Is this debt collector real? Check a message for warning signs

The checker looks for the warning signs that regulators describe: demands for gift cards, wire transfers or prepaid cards; threats of arrest; refusing to give a mailing address or phone number; and asking for personal financial information.

It also looks at what a genuine collector must include. Collectors must tell you about themselves and the debt when they first contact you or within five days, and must say in their messages that they are a debt collector.

If the message names a collector we cover, the checker compares any phone numbers and web addresses with the official ones we have sourced from that company. A link to a different website is a serious warning sign; an unfamiliar phone number is a reason to check, because collectors use many numbers.

The result is a grade of the warning signs found, not a verdict. A polished scam can show none of these signs, and a genuine collector's message can trip one, for example by asking you to pay quickly. Use the grade to decide how careful to be, then verify independently.

Never pay through a link or phone number from a message you are unsure about. Look the company up yourself, ask for its written validation notice, and check your credit report for the debt.