Has anyone ever been a victim of identity theft after dealing with Amsher Collection Agency?

Question

I was recently contacted by Amsher due to legitimate charges owed to TMobile. I provided my debit card number, expiration date & security code. Later being informed of a large processing fee, I asked for an alternative payment method. The collector advised I could do a check by phone for only $4. I provided my checking/routing numbers to make the payment. After checking my online bank statement, I found not only the check by phone payment... but also 4 transactions I did not recognize in the sum of over $800. These unauthorized transactions occurred through Tmobile.com (purchasing merchandise) and Papa Johns store no. 1498 in Birmingham, Alabama. Conveniently, Amsher is located in Birmingham, AL. I'm not placing blame on the company, but find it coincidental. Research is pending and legal counsel seeked. Has anyone else had this same/similar situation after dealing with this company? I wonder if I'm not the only one..

Answer 1

For those of us who provide advise on this board, there is one rule above all others when dealing with debt collectors:

Never, never, ever give a debt collector your bank transit + checking account numbers for making payments. Once they get this info there's nothing to stop them from taking out way more than you authorized.   You should contact your bank about any unauthorized charges immediately. As long as they have this info...they can continue to make even more debits against your account.  You might want to consider canceling your checking account and having it re-issued under a new number.