Consumer complaint received 2016-06-20
Product: Debt collection — Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed — Debt is not mine
Company: Data Check of America LLC (AL)

A company named Data Check contacted me XXXX times over the last two weeks from an Alabama number I did not know leaving first no message, then automated messages about " insufficient funds '' and that they had been in contact with my bank. This seemed like a scam since I have no bounced checks on my account, nor does my bank have my current cell phone number on file. 

Finally, I answered and a real person was on the line. She asked for me by my maiden name. She told me she was calling about a bounced check to XXXX XXXX. I was concerned maybe someone found an old checkbook in the trash and was bouncing checks. However, after the XXXX time that I asked for the date on the check, she admitted it was XXXX XXXX, XXXX. She also said she was reading information off my check, which was written for XXXX, and she read me my parent 's old address, where they lived until XXXX. She said they were not a collections agency but a company that works for XXXX XXXX. She never said she was recording anything and responded very unprofessionally to all my questions. She said she had copies of XXXX letters written to that address in XX/XX/XXXX. I asked her how many in XX/XX/XXXX, and she said she did n't have that information. I told her I would be happy to pay XXXX XXXX the amount of the check and the XXXX insufficient fund fees that she said were listed, but that I would not pay over {$100.00}. She did not offer to fax or mail me copies of her forms, and was reluctant to give me the business address. She wanted me to give her my credit card number to pay the {$100.00}, and I refused. She said they do not accept checks or money orders because there are " lots of scams. '' I asked her for suggestion on how I should pay, and she said I could try to go to XXXX and get a cash card. She asked me when ( this was on a Friday ) and I said that Monday would be my first chance, at which she said it was very close to being sent to collections. I said I would take that chance. She gave me this number to call with my XXXX cash card information. XXXX ext XXXX. Then I googled all that information she gave me and found that this company had a lot of complaints on file at the Attorney General 's office in XXXX XXXX Alabama and has contacted many people about bounced XXXX XXXX checks from the XXXX and XXXX, many whom have not even had bounced checks ever. 

On Monday ( today ) I received an automated call saying they had sent my information to XXXX or something like that as a bad check writer. XXXX called an hour later asking me about payment and I told her I got a call saying they had already reported me. She said they must not have read the note. I said since I have read questionable things at the Attorney General 's office. that I would not be paying them {$100.00} ( as I can not confirm they are an actual company working for XXXX XXXX or that bought the debt ... for all I know they purchased bins of paper files of old bank statements and are looking at GOOD checks and trying to scam me. I did not close that account that the check was written upon until XX/XX/XXXX and worked a job the entire time, so I think even a collection agency would have had ample time to track me down. I also left forwarding addresses from each place I have lived. I also found out today that they had called my MOTHER ( who now lives in her childhood home, not the same place on the check ) trying to find me ( she probably gave them my correct phone number, even though she says she did n't ). As far as I know I did NOT have any outstanding NSF checks at the time I closed my account in XX/XX/XXXX. I requested today that DataCheck not contact me again ( and they just called again 5 minutes ago ), and they said then they would go ahead and " mess with my credit. '' So what is this company? Are they debt collectors? Debt reporters? Bad check reporters? I believe those are XXXX different things.