This is a scam, right?
November 14, 2022 7:11 AM   Subscribe

Relatives got a phone call from someone claiming to be looking for me about a court case. Called the number they left with the relatives and it turns out I supposedly owe abot $4K US from years ago for a computer I leased.

I'm not the type of person who would lease a computer as I've never not owened at least two computers. They can't give me any details on when this computer was leased or used or even the make of it, claiming they don't have access to that information. But they are willing to make sure that a civil case never goes to trial if I can pay the $4K or at least $3k.

And they keep calling, leaving voicemails about how they're trying to help me resolve this.

My question is it safe to ignore or even block these calls? Because it sounds like a total bullshit scam. Based on the United States if that matters.
posted by clocksock to Computers & Internet (10 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
If you've never leased a computer (which I would imagine you'd remember) then yes, 100% a scam. Also seems fishy that they can't give details on the computer. Also, while I'm not a lawyer, this seems like the sort of thing that would go into debt collection, not trial? But in any case I would block the calls.
posted by coffeecat at 7:15 AM on November 14, 2022 [4 favorites]


I think if you truly owed money, they'd send you a letter rather than harassing you with phone calls.
posted by alex1965 at 7:17 AM on November 14, 2022 [11 favorites]


Block the calls and, if you haven't already, obtain a free copy of your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com (this is the legitimate website, avoid any others claiming to do it too). You don't really need to pull all three agencies, save the other two to check again a few months from now.

If you do really owe that much money it will be on that report somewhere, and you'll also know who to contact to fix it.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:19 AM on November 14, 2022 [8 favorites]


If you send me $2000 I will take care of the issue for you! LOL.

I keep getting Emails with purchase confirmations for Antivirus products - bargain price of $499 - and sometimes a camera I am supposed to have ordered. I just ignore them.

And generally, I do not enter into any discussions about money with someone who calls me without me being able to call them back on a number I can verify on the Internet as being the legit contact company for the company.
posted by nostrada at 7:28 AM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]


It's a scam. If it was that many years ago the statute of limitations has likely passed, making any debt that did once exist legally uncollectible unless you acknowledge owing the debt or pay some of the alleged debt. Also a non-attorney debt collector threatening to sue is a big no-no, so people collecting legitimate debts don't talk about court cases.

If you really owed someone money or someone had a good faith belief that you did they'd send you a dunning letter in the mail, not call your relatives, which is a common scammer tactic to pile social pressure on top of everything. (which is also illegal for legitimate debt collectors to do except in very limited circumstances)
posted by wierdo at 7:38 AM on November 14, 2022 [5 favorites]


If they have filed anything with a court, they will have a case number and court name. How likely is it they would prevail in court if they can't say what was leased, when or from whom? Not very.
posted by soelo at 8:11 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


And they keep calling, leaving voicemails about how they're trying to help me resolve this.

This is because you've already given them the indication that it's possible you'll pay. You called back.
posted by dobbs at 9:28 AM on November 14, 2022 [8 favorites]


If you think there is a chance that this is a real debt that is attached to your name by e.g. identity theft or mistaken identity, then one possible way to proceed is to shift communication to writing only. If the debt collector is real (which is entirely distinct from whether they are scammy, unfortunately), then they (maybe after some effort) will go along with this. Background: .gov, nerdwallet article. Of course, you'll need to think carefully about whether you want to give them even more info about you. I would personally not do this without pulling my credit reports, and if the debt does not appear, then ignore/block rather than communicate further. But if it is on there, then almost certainly you will want to do something (which still may or may not be to proceed further with the apparent collection agency).

Also a non-attorney debt collector threatening to sue is a big no-no, so people collecting legitimate debts don't talk about court cases.

As long as they think they're not being recorded / communicating in print, supposedly legitimate debt collectors will say all kinds of stuff...
posted by advil at 9:40 AM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]


It very much smells like a scam but I would pull your credit report and file the proper disputes just to be sure in case a debt has been filed against you. It's a good idea to check out your report every few years anyway.
posted by Candleman at 11:53 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


This sounds very scammy to me. Legitimate entities reach out in very different ways in order to rectify problems that arise with authentic clientele.

If you're not familiar with the incredible community of YouTubers who scambait, it might be very eye-opening for you, at least in terms of the tactics and lingo that scammers use to scare people into giving up their money for countless schemes. Check out the work of Scammer Payback, Trilogy Media, and Jim Browning. Scams are getting more sophisticated as time goes on, but many of the tactics, threats, and laguage are the same, and I hope some of these scambaiters' experiences can help you identify what's going on with your own situation. Best of luck.
posted by chatelaine at 12:55 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


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