Hang up

a caller may be a fake debt collector: if you know you do not have any outstanding loans.

Ask for a name, company, street address and telephone number.

Use this information to confirm the collection agency is real.

Ask for an official validation notice of the debt.

In the U.S., it is required by law that debt collection agencies provide this information in writing. The validation notice must contain the amount of debt, the name of the creditor and a statement of your rights. If none of this information is given, hang up.

Do not provide or confirm personal information

(bank account, credit card, Social Security card, etc.) until you have verified the call.

Check your credit report.

Check to see if you have outstanding debts and make sure there has not been any suspicious activity.

Place a fraud alert on your credit report

if the caller seems to have a lot of your personal information.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if the caller is threatening.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits debt collections from being abusive, unfair or deceptive.

If your debt is real, but you are wary about the caller, contact your creditor and find out if anyone has been authorized to collect the debt.

If you feel you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your BBB by visiting www.bbb.org or calling (937) 222-5826 or (800) 7765301. You can also report it to BBB’s Scam Tracker at www.bbb. org/scamtracker.

Contact your creditor.