How to Protect Yourself from Fake Debt Scammers

[snopes]

"You will be behind the bars for six months and once you go behind the bars, you will lose your job. Once you are behind the bars, you won't get a single drop of water."

That's the message received by just one of hundreds of thousands of cash-strapped Americans who authorities say have become the targets of a "phantom" debt collection scheme in which victims are bullied and threatened into paying conmen money they do not owe.

http://news.yahoo.com/protect-yourse...opstories.html

[Penguin!]

I have actually been contacted by these guys. They called my cell, leaving messages that there is a lawsuit pending and I need to call them back immediately. I'm not exaggerating when I say they would call me 6 times in a row, leaving a voice mail every time that was exactly the same. Then they would wait a couple of hours and call back 3 more times.
One day they called me at work and they went through the usual speech, saying there was a lawsuit against me and I needed to call them back. I asked them for a case number and was told I would need to call them back. I asked them who was suing me and was told I would need to call them back. I asked them why I never received any information and was told I would need to call them back. I asked the man for his name (Charlie Brown) and who I would need to speak to when I called back (Joe Smith). I asked Mr. Brown for the phone number and realized that the number he was calling from was the same number that I needed to call back to get my "lawsuit" information. I asked him why I would need to call this number back when he is calling me from this number. All he said was that I needed to call him back.
I did a reverse look-up for the number and stumbled across a website where you report phone scams and the number that Charlie Brown gave me was listed numerous times. I filed a report with the website and blocked the number from my phone.
I didn't call them back and they called me at work again, but I didn't answer the phone, my coworker did. They told her that they needed to speak with me regarding a pending lawsuit so she held the phone out to me and told me what they told her. I got on the phone and went off on them. I told them never to call me at work again, that I know they are scammers, and if they're not, then I would take my chances with the supposed lawsuit.
They have not tried to contact me again.

[GenYus234]

The first clue that it isn't legit? A lawsuit (almost?) always includes a physical summons, delivered by hand or registered mail.

"Your Honor, we left her a voice mail." is generally not going to cut it in court.

Gen "IANAL" Yus

[Lainie]

"Behind the bars"? I've never heard that construction before."Behind bars," yes.

[DrRocket]

Non-standard grammer is always a sure fire sign that a scam is afoot.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by snopes

Once you are behind the bars, you won't get a single drop of water.

Because the bars only serve beer and spirits?

[TrishDaDish]

I like the "single drop of water" line, too. "Really? How willll you get the money then, I wonder? Especially after my family sues you for my murder?"