Q "I've been getting calls from a debt collector about an old bill that I already paid. It's so frustrating! How should I handle it?"

It’s understandable that you’re frustrated over being hounded about a debt you’ve already paid, but rest assured, you’re far from alone.

-  GABRIELLE LICHTERMAN

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) survey shows that debt collectors have contacted a whopping 53% of us about a debt we didn’t owe, making it the most common complaint about debt collectors.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to resolve the problem. And the first one is the most crucial: Make sure you’re not being conned.

Sniff out a scam easily

“Don’t volunteer any personal information until you can verify the legitimacy of the debt collector and the debt in question,” urges Bruce McClary, a Certified Credit Counselor with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC.org). “There are far too many examples of debt collection scams where people don’t take the extra step of verifying the agency and the account details, then end up being victims of a crime as a result,” he notes.