Jun 3, 2016
I do hope you did NOT give him your son's credit card number - per the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the debt collector must MAIL an initial dunning letter to you within five days of their first call. Refusal to mail any proof of debt means that you should not pay! Anyone can call and threaten someone about a debt - that does not mean the caller actually has the right to collect said debt (if it even exists). You may wish to read more at the following link about what debt collectors can and cannot do:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/facing-debt-collection-know-your-rights
Dealing with financial trouble is stressful enough. But when a debt collector is hounding you using unscrupulous methods, it can make matters even worse.
The fact is, you have some rights when it comes to dealing with debt collection agencies. They’re spelled out in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which protects consumers from abusive, harassing or unfair debt collection practices, and is enforced by the FTC. Here’s the abbreviated version of the key provisions:
Under the FDCPA, debt collectors are not permitted to:
call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
contact you at work if you’ve told them verbally or in writing that your employer doesn’t allow you to get such calls in the workplace
contact a third party about you for any reason other than getting your contact information; simply put, they may not tell anyone that you owe money
harass or abuse you or anyone else they contact about you
lie about the amount you owe
use deceptive methods to collect a debt from you. For example, they may not:
falsely claim to be law enforcement officers
claim that you’ll be arrested if you don’t pay your debt
threaten to seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or your wages — unless they are permitted by law to do it and intend to do so
give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company
use a fake company name
You may also wish to contact your state's Attorney General for help.