This was an embarrassing situation that I was gullible to believe...I never answer numbers that I don't know but these people left me a message to call them from Checks of America. I blew it off and didn't call, of course, thinking it was a solicitor to sell me something. They kept calling and unfortunately, I answered the call. A seemingly professional young man said he was calling to collect on a check that I wrote to our local community college in 1998! It was on an account that I closed in 2005 and had no more proof whether the check was returned or not. He said that if it wasn't paid within 24 hours it was going to litigation and could be sent for garnishment. (The check was only for $168.92). I argued with him saying that no check had bounced to my local college and that I would have been notified by both bank and college if it had! He sent me to a website that allowed me to download the check to view it. Sure enough, it was my check; my address; my writing; my credit union account; ALL MINE! I told him it was without an "insufficient funds" stamp across the front though and that this sounded like a scam to me! He told me it wasn't. He said he was with DataCheck and they had been in business for over 30+ years. They were going through old debts and collecting on them forcing me to believe that if I didn't pay it would destroy my credit. Against my better judgment I put it on my credit card and told myself I would follow up with my own investigation. (He said he would send me a receipt of my paid account but as of this moment I have not received anything.) Sure enough, I called the local community college later in the day. The business office said there were other students getting the same kind of call from long ago debts they said were owed. I called my credit card company and when the customer service rep tried calling the number there wasn't an answer. I will dispute the charge ($229.95) when it posts and get my money back. DO NOT PAY THESE PEOPLE AS IT IS A SCAM!!!! I thought I would NEVER fall for a scam like this but when it comes to my credit being threatened I guard it at all costs. That's my weakness! So please tell everyone you know about these criminals.
