They keep calling my work and using foul language at my other co workers.  I work in a large company and we have operators who their job is to answer the phone all day.  They have cursed at them and called them names.  I have told this Chris Jones and "Officer" Chris Robinson that they are not contact my employer again. My HR has now blocked this number from being able to call our business.  I have tried to reason with these people but they want me to send a letter stating I will pay X amount of money every month and I am just not willing to put myself in that situation.  At this point my husband's work hours have been cut and I just can't agree to something I not for sure I will have the funds for. I offered what I could send to be comfortable with and they refused my offer and wanted double that amount.  My priorities are my utilities, car payment, food on the table. Chris Robinson even told me my co workers that the police would be here very soon to arrest me and that they should advise the officer of my whereabouts.

I did too!! We may need to compare info & call the FTC for fraud.

I have gotten some very outrageous calls from people 2 to be exact a guy named Anthony & Andre they claimed to be from Financial Report in California saying they had a legal report against me. Andre stated I was a fraud and that he was going to garnish my wages, he told me where I worked, my ssn #, and my bank name. He had my email address and just information he shouldn't have. But I've never defaulted on an online payday loan or have they ever put money in my account its scary.

He called me as well.  I am worried about how he got my phone number.  Is there anyway to track hw he got my number.  He told me to get ready to face the music.

This gentleman (haha) has been calling my work for a couple of months now.  Claims to be a different person each time.  I told him I was going to sue him and it really ticked him off!!  He called my work over 20 times repeatedly.  He used foul language and sexual referneces to nurses.  I had to call security and he threatened to punch him in the mouth.  He harasses my co workers on my days off.  Now I calmly deal with him because I don't want another episode like this to happen at work!  How do I stop it!!  He has my birth date, social security number, and banking info.  I closed my bank account.  He was so violent on the phone that we were all upset and felt if he knew our location he would kill us!
HELP!!!

has anyone's accounts  been tapped into through these guys?

just recieved the same call, about owing money over a payday loan from last year. i am worried that they have all my personal info

These guys called me today, my cell phone, not sure how they got that phone number, but they called 6 times all a minute apart. Never answerd it, they left a message saying it was a legal matter and to call them back.  They called again, Anthony was his name, said I need to call them right away.  Funny thing is when they call it comes up a phone number from Indiana, but when they give me a number to call them  back on, its in California.  Jerks!!

Big Scam!

These people call me from all different phone numbers, always at my place of business, stating that an old coworker used me as a reference for "credit fraud."  So they have my name and work number.  Big deal.  They can call here all day long.  It's a scam.  They always say that if I don't call back all they can say is "good luck."  They clearly sound like they come from some third world country as they're reading their little script.  I've already informed HR at my company about these people and they told me not to worry about it.  I'd say forget it and go about your day, or if they call and you pick up, just start making idiotic noises at them, but in a hushed voice.  Or ask them if it's really Chris Brown, why is he investigating "fraud charges", when he should be out beating up women.

I RECEIVED THE SAME PHONE CALL SAYING I OWE MONEY FROM A PAY DAY LOAN
1 YEAR AGO.  I ASKED TH EMAN TO SEND ME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS LOAN AND
HE SAID HE COULD'T I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE HIS WORD.  I HUNG UP.

Wow
I just received a 2nd call from "officer Chris Robinson" informing me that my house cleaner from years ago is charged with "Fraud w/ Finance - Internet" He said he was from sunnyville CA but the number he called from is a local cell phone #.  He had a heavy middle east accent.  I absolutely did not believe him
This is ridiculous!

SCAM! They call threatening for money that isn't owned. I am calling my friend with the state AG office now to report them. Your name cannot be Chris Smith if you sound like Mohammed Al Abib. Someone needs to put these guys on Dateline.

Is telling me that I will be arrested in Orange County. That he was calling from California and that I had to call them back or otherwise I would be arrested.

1st call said he was officer chris jones and i was being investigated for internet fraud
2nd call said he was officer chris robinson said if i don't call there will be a wrath unfolding upon me.

I have also been receiving these annoying calls from guys with a "Indian accent"  first they told me that they were a financial group being a mediator for the company I took out a loan in 2009 for $300 and now they want $395 or they will sue me for $8000.  I went to my bank and NO MONEY WAS EVEN deposited in my account that year for that amount.  They have called my work everyday at least three times and told me I was commenting fraud and they were going to notify my employer.  I told him that he was right here and he could talk to him.  I told him DO NOT CA LL ME AT WORK and they still do.  The first number I have is  714-333-2444, he was the mediator and then I told him I wanted the number of the people that are suing me and he gave me 714-735-4415,  the cash advance place were I supposedly got the money.  Now I see they are working together.....What a bunch of jerks!!!  I am a single mom and can not afford to have anymore bad credit or even go to jail.  I hate people like this.  GET A REAL JOB!!!!

Everyone read The saints post it is very helpful & informative. I did get a payday loan last year or earlier this year. I signed up with people string & this was one of their ways to get paid. I never thought I would get these harassing calls. Saying I'm a fraud, lol. I want something to be done, and I want to know if the payday loan place has anything to do with leaking my private information! So I want justice.

How is it they are allowed to do this, somwone needs to stop him.  The same number called me.

I received a call from David Hunt from Anaheim County Courts stating that my social security has been linked to 5 serious counts in Anaheim California. He has called my place of employment and threatened me with incarceration. I asked this guy for general information and he could not give it to me, who do I report this to? The number he lives is 714-735-4415. He is getting on my nerves, HELP!

Just recieved a call from a mr lopez stating he needed me to call him back just like the people about regarding one of my friends. the number he called from was 215-419-6605 so i called this number and it was a recording stating that someone was using their number on caller ID and to disregard the call. So me being the easily annoyed person called the number left in the message 714-735-4415 when i finally got ahold of someone the jerk wanted me to call my friend and have him call them so i said why dont you do it yourself, i then asked what the name of the company was that he was calling from which he pretended not to hear and asked for my address, i then asked why the number he called from was different from his call back number and why the number he called from had a message stating it was bogus. He then got very upset and starting calling me a bunch of not so nice names. I told him he did not scare me and i was told he was calling from an attorneys office in california (yeah right) i asked which one and was again called a very nice name. Then i proceeded to tell him that he was an idiot and what a shame it was that the us was outsourcing to third world countries full of people like him. So if your havin a bad day and need to yell at someone these guys wont make it hard for you to let it all out.

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

Got the same call at work and on my personal cell phone in the same day.  The number on the caller id is from 219-551-1601 but the number left to call back on was 714-735-4415.  He requested that my attorney call me back and if we didn't return his call then "God help me for what is about to happen next".

I got this phone call froma Hose' Garcia. The phone number that appears on caller ID is different from this 714 number he says to call "the second i receive this message" and this it's time sensitive and if he doesn't hear from me or my attorney then something about wishing me good luck.  All I have to say is that if there was any kind of serious legal trouble they would send me a certified letter, not some blind phone call.

Same thing just happend to me. Calling for my mom on 4 counts of loan fraud. Indian guy too.

I had someone call me from this same number and told me the exact same thing except his name was Anthony Lucias; he said that i owed on a loan from a Cash Advance place and i have not taken any loans out. Definitely a scam from someone who got my information. These guys get slicker by the day and i feel for those that are naive enough to fall for this crap! I wish they could do something to put this to a stop.

this guy calls saying my friend "who I actually know" has used my # as reference for a financial fraud. And what really upset me is that he called my job! called himself Jack Nelson, he sounded "French" then another called "Anthony Lucias" same accent..

Did you get a call from this same number?

This person called me and identified himself as Jack Pilar.  Yeah right "Indian."  Left a phone number to call him back at and said it was extremely time sensitive and he needed me or my attorney to call him.  When I called him he said we have a case on you and wish you the best of luck.  When I told him I knew this was a scam he became extremely rude and said you'll see if you have a job I can have your job.  Yeah right.  Total Scam!  Who do I report this to?