I have started a blog to track this company and scam online - if you have any further information on this please add comments to it!

I want to use the power of the internet to consolidate information on these scammers and shut them up - am fed up with their harassment - even at my place of work!

http://fcsisascam.wordpress.com/

They've been calling for weeks im starting to get aggrivated. they know all the personal information. i didnt have to tell them anything. i said well since they know so much tell me my banks name, they did. I denied it of course, said they were wrong. they knew my address for several locations that i lived recently. in they past 5 years. i denied living there but i knew the truth. be very careful with these people they are persistant ill give them that and after a while they almost make you believe something really happened. After my conversation with them i called my bank and told them of a fruad alert and to watch my account for anything out of California. but then they started calling from belmont, wv. missouri. and all these states but its the SAME guy!!!! whats wrong with that picture....

David Brown called threatening a law suit, does not identify name of company. you need an attorney o call me back. Another of these scam callers threatening litigation for what they do not say.

A woman with a very heavy accent - almost impossible to understand has called me three times at home and when I got to work today, I had a message from the same woman as well.  When I asked her what this is about she say she does not know.  When she left a message at my job she said that if I did not return the call all she could do was "wish me luck".

That's hilarious...I just had several calls from that same guy call me and I tried to call it back and got a message saying that there was an error with my call and then they hung up on me...so he just called back and I told him that if I recieved another call from him that I would be contacting my local law enforcement office and he got really quiet then after I repeatedly said "hello, hello, you still there?" he hung up on me.

I believe if you have a name like Daniel Stevens, you should be able to announce it.  I have received several phone calls on my cell and at work.  When I received the call today, I asked several times whose law department he was with, and to say it SLOWLY so I could understand.  He would not do it.  The next call I get will be reported to my local law enforcement office.

I have received over 10 calls today from this number.
I spoke with the guy who I could barely understand.  He told me he was a lawyer and that I was being sued.
He gave me the company's name which I had never heard of and said that they were affiliated with over 300 pay day loan companies.
I told him I would give no information to someone who couldn't tell me the exact company that he was collecting for.  He told me he was not allowed to.  I call B.S.
I told him that I would just wait for the subpoena that he was sending and hire a lawyer.  He then tried to talk me out of it and tell me he could give me a lower price to what I owed.  
He then couldn't tell me the exact amount I owed.
I am calling the original company to see what they say.  I am very suspicious of this and it seems very fraudulent to me.

I got a call from these people and they left me a voice mail. I also got another call for the same people from a different number. I called the back because I wanted some more info. When I called them back I also recorded the conversation and let them know that I was doing so. When I was asking the about the call I got. The man on the phone keep asking me for my name and since I would not tell him he told me to get lost and hung up on me. I could hear kids playing in the back ground and a tv going. After that happened I tried to call him back but the number was no longer in service. SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!!!

I have been receiving MULTIPLE phone calls from this number.. at work and at home.. NON-STOP calls. When I questioned the person calling and asked for PROOF that I owed this debt.. The caller became angry and accused me of being a liar and a criminal and REFUSED to provide paperwork to prove I owed this alleged debt. I phoned our family's atty and advised him of the situation and he too asked for proof and told me to ask for proof. When I attempted to call the number back.. It is now blocked and I cannot get through..

This is so funny, my wife knows to let me talk to bill colectors becuse of my knowlage of the laws. we called these people back three way she gave them permission to speak to me. they  hung up. we called them back got a error message. called them on a different phone "they pulled up our info" and then they hung up.

Well, it's been a nice and quiet 2 weeks but it seems the party is over. Oh, well. All good things must come to an end, right? I've gotten 4 calls from these idiots today in less than 10 minutes -- 2 calls to my home phone and 2 calls to my job. It's that ongoing "collecting an unpaid debt on a payday loan" scam. Just from a different number. The woman who called had such a thick Indian accent and could barely pronounce my name. At least I think she was saying my name; truth to tell, I'm not even sure she was speaking English! Anyway, she rattled on and on about how she needs to speak with my legal representation about this matter (I got that from one of the voice mails she left me where she made the effort to speak very slowly in an attempt to be clear and concise). When I spoke to her during one of her calls to me at work, I told her that I can't even understand what she's saying and to start from the beginning. I had to say this several times. Apparently, she not only doesn't speak English very well but she doesn't understand it either. She then asked me to hold for her boss to speak with me. I asked her what she was calling about and she said she doesn't know. They really need to get over it. They're not getting anything from me especially since I don't owe anything.

i got a threatening phone call today some guy who left a message that i barely understand because of the thick accent telling me you need to call this number and bla bla bla.

Company called me at work and told me I was going to be arrested for criminal activity because of a payday loan that I never took out. I have reported them to the federal trade commission and the FBI.

The number that called me was from cali and they have called me from other numbrs as well if you get a call from new york these are probably the same people

This company calling themselves Federal Credit Law firm Is calling me telling me I owe them money.  When I try to get their information they are rude and just hang up on me.

I just got several calls from this same number.  I answered twice and nobody acknowledged that I had just answered but I heard what sounded like a call center in the background.  The other 7 times they called I let it roll over to voice mail.  They left a message once which is basically word for word what folks have been saying here.  They end the call with a very ominous threat that if I don't call them back all they can do is "wish me luck as the situation unfolds on me."

The idiots don't even have the right number.  The guy's accent was really thick, but the name of the person he was calling for didn't sound anything like mine.

i totally agree with you!!! I would be right beside you beating them lol

i would love to tie them up and beat the shyt out of them, they call me one more time i will pay someone to handle this. These f****ng cowards, im sick of these people its about time someone teach them a lesson. If i new there actual location i would love to show up there and make every single one of them cry like the cowards they are. Sorry to get so hostil but if anyone has info let me know. No one i mean No one should be threatened by them, there some low lifes.

I just brought this up on the company that they claim to be:

Consumer Alert:
First Cash International aka National Federal Credit Union
Payday Loan Debt Collection Scam

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions is warning consumers to verify the license of any lending professional they are considering doing business with to avoid becoming victims of potential scams.

Please note that these scammers are frighteningly well informed, very persistent and extremely threatening. Anyone who has been contacted by them should take steps to protect their personal financial information and treat this as a matter of identity theft.

First Cash International may be conducting a debt collection scam. They also use the name National Federal Credit Union. The company does not have a listed address. A phone number of (707) 324-7723 may be displayed on caller ID.

First Cash International does not appear to have a Web site.

The contact information provided by the company is false. The telephone numbers that may appear on your caller ID appear to be falsified. The company may in fact be located in a foreign country.

The company is not licensed by the Department of Financial Institutions. The company is not registered to do business in Washington by either the Department of Revenue or the Washington Secretary of State.
How the Potential Scam May Work

   * Representatives of First Cash International make unsolicited telephone calls to consumers at home or at work. The scammers tell consumers that they are being prosecuted for loan fraud, bank fraud or check fraud because they have defaulted on a payday loan
   * The scammers may claim to be attorneys collecting a debt
   * The scammers may threaten the consumer with immediate arrest
   * The scammers usually tell consumers that they received a payday loan of several hundred dollars in 2008, they may tell the consumer that the debt has increased to several thousand dollars
   * The scammers demand immediate payment of the debt by providing a checking account or credit card number
   * If a consumer pays the scammers, they will continue to aggressively contact that consumer for even more money
   * These scammers are highly persistent and may make dozens of threatening calls in a short period of time.

If You Feel You're A Victim

If you feel you have been a victim of a loan scam, please contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC HELP (382-4357), or online at www.ftc.gov. Because the scammers have access to bank account information and social security numbers, victims should consider themselves victims of identity theft and take appropriate precautions. The Federal Trade Commission has information for victims of identity theft available online at www.ftc.gov.

Consumers should know that Washington state law prohibits threatening or harassing behavior by individuals attempting to collect a payday loan. Only licensed companies are permitted to make payday loans in Washington.

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act says debt collectors must send consumers a written notice within five days of their first phone call, showing how much the consumer owes and where the debt is from. The law says collectors can not say or even imply that nonpayment is a crime.

They can't call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Collectors are not allowed to speak to a consumer?s employer about their debt. They are prohibited from harassing or abusing consumers and they must stop calling if the consumer asks them to.

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

I received the same type of phone call as described above, they also called my work # and asked for me as well.  It is important to report this to the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the FBI. Very evil people.

I received a call from this number and they left me a voice mail and at the end they told me that if I do not call them back they said they are very sorry and wish me good luck and I take that as a threat. I called them back and they said I owe money to a cash advance USA and I know for a fact i did not take them out they then told me that a lawsuit was up against me. So I tried calling back and the guy started out talking English and then kept saying hu-uh and then he did not speak English.  They did read me my e-mail address and my ssn.

the same here got a call with them telling me my social and everything and said i owed money i never recieved what should i do

these people called me had alot of info on me said i owed money on a payday loan i never took out ,said i was to be arrested on fraud if i did not pay and be extradited to L.A. for  court and jail.after checking my bank statements i assured them i would win in court they hung up .heavy mid eastern  voices scam all they wanted was my acct numbers watch out

I received a call from this number saying that I owed some loan shark company some money.  I could not get the name of the company owed, only that paperwork would be mailed to me.  They quoted me my email address, etc.   When I called back, to talk to them again, I was hung up on, and now the number appears to be blocked.  I know that the number is located in Beverly Hills, California, but that is all I can get.  It is apparently under an LLC business address, unlisted, and no name listed for the number as well.  It sounds foreign.  They must be looking for SSN info, etc.  Report it immediately.

I got that call, and I'm getting sick and tired of those calls and I hear one more of those calls then I will take action.

I saw this # on my caller ID. When I got to work, I was given a msg with this # on it and a note to call "Ben Johnson". When I got home, I called the # and it was disconnected.