I got a call at my work about 9am and the lady said i had to pay 652.00 in 1 hour or she had to sign a paper saying that i have been identified and that she had to turn me over to the states hands. And when I didnt call her back within the hour she keep calling my job. Finally she started to argue with me after I started questionin her, then she said she was just done explaining and that she was just gonna finish my case. without me paying and that the police would be at my work because I have a cese to disist out for me and I was going to jail for stolen funds. And I needed to make arrangements for my kids at that time. Turns out I googled the number and found others that had been in my situation and I had contacted an attorney. Im now persuing legal action for the damages.

I Have not called them back but they left in the message that I was a person of interest, what does that mean?  I am alittle scared.

Joseph Green wanting a call within the hour... etc. same as the woman above. This is a debt collector.

Have a lady that keeps calling with name of Alexis Washington. She will not say where she is from, just gives a phone number of 800-981-3844 to call her back at. She is very rude on the messages.

I too was contacted by this number and several others from the same people saying I ws going to be arrested for not paying a payday loan from years ago. I beleived them and I was ripped off for over $700. I would really like to know how to get my $$ back or have them arrested. Thanks

Helo, what has happened since. I too was ripped off by them for over $700. Please advise. thanks

These guys were featured on 60 Minutes.  They got their information by hacking into Internet sites, and they threaten lawsuits against the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.  They speak with an Indian accent, and they claim you will face "harsh legal action" unless you send them between $500 and $1,000.  They are total idiots because their name does not even make sense:  United Investigation Bureau Department.

They use names like Roger Smith and Jack Jones, but their real names are probably something like Mahamanda Yogananda.  They can barely speak English.

They use various call back numbers including 347-844-6701 and 718-766-7916.

The best idea so far was what Paybackisabeatch suggested.  Turn the tables on them.  Call them back, ask for Habib, waste their time so that they cannot make money with scam calls to extort money from honest people who may get frightened or confused.

Rcvd a call at work from a guy who identified himself as a Senior Litigator by name name of Mr. Montgomery.  I laughed thinking that he sounded like an minimum wage telemarketer who is trying to command respect by addressing himself as "Mr".  He asked for the last four digits of the social, which I would not give.  He then stated that I owed money for a loan that was not paid in full.  Between the loan company and these folks, this is such a dishonest way of doing business.  I informed him that I had bank records showing several drafts from my account to pay this loan and I have already paid back the sum of the loan.  I offered to fax copies of these records to him for review.  He then stated that I was unwilling to cooperate.... What??? I just offered to fax him documents showing the payments made to this account. Bottom line, they are collectors, they will try to intimidate you.  He threw some terms out there that accused me of being malicious, sneaky and some additional outrageous and ludacris adjectives.  I ended up having to hang up, because I was getting nowhere with this guy in trying to resolve this situation.  I guess if they do not see a chance to further collect money from you, they resort to insults and try to intimidate you.  They showed no interest in receiving the documents that i offered to send them.

They have continued to call me and leave me messages to return the calls. I have not. I am filing bankruptcy and they are going to be included. I was told by my attorney to just ignore their calls.

The Florida Attorney General also maintains that Bass Prelitigation (which is the same group of crooks behind States Predisposition) is just one of many fronts used by Ted Ellis Crosby's debt collection scam. Here's an excerpt from a Florida Times-Union article last year:

"But the state's lawsuit against Ellis Crosby & Associates does contend a link between Ted Ellis Crosby and Bass Prelitigation, the latest subject of an investigation. In a motion filed in November, the state contended Crosby was involved in debt collection by using 'aliases, fronts of strawman operations such as Bass Prelitigation.' Broward County resident Joanna Cook made a similar allegation in a lawsuit she filed in February against Bass Prelitigation. Cook contended former employees of Ellis Crosby & Associates formed Bass Prelitigation last year and worked with Ted Ellis Crosby to develop a business plan for the company. Her lawsuit contends Bass Prelitigation was organized to sidestep the attorney general's lawsuit against Ellis Crosby. Cook's lawsuit said an employee of Bass Prelitigation called and said she faced immediate arrest if she didn't pay $999 that same day by MoneyGram for a payday loan. She said she became frantic because she feared being separated from her two children, including a newborn. David Jacobs, office manager for Bass Prelitigation, declined to comment on the specific allegations and the attorney general's legal filings. But he said Bass Prelitigation does not threaten consumers with arrest or have any association with Ted Ellis Crosby.  'I will tell you, categorically, we have no connection with him whatsoever,' Jacobs said. He said Ellis Crosby & Associates put a 'horrible stigma' on debt collectors and 'is an example of what not to do.' He said Bass Prelitigation will be installing a telephone recording system so it will have records of what employees say in their calls.  Ellis Crosby & Associates was founded in 2003, four years after Ted Ellis Crosby was court-martialed by the Navy in Jacksonville, according to court documents."  [Source: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml]

Something tells me that Bass Prelitigation/States Predisposition never got around to installing that telephone recording device.

It's certainly starting look like the directors of Bass Prelitigation/States Predisposition -- Evelyn & Frank Jackson -- are just Ted Ellis Crosby's stooges.  Perhaps the Jacksons have scrammed and grown quiet for now, but until the state of Florida obtains a similar judgment against them and Bass Prelitigation/States Predisposition, you can bet that these cockroaches will regroup and eventually resume their debt collection scams.

April 7, 2008: "Attorney General Obtains $1.3 Million Judgment Against Jacksonville Debt Collector"  http://myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsrel ... 5257424005858A6

Bud Hibbs maintains that there's a connection between Ted Ellis Crosby's collection scam and Evelyn and Frank Jackson's Bass Prelitigation/States Predisposition scams (see http://budhibbs.com/debtcollectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm)  So it's interesting that reports posted on 800Notes about phone numbers associated with the States Predisposition scam are suddenly few and far between since this April 7 announcement of the $1.3 million judgment against Crosby in Florida.

Coincidence?



Here's the text of the Florida Attorney General's news release:

>>Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release
April 7, 2008

Attorney General Obtains $1.3 Million Judgment Against Jacksonville Debt Collector

TALLAHASSEE, FL ? Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Jacksonville resident and his debt collection agency have been ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution and civil penalties for violations of Florida and Federal collections laws. Ted Ellis Crosby, individually and in his capacity as owner and director of Ellis Crosby & Associates, was found to have engaged in willful violations of Florida?s Deceptive and Unfair Business Practices Act and Florida?s Consumer Collections Practices Act. The case was litigated by the Attorney General?s Economic Crimes division.

?This case should put similar operations on notice that the penalties for such deceptive business practices can be very costly,? said Attorney General McCollum. ?Florida authorities will not tolerate unscrupulous individuals who victimize our citizens in potentially difficult financial situations.?

The Attorney General?s lawsuit, filed in June August 2005, alleged that Crosby and his company used deceptive practices in an attempt to scare, harass and intimidate debtors into paying amounts far in excess of their debts. Testimony from victims and witnesses revealed that Crosby and company used tactics such as posing as law enforcement officers, threatening seizure of property, and even threatening bodily harm. More than 380 victims filed complaints with the Attorney General?s office.

Duval Circuit Court Judge L. Haldane Taylor ordered Crosby and his company to pay $388,000 in consumer restitution, $700,000 in fines for violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Business Practices Act, and $253,000 in fees and costs, totaling more than $1.3 million. The Judge also entered a permanent injunction which prohibits Crosby and his company from engaging in any activity within the State of Florida which is related in any way to the ownership, processing, administration or collection of consumer debts.

More information about protecting yourself from improper debt collection tactics is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/main/7cd1 ... d6!OpenDocument

A copy of the judgment against Crosby is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/KGR ... sbyJudgment.pdf. <<

Update:

Don't bother contacting Sid Barrett at the Georgia Attorney General's office; he's just referring victims of this scam to the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs.

So here's the link to file complaint with the state of Georgia:  http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,5426814_39102589,00.html

Update:

Don't bother contacting Sid Barrett at the Georgia Attorney General's office; he's just referring victims of this scam to the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. Here's the link to file complaint there:  http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,5426814_39102589,00.html

I have had the same problem. I had 2  different ladies I spoke with( but they both sounded like the same lady) She told me the state was going to come after me. So guess what? I got a consumer laywer and finally found an address for them. States Pre-Disposition Services, Inc.
         1204 F South 2nd Street
         Folkson, GA 31537

So I sent them a certified letter asking them politely not to contact me anymore because they were calling me at work too. And my lawyer told me they were out of florida to begin with but the way they work the sate was on them so bad thats why they are in GA now. Hope that helps.

These people keep calling me at work... Have you gotten anywhere with making them stop calling?  They are a scam and associated with Bass & Associates from Florida.

Just want to add to the pot....

Make sure you guys see this Link on here...same company, different Number...

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-918-3844/5

People Like Me, EC and others are doing what we can to spread the word about these people...but make sure YOU do YOUR Part and report what happened to you to the Florida AG....and anywhere else you can file a complaint...

Its the ONLY way we will ever be able to smile and say we were a part of bringing these people to whatever justice we can.

CB

See my message above from Feb. 23. It's a notorious scam operation. Anytime someone calls and demands money from you to prevent you from being arrested, it is ALWAYS a scam.  So you can relax.

Even though these were phony threats, you should report these criminals to all the following federal and state law enforcement agencies (you can do most of these online):

1) File a report with your local police

2) File a report online with the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov

3) File a report with Sid Barrett, Senior Assistant Georgia Attorney General at sid.barrett@law.state.ga.us or 404-656-3202

4) File a report to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum at http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contact?Open&Section=Attorney_General and be sure to reference that it was a call from scammers at Bass & Associates/Jackson Phillips/States Predisposition

5) File a complaint with your state's attorney general. The contact information for each state's attorney general is listed at www.naag.org  Just scroll down to the national map and click on your state.

6) File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission here: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

If these criminals call you again, be sure not to tell them anything other than that you've already reported them to federal and state authorities and not to call again.  After telling them that, I'm sure they'll huff and puff and make more ridiculous threats; just ignore them and report them to the law enforcement links I listed above. Good luck.

i received a call today telling me that i would be arrested and within the hour there would be a "distrubance" at my job and i should leave now to avoid it and go home and borrow a credit card to pay a couple payday loans off........she suggested i ride with someone because "they" could and would follow me and she didnt want me to be driving.....is this true, can they arrest me ..............please help me!!!

Received a call from this number today stating I or my attorney needed to call. Called both my cell # and my work #. I am an attorney so I definitely will be contacting them as well as recording any behavior in violation of the FDCPA.

It's a scam. See my message above from Feb. 23.

It's a scam. See my message above from Feb. 23.

And remember: anytime someone calls and demands money from you to prevent an arrest, it is ALWAYS a scam. Ignore their threats and report them to the law enforcement agencies that I listed in my message. Good luck.

i received the same call today and when i called them back the man was very rude and tried telling me i was stupid and had no clue what i was talking about. i told him i never received anything from this company that he was referring to and he basically said i was lying. i had a payday loan with them and had to close my bank account for other reasons but had no contact info from this company.
what can they do to me leagally

Calling me telling me that I owe from a payday loan and I have to settle now...or I'm going to be arrested.  Can someone please tell me who these people are.

I too received a call from these people almost the same as yours did you find out anything? They hung up on me as well . Thank-you for your time, Cindi

Don't fall for this scam. This is a group of criminals that was originally based in Florida and, after the Florida attorney general began pursuing them, fled for Georgia.  Like many criminals, they go by various names: Bass & Associates/United Legal Investigations Bureau/United Federal Bank/Impact Business Marketing/Ellis Crosby & Associates/States Predisposition Services/Jackson Phillips & Associates/Kirby & Associates and many others.

Though their aliases vary, their method never does. Masquerading as bankers, debt collectors, police, or other government officials, these crooks call consumers and attempt to extort money with a myriad of illegal false threats. These threats are always phony and include arresting you, ruining your credit rating, serving you "papers" for a lawsuit and, yes, taking your children away from you.  In one recent phone call to a consumer, these crooks even pretended to be on a walkie talkie coordinating a police raid of the consumer's home.  Granted, this stuff is laughably ridiculous, but, sadly, some people fall for it.

Fortunately, law enforcement authorities and the press have taken notice of these crooks. Check out this excerpt from a recent article in the Florida Times-Union newspaper, and note the last sentence:

"Among the most prominent complaints: Claiming or implying to be attorneys or government agents, threatening arrest or legal action, claiming or collecting exorbitant debt amounts and using harassing or intimidation techniques such as repeated phone calls or calls to a debtor's place of work.  In July, Attorney General Bill McCollum's office filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against the firm - also known as Jackson Phillips & Associates - and earlier this week , state attorneys won the first round of the battle in a Jacksonville courtroom by defeating the agency's motion to dismiss the case. A motion to shut down the firm while the case proceeds will be heard in January. The state is also working with Georgia officials to determine whether Bass is trying to escape Florida prosecution by moving across the state line to Folkston, Ga. Records at Folkston City Hall show that a business license was issued in June to Bass officials Frank and Evelyn Jackson to establish a collection agency called States Predisposition Services Inc."

Read the entire article here: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120107/met_221875639.shtml

I don't know if the Florida attorney general knows it yet, but in addition to their Georgia address, States Predisposition now has a listing back in Jacksonville, FL:

States Predisposition
6931 Lillian Road
Jacksonville, FL 32211
(904) 446-9236

States Predisposition
1204 South 2nd Street, Suite F
Folkston, GA 31537
(912) 496-7220

Anyone being harassed by these grifters, should do the following:

1) Give them nothing. And tell them nothing other than that you've reported them to federal and state authorities.

2) File a report online with the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov

3) File a report with your local police.

4) Report all the same information to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum at http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contact?Open&Section=Attorney_General and be sure to reference that it was a call from scammers at Bass & Associates/Jackson Phillips/States Predisposition

5) Report all the same information to the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs at http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifi ... 5687815,00.html

6) File a complaint with your state's attorney general. The contact information for each state's attorney general is listed at www.naag.org  Just scroll down to the national map and click on your state.

7) Report all your information to the Federal Trade Commission here: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

8) Check out these websites for advice on protecting yourself from outlaw debt collectors:

http://www.budhibbs.com/First.htm
http://www.naca.net/debt-collection-abuse/
http://www.fairdebtlawyers.com/
http://www.myfairdebt.com/
http://www.consumercounselgroup.com/

Finally, here's more information on these racketeers:
http://www.budhibbs.com/debtcollectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/collection-agencies/enough-credit.html
https://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/collection-agencies/about23543-15.html
http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/showpost.php?s ... 75&postcount=90
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-480-365-0155
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-210-858-6602
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-918-3844
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-954-0520
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-918-3849

Ive received 2 calls  today 2-22 they left message a Mr jenkins say I or my attorney shall call, won't call, could be about a pay day loan I was paying to a Jackson Phillips in FL lead me to beleive they were attorneys and going to court next day, cost a days wk to schedule payment plans, then in Dec couldn't contact, never returned my calls, so just let it go. Found out later they can't mislead you, didn't get any paper work, can't make threats or go to court.  You said you'd contact MI Attorney General what'd they say.

No that is all BS.  These women are just collectors who are violating the FDCPA which if you can prove that broke FDCPA then the debt has to be forgiven and you can also sue them personally.  I received a call from this number spoke to Lauren who basically told me I was involved in bank fraud...what she did not know was that I have banking experience, have worked for several collection agencies and also various law firms....I know the law and how to collect past debts... They told me to have my attorney contact them last week and I have not and they are still calling...This company is very vague and would not tell give me any info on the assumed owed debt.. My advice to anyone reading this is to contact the FTC-Federal Trade Commission and also your state Attorney General Office and file a formal complaint.  If this company receives enough complaints they will be investigated and fined or shut down....Good luck

I recieved a call today 02/19/2008 on our business line from a man that anounced "What Had I Gotten Myself Into"  and then proceded to say I owed a payday loan. I do not and never did have a payday loan.  He then proceded to tell me I should contact my attorney.  He had such a speech impediment that I could barely understand him. I knew right away that this was not a professional calling me. I was so mad that this call came through for other people to hear at my business but, this is their purpose to catch you off guard, confuse you and try to embarass you at work so they can collect money from you.   They are also tapeing you and want you to admit to the loan. When they say they are tapeing tell them you do not want to be taped this is you right!!!  I called them back and told them not to call my place of employment again and that I was calling the Attorney Generals Office and I most assuriedly did call.   Folks please educate yourself online or at a library about the Fair Credit Laws and then use that information to fight back against these animals....   These laws are in place to protect you.  If they find out your not running scared they in turn retreat.  These cowards feed on the poor who have taken out these high interest "loan shark" loans and they count on the fact that you will not know the laws that protect you from these collection abuses. They assume poor means uneducated... FIGHT BACK   they do not have the power to do antthing to you legally without your day in court. They are trying to bully and scare you into paying them...  Most of the time these loans were already charged off.  Check your credit reports and you can see if it was charged off and also if another company has bought the loan.  If it was charged off then the loan was satisfied.  Companies like these buy the bad loans after they were charged off for pennies and then unlease their henchmen to go collect what ever they can.   Another note here if you renegotiate a loan that  is already charged off this loan will reopen and be put back on your credit report for another 7 years.  If it was charged off it will come off your report 7 years after the charge off date.  Also, you can get a free credit report from all three credit reporting agencies for free. They are TransUnion, Expedia and Equafax.  The law allows you one free report a year from all three agencies..  Finally just keep in mind that they can never do anything to you but instill fear.  If it would go as far as a  scheduled hearing you would be given time to acquire council and then what would most likely happen is a payment plan would be set up.... The original creditor did not want to go to court or the loan would not have been charged off to begin with. If they had chose litigation you would get a written notice from an actual attorney.. Also. one last footnote some of these payday companies are not licensed in some states and therefore cannot collect because they were not legally doing business in that state to begin with... I hope this helps!!!

I got the same call as the rest of you did today on my work cell phone.  She was threatening me about going to jail and all that.  I told her that I could easily pull up my bank statement and prove to her that it was paid in full, then she said that she was telling them to come pick me up and hung up on me.

I received the exact same story from a woman named Sara Winters. The caller ID has the same # and the return call# is the same. She has been calling me at my job for weeks now. She hasnt given me any written information and insisted that I would be going to jail for misapprooriation of funds and defrauding government funds. Last week she told me this was going to court and she needed 1082.97. Today she said she needs at the very least 430.00 by 3 p.m. I am filing a complaint with the FTC! Also they can not send you to jail; that is simply their scare tactic.