201-549-8052
NJ, US
 | Really Annoyed 2011-12-12 15:52:48 Debt Collector |
I called the police and file a report with my credit reporting agencies....
I called the number back and stated that they are to stop calling me. That I have filed a police report and hung up.
I then received a totally obscene phone call that also stated that they were going to keep calling me.
I called and had the number blocked from my cell phone, but also informed my company of what was going on with these people.
Good Luck!
I called the number back and stated that they are to stop calling me. That I have filed a police report and hung up.
I then received a totally obscene phone call that also stated that they were going to keep calling me.
I called and had the number blocked from my cell phone, but also informed my company of what was going on with these people.
Good Luck!
| REALLY ANNOYED 2011-12-09 21:38:02 Debt Collector |
I received my 6th call from this number ...the message on my cell and work numbers said it was from Mark Robinson, when I called back it was Jacob Morris that answered. When I called I was told Brooks and Assoiciates was a Law Firm.
I can call back from my cell phone but not from my work phone because it blocks our outgoing number.
I have filed reports with all my credit reporting agency, I have called my "retained attorney of record" and filed police reports with the local police departments! This is getting crazy!
I can call back from my cell phone but not from my work phone because it blocks our outgoing number.
I have filed reports with all my credit reporting agency, I have called my "retained attorney of record" and filed police reports with the local police departments! This is getting crazy!
| Brenda Forosisky 2011-12-09 00:21:04 Unknown |
I receive these calls on a daily basis now. The guy claims to be from a law firm and his name is Max
morris, last time it was James Collins, I asked him if he was related to Jack Collins. lol. He tells me every day that I am going to be arrested in a few minutes. Today he told me my son who is an volunteer police officer in my city, would be receiving an order to arrest me. I am going to court and will probably be put in jail. I could not help but laugh at him. Stupid Idiot. I told him I am never going to send him any money, stop calling. But I know tomorrow I will get the same call.
morris, last time it was James Collins, I asked him if he was related to Jack Collins. lol. He tells me every day that I am going to be arrested in a few minutes. Today he told me my son who is an volunteer police officer in my city, would be receiving an order to arrest me. I am going to court and will probably be put in jail. I could not help but laugh at him. Stupid Idiot. I told him I am never going to send him any money, stop calling. But I know tomorrow I will get the same call.
| Shari 2011-12-09 00:00:22 Unknown |
A man with a strong accent calls me several numbers over the past couple of months stating that I have committed a criminal internet crime against a payday loan company. Each time I have asked them to send me proof of the loan. Then he becomes very rude and proceeds with telling me if I don't resolve this matter they will have the police come to my home and arrest me. After noticing a charge on my bank statement, I called the company to refund my money because I did not authorize a loan with the company nor did they deposit any money into my account. The man was very upset and stated that I would be taken to court for this. I told him so you are saying that you are going to take me to court for money I never received. I informed him that would be okay because I do keep all of my bank statement and can show proof of any money that has gone into my account. These people call?s me at work and my cell phone. The calls come from 201-549-8052, 626-384-3265, 904-410-8149 and 777-777-7777 all being the same voice accept the one time when a woman called and still with a very heavy accent. Since then I have made a report with the Federal Trade Commission and has also request copies of my credit report.
| Ellen 2011-12-06 22:00:41 Unknown |
This is such a joke!! I tried calling this company back after I talked with the Federal Trade Commision # 1-877-382-4357 And when I told them I knew it was a scam the man "Mark Robinson" heavy accent started to push the buttons on the phone so he could'nt listen to me. These people should know that when they call a "STATE CASINO" all calls are traced and instead of ME being arrested they need to watch out for themselves. New Jersey state police are aware and have their address.
| Sad but True 2011-12-01 15:09:53 Unknown |
This is an offshore payday loan debt collection extortion scam that has been going on for at least five years. The FBI is aware of it but is unable to go after those involved due to lack of money and manpower. I looked back and found some old information which may prove to be helpful:
They obtained your information through Teletrack:
Kudos to "Sam" for giving the most intelligent and informative posts on this scam. READ, Bookmark and use as needed:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-631-456-4041/2
I have been receiving phone calls from this group since late April / early May of 2010. There is a good chance that they also attempted to contact me roughly two years ago before I entered into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection, as I faintly remember hearing the same script more or less.
As others have stated, the callers are difficult to understand. Generally speaking their command of the English language is quite poor and their accents are hard to follow. At times they will get certain words or phrases mixed up. It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that they had:
a) Your SSN
b) Your home address
c) Your work address
d) Your banking info
e) Names, numbers and potentially the addresses of "references"
f) A complete and total lack of ethics and a basic understanding of the FDCPA.
I have personally filed reports with the following agencies, often with limited (if any) success:
Local Police
my state's Attorney General's office
FTC
FBI
Secret Service
Generally the local police won't be able to help much. The callers are using a combination of prepaid cell phones and VoIP, making them difficult to trace. Also at their disposal are various spoofing tactics being implemented to catch people off guard - meaning the number that appears on your Caller ID isn't the number that is calling you for starters. Without gaining a subpoena for the billing information for the numbers in question, the local police won't be able to get very far.
My state's Attorney General's office couldn't offer much assistance either. I received a form letter in the mail that my complaint was received and I would be contacted if they needed additional info. It was more or less the same information I obtained from the FTC. They each advised me not to give the individuals over the phone any account information or to authorize payment. That's just common sense, though.
I never got anything from the FBI, either. There is a good chance that since I haven't suffered a monetary loss that my concerns are low on the totem pole. I hate to say this, but that is truly the case. Unless you were in the hole for a $1,000 (or more) you aren't going to get much more than "sorry to hear about your situation, change your phone number and move on". I seemed to get some activity from the Secret Service. I spoke with agent Doug Zloto. (Google him, referencing threads like these plus his name and you'll find his number also) He seemed to care a bit more than the average person, but after giving him access to my Google Voice account, there has been no further activity from him that I'm aware of.
In the meantime I changed the wireless number the fraudsters had access to, they have no direct way to get a hold of me. (Calls at work have ceased for some reason) That in turn resulted in my "references" getting phone calls from the crooks. Here is a word of caution for women that have been getting these calls - don't say anything and just hang up. The callers are quite abusive towards women callers. Why? Possibly the culture. If they are Indian / Pakistani, women are second class citizens there. You will be treated like garbage. This happened to a family member when she was trying her best to be extremely nice over the phone.
The callers currently attempt to reach me through the female family member and an unused Google Voice number that they managed to find of mine. I keep the Google Voice number open because, well, I can't delete it yet. So, about every day, 4-5 times a day for the last week, I get voice messages from them. It's usually just two full messages though - the other calls are broken up with static or they are attempts to read the script until the callers then screw up. Really, they are that adamant on getting the script 100% that they will hang up mid-sentence and call back 30 seconds later.
At this point it's a stalemate with these people.
1) While they have the lion's share of information on us, they can't really do anything with this information.
Why? Think about it.
If they were to ever take funds out of your account without authorization, it's fraud and worse (for them) it is traceable. That's why they won't do anything with your information, contrary to threats they make. The money from your account has to go somewhere, and either your bank or a law enforcement agency can determine where the money was routed. As a bank customer you are protected - you'd get the stolen money back in your account after 7-10 business days and the bank would be temporarily out the funds deducted from your account while they conducted their investigation. The bank, along with law enforcement, would track down the fraudsters and apprehend them. The fraudsters do not want to incur the wrath of a bank, just extort money out of you. Remember that.
Your authorization would absolve the bank from any and all liability, leaving you holding the bag. Never give them authorization for anything - for all you know the call is recorded.
2) We have no information on them.
Seriously, this has been going on at least since 2008, possibly longer than that based on some accounts. (6 years??? Holy crap!) You would think someone would have slipped up by now. Sadly, they haven't. We can continue to grow our own intel on them and compile lists of aliases and phone numbers used, along with paraphrases of scripts used in order to educate other victims. I'm actually putting together a site now in the meantime where I'll host audio files and lists of previous numbers used. 800notes.com is great, but no two calls are exactly the same. It would be nice to have a site dedicated to the scam and how it works.
So that's where I am with these calls. I have suffered no monetary loss, though I have been harassed both at home and at work. They threaten me with arrest and other "fun" things in order to get me convinced I have to pay them. My friends and family have been targeted and local and federal law enforcement agencies haven't been able to put a stop to things. So, it is what it is. I am out a wireless phone number I had for roughly six years, which is terrible since I was using that line when looking for a new job.
Whenever I'm bored I spoof my number using Google Voice and return the calls. I've called them the poster children for birth control, etc. Basically a lot of nasty things that I'm sure the moderators here wouldn't appreciate me repeating - bottom line nothing nice. I always like to close saying their parents must be real proud knowing their sons weren't man enough to get real jobs. That usually gets a decent response.
Way I see it - they can't do anything to me. (Despite a threat yesterday that my life would be f'ed up) They can threaten all they want but my credit is frozen and my bank information has changed. I've changed the only number they could really access me directly on and I've instructed my employer and family to not answer the calls. I just call and harass them now when I find a few extra seconds. What's the worst they can do to me? Charge me with harassment?
Nope, then they would have to identify themselves.
Oh, and don't bother contacting Cashnet USA about the calls. Their "fraud" department could honestly care less. Their "investigation" is merely a means of buerocratic CYA. I would even be surprised at this point if actual law enforcement is involved in any shape, way or form at this time.
There is a good chance that the information these crooks have on us was obtained from Cashnet USA - either from a database leak or from a collector that was once authorized by Cashnet to call on delinquent customers. The other chance is they have access to Teletrack, and pulled all of our information off of there.
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3
For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan. The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:
United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General?s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)
You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse. In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt. Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.
Who are they?
In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:
David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida 33150
(Address is likely invalid)
The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates. Here are some links on them:
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf
They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations. They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.
The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:
Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone: 800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)
There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:
Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml
Kansas:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html
Colorado:
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig
Rhode Island:
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html
West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.
"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit. The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.
Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives. Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."
Bottom line:
Do not supply the callers with any additional information. Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up. If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond. Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.
If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:
* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you. The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example. Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.
* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site. People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.
* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.
How to protect yourself:
* Inform your employer. You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously. Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work. If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received. Save voice mails left if at all possible.
* Change your number(s). For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.
Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted. Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.
* Use Google Voice. Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use. Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.
Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers. Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script. At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up. They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number. At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again. (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)
The scammers change their numbers frequently. Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online. With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement. Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.
1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870
So can they really do anything to you?
It's not a simple yes or no answer. Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.
So, why haven't they?
Authorization.
Why do you think you are being called so much? Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice? No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period. The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past. Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.
Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough. A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists. The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe. Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt. See what they say. A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that. That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason. If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution. In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account. Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.
Bottom line:
If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't. If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't. Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector. Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights.
PS--The FBI sent out a Press Release on this scam just last week:
Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans
Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010 FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
? filed under: Press Release
The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.
According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.
The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim?s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims? relatives, friends, and employers.
Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.
If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller?s instructions. Rather, you should:
Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
Never give your Social Security number?or personal information of any kind?over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-951-489-0227
They obtained your information through Teletrack:
Kudos to "Sam" for giving the most intelligent and informative posts on this scam. READ, Bookmark and use as needed:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-631-456-4041/2
I have been receiving phone calls from this group since late April / early May of 2010. There is a good chance that they also attempted to contact me roughly two years ago before I entered into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection, as I faintly remember hearing the same script more or less.
As others have stated, the callers are difficult to understand. Generally speaking their command of the English language is quite poor and their accents are hard to follow. At times they will get certain words or phrases mixed up. It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that they had:
a) Your SSN
b) Your home address
c) Your work address
d) Your banking info
e) Names, numbers and potentially the addresses of "references"
f) A complete and total lack of ethics and a basic understanding of the FDCPA.
I have personally filed reports with the following agencies, often with limited (if any) success:
Local Police
my state's Attorney General's office
FTC
FBI
Secret Service
Generally the local police won't be able to help much. The callers are using a combination of prepaid cell phones and VoIP, making them difficult to trace. Also at their disposal are various spoofing tactics being implemented to catch people off guard - meaning the number that appears on your Caller ID isn't the number that is calling you for starters. Without gaining a subpoena for the billing information for the numbers in question, the local police won't be able to get very far.
My state's Attorney General's office couldn't offer much assistance either. I received a form letter in the mail that my complaint was received and I would be contacted if they needed additional info. It was more or less the same information I obtained from the FTC. They each advised me not to give the individuals over the phone any account information or to authorize payment. That's just common sense, though.
I never got anything from the FBI, either. There is a good chance that since I haven't suffered a monetary loss that my concerns are low on the totem pole. I hate to say this, but that is truly the case. Unless you were in the hole for a $1,000 (or more) you aren't going to get much more than "sorry to hear about your situation, change your phone number and move on". I seemed to get some activity from the Secret Service. I spoke with agent Doug Zloto. (Google him, referencing threads like these plus his name and you'll find his number also) He seemed to care a bit more than the average person, but after giving him access to my Google Voice account, there has been no further activity from him that I'm aware of.
In the meantime I changed the wireless number the fraudsters had access to, they have no direct way to get a hold of me. (Calls at work have ceased for some reason) That in turn resulted in my "references" getting phone calls from the crooks. Here is a word of caution for women that have been getting these calls - don't say anything and just hang up. The callers are quite abusive towards women callers. Why? Possibly the culture. If they are Indian / Pakistani, women are second class citizens there. You will be treated like garbage. This happened to a family member when she was trying her best to be extremely nice over the phone.
The callers currently attempt to reach me through the female family member and an unused Google Voice number that they managed to find of mine. I keep the Google Voice number open because, well, I can't delete it yet. So, about every day, 4-5 times a day for the last week, I get voice messages from them. It's usually just two full messages though - the other calls are broken up with static or they are attempts to read the script until the callers then screw up. Really, they are that adamant on getting the script 100% that they will hang up mid-sentence and call back 30 seconds later.
At this point it's a stalemate with these people.
1) While they have the lion's share of information on us, they can't really do anything with this information.
Why? Think about it.
If they were to ever take funds out of your account without authorization, it's fraud and worse (for them) it is traceable. That's why they won't do anything with your information, contrary to threats they make. The money from your account has to go somewhere, and either your bank or a law enforcement agency can determine where the money was routed. As a bank customer you are protected - you'd get the stolen money back in your account after 7-10 business days and the bank would be temporarily out the funds deducted from your account while they conducted their investigation. The bank, along with law enforcement, would track down the fraudsters and apprehend them. The fraudsters do not want to incur the wrath of a bank, just extort money out of you. Remember that.
Your authorization would absolve the bank from any and all liability, leaving you holding the bag. Never give them authorization for anything - for all you know the call is recorded.
2) We have no information on them.
Seriously, this has been going on at least since 2008, possibly longer than that based on some accounts. (6 years??? Holy crap!) You would think someone would have slipped up by now. Sadly, they haven't. We can continue to grow our own intel on them and compile lists of aliases and phone numbers used, along with paraphrases of scripts used in order to educate other victims. I'm actually putting together a site now in the meantime where I'll host audio files and lists of previous numbers used. 800notes.com is great, but no two calls are exactly the same. It would be nice to have a site dedicated to the scam and how it works.
So that's where I am with these calls. I have suffered no monetary loss, though I have been harassed both at home and at work. They threaten me with arrest and other "fun" things in order to get me convinced I have to pay them. My friends and family have been targeted and local and federal law enforcement agencies haven't been able to put a stop to things. So, it is what it is. I am out a wireless phone number I had for roughly six years, which is terrible since I was using that line when looking for a new job.
Whenever I'm bored I spoof my number using Google Voice and return the calls. I've called them the poster children for birth control, etc. Basically a lot of nasty things that I'm sure the moderators here wouldn't appreciate me repeating - bottom line nothing nice. I always like to close saying their parents must be real proud knowing their sons weren't man enough to get real jobs. That usually gets a decent response.
Way I see it - they can't do anything to me. (Despite a threat yesterday that my life would be f'ed up) They can threaten all they want but my credit is frozen and my bank information has changed. I've changed the only number they could really access me directly on and I've instructed my employer and family to not answer the calls. I just call and harass them now when I find a few extra seconds. What's the worst they can do to me? Charge me with harassment?
Nope, then they would have to identify themselves.
Oh, and don't bother contacting Cashnet USA about the calls. Their "fraud" department could honestly care less. Their "investigation" is merely a means of buerocratic CYA. I would even be surprised at this point if actual law enforcement is involved in any shape, way or form at this time.
There is a good chance that the information these crooks have on us was obtained from Cashnet USA - either from a database leak or from a collector that was once authorized by Cashnet to call on delinquent customers. The other chance is they have access to Teletrack, and pulled all of our information off of there.
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3
For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan. The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:
United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General?s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)
You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse. In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt. Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.
Who are they?
In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:
David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida 33150
(Address is likely invalid)
The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates. Here are some links on them:
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf
They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations. They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.
The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:
Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone: 800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)
There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:
Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml
Kansas:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html
Colorado:
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig
Rhode Island:
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html
West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.
"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit. The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.
Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives. Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."
Bottom line:
Do not supply the callers with any additional information. Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up. If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond. Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.
If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:
* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you. The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example. Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.
* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site. People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.
* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.
How to protect yourself:
* Inform your employer. You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously. Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work. If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received. Save voice mails left if at all possible.
* Change your number(s). For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.
Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted. Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.
* Use Google Voice. Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use. Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.
Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers. Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script. At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up. They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number. At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again. (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)
The scammers change their numbers frequently. Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online. With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement. Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.
1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870
So can they really do anything to you?
It's not a simple yes or no answer. Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.
So, why haven't they?
Authorization.
Why do you think you are being called so much? Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice? No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period. The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past. Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.
Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough. A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists. The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe. Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt. See what they say. A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that. That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason. If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution. In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account. Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.
Bottom line:
If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't. If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't. Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector. Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights.
PS--The FBI sent out a Press Release on this scam just last week:
Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans
Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010 FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
? filed under: Press Release
The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.
According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.
The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim?s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims? relatives, friends, and employers.
Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.
If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller?s instructions. Rather, you should:
Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
Never give your Social Security number?or personal information of any kind?over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-951-489-0227
| MLM 2011-12-01 15:06:50 Unknown |
Getting a call from this number about criminal charges against me and that I am going to be arrested if I don't pay a certain amount to this company. I haven't talked to him long enought to find out the amount I am suppose to pay. I just know that I am 100% sure that I have not commited anything criminal to be arrested for. The guy has a thick accent and I think he said the call is from Brooks Associates. Very hard to understand. It is a scam. I have reported it to the FTC and have told them not to call again. They continue to call and I am no longer answering. Don't fall for these scams.
| Mickey 2011-12-01 14:28:59 Unknown |
I am getting calls from this number, and I know it is a scam and have asked them not to call back. They continue to call. If you are getting calls you need to report it to the Federal Trade Commission by phone or on line; http://www.ftc.gov or 1-877-382-4357. You want Consumer Protection. They may have your information and you will want to report your social security number to the credit bureaus because you may be a victim of identity theft. When I reported it to the FTC, they told me to contact the credit bureas. Be very careful.
| Tired 2011-11-23 17:27:22 Unknown |
These people are unbelievable! They should be arrested. 3 felony charges and I am going to be arrested. Then they call my previous job and tell them that it is a personal nature and this is the only number they have. I think they need to get a real job!
| anonomous 2011-11-19 01:00:04 Unknown |
This is a scam making false threats about sending officers to your house to arrest you and other things like you have had a serious complaint made against you and it has been filed and you now have a warrant out for your arrest unless you pay some amount of money. Don't believe it and call them out when they do call and the truth will end up coming out when they act out irrationally and start cursing, The "officer" claims to be from the bureau of criminal investigation and has a thick foreign accent. I believe they got my info from filing this out on the internet so be cautious.
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