THIS COMPANY IS THE MOST ANAL COMPANY I USE TO WORK HERE FOR! THEY LIKE TO HUMILIATE INDIVIDUALS WHEN YOU GO FOR YOUR INTERVIEW THEY GIVE YOU A PERSONALITY TEST! AND THEN MAKE YOU MEMORIZE 2 PARAGRAPHS LIKE YOUR IN COLLEGE BUT YET SAY WHEN YOU GET TO THE FLOOR YOU DONT HAVE TO MEMORIZE THE PITCH! TRAINING WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR A WHOLE MONTH IF YOU DONT PERFORM ONE DAY ONE THE PHONE YOU GOTTA HAND IN YOUR BADGE! THEIR POLICIES, REQUIREMENTS ARE A BUNCH OF BS!!!! AND ON TOP OF THAT THEY HAVE A LIST OF WORDS YOU CANT SAY?? LIKE REALLY? GOOD LUCK WITH TRYNNA BE SUCCESSFUL HERE!

You are the idiot...get a real job...fake name...fake charges...well my name is Mary Poppins...moron

Actually, if the phone number they leave is a good one and gets you to them, get a consumer attorney, and maybe you can sue THEM.  Depends if it was actually discharged in bankruptcy, in which case no one can collect on it period, or just "written off", in which case it may have been sold.  However, if it was from 2006 or before, it probably is past the collection time limit, anyhow.  Good luck.  Also, two words...metal whistle.  Also, direct anyone else who has been harassed by them to this website.  Should back you up pretty well.  None of these other folks have any legal obligation to these losers, so anyone who calls you with a message, just say it's a scam, you will not call whoever it is back, and if they continue to take messages for someone who doesn't live at their location, that's just too bad.

Call the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and your State Police. When they call back, tell them that you are aware they are running an extortion ring, have notified the authorities and hang up.

Kudos to "Sam" for giving the most intelligent and informative posts on this scam. READ, Bookmark and use as needed:

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-631-456-4041/2

I have been receiving phone calls from this group since late April / early May of 2010.  There is a good chance that they also attempted to contact me roughly two years ago before I entered into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection, as I faintly remember hearing the same script more or less.

As others have stated, the callers are difficult to understand.  Generally speaking their command of the English language is quite poor and their accents are hard to follow. At times they will get certain words or phrases mixed up.  It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that they had:

a) Your SSN
b) Your home address
c) Your work address
d) Your banking info
e) Names, numbers and potentially the addresses of "references"
f) A complete and total lack of ethics and a basic understanding of the FDCPA.  

I have personally filed reports with the following agencies, often with limited (if any) success:

Local Police
my state's Attorney General's office
FTC
FBI
Secret Service

Generally the local police won't be able to help much.  The callers are using a combination of prepaid cell phones and VoIP, making them difficult to trace.  Also at their disposal are various spoofing tactics being implemented to catch people off guard - meaning the number that appears on your Caller ID isn't the number that is calling you for starters.  Without gaining a subpoena for the billing information for the numbers in question, the local police won't be able to get very far.  

My state's Attorney General's office couldn't offer much assistance either.  I received a form letter in the mail that my complaint was received and I would be contacted if they needed additional info.  It was more or less the same information I obtained from the FTC.  They each advised me not to give the individuals over the phone any account information or to authorize payment.  That's just common sense, though.

I never got anything from the FBI, either.  There is a good chance that since I haven't suffered a monetary loss that my concerns are low on the totem pole.  I hate to say this, but that is truly the case. Unless you were in the hole for a $1,000 (or more) you aren't going to get much more than "sorry to hear about your situation, change your phone number and move on".  I seemed to get some activity from the Secret Service.  I spoke with agent Doug Zloto. (Google him, referencing threads like these plus his name and you'll find his number also)  He seemed to care a bit more than the average person, but after giving him access to my Google Voice account, there has been no further activity from him that I'm aware of.

In the meantime I changed the wireless number the fraudsters had access to, they have no direct way to get a hold of me.  (Calls at work have ceased for some reason)  That in turn resulted in my "references" getting phone calls from the crooks.  Here is a word of caution for women that have been getting these calls - don't say anything and just hang up.  The callers are quite abusive towards women callers.  Why?  Possibly the culture.  If they are Indian / Pakistani, women are second class citizens there.  You will be treated like garbage.  This happened to a family member when she was trying her best to be extremely nice over the phone.  

The callers currently attempt to reach me through the female family member and an unused Google Voice number that they managed to find of mine.  I keep the Google Voice number open because, well, I can't delete it yet.  So, about every day, 4-5 times a day for the last week, I get voice messages from them.  It's usually just two full messages though - the other calls are broken up with static or they are attempts to read the script until the callers then screw up.  Really, they are that adamant on getting the script 100% that they will hang up mid-sentence and call back 30 seconds later.  

At this point it's a stalemate with these people.  

1) While they have the lion's share of information on us, they can't really do anything with this information.  

Why?  Think about it.

If they were to ever take funds out of your account without authorization, it's fraud and worse (for them) it is traceable.  That's why they won't do anything with your information, contrary to threats they make.  The money from your account has to go somewhere, and either your bank or a law enforcement agency can determine where the money was routed.  As a bank customer you are protected - you'd get the stolen money back in your account after 7-10 business days and the bank would be temporarily out the funds deducted from your account while they conducted their investigation.  The bank, along with law enforcement, would track down the fraudsters and apprehend them.  The fraudsters do not want to incur the wrath of a bank, just extort money out of you.  Remember that.    

Your authorization would absolve the bank from any and all liability, leaving you holding the bag.  Never give them authorization for anything - for all you know the call is recorded.  

2) We have no information on them.

Seriously, this has been going on at least since 2008, possibly longer than that based on some accounts. (6 years??? Holy crap!)  You would think someone would have slipped up by now.  Sadly, they haven't.  We can continue to grow our own intel on them and compile lists of aliases and phone numbers used, along with paraphrases of scripts used in order to educate other victims.  I'm actually putting together a site now in the meantime where I'll host audio files and lists of previous numbers used.  800notes.com is great, but no two calls are exactly the same.  It would be nice to have a site dedicated to the scam and how it works.

So that's where I am with these calls.  I have suffered no monetary loss, though I have been harassed both at home and at work.  They threaten me with arrest and other "fun" things in order to get me convinced I have to pay them.  My friends and family have been targeted and local and federal law enforcement agencies haven't been able to put a stop to things.  So, it is what it is.  I am out a wireless phone number I had for roughly six years, which is terrible since I was using that line when looking for a new job.  

Whenever I'm bored I spoof my number using Google Voice and return the calls.  I've called them the poster children for birth control, etc.  Basically a lot of nasty things that I'm sure the moderators here wouldn't appreciate me repeating - bottom line nothing nice.  I always like to close saying their parents must be real proud knowing their sons weren't man enough to get real jobs.  That usually gets a decent response.  

Way I see it - they can't do anything to me. (Despite a threat yesterday that my life would be f'ed up)  They can threaten all they want but my credit is frozen and my bank information has changed.  I've changed the only number they could really access me directly on and I've instructed my employer and family to not answer the calls.  I just call and harass them now when I find a few extra seconds.  What's the worst they can do to me?  Charge me with harassment?  

Nope, then they would have to identify themselves.

Oh, and don't bother contacting Cashnet USA about the calls.  Their "fraud" department could honestly care less.  Their "investigation" is merely a means of buerocratic CYA.  I would even be surprised at this point if actual law enforcement is involved in any shape, way or form at this time.  

There is a good chance that the information these crooks have on us was obtained from Cashnet USA - either from a database leak or from a collector that was once authorized by Cashnet to call on delinquent customers.  The other chance is they have access to Teletrack, and pulled all of our information off of there.

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

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
1-831-607-9214
1-972-674-3753
1-646-918-5211
1-206-202-4942
1-206-337-7992
1-206-339-8218
1-561-318-0446
1-585-250-8090
1-347-827-0921
1-607-398-0725
1-909-233-7338
1-888-610-5486
1-585-861-9940
1-909-233-7338
1-646-416-9016
1-805-262-6170
1-661-270-6724
1-561-705-0140
1-310-807-0220
1-347-637-6473
1-951-582-4832
1-909-503-0682
1-818-579-7691
1-347-321-6497
1-206-629-9392
1-818-532-9007
1-310-853-3491
1-888-387-1419
1-850-602-9388
1-760-269-3825
1-619-292-8263



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.

PS--The FBI sent out a Press Release on this scam just last week:

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

You sound really retarded and you sound like someone that would work for this company. Every incidence doesn't belong to the individual. There is identity theft.  This company called me and left a message on my voicemail stating who they were, the company I owed along with my name. The did not know that the phone number belonged to me because my voicemail does not have my name in it. The violated my right to privacy by doing so. I received a letter from them on March 25th stating that I had 30 days to dispute the debt. By law there is not supposed to be any contact during this time. The rep called me today on 4/20, this is the second violation of my rights. I mailed a certified letter of dispute on 4/18/2011. I then asked if he had tried to reach anyone other than me, he replied "maybe".  I asked for his name, kept the recorded message with date and time. Kept the original letter with date and I filed a complaint with my attorney generals office and the FTC as well as the Attorney General for NJ. I am also consulting a private attorney because you have a year to file suit. You can sue for the debt that that say you owe as well as 1000 for each violation as well as attorney fees, court cost, etc.

Two calls a day for "Sherri" and our last name. They say are a collection agency, but when we dialed the number to complain, we got a recorded ad for X-rated services.

you idiot collection agencies need to be licensed in every state that they collect in and thats what the employee was trying to explain to you....  to collect any debts in minnesota SRA associates needs to be licensed in that state and every collector in the organization must be listed on that liscense .... now to explain the diff last names that u encountered... in the beginning of the company they did allow collectors to use diff last names for privacy but as the company grew it became too much of a hassle and has since made everyone use their real names... and as far as the diff phone #s   do u realize how many calls come in and out of that building all day long??  do u really think that 1 phone # could handle all them?? its called trunk lines learn todays technology...  idiot

I know you will probably never see this as ur post is old but i wanted to let u know that I have worked @ SRA and other collection agencies in the South Jersey area... alot of places allow collectors to use fake names for THEIR protection as multiple lunatics have shown up threatening to kill us for no reason... SRA however has their collectors use their real names trust me I have asked to use a fake name bc 1 i alwasy have to repeat my name and 2 i dont feel safe giving it out

thats crazy

i can relate being behind in a bill.. however sra associates does not break laws .. does not use fake names.. andif you would listen instead of taking your anger out on the person tring to help you just might get a nice settleme not to mentin your TITLE

i got a call from SRA omg they are freaking weirdos...i returned my car a year ago and they are calling me and asking for 3000 dollars supposeably i havent paid for. so i called mercedes financial and they told me that i owe them nothing and they my account has been closed for a year now...they told me tht SRA could be fraud and they do not hire companies like them to handle their problems. be careful...they are rude as rude can be and they are uneducated morans trying to act like they know what they are doing....this lady i talk to knew nothing but how to yell...FREAKS should be the company's name

The caller identified himself as from SRA Associates and he was calling to collect a debt and signified that if the recipient was not me, he should not listen to the message that was left in the answering machine. The caller called my landlord's house phone and my landlord called me to listen to the message.
This was a violation of my consumer rights in debt collection,i.e calling early in the morning and calling my neighbors or friends. They left 1 800 735 0552 as a call back number.

has a matter for me and my husband is suppose to act on it  call him

This is indeed SRA Associates.  These are the sleaziest people that you'd ever want to deal with. Get away from them as far as you can as fast as possible.  I had a credit card account get charged off to them and they love to humiliate you while trying to collect the debt from you.  And don't think you can negotiate with them because they don't take NO for an answer!

PLEASE, PLEASE no matter how bad your financial situation may be (and mine is pretty bad - 3 layoffs in the last 5 years) call your credit card company or bank and work out an arrangement with them and then STICK to it.  Because if you don't, these guys are coming for you...

Who is calling

A man named Dave B. called and said it was very important that the phone call be returned immediately.  He gave a File #1196940 and repeated important return call he would be there until 8:30 p.m.  He gave his phone # as 1-800-735-0552

This is a collection agency and they were calling on behalf of Chrysler for a car I returned to them.  It was auctioned off and they want me to pay the remaining balance.  Nope THANK YA!1-800-735-0552

I keep receiving these phone calls from someone that I can't make out the name, but it's very important I return the call and he has the nerve to ask to call him back if he has the wrong number. He is from SRA collection agency for a credit card. It's illegal for a collection agency to not give their company name, and state the reason they are calling. I will not give someone like that the consideration of a call back!

Just received a call from SRA collection service looking for a Melinda ??? The return # was, yes you guessed it, 1 800-735-0552. I called the # just to let them know they needed to delete my # from their system. The first two tries got me nothing, no rings, or pops or clicks, just dead silence. The third try just rang and rang. I started thinking this might be a automated electronic scam to take control of my phone #, so I think I would suggest to everyone to just ignore these calls. And for those like Jackie, who are receiving multiple calls, I would suggest calling the phone company and seeing if there is anyway to block  that #.
Good luck!

I, just recieved a call from SRA with the same canned phone info.  This sound just like a scam in an attempt to get your information.  Maybe we should call them back and say we are a collection agency also. Or just dont call them at all

Have a nice day.

They called looking for a Lamant R. Sparks, which is definitly NOT us. I called them back at 1-800-735-0552, and the woman was VERY friendly. She said that she took our number out of their system. Let's hope they don't call back.

I constatly get calls from these people looking for somebody that I never heard of.  They leave terse messages about collecting and when I talked to them three weeks ago they were "going to remove my number" from their computer.  Since then I have recorded 7 calls and they haven't stopped.  Obviously they do not practice due diligence as any jerk can see I have had this number for over 12 years.

to angry and informed-
- you obviously dont understand the laws of collections.  SRA is located in NJ but in order to collect from debtors in Minnesota a real name needs to be used.  All SRA employess must be liscensed to collect in this state.  The owners therefore do not allow fake names to be used at all. Obviously you have never delt w/ other agnecies or you would not think SRA to be so bad. Also, just because you are not happy about the fact they are calling doesnt mean you will be able to sue.  Good luck w/ your law suit, i do hope you are not just wasting your time, but im sure you already know the answer to that.

Background: Owed Honda money ($360.00) on my husband's account which he "just forgot about."  ::: eyes roll :::  Account ends up at SRA Associates.

Nasty bunch of folks who KNOW how bad their reputation is on the internet.  Surly, pushy and extremely unprofessional.  My agent's pseudonym was "Lauren Marina."  Called to tell her that circumstances BEYOND MY CONTROL prevented my making the payment I'd promised. (My vehicle suddenly will not accelerate.  At all.  Think that's going to be a cheap quick thing to fix?  Hahaha!)  "Ms. Marina" got testy with me, even though I CALLED HER.  Ridiculous.

Their website brags about how "effective" they are.  I bet they never polled the people SRA Associates *called*.  THAT should be the standard by which collection agencies are measured.

to ex employee.....um SRA associates, according to their website and BBB registration is located in New Jersey, not Minnesota......

Also I've spoken to Lauren Maurina on the phone and the second time I spoke to her, the name she used was Lauren Forillo.  I also encountered the same problem with two other employees there, each time I spoke to them they had different last names.... SO YES they do use fake names.  

They also use fake phone numbers.  I have at least 3 different phone numbers on my caller ID that reference SRA Associates, and when I call these numbers they are actually disconnected.

This company breaks numerous laws in their debt collection practices and hopefully will not be in business long.  I have personally filed complaints against SRA with the BBB, the FTC, the original creditor of my debt, all 3 local television news agencies in my area and all of the local papers in my area. I also am seeking legal counsel at this time.  

Minnesota/New Jersey, fake names, fake phone numbers....what a great business.

in response and in defense to my fellow ex coworkers... we do not use fake names at SRA associates.. per Minnesota law everyone needs to be listed on the collection agencies license in order to collect in that state so to make it simple the owners said that no fake names are allowed and i personally know miss lauren marina... and to the lady who owed $360.00 on her auto loan ... its not our fault that happened you should of paid your loan off before fixing your car... dont get mad at us because your behind on the bills...

This company keeps calling leaving threatening messages, saying they have my SS# which will be black listed if I do not contact them. I have no intention of returning a call to some one who will not say who they are and are of a threatening nature.

I  sent them 2 checks for $500 and 4 months later I got the checks back with a letter over saying I owe 1,190 in 4 days "OR ELSE". They are crazy. I tried going online to pay the bill and they won't allow you too. That's just stupid. Why would you want money from me and then not except the checks and say I owe a $190 more?!

These people are harrassing me at work and now calling EVERY relative of mine they can find and leaving DETAILED messages on their machines.  I just had a long "chat" with them about calling me at work and my relatives and told them that if they EVER contact me or them again they would be referred to my attorney for harrassment.  The original called was named "Steve Ellis" with SRA.  He sounded like a smooth talked on the voicemails, but I couldn't reach him personally.  I can only imagine he was probably a huge A** to deal with!!! The person I did talk to did not want to take no for an answer, that's for sure.  No matter how many times you say something, it's like they're deaf!!!  They try using scare tactics and make you think someone's going to come pick up your first born or something!!  Thank goodness I at least was familiar with some of the FTC rules and didn't let them get by with being bullies!  It's like I told them, you can't eat me!!!!  LOL!

I get the same phone recordings on my message machine, only it is not for Josh but someone I never heard of.  I would think they violate the persons privacy by leaving all that info about them and are therefore opening themselves up to a slander suit.  They are not deligent in their work as they can easily track who the phone belongs to and it is me for the past 12 years, not the person they are looking for.  They also claimed to have removed my number from their computer but that did not stop their calling and leaving the same messages.  I guess I will report them to the FTC.