Well, I would think that if I were approached by this, I would ask them what account they are talking about and how much is the debt. After getting as much info from them and then hanging up on them,I would go ahead and get a credit report and review all the accounts on my report.

i hate that nothing's sacred anymore. people are all out to make a buck, even if it means that they are going to compromise us and scam us out of our hard earned money. at least i know for myself what my finances look like so i hopefully won't fall prey to nonsense like that.

I've had someone saying they're a debt collector calling my house for months now. They have an automated message that calls you, and when you call the number back, the first thing they do is ask for your social security number, which I refused to give. I offered to give my phone number so they could look me up that way, but they got all pissy and insisted on getting my SSN. I told them I didn't know who they were and I was pretty sure I didn't owe anything, but that their computer keeps calling me, and they hung up on me...but the computer still calls!! It's been driving us insane. I checked my credit report, and it's all clear...and I know I'm not in debt anywhere. My car is paid off, and I don't carry a balance on any credit cards. But, it's been so annoying that we've stopped answering our home phone, and we've turned off our answering machine. Anyone who knows us calls us on our cellphones. We'd just turn the home phone service off, but our Tivo needs it to dial out. I don't know if it's a scam or just that someone who does owe money has been using our phone number, but it's annoying.

I've had a few calls like this. I told them to send me everything in writing. Surprise surprise I received nothing in the mail, and after a few times of telling them I will only work with them through written word they stopped calling me.

I am always so nervous (I've had family members abuse and use credit in my name), I've had several calls like this and I do exactly what RosaDilia suggested, I pulled my credit report. I have been checking it over a year and I had people calling me about fake accounts. I've even had accounts appear on my credit report. Please, never give information over the phone and always ask that they send you information regarding the account.

**giggle snort**

Aren't people curious why Denzel Washington and Steve Martin are suddenly threatening to arrest them or throw them in prison if they don't pay their debts? Does anyone really think that in the tumult of this difficult economic recession, these two actors have fled Hollywood for greater job security in the big bad FBI -- or, better yet, as a collections worker for a bank?

I have an inappropriate sense of humor, so I know I'm playfully mocking a very real problem, but -- come on -- don't people ever ask questions anymore? Everyone is so fearful of potential consequences, they're just tossing out their social security digits like it's an anonymous email account. You can't just junk it and get a new one! Once it's out there, you're screwed.

I thought people had become much wiser to these scams. Terribly sad.

TsuKata:
I get those guys too. They're damn annoying. I called one time, they asked for my SSN... which I won't give... because I'm not stupid, and better yet, I haven't been legally issued one since I only recently immigrated. From there they threaten me that they'll report me to immigration and get me kicked out of the country and other racial slurs (which isn't even accurate to what my race is...) if I don't give up my sponsor/husband's SSN. Some people, sheesh.

What's worse also is that I get loan and debt collectors calling for people who used to have this number. They keep accusing me of being the person who built up the debt and threatening me.

I think next time I get those kind of threats I'll do what Estelle recommends and just ask for it in writing.

Several years ago somebody scammed my parents by issuing checks payable to my dad, and then cashing the check by forging my dad's name to endorse the check and guaranteeing the withdrawal with my parents account number (It was an inside job at the bank). ....I'll never forget that the "names" of the people signing the checks from the "business" which had supposedly written the checks were George Washington, Martha Washington, and Abraham Lincoln...

Steve Martin I might give someone a pass for believing, but Denzel? Come on...