I opened my mail today and got a letter from a company called Arrow Financial Services. They state that they are a collection agency, and that I owe a debt to Mellon/PNC Bank in the amount of $4148.18. I do not have an account with Mellon/PNC. I do not recall EVER having an account with Mellon/PNC. I do not owe this company ANY money.
Interestingly, the second paragraph reads as follows. This set off all kinds of red flags and alarm bells:
Over 130 million American households will be receiving economic stimulus checks from the US Treasury Department. If you receive an economic stimulus check, you can use this special opportunity to settle your outstanding debt to us for only 15% of your Total Current Balance listed above.
*Settlement Amount: $622.23 * You Save $3525.95 *
I found this interesting, because of course, the amount of my economic stimulus check is $600. I have no intentions of taking this "special" opportunity to pay on something that is simply NOT mine.
The letter goes on to state that I can pay off the bogus settlement amount of $622.23 by June 6, but, under "special" circumstances, they may take less than that amount. I believe this is a tactic of so-called "scavenger" debt collectors.
Also, I noticed that there are NO instructions on how to dispute the debt, which I thought was required by law to be included on the letter?
I have not contact this agency as of this date (5/12). I have, however, contacted the FTC to file a complaint, and I placed a fraud alert on my credit reports. If this particular item appears on my credit reports, I will absolutely dispute it.
Has anyone else ever had an experience like this, and what did you do to resolve it?
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