Got a call from a law firm (Ngyuen-Ballato) that would not tell me why they called unless I gave them my info. Scam?

Submitted by matthiastrek t3_zxg1vr in rva

Today I received a phone call from the Ngyuen-Ballato law firm asking for me about something. They said they couldn't tell me why they are calling unless I gave them something that verified who I am, such as birthday, last 4 of social, address, etc. I thought it was a scam, so I refused. They then said they would "move forward", but would not tell me what that meant when I asked.

I looked up the number and the law firm the guy called from, and they seem legit (specialize in debt collection for the city). I called the office and the lady on the other end repeated the same thing the guy who originally called told me, but she also said the firm sent a letter to me three months ago about the issue, despite never getting a letter from them.

So my thoughts on why they are calling: they are trying to scam me, or they have the wrong person (they at least had my name right). The only debt I have is my mortgage and I pay that every month along with taxes in escrow as well as my gas bill. Anyone else dealt with this law firm and/or know why they would ask me for my info first before telling me why they call?

14

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Independent-Heron-75 t1_j2033fs wrote

As a lawyer myself, this sounds fishy.

87

dadjokes23229 t1_j20imvw wrote

As a fish, this sounds lawyerly

96

dreww4546 t1_j204h50 wrote

Debt collectors are allowed to misrepresent themselves in some pretty unethical ways.

38

RandyRVA t1_j204nhi wrote

Just hang up when they start asking for personal information, that's what I always do.

28

coconut_sorbet t1_j20c5a4 wrote

I had them call me a few weeks ago and leave a message and yes, it's fishy as hell. I was also super suspicious but managed to get them to verify my identity using just my street address (which is pretty public). Turns out it was a legit overdue bill that I owed.

28

JamesBhand-007 t1_j202fbz wrote

I’ve dealt with them regarding an unpaid City of Richmond parking ticket I forget about!

22

matthiastrek OP t1_j2034l3 wrote

Did they call you and ask for your information to verify who you are before telling you why they called?

8

testingforscience122 t1_j2076ne wrote

Just tell them if they wish speak to you please provide written notice and a physical address/meeting time for a meeting and then.

20

JamesBhand-007 t1_j206i07 wrote

Nah I received a letter in the mail and contacted them. While this is a legit law firm, I agree that your interaction with them was fishy as hell.

10

GrayRVA t1_j20cz25 wrote

I recently received a call from an actual debt collector that I really wanted to be fake. Welcome aboard the S. S. Deadbeat.

20

Beccaroni7 t1_j204zf3 wrote

I’m not a lawyer, but as far as I’m aware, any official notices MUST come to you physically-via mail or in-person delivery.

If you’re being looked into for debt collection, civil suit, what have you, you will receive a paper summons or notice.

They may be a legit company and trying to get additional info from you that they can claim you willingly gave them. I’d ignore until you get an official notice of something.

10

55V35lM t1_j20rk2w wrote

Since they are collecting a debt (based on the other replies), they can only discuss it with the individual responsible which is why they need to verify who you are. It is actually illegal to discuss a debt with anyone other than the debtor (you) unless the debtor has given permission to do so. They seem to be a little too cautious in verifying your identity by requiring unnecessarily detailed information.

6

matthiastrek OP t1_j20u0g4 wrote

yeah I don't even know if that is why they are calling me, just straight up asked for some kind of information

2

55V35lM t1_j20vtt2 wrote

They seriously cannot say they are calling about a debt until they confirm they are talking to the debtor - debt collection laws and regulations want to make sure no one other than the debtor is aware of the debt. The other responses indicate that this is a known debt collector for the city so I would suspect they are legit. However, the City is known for billing errors so the debt may not be legit.

9

fusion260 t1_j2295t1 wrote

Without saying it, you're essentially explaining that, if OPs curiosity gets the best of them, they then willfully provide personal verification details to a third party without any way of verifying they are authentically them and this isn't a phishing attempt for future identity theft or a scam.

OP, that's categorically a Bad Idea™.

If you feel in your gut that something felt weird about that interaction, trust your gut the first time. If they're authentic, they will provide ways to verify they are indeed who they are. Otherwise, literally anyone can say they're from any company and possibly be spoofing their number on Caller ID while doing so.

3

55V35lM t1_j22i0ld wrote

Side note - verifying your address (one of the items the OP said they asked to confirm) is publicly available information. Caution is good but paranoia will leave you with robot insurance

3

Kindly_Boysenberry_7 t1_j20qx50 wrote

Legitimate collections law firm. Just paid 2 overdue parking tickets to them for my irresponsible teenager. If there is a legitimate bill which you don't pay, they are going to go through collections, which can screw up your credit. I'd find put at least what they're calling about. Otherwise you could end up with the credit hit and/or your car booted.

5

heraus t1_j21bwc0 wrote

Nguyen Ballato is a debt collection law firm for a variety of city, county, hoa, medical and other small matters throughout the region. If you’re unsure, always ask for a validation and dispute. If you don’t want to give your address, perhaps an email but anything you give them, they will use it!

5

Fatty_McBiggn t1_j20gp32 wrote

If they called you they already know who you are.

4

Charlesinrichmond t1_j21ynta wrote

Older ballato at least was a complete dick head. For some reason he turned rather purple in the face when I explained it to him in his office one day

But they used to the city of Richmond collection lawyers so they might be wrong but they also might be collecting a city of Richmond debt. City likes to not Bill people etc etc and then go straight to collections so it might be real. Note this is not a sign of competence on the city's part they do it by accident

4

Few-Investigator-581 t1_j227lha wrote

Nyguen Ballato is a very reputable firm. Although not most folks favorite area of practice, they are good attorneys.

4

CharlesJHV t1_j213hsc wrote

If you called the number listed for their law firm, and then they asked the same type of questions, then that sounds legitimate

I have had calls where people needed to verify my information by asking questions like that. The important thing is you verified that they are who they claim to be by looking them up and calling their publicly listed number

3

TheRealSuperJeff t1_j2am69c wrote

they deal with parking tickets for the city and the toll bridges

1