Can someone notify you to appear on court by phone?

If you have been sued or otherwise ordered to appear in court, you have to be served personally or by what is called "substituted service", where a copy of the papers can be left at your home. It's not permissible to notify of a court hearing by telephone. But, it is fairly common for debt collectors to impersonate court personnel, or imply that they are process servers, or imply that they are about to send something to court on you. If you have a phone number, a google search may turn up who is really calling. If it leads back to a legitimate debt collection company, send that company a letter requesting written verification of the debt that they are collecting. That verification should help you determine if this debt is something you owe. Visit with an attorney to find out about your rights to settle the debt.