718-280-9831
NY, US
Concerned
Concerned
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
A man of middle eastern decent "officer Paul Harris" called me several times leaving a nasty message about a legal matter filed under my name, SS number, DL number.  I needed to call back to 718-280-9831 to discuss taking care of this matter or have my Attorney call.  Seems very strange.
dallas
dallas
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
got a call from an "officer" stating that they were with the department of something (could not understand them thru the heavy accent).  She said that I had to call her back today or there would be further matters filed against my ss number. All very odd and very scam like.
Howdoesourgovernmentallowthis
Howdoesourgovernmentallowthis
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
This guy called me looking for my wife when i told him to leave us allone he began to curse in a low voice then he hung up. what is this?
younglady49
younglady49
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
I just recieved a call from this number telling me a lawsuit is pending against me and what do i plan on doing about it and get my attorney to call them. I told him to kiss off, for I don't know what he is talking about and never call me again what in the world.
pissed off
pissed off
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
Just received a msg from a man with a heavy accent of middle eastern or indian descent stating his name was Paul Harris and that he was an officer with the dept. of law and investigation. He stated that I needed to call him back immediately or action would be taken against me. He ended his msg by saying that the matter was time sensetive and that if I did not call him back, "good luck to you." Very fishy.
scamed
scamed
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
concerned i just recieved the same call from a man at this number with a middle eastern accent as well. the strange thing is two weeks before christmas i got a similar call from a man with the same description,  only he was a lawyer from the legislative department of justice and told me i was being arrested that night for laundering money and embesalment. he had me social, address, mothers maiden name everything about me he had me totally convinced i was getting arrested. i called the court house and they told me i had no criminal offenses against me and i went to the police station and they had no warrant for my arrest. the officer did give me the idea to google the number and when i did it came back as a number from california, i got the call at 8:30 in the morning (i live in massachusetts) which means they were calling me at 6:30 in the morning from california???? what federal government office do you know of that opens at 6:30 in the morning????? i was getting scamed and i didnt hear anything until today from a officer paul harris, i think you are being scamed as well. i also believe this officer is the same man from the department of justice. i'ld love to take them down just dont know how.
Florida
Florida
2011-06-06 20:55:38
Unknown
I recently received a phone call from a middle eastern man by the name of Officer Melvin Brown explaining to me that if I don't resolve a financial matter by a certain time that day I would be sued. This particular officer transfered me to another associate - also middle eastern - who proceeded to read off all my personal information from my name to S.S number. I was almost convinced of the situation until I realized this number was from N.Y. about a Florida matter, strange. Also the man told me I was suppose to send a notarized letter to a Gary Thompson informing him that I was making a payment. In this letter, that I was asked to fax, he told me to include my debit account information and my S.S. #. What court requires you to fax a form of payment to some random office and not a clerk or court house, especially out of state? Beware, these guys sound official, but are full of it.
Michelle
Michelle
2011-05-28 21:58:28
Unknown
Yeah I went the rounds with officer Anderson too. BEWARE! This is a total scam!  Do not give these people ANY pesonal info!
chris
chris
2011-01-26 16:42:33
Unknown
I am having the same problem not sure what to do.
LT
LT
2011-01-04 16:05:31
Unknown
Started getting calls from "unavailable" EVERY 2 hours!! They finally left a message -

Officer Mark Williams LOL! Couldn't understand him but i know I'm in some sort of "trouble". Before had calls from another number - same heavy, heavy accent. Sent text back with "legal" message EVERY time they called and that number finally stopped calling. Now this one 718-280-9831 has started up.
Oh well, here goes the "legal" message again.

I couldn't understand who he said he was with - accent too bad for Mark Williams
NT
NT
2010-12-21 20:22:02
Prank Call
I got several calls from this number. Identifying me as "Rajesh". I told them that I am not Rajesh.
Bobby Trice
Bobby Trice
2010-12-13 18:23:38
Unknown
These people whom so ever they may be.  Call me at 6.45 a.m. and they can't speak english!!!  I told them if they can't get someone on the phone that speaks ENGLISH  Then P****OFF!!  I'm recovering from 2 Major Operastions, I don't need this.  So It's a scam!!!!
The Saint
The Saint
2010-12-10 19:15:58
Unknown
Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010  FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

? filed under: Press Release

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.

According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.

The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim?s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims? relatives, friends, and employers.

Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.

If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller?s instructions. Rather, you should:

Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

Never give your Social Security number?or personal information of any kind?over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements

http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710

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
Aisha Bryant
Aisha Bryant
2010-12-10 19:12:26
Debt Collector
I got a call from this number and was told to get a pen and paper and write down a case number because I was the subject of a lawsuit from a payday loan company(Cash Net). I was put on the phone with a so-called investigator who proceeded to tell me that I received a loan and had not paid it back. I went back and forth with the man explaining that I had never received any money and could not understand why I was being sued. He went on to say that I had received it and had two choices: pay it back today or get a visit from the investigator tomorrow, get my lawyer and employer to back me up before a judge and prove my innocence. Immediately, the words intimidated me. I started to ramble about being confused and how ridiculous the allegations were. I even suggested that he might be scamming me. He got very irate and said he could bring me up on charges for stating that in a federally recorded conversation. After that he no longer cared about being polite and told me he didn't care about my confusion and I could do whatever I had to. He said I could face fines starting at 4000 dollars and have a black spot on my credit. He said my lawyer should call him in two hours or he would sign the affidavit. This call was supposed to be a courtesy before he signed it. After I stated I didn't have a lawyer, he said "Well that's not my problem. You should have a lawyer." I panicked and call family only to find out that this company is a scam. They scare you with words like court, federal, fraud, officer. LOL. I was a fool. They had my information and I verified it over the phone. Silly me! When a cousin of mine called back and started asking questions and demanding names and titles, they hung up on her. Some investigation.
1-630-239-2378 1-727-515-0402 1-888-907-4193
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