05.04.26 Invitation To A SCAM / How To Handle Debt Collectors

05.04.26 Invitation To A SCAM / How To Handle Debt Collectors

From The Clark Howard Podcast by Clark Howard

May 4, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

The episode discusses a new scam involving fake party invitations and provides advice on handling debt collectors.

There’s a new scam hitting inboxes that several of our team members admit would have fooled them. Digital thieves are sending fake party invitations that appear to be coming from your friends. After hacking into email contact lists, scammers send out deceptive invites to download viruses onto your device, giving them access to your financial accounts and private emails. Know what to do before clicking any links. Also today, learn - how to tell if a debt collector is legit, actionable strategies if faced with collector harassment, and where to turn for legitimate help paying off debt. The Party Invite Scam: Segment 1 Ask Clark: Segment 2 Debt Collection & Debt Relief: Segment 3 Ask Clark: Segment 4 Mentioned on the show: Scam Alert: New ‘Party Invite’ Message Can Empty Your Bank Account Fraud Is Skyrocketing: 5 Ways To Protect Your Hard-Earned Assets Why You Should Never Click on Random Text Messages The Best Place To Buy a Mattress - Clark Howard Which Documents Should You Keep and for How Long? How To Send a 'Drop Dead' Letter to a Collection Agency What to Do When You're Being Harassed About an Old "Zombie Debt" 6 Things To Know Before Contacting the National Foundation for…

People in this episode

Host: Clark Howard

Topics covered

  • scams
  • debt collection
  • financial advice
  • consumer protection
  • digital security

Keywords

  • scam
  • debt collectors
  • financial security
  • party invite scam
  • consumer advice
  • debt relief
  • clicking links
  • harassment
  • credit score

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Clark.com, National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Consumer Action Center

Products: mattress

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