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The Montana Attorney General's Office is warning consumers about debt collection scams.

Some people have reported receiving phone calls from what turn out to be phony debt collectors.

In many cases the victims are duped into paying money to scammers.

Consumer protection coordinator Jenny Eck explained, "A legitimate debt collector would call you as well, but again you want to verify that that's actually a legitimate debt, and you never want to admit to the debt, so you would never want to say over the phone, 'I owe this debt' unless you are absolutely sure that you do. And the best way to know is to get that in writing."

Eck warns people to never give out any personal information over the phone, noting that if the company is legitimate they should already have it.

She also says to make sure they haven't attached someone else's debt from a person with your same name.

If you suspect a company isn't legitimate you can contact the Office of Consumer Protection at 800-481-6896, or visit the agency's website.