Karen Gray's fiancé, Paul Maasen, recently received a collection notice for nearly $1,000.

"It was just in the back of my head. We have this bill. We need to take care of it," said Gray.

The Renton couple had every intention of paying it, because having a good credit rating is important, especially now.

"You hear it on the news all the time: Credit, credit, credit. You're not going to be able to buy a car. You're not going to be able to buy a house. Your credit cards are maxed out. And nobody wants bad credit," said Gray.

Weeks after receiving the letter, both also started getting phone calls from the collection agency --- calls at home, at work and on their cell phones nearly every day. Sometimes, offering a deal.

"'If you pay today, we'll give you a discount,'" said Gray.

The couple didn't want to write a check until they knew more. So they called their bank, listed as the original creditor, to see if it showed any outstanding balance in Maasen's name.

Maasen: "The bank said, 'don't pay it.'"

KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy: "Is there any chance that this debt could be your legitimate debt?"

Maasen: "No. Every department in the bank told me that there's nothing under my social security number."

Anita Zohn received a similar letter claiming she owed nearly $9,000 on a credit card she never even owned.

"I saw that and was just thunderstruck. I've never applied for, or ever had a MasterCard, which is what they're claiming this debt involves," said Zohn.

Assistant State Attorney General Doug Walsh says collection notices are delivered to consumers all the time.

"It's pretty common out there," said Walsh.

Often, those debts are legitimate. Sometimes, they're not.

"You get a lot of direct mail pitches about 'you owe us this money' with an urgent notice and all sorts of threatening language in there. They create apprehension in the consumer. They just do anything they can to get rid of it, but they may not owe the debt at all. I think we're talking about scammers when we're talking about seeking to enforce a debt that's stale, or was discharged in bankruptcy, or you don't owe it. They're shaking you down for money that they can't collect. So those are pure scam artists and some of them are criminals," said Walsh.

With many consumers in financial crisis these days, there are legitimate debt collection companies that are collecting real debt. But if you ever receive a notice by mail or phone for a debt that you suspect may not be yours, there are some important steps to take according to the Attorney General's Office and the Washington Bankers' Association:

Read the entire letter to see how long you have to contest it and then act

Check your own financial records

Check with your bank and creditors in person if possible

If you don't really owe the debt, ask your bank or creditors to give you written proof, then send a copy of that proof to the collection agency

According to the AG's office, collectors cannot pursue the debt once you've proven that it's not yours.

"There's no way that I owe any money," said Maasen.

When contacted by KIRO 7 Consumer Investigators, the president of the collection agency told a different story and said his employees will continue to try and collect the debt until he sees written proof that it's not Maasen's.

"They're not getting anything out of us," said Gray.

Meanwhile, the AG's office has a warning about what not to say when a debt collector, or anyone else, calls.

"Usually, if they're asking for your social security number over the phone, relative to a debt or anything else, it's an identity thief who is going to take that and go apply for credit and use it in a way that's going to get you in trouble, and make them money," said Walsh.

There's a lot of legitimate debt and plenty of debt collectors who do their jobs fairly and well, but they do have to follow certain rules.

The assistant Attorney General told Clancy that law enforcement is working to track down criminals posing as debt collectors.

If you have concerns about someone contacting you, you can file a complaint online.