Not all debt collections are legitimate. The first thing you should do is to figure out if you really owe the money. If you do, you should probably make plans to pay and have you credit cleared.
Don't remember if you owe the money?
Debt collectors love to prey on older people who may have memory lapses... and maybe others. They'll try and persuade to you pay debt and to do it quickly, most likely with a fraudulent payment method. Avoid these cash payment scams. You may remember that you had an account at the the store, bank, loan company etc., but can't remember your status. Just because someone knows your name, doesn't mean they really know you debt status at that collector.
They may threaten to sue you.
Are you getting last minute phone calls from someone you've never heard of, threatening to sue you. Probably a scam. Legitimate companies don't just decide to sue you first without a significant attempt to contact you otherwise.
Has your debt expired?
Legally most debt is not collectible after a few years. So if someone is trying to collect money from you, review your state laws to see if the legal time line has lapsed.
Beware of debt inflation.
Some collectors will illegally inflate what you owe. They may try to tack on a $100-$200 debt collection fee. They may also try and charge for collection fees. Beware of inflated charges that you really are not responsible for.
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