why this kolavari kolavari di,,,,,
dhnsu ni gand ma kido gusyo ane dhansu e song gayu
why this hathoda baji hathoda baji ji................................................

I had them call my  cell and my work. sayin that i owe money and i commited check fraud, and was going to federal jail unless i paid. Same guys I think thick accent ( middle eastern, or indian). They said their company was American Legal Services. Since I know about criminal justice system i asked him his name and it was Kevin Anderson, which sounds odd considering his accent..... he was reading me an avadavet ( which legally you can't do). I then told him to send me paperwork and he said he couldnt because it was all done online, he said they sent emails ( i found none), and that the company cash usa tried to call and my phone was dead. ( my phone has never been dead or out of service) I told him i was going to call the attorney general of Kentucky and he hung up right away. So that what I tell people to do. you can go to comsumer procetion agency and get help.

Someone by the name of Robby blows my phone up from here.  The only thing I can understand is his first name.  His accent is so thick and he mumbles it is impossible to hear what he is saying.  Frankly this is beyond annoying.  I did receive a couple of loans, however they have been paid off.  I don't even answer these calls because I am not going to have some pencil necked jack a** threatening me.  As far as I am concerned this is a scam and if there is any legitamcy to this then they need to send it to me in writing otherwise they need to piss off.

this number keeps calling me and saying i own a payday loan please money, which i know i have never borrowed no money and verified it with my bank as well.

On my way back home I got phone call from 360-215-2913 and the person with heavy indian accent was represent himself as investigation officer from American Legal Services. And he told me I owe to PayDay loan services money since 2010 & they filed report against me. He was told me my last 4 digits of my social, my address even my references names. He also said I need to go to California court to solve this matter. I said I can’t, I’m in Virginia. I’m so busy to travel across country or flight. He said – ok, if you can’t go to court you will be arrested, unless  you will pay me $200 and we will closed this case.
When I’ve got home I pulled my annual FREE credit report & I didn’t see any info, any “PAYDAY….” whatever name is on it. SCAM BIG TIME. NEED TO REPORT TO AUTHORITIES!!!
PLEASE DON’T  FALL TO THEIR SCAM

that im going to federal jail if i dont pay the amount i owe them i dont owe nothing he says hes name is brian jordon. there even harrsing my job place.that i dont work there anymore

I received a call today from a Mr. Williams saying he was an attorney and that I had a loan through CashNet and that I was going to be put in jail if I did not pay them. I told him that I work for an attorneys office and that he needed to leave me alone and that I am filing charges on them for harrasement. He supposedly had my ss and other information. They way I see it is go ahead buddy make my day...

these are my husband job telling that he going to be jailed and they r very ugly about

A friend of mine that I used as a reference for a pyday loan called me and said this guy with a thick indian accent called her and said i owed him money and that he was from cashnet usa. I did have a previous loan with cashnetusa but the loan was taken care of, so i dont know why he is calling and harassing people. I am very embarrassed about this. I even called cashnet  and asked them about it, they said to report it to their compliance dept, you have to call  cashnet directly to get the number, they said it is a scam!

I received a call at my work stating that I owed this company $500.00 and that if I didn't pay them that I would be facing a numerous amount of charges including web fraud. The men that contacted me are all hard to understand because of thick middle eastern( I think) accents. I was then transferred to a supervisor who informed me that if I didn't pay the so-called debt that he would take me to court and that I would then have to pay $5000.00. None of the men that I talked to could give me proof via email that I owed them this money. So I asked the supervisor for some sort of paperwork stating my debt and he said that once I sent him the money that he would send me a receipt. I refused and He is threatening to send me a subpoena on Friday 8/6/10. The thing is that I have never even heard of this company, never received any documents or bill collections notices, or anything that might lead me to believe that this is a legitimate claim. Apparently they know my name, work number, last 4 of my social, and possibly my address

I just got a call on my cell phone (which I don't know how they got since I'm on the no call list) from a 0000 number (go firgure) I let it go to voicemail. I listened to the voicemail 4 times and still can't understand what all this guy is saying, because if his heavy accent. He said he was officer Mark O'Neil (an American name which doesn't fit the accent) or something and I need to call him about a prize (I think is what he said). I know this is a scam so I'm not calling it back I did look up the number and it's from Washington. This makes me so mad these morons need to go get a real job and stop trying to take our hard earned money. And how dare they degrade our police officers with trying to act like one.

I received a calls from Kevin Anderson (American Legal Services) telling me owe money and they were trying to collect from CashNet USA. I told him I was going to file a report with the police department and he started cussing me out and hung up. I am going to file a police report.

This company, American Legal Services, called my work asking to speak to me.  He said his name was Mike Smith and when the receptionist told him that I was not able to receive personal phone calls at work.  He began to tell her that I was facing criminal charges and would be arrested because of the debt I owe. He started to yell at the receptionist who got upset and frustrated, so the call was passed to my Supervisor.  He started to yell at my Supervisor, using foul language and being very condescending.  My boss finally was able to hang up with him.  

This is NOT a legitimate company, they will not give any specifics as to what debt I owe and will not send any paperwork regarding the "so-called" debt I owe.  This is the same company that called me last year and did the same thing---they wouldn't send any information OR provide information as to what debt I owe or what company they are attempting to collect a debt for.

Please be careful and do NOT fall for their scam.

I received a message from my office saying that I received a call from Kevin Anderson. He called the office several times yelling at my staff saying that if he didn't get a hold of me I would be arrested.  I finally called him back and told him that I my CashNet USA account was discharged in bankruptcy court months ago.  He told me that since I'm bankrupt, I should now be able to pay "his client" back.  I told him that I was going to do no such thing.  That's when he became rude and belligerent telling me that he was going to send the police to my house to arrest me and call my employer to have me fired. I told him that I know my rights and that he cannot lawfully have me arrested. He said that since I would not pay him, he would have me served with a subpoena.  As I was telling him that I would be reporting him to the proper authorities, he hung up. I then had my attorney call him back and he was hung up on.  I called the Attorney General of my State and the Federal Trade Commission.  I hope they can track these bottom feeders and pay them their just desserts. But I doubt it.

Mark Williams(very obviously not a Mark) claimed that I owe money to them and I don't. Refused to give law firm name, verification of debt and demanded to speak to my lawyer. When I told him no that I would not be paying him $1500 USD today he threatened me and family with physical violence. He also said "may God have mercy on your soul because you will be rotting in jail at the end of this." At that point I hung up.  I researched the phone number and found numerous complaints. He then called my place of employment again and when I stated that I knew that this was a scam and would be reporting this to the FTC he used vulgar language with me and called me henious names. I ended the call. As of right now, I am angry, fearful and most of all shocked!

These people are scammers. Don't give them anything. If you want to have some fun with them though when they do call tell them you have a cashiers check for the amount you " owe " in your hand and just want to know where to send it and who to make it payable to. They will do everything they can to get you to wire the money. Then tell them " opps I forgot your a scam and I am not giving you a dime. also I reported you to the secert service. " See how fast they hang up

Good luck

Bubba

They have called me so many times I have lost count... i almost sent them the money too cause I have a 6 month old son and didn't want to be away from him or my wife.. He stated that if i didn't pay i would sit in jail for at least a year and miss my sons first steps and words and what a bad father I am for letting it get this far. MY GOD THAT HURT. DON'T PAY THESE JERKS NOTHING.

Someone by the name of Robby blows my phone up from here.  The only thing I can understand is his first name.  His accent is so thick and he mumbles it is impossible to hear what he is saying.  Frankly this is beyond annoying.  I did receive a couple of loans, however they have been paid off.  I don't even answer these calls because I am not going to have some pencil necked jack a** threatening me.  As far as I am concerned this is a scam and if there is any legitamcy to this then they need to send it to me in writing otherwise they need to p****off.

This man keeps calling me.  I am going to go to the police and file a complaint.  They just want stop calling

On my way back home I got phone call from 360-215-2913 and the person with heavy indian accent was represent himself as investigation officer from American Legal Services. And he told me I owe to PayDay loan services money since 2010 & they filed report against me. He was told me my last 4 digits of my social, my address even my references names. He also said I need to go to California court to solve this matter. I said I can?t, I?m in Virginia. I?m so busy to travel across country or flight. He said ? ok, if you can?t go to court you will be arrested, unless  you will pay me $200 and we will closed this case.
When I?ve got home I pulled my annual FREE credit report & I didn?t see any info, any ?PAYDAY?.? whatever name is on it. SCAM BIG TIME. NEED TO REPORT TO AUTHORITIES!!!
PLEASE DON?T  FALL TO THEIR SCAM

This person by this number says that i took out a loan for cash advantage a service that I never used.. He then proceeds to say that they are taking me to court.. I go onine to look up the phone number of the alleged person whom Identified himself as being Kevin Anderson....I would not give him any information so he became very hostile and started to threaten me...

I recieved a phone call at work asking for a certain employee.  Our policy is that there are no messages or phone calls to go to hourly employees.  When I told this person that he began screaming at me, making the statement that he was with a law firm and "by god you had better get this person on the phone."  I again told him that no I would not and he began cussing me out and calling me a "MF' (sorry) etc.  This person had the strong accent (like others have discribed) and I hung up on him.  Then I called him back and demanded to speak with his manager and he stumbled around and told me that he was the manager and I laughed and told him no he wasn't and told him why he wasn't!  I guess these people get away with calling places of business etc because they are out of country.

I was recently contacted by a man with a very heavy Indian accent saying that I owed money because of some payday loan I received. This man had all my information as well as family and friends. He said they were taking me to" Federal court" and filing charges against me for fraud. When I told him I have never in my life gotten a payday loan, he said " I have the proof right here that you have and it is in fact you!" He instructed me to have my lawyer call them to make a payment. He also asked me if I wanted to make a payment or dispute the claim. I said i wanted to dispute the claim and he said that he still needed my lawyer to call. He was very hostile with me and when he was finished he simply hung up. I called back to ask to speak with his supervisor and he said he was the person assigned to my case. I told him again that I have never had a payday loan and I didn't appreciate the phone call or the attitude. If this were real, I would have gotten some sort official letter in the mail stating this claim or even in person. The number he called me from was 360.215.2913. I couldn't understand what the man was saying because of his accent. If these people are hostile to you, be the same way right back. Not only am I scared that these people have my information but shocked by the way they treated me over the phone. Also, when i called back the number, it sounded like this man was in his car! Don't fall for this crap. My suggestion, and this is from my bank, close your account and reopen a new one so that your bank account cannot be drained.

I received a call from a so called company American Legal Services claiming that I owed money from a payday loan from CashNetUSA.  In their message that they left me they stated my name and my ss# and said that if I didn't call back within 24 hours that they will be assured to file with my local court and I would get 6 months in jail for non-payment.  I did call them back to get a little more information so I could report them.  First of all when I called it sounded like they were in a bar, Second it was a man with a VERY heavy accent that claimed his name was Kevin Anderson.  He stated that American Legal Services had already filed with the court and the claim would be transferred to WA state and that I would have to appear in court.  He said they had proof of 17 different felonies.  When asked why I had not received any paper work via mail or e-mail, he said they were not allowed to give that to me and that I would receive copies after our court appearance.  I also asked him the exact date of the so called payday loan and all he said was 2009.  Not that I have ever been sued before and correct me if I'm wrong but you always receive documents before your court appearance.  I told him that I would be contacting an attorney tomorrow and his response was that he needed a call back and payment within the hour.  I knew this was a scam but like I said, I called to get more information so I could report the scam.  Do not fall into the trap of these people.  I have never known anyone to go to jail for a debt!!  Do not pay them a dime!!!

Mark Williams(very obviously not a Mark) claimed that I owe money to them and I don't. Refused to give law firm name and a verification of debt and demanded to speak to my lawyer. When I told him no that I would not be paying him $1500 USD today he threatened me and family with physical violence. He also said "may God have mercy on your soul because you will be rotting in jail at the end of this." At that point I hung up.  I researched the phone number and found numerous complaints. He then called my place of employment again and when I stated that I knew that this was a scam and would be reporting this to the FTC he used vulgar language with me and called me henious names. I ended the call. As of right now, I am angry, fearful and most of all shocked!

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.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3

This phone harassment stated Friday, August 6, 2010 when a man called said he was representing ?Easy PayDay loan? and that legal actions have been filed against me for not paying back a loan and I would be arrested since I was now in default of this loan. I told him take out a loan from a loan company but not the one he named  which was paid in full on July 31st he said he needed proof that it was paid. I told the proof came out my bank account if he didn?t have it that was his problem which I then hung up from the call and called the company who I taken a loan out and the lady said it was a scam and not to worry about it.

Later the same day one of my references called very upset saying that a man named Tony Blair and a Mark Williams called stating that I was in default of a loan and that they needed my bank pin numbers because legal action was being brought against me for she also gave a phone number for me to call them back on this number 360-215-2913. They also told her she needed to be in California on Friday, August 11, 2010 with her lawyers! The called her again on Monday, August 10th stating now she would be arrested for not telling them where I was!  

I have received several phone call from the number I adding to the pest list.

When I checked my phone they had left a very threatening message on my voice mail the man said his name was Tony Blair (he had a thick middle Eastern Accent) and that charges now were terrorists threats against the state and that if I didn?t care of my debt I would face jail time and mockingly he said I hope your family is well. In his message he said my first and last name and the last four digits of my social security number. I called the loan company I was dealing with and gentlemen with Middle Eastern Accent the phone so I hung up from them and started corresponding with that company via email. They assure me that their system is safe and that no one could get that information. I emailed them today and let them know regardless how short I will be this month they will be paid off! What is irritating is all the numbers I have searched online and the comments that people have made these people have been doing this for at least four years and the FTC, FCC and the FBI can?t do anything about it.

The number that shows up on my caller ID is 1-781-382-1923

From Lamet's post:

If you are targeted by these criminals, be sure to report them to all the following federal and state law enforcement agencies (most of which you can do online or over the phone):
1.    The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for protecting the country's financial infrastructure and payment systems from international and domestic threats. Call or write your local Secret Service field office to alert them to the details of this attempted extortion. The addresses and phone numbers for the local Secret Service field offices are listed at http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml or in your phone book.
2.    Alert the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov Be sure to tell the FBI that you are being targeted by extortionists over the phone. And if the crooks claim to be law enforcement or lawyers, officers of the court or bankers, be sure to include that information in your report.
3.    File a complaint with your local police. Most police departments will take a report over the phone.  Be sure to tell them that you're being targeted by an extortionist and give them all the details.
4.    File a complaint your state's attorney general, the contact information for whom is at www.wvago.gov
5.    File a complaint online with The Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en
If these crooks call back, promise them nothing, pay them nothing and tell them nothing other than that you know they're a scam and that you've reported them to law enforcement. (And be sure to report them to all the agencies above each time they call you.)

By the way, here's just a small sample of numbers used by this particular group of scammers. Read the reports and you'll see the same pattern time and again -- phony organization names, thick foreign accents, and oddly worded threats that are so melodramatic and ridiculous that it's laughable:


http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-771-9249   Scammer posting here as GARY and GARRY JONES
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-860-4509   Scammer posting here as Mike Henderson
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-212-500-0839   Scammer posting here as Ricky
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-201-244-7722   Scammer posting as Carole, David Brown and Amanda
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-626-200-4646   Scammer false postings at this new number as silshan kanniue and Tina ? preparing a new number to use.
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-354-4270   Scammer false postings as Rose
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-785-4479   Scammer posting as Robert
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-909-327-4870   Scammer false postings as Marry
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143   Scammer false postings as Karen Miller, Chichi and Tom Little
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-561-300-8018   Scammer false postings as Marco Polo (real original)
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-226-7488   Scammer false postings as SAM, David S
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-706-7463   Scammer false postings as George
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-209-349-7382   Scammer false postings as Towanda Robinson, Shannon Walsh, Jack Dawson and Cynthia
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-760-514-0132   scammer false postings as Suzy01, Johanna Hall, Cindie McMellon, Michael Dublin, Mark Williams, Carol and Rio   (800notes removed some of the scammers posts because the all came from the SAME IP ADDRESS)
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-209-797-2212   scammer false posting as Jaison Connar
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-707-401-4056   Scammer false posting as John Carner, KSR
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-650-241-4604   Scammer false postings as jhon and Kevin
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-708-401-0535   Scammer false posting here as JHON
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-518-212-0219  Scammer false posting

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Consumer Alert: Attorney General warns Kansans of debt collection scam

January 29, 2010 -- Attorney General Steve Six is cautioning Kansas consumers about telephone calls from apparent fake debt collectors who are impersonating law enforcement officers in an effort to extort money from consumers.   Consumers are warned to not submit payments to these fraudulent debt collectors.

When calling, the scammers most often state they are attempting to collect a debt related to an internet payday loan obtained by the consumer, but which the consumer never repaid.  Consumers state they have never obtained such a loan or paid off the loan years ago.  The scam artists have most recently identified themselves as ACS, National Affidavit Processing Department and United Financial Crime Division, but may use additional phony names.  It appears the phone numbers used by the scammers are ?spoofed? numbers, so that the number appearing on a consumer?s caller ID is not the actual number of where the call originated. It appears the calls in question may be originating from outside the United States.

When questioned, the individual calling refuses to disclose the full name or address of the collection agency they claim to represent.  These scammers have been able to provide consumers with identifying information, such as the consumer?s social security number, home address, e-mail address, names of family members and the consumer?s computer IP address.  Since the callers are able to provide valid personal information, consumers may become confused and believe they are being contacted in regard to a legitimate debt.

If the initial debt collection scam is unsuccessful, consumers have been re-contacted months later with the scammers posing as law enforcement officers or officers of the court.  Typically, the consumer is threatened with arrest for fraud or some other fictitious crime unless the consumer agrees to immediately wire money via Western Union.  The fictitious officers strive to frighten and confuse consumers into compliance by using legal sounding terms such as ?We?re filing an affidavit against you? or by stating a lawsuit has been or is in the process of being filed against the consumer.

A hallmark of each scam has been calling consumers repeatedly at their place of employment.  This scam hit home when an employee of the Kansas Attorney General?s Office was repeatedly called both on her cell phone and at work.  Despite the employee?s repeated verbal disputes, the caller refused to provide any identifying information to allow her to send a written dispute. The scammer also continued to call her numerous times a day regarding a payday loan she denied obtaining. Two months later, she was again contacted by telephone by an individual identifying himself as an ?officer?.

?I denied owing the debt and refused to pay without being provided validation of the debt. I was then told, ?If that?s the case, I will have local law enforcement come to your place of business and drag you out kicking and screaming?,? stated the employee.

?It is important for consumers to know their rights under the law,? Attorney General Six said. ?If a consumer is receiving calls from a debt collection company and believe it is a scam, I encourage them to contact our office immediately.?

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), collectors are required to send consumers a written notice within five days of the initial contact.  The notification should contain  information such as the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed and a statement informing the consumer they have thirty days to contact the debtor in writing to dispute the debt or request validation of the debt. In addition, legitimate debt collectors are prohibited by the FDCPA from making false or misleading representations, such as the consumer has committed a crime, implying nonpayment will result in the consumer?s arrest, or using the threat of violence.

More information is available on the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf.

To register a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General?s Consumer Protection Division, call 1(800) 432-2310 or visit www.ksag.org.

http://www.ksag.org/page/consumer-alert-attor ... collection-scam