We can't really say if any one company is a scam or not here, but we can help you out with general practices to avoid being scammed.
If you're getting calls from any debt collector, the way to find out if they are legitimate is to require them to follow the FDCPA rules.
First, request that they verify the validity of the debt. Do this in your next communication with them. They must do so within five days (theoretically of your first communication).
Then, you should determine for yourself if you believe that the debt is indeed a valid debt. If it is not, then you can dispute it, requiring them to cease debt collection attempts until they have verified the debt is valid and provided you evidence. If you choose to dispute it, do so as soon as possible as you have 30 days from the initial verification above to do so.
If they do verify the debt as valid and furnish you the name of the original creditor, the first thing I would then do is call that creditor and ask:
- Is this account valid (they may or may not be able to tell you)
- Did they sell the debt (they often will tell you this)
- To whom did they sell it
If they say they sold it to a different agency, that may or may not be a red flag; it's possible that agency subcontracted or even sold it to this one. But at least you could be more confident if they did sell it to this company.
Other than that, you just have to use some common sense. It does sound like this company is towards the bottom of the barrel if they are legitimate, but there are a lot of debt collectors out there and plenty of them are pretty scuzzy but still within the law. Hold these folks to the letter of the law, and if they don't stick to the FDCPA regulations, call them on it (and perhaps find an attorney to sue them for violations). They should not call you too often to the point it is harassing, and they should always clearly identify themselves.