Everyone should read the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. It's available online. Some states have additional Acts that further regulate how debts can legally be collected by a third party. Representatives of collection agencies are permitted to be rude, but intimidation is not allowed. Read the Act I mentioned above, it will explain what they can and cannot do in more detail.
SIMM Associates representatives do not give their real names. And since I had not received a validation notice from them (in spite of requesting it more than once) I asked for their address. It was not provided when I first requested it. They are required to send those validation notices within a week of first contact, and in my case did not send one until after I filed a complaint with the Attorney General in W.V. and AFTER their attorney had informed the Attorney General's office that they had returned the account (almost a month after I received the first phone call.)
I have copies of their letters to the AG's office stating it had been returned, and the original notice I had received. I recorded the names they gave me at the time of their calls, and I put my second call on speaker phone and had my roommate listen so he could verify my complaints.
Returning the account to the creditor does not absolve them of responsibility for violating the law. The AG's Office now has an open investigation into the matter.
It's not a crime to owe a debt or be in financial difficulty.
Everyone having a legitimate complaint against SIMM Associates, Inc. of Delaware should file a formal complaint with the attorney general of your state and also the FTC. Document your statements with facts: dates and times, and the names of the people who called. If you can't afford an attorney and believe you have a legitimate complaint contact legal aid and file suit against Sim Associates. There is a statute of limitations on filing a suit and it is possible to file a class action lawsuit against a collection agency. All of that information is detailed in the Act.