Consumer complaint received 2024-12-10 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt was result of identity theft
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: SD

Complaint narrative:
I received a phone call from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX about a debt that I am unfamiliar with several months ago, and was continually pressured to make a payment over the phone at that time. Not recognizing the debt, I requested information be mailed to me, but they did not have my current address information ( or any past address on file that I can recall ). Being more than a bit suspicious, I didn't care to provide this additional info to them. Instead, I provided my email address and requested information that way. I never saw any info come through ( it may have been overlooked in spam ), and assumed that it was a fraudulent call and that the fraudsters had given up. I again received a call today, XX/XX/XXXX, at approximately XXXX XXXX central time. I don't generally answer unknown numbers ( but I was expecting another call ) so they may have tried calling between these times as well. Again, I was pressured to make a payment over the phone for this unknown debt, and again, I requested information be sent to me. This time, I located an email in my spam folder, but it did not really provide me with any more useful information than I had already been told over the phone. The first woman also told me that the delinquent account was linked to my actual email, but this was false and I believe it was meant to be deceptive. Eventually, I was directed to a so called supervisor, and eventually I managed to get information from her that the debt was for a Paypal account opened in XXXX and linked to a XXXX email that I have never seen before. I also learned from the supervisor that they only had my correct email because I had provided it to them on the first phone call. I have only ever had XXXX Paypal account, which I opened in XXXX and has been linked to my actual email address since day one. I asked how it was possible that I could owe Paypal money directly when it was simply an online processor for payments linked to other accounts/credit cards, and was just given a runaround. I also have had multiple accounts with various credit monitoring agencies through credit card accounts for many years, and have never received any alerts of this supposed 8 year delinquent debt that I am aware of. I informed them of this, and suggested the collection agency take it up with Paypal, from whom I assume they had purchased the debt. I was informed that I was responsible to prove this account was fraudulent and later told I would need to get a police report, a signed affidavit, etc in order to dispute the debt. I told them this was not my problem and was then told that I would just keep receiving phone calls until I paid the debt and that it would affect my credit. I then informed them that I would pursue legal action if my credit was affected adversely in any way and that I would be reporting them to the appropriate government agency. The supervisor told me that they 'were a reputable company ' as though I should just take her word for it. I continued to get no where with the supervisor, and became more irate until she informed me they would just keep harassing me until I resolved the debt and terminated the phone call.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief