   Oh god,... is this a scam?
  Okay, I got a call today from a collection agency...And they said they worked under contract or such under t mobile, so that instantly was suspicous because my dad (who they "asked" for)  uses cingular. So then, they asked if I was Thai (my dad''s name is than, another suspicous thing) Nguyen. I said yes thinking it was an ink blotch or something, because I like to screw with telemarketers. WELL, turns out my dad owes them 500 bucks ... and they''d sue if we didnt pay it by today (Suspicous too because, um, shouldn''t you call in advanced or something?). So then I said we dont use t mobile, and then they ASKED for my social security number just to make sure. Is this a scam, or a case of mistaken identity? 
  Sounds like a scam to me. I''d tell them to fuck off and ''sue'' me. haha... give them my ssn. right   James SimmonsMindEngine Developmenthttp://medev.sourceforge.net;  Scam--no phone company would ask for a social security number. ;  Even if they sued you, I don''t see why you couldn''t settle for the $500 anyway.In any case, don''t give out your SSN. ;  lol, yeah once someone was asking for my dad, said they got his phone bill and said they needed his address, phone number, and SSN and all this other crap. ;  Ask them to put their threats in writing. If it is a genuine phone company, they''ll happily do it. If it''s a scam they won''t. If someone threatens to sue you over the phone, just laugh and end the call - it''s legally meaningless unless it''s in writing (afaik ianal). You''ll always get many proper letters on proper company headed paper before that point.Asking for a social security number is VERY dodgy, that has no bearing on suing somebody or on your phone provider, bill etc.It could actually be an IDENTITY THEFT attempt, possibly even for illegal immigration purposes. A documentary I saw said certain ethnic minorities (Asian for example) with EU/Western European citizenship are being targeted more than most for identity theft because obtaining their identity cards, passports, drivers license etc (once you have the relevent #''s and other details [address, phone# etc], obtaining things like duplicate drivers licenses isn''t that difficult) - would make life much easier for someone illegaly entering w.europe if they can pretend they''re you/your dad when the authorities stop them!.If you did give them your details, I''d seriously suggest telling the police! ;  I worked for a collection agency for 2.4999 years and I can say that asking for someone SSN isn't out of the ordinary. Sometimes they need to verify someone identity and if they have the SSN that is the easiest way. If you want to be sure they are really collectors ask if the last four digits would be fine, that is usually enough to confirm identity. Also did they inform you that the call was an attempt to collect a debt any information used would be for that purpose, in pretty much those words?If they really are a collection agency working under contract they must inform you of that in the first contact, either in a letter or over the phone.   Edit: I just noticed you're not in the US, nevermind that last bit. Wait.....do they have SSNs there too, called the same thing?   [edited by - griffenjam on July 31, 2003 12:12:13 AM];  yeah griffenjam we have SSN''s.you dont have to give them your social and the whole "were going to sue you" is BS as well. 500 bucks is way too small to profitably prosecute, tell them to piss off a few times and theyll kick you into a less frequent call category. Better see if your pop wont just pay it if he owes it. ;  I am US, and they did ask for the last 4 digits, but still...500 bucks? What the hell? It''s like they got that number out of their behind.Second, they mispronounced my fathers last name in a non mistake type way (thai is different from than no matter what)THIRD, we do NOT or have we ever used T Mobile. Either they''re scamming us, OR someone else is using our name. Lastly, why have we never recieved any notice of any "late" charge or charge at all?  ;  I''ve received a call from a collections agent before for an amount in the $500 ballpark, and the agent was very cordial - no nonsense talk of lawsuits. What he said was effectively "We have this amount outstanding, and you need to pay it by this date or we''ll be forced to prosecute it in which case it gets on your credit report" and then he happily gave me all the information I needed to pay, and also took my daily calls to check that the funds had reached them and been cleared.My SSN is supposedly private. I don''t care what the collections company claim they want to confirm; I''m not giving them my SSN.quote:Original post by S1CA  ...(afaik ianal)...Did you mean "afaik; ianal" - in which case you''re abdicating responsibility for your preceding statement being taken literally as you are not a qualified legal expert - or did you mean "afaik ianal" - in which case you appear to be confused as to your own identity?