A former U.S. bank customer recently alleged that a debt collector harassed him over a bank account he closed with a negative balance.
Despite claiming to have paid off the $35 debt, a collector said he owed $1,400.
The man, Blake, shared his story on Facebook to find advice.
However, the details of his story led many commentators to believe he was being deceived.
THE SITUATION
Blake said his debt collector contacted him about a $35 debt from a closed bank account in 2007.
That debt was collected in 2014, he said.
Since then, he has changed address several times, ending up losing his refund documentation.
Without documentation, Blake cannot prove that he paid the debt.
“Now I don’t know what to do,” he said. “They are threatening to sue me for $1,400, which I, of course, cannot pay and should not pay as I have already resolved the issue.”
However, in Washington, where Blake lives, there is a statute of limitations on debt collection.
If a collector does not claim the debt within 6 years of the last payment or default, they will run out of time.
“So I don’t know how they could prosecute or get a judgment against me,” he said.
Many commenters said they thought the repayment demands were part of a fraud rather than legitimate debt collection.
“They are probably scammers,” said one comment.
“Ignore and block,” added another.
“Ignore them. Don’t respond to anything,” one said, adding an exception. “Respond to a properly served subpoena.”
US Sun has reached out to US Bank for comment.
Fraudulent scams
Scams can be expensive and can happen to anyone.
The Federal Trade Commission recently reported that in 2023, scammers stole a record $10 billion from Americans.
Thousands of people were recently scammed out of their money by a Taylor Swift ticket marketing scheme.
Phone scam statistics
Americans are bombarded with three billion spam calls per month. What are the numbers regarding the number of victims and the amount of money lost to fraudsters
- In 2022, Americans lost an estimated $39.5 billion to phone fraud, with 68.4 million US citizens affected, according to TechReport.
- The average phone scam victim lost $567.41 each in 2021, a huge increase from the figure of $182 per victim in 2021, according to Hiya.
- Most scams happen over the phone, with fraudsters twice as likely to call compared to text in 2021, as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports.
- In 2021, the US saw a 56% increase in spam phone calls, with 60% of those robocalls.
- US residents receive an average of 18 spam phone calls per month, although some experts believe the real number could be as high as 31 per month.
- Many phone calls from reputable companies can be mistakenly marked as spam, but 38% of companies have no idea whether they are being marked as “potential fraud” or not, according to Hiya.
- Never provide personal or financial information if you suspect a phone call is a scam. For example, your bank will never ask for these full details over the phone.
- To reduce spam calls and scams, sign up for the Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketers, by law, will need to check this list before calling you.
- Downloading third-party apps like Hiya, Nomorobo or Truecaller can help filter annoying spam calls.
- Try not to share your phone number unless necessary, especially online or with sketchy sources.
Would-be concert-goers lost hundreds after purchasing tickets online that never arrived.
Fans of Beyoncé and Coldplay were also hit by similar scams.
The CEO of JPMorgan recently made statements comparing cryptocurrencies to fraud.
US Bank recently closed an account allegedly due to a charge from Amazon.
One customer said the bank wanted him to drive ‘6 hours’ to withdraw money from a closed account.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
