How are False Debts generated? PLEASE HELP!

I was wondering if anyone has any insight or information on an ongoing problem I've been having with various collection agencies. The problem started in Spring 2009 and persists to this day and, even though I've learned a little more about the process with each succeeding collection attempt, I still wish I knew how I became involved in this mess at all.

I first received a dunning letter from MFG Financial in May 2009. I should probably mention at this point (d'oh!) that all the debts I'll be mentioning in this post are false ones; my spouse and I have no outstanding debts - actually, we have excellent credit scores and pay our few credit cards off in full each month. We have no children or close relatives, so there's no chance the debts could be attributed to anyone like that. Anyway, the dunning letter. I didn't know that's what it was called at that time; I thought it was mail fraud or some kind of scam. I went to my postmaster and he reported it to the USPS Fraud Unit. I was scared silly to receive such a threatening letter - I was sure some criminals had picked my name and address at random and were trying to bilk me. That first letter said MFG had repeatedly tried to contact me (BS!) and that I owed $9800 to something called American Bank. Sounds like a scam, doesn't it? I didn't hear anything else and had almost forgotten the whole thing when I received more correspondence from MFG 6 months later. This time around they told me they would accept 13 easy payments of $150 (sure doesn't add up to $9800, does it??) to settle my "debt". I sent everything off to the USPS Fraud Unit again and thought I was done with it.

July 2010: I started getting numerous hang-ups on my phone and then one of those infamous "This message is for John Smith. If you remain on the line, you are confirming you are John Smith???" voice mails. I googled all the incoming phone numbers and saw they belonged to Asset Acceptance (AACC). Within a week I received a dunning letter. This time "my" debt was for $225 and was for a gasoline credit card (nice try AACC: I've ALWAYS paid cash for my gas). I freaked out at this second contact from a collection agency, but this time around I got on the Web and did some research. Long story short, I sent a debt validation request (certified mail, return receipt) and of course AACC couldn't supply it. I then sent them a cease and desist letter (cm, rr). They kept on calling and I kept on refusing to answer. I sent copies of everything to my state's AG and also the AG in Michigan, were AACC works out of. I saw a lawyer and was told after the cease and desist AACC was allowed to contact me by phone one last time, which, by not answering their calls, I was not letting them have. On the next call I answered and was told I was speaking to their "Legal Dept". Not too many words were exchanged, but when I said the debt was not mine and the ss# they were citing was not mine, the woman got a little weird and said "Oh!!! This is a case of mistaken identity! Why didn't you tell us that in the first place?!" Duh, I guess a debt validation request and a C&D, both saying it wasn't my debt, wasn't good enough for them. P.S. I heard back from the MI AG's office a few weeks later. AACC had answered their complaint with a letter stating they has received my address "as a result of an update of contact information for the responsible party for the account in question". I don't know what that means, but I've been living at the same address for almost 30 years.

April 2011: I thought it was all over, but here we go again. I should've learned to stop answering 800 or out of area phone numbers, but I had got complacent. Preferred Recovery Services of MA called me and informed me "I" owed $11,000 to some "Direct Buy" credit card. Huh? I told the collector I owed no such thing and told him to validate it. Then I hung up. During that short phone call he recited my address. Great. A new collection agency and they have my name, address and phone number. This call was a month ago and I've received at least twenty calls, which I don't answer and have blocked every time they call with a new one. So far, nothing in the mail. This makes me think it's even more of a scam than usual. They actually call themselves a "Law Office". Real professional, not to stick something in the mail.

My real name and not a variation has been used in all three instances. I've checked my credit reports and there's no sign of any nefarious activity, Thank God. I'm just getting really tired of being chased down for debts I don't owe. Am I doomed to keep slaying a debt collector dragon, just to have another one emerge to attack me a few months later? Is my name on some kind of "easy-mark victim" list, subscribed to by bottom-feeder debt collectors? I guess what I'm asking is HOW DID THEY GET MY NAME AND ADDRESS and why won't they leave me alone after finding out I'm not the correct party? Is this the same debt, passed on to a new CA after the previous ones were unable to get any money out of me? And why is there a different amount and different original creditor each time around? I've lived for many decades without problems like this. Why now? If anyone could please tell me how false debts are generated and perpetuated, I'd REALLY appreciate it.