom Of Merchant Credit Guide Company Chicago Illinois

Got a phone call on my answering machine asking me my maiden name instead of my married name. My name has been changed for since 1993. Gave me a phone number to call in regards to a Debt Collection and said it was urgent that I call them.
Once I got on the phone with them. A girl got on the phone and said she was trying to collect for a debt that I had made and said I owed $808.49. What! Asked this lady what the bill was and from whom did I owe it too! She tells me New York & Company. A womans clothing store. I have never even heard of this company before and she could not give me any answers to why I owed this money. Just said they are collecting for a debt I owe.
I told her I never made any purchases by this company and she asked if my last digits of my Social Security Number was ....! Well anyway, I told her yes but I have not made any such purchase from this New York & Company.
Then she tells me I made a purchase on March 1st of 1987 for $309.24. But interest had iccrued since the debt and I now owe $808.49. I kept telling the lady I never purchased from this company and she decided to switch me over to a manager on that shift.
The manager then got into the files and told me I made a purchase of $129.09. Hmmm! Different story here! But then mentioned now oweing $808.49. Told me the place must have changed names or something but anyway they demand payment in full. I told him no way until I find out where this purchase was made and what was bought.
He could not tell me that information. Told me to file a dispute with the company and send in a dispute.
I got online and decided to check this New York & Company out and it is a clothing store that was bought in 2002. They apparently bought the Limited and Lerners clothing store out in 2002. So I never purchased anything from New York and Company. A totally new company that was purchased in 2002 because the other companies sold to them.
I do not recall making any purchases from the Limited and did not have credit. Okay! So I learned that New York & Company bought these two companies in 2002. Meaning they bought the companies above out. So why is New York & Company going after me for a debt that was made in 1987 that I don't recall making and certainly not by New York & Company.
Also a debt that is 21 years old. A debt that if I did make which I don't recall or recognize New York & Company and never bought from New York & Company.
Well lets just say this is a Debt that reached it's Statute of Limitations. The Statute of Limitations ended several years ago. Also this must have gotten reported on my Credit back then and stayed on my Credit for 7 years. But because I did not do a Credit Check back then there is no longer any records and it is now erased. But the Credit Bereau told me it would have been on my report.
The Attorney General in my local area also told me that this debt was wriiten off as a tax deduction for loss to get credit back on their taxes in loss.
So the company before New York & Company did a tax write off, missed the Statute of Limitations and also got sold to another company.
New York & Company wants their money but I never purchased from New York & Company.
Just at a loss here and am not going to get ripped off for something like this! They knew my previous address in Wilmington, Delaware. They tried calling my married name to other people trying to track me down and somehow found me at my local address now.
I called the next day after finding out how bogus they were and told the manager that I would not pay them for something I don't owe them.
They certainly never mailed me any letters in the 1980's regarding debt collection. Lived in Delaware for 16 years and was never contacted in regards to owing a debt. Now here it is in 2008 and they are bugging me to death wanting money I don't owe! Please help me if you can! See many others in here having the same problems.
I hope this will nail them and help stop them from trying this crap on others. They sure are trying to rip me off! What is being done about this company and why are they trying to rip people off!

Linda
Rocky Mt., North Carolina
U.S.A.