So I got a letter from the Arkansas child support office saying I owe $72 in fees for unpaid child support. I've never been to Arkansas and this is the first news of any kind that I might have a child. My first thought was that it's a scam but I looked up the office online and the address and phone number match what's on the letter. I'd like to get a better understanding of what's about to happen and what I can do to make the best of it. I'd guess the odds that this kid is actually mine to be around 10%, yeah I'm sexually active but I almost always use a condom and I haven't heard a squeak from any of the women I've been with about a kid. I don't plan to pay a red cent to anyone until a dna test has been done, but how would I go about doing that if I don't know who is claiming that I am the father? Are they going to give me contact information if I call the office? Would it be in my best interest to instead wait and see if they continue to press?

I don't have my finances together, I can't really afford the water bill much less a lawyer, but if this kid is actually mine I do have a desire to square myself away. However I certainly don't like the idea of simply writing a check to someone else to raise my kid even if I did have the money. What rights do I have in terms of visitation or custody? I have a decent job and live in a large house by myself. What does it say legally speaking that this person kept the fact that I might be a dad from me? I have a child but no one bothered to let me be there to see them born? To name them? I am not at a place in my life where I want kids, but if I do in fact have one I want to have influence. I've always thought about being a dad but paying money to a woman for a kid sight unseen is certainly not how I envisioned it and I will not accept it if this is legitimately my kid.

I live in Mississippi, I've never been to Arkansas, and I have no clue what state the woman lives in or what state she had the kid in. In a situation like that what state's laws would be most relevant? Anyways, thanks for reading and any advice or questions are welcome.

Edit: I called the office, the woman that answered the phone was very combative, she seemed to be trying to elicit an emotional reaction out of me and stated I was being rude when I spoke of my concerns and that I wasn't sure if this was a scam or not. I was nothing but polite and patient with this woman. She wouldn't give me any info until I gave her my dob and social, she kept saying I could hang up if I didn't like it. After I gave her the information she went to speak to a supervisor and asked me if I was "my first name" L "my last name" my middle initial is C. I breathed a sigh of relief and made a joke about her trying to give me a heart attack and that someone had obviously made a mistake. She denied that she or her office had made any mistake and blamed it on the post office. She also said that I had to send her a copy of my driver's license and some notarized form. I'm half tempted to forget about it and let them come subpoena "first name" L "last name" and I'll tell him if I see him. I'm also half tempted to call the attorney general in Arkansas and make a complaint against her and that office.