(WXYZ) — If you’ve been receiving annoying phone calls about debt you know you do not owe, you’re not alone. Thousands of people have complained about these debt collection scammers to the Better Business Bureau.
On top of that, more than 100,000 people have lodged complaints with the BBB about debt collection companies — real businesses that offer short-term consumers loans which advocates call a “debt trap.”
First, let’s start with the scammers.
Christopher Nettleman of Dearborn Heights is sick of fake debt collectors blowing up his phone.
“I started getting harassing phone calls last year claiming to be from BHA Services stating that I owed $900 on a debt from 2008,” he said.
He double-checked with his credit union directly and confirmed he did not owe anything, but the calls and texts continued.
He reported it to the BBB’s scam tracker. Between 2019 and 2021, the Scam Tracker received more than 7,800 reports about loan and debt collection scams with losses of $4.1 million.
“If you don’t think you owe anything and somebody calls you and tells you you do, hang up,” said Melanie Duquesnel, the president and CEO of the local Better Business Bureau.
She said they found scammers posing as payday loan companies or debt collectors arm themselves with stolen financial information to convince customers to pay up. The schemers often using tough-to-trace sources like gift cards, payment apps, and money orders.
“They really tried to scare the bejesus out of you. They really do….
