"A Clark" posted on another thread:

On Thursday, 01/15/2015 12:37PM, I received a voicemail from a blocked phone number from a man who said his name was Michael Hall. The caller, Michael Hall, claimed to be an “independent process server” in Riverside County.  He said that he had a “default date” of January 19, 2015 to serve me a certified legal notice regarding a pending lawsuit that was being brought against me.  He also left the same message on my husband’s voicemail around the same time on the same date.    In this voice message, the caller, Michael Hall, said I should call the number (281) 764-9591 if I wanted to reschedule the serving of my papers.  I called that number twice on Thursday, 01/15/2015, and received only an answering machine.  I also contacted the Riverside County Superior court (California) and was told that they do not use independent process servers.

Again on Monday, 01/19/2015, the caller Michael Hall called at 8:08AM and left a voice message that he would be out to my house to serve me legal papers before 5:00PM, unless I wanted to reschedule by calling the number (281) 764-9501.  Again, he left a similar message on my husband’s voicemail.  I tried calling the (281) 764-9501 number three times on Monday, 01/19/2015, to try and figure out what this was about, and only received an answering machine.   To our knowledge (my husband and I), no one came to our house to serve legal papers on 01/19/2015. Since it was a holiday, we were home most of the day.  I do not know why this person is calling me, who his employer is, or how he has acquired my information (social security number, address, phone number) as well as my husband’s information.


My response:

REAL process servers do not call ahead of time - they show up, unannounced.  Nor do they call and leave messages telling you to call another number to "reschedule" or resolve the situation!

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
Also good info at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1699/h ... legitimate.html