Lately there has been a huge increase in phone calls from telemarketers claiming to be debt collectors with the goal of stealing your identity. The Better Business Bureau and the FCC are warning consumers about telephone calls from fraudulent debt collectors.

Government agencies such as the FCC or FTC have reported an increase in consumer complaints about fraudulent telephone calls and identity theft. You can visit either the FCC or the FTC’s official website to obtain up to date information about the techniques used by these fraudulent callers by clicking on the press release section of each website. Additionally, the Better Business Bureau has a wealth of information about how to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

One recommendation is to ask the caller to call them back and then perform a search of the telephone number of the caller. That way you can review what others have said about the caller to help you confirm if they are a legitimate agency or not.

It is also suggested that you do not provide personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers and other financial information over the telephone.

Do not provide any personal information or financial information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers or other information over the telephone. Rarely is this information required by a true debt collector.

We also suggest that you do a simple EveryCall.us search of the telephone number that shows up on the caller ID to find out whose calling you before you continue your discussion with any caller you don’t recognize. Ask to call them back, hang up and search the telephone number. Often times there will be complaints from other consumers about who is calling that can help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

The next time you receive a debt collector phone call or another call that you don’t recognize, be sure to find out who calls you at EveryCall.us, a free service to lookup unknown callers and report telemarketers. Blackberry owners can download Call Control, the best blacklist application for Blackberry to block telemarketers and other spam callers quickly and easily.

Tags: Identity Theft