I'm new here, but I haven't seen a FAQ on this topic, so I thought I would put up a post on what to do when you are contacted by a debt collector.
First, a bit about me. I am a consumer attorney, and I spend about a third of my time suing debt collectors. I work in an office with four other consumer attorneys, and all of us sue debt collectors with at least part of our time. It's a fun job. I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love helping consumers.
Debt collection seems to be by far the most unsettling to consumers.