I have never gotten a call from this company but I have from others. All you have to ask for is a contract with your signature on it. They usually get pissed off and say something like there is no contract. I tell them I don't recognize the debt and need a contract before I will speak with them again. I usually hear from them 1 or 2 more times. They don't have a contract because when debt is sold they do not get a copy of a contract. A man at a collection agency told me that they didn't have a contract to send me. I told him i guess you are SOL because you can't prove i owe this debt. Most credit card debt has a statute of limitations of 3 to 6 years. No one can legally come after you after that runs out. You can check online for your states limitations.
Companys will call for years trying to collect this debt because it is sold repeatedly. Never admit that you recognize the debt because they record all calls and that can restart the clock on the statute of limitations. Also never make any kind of payment to them because that can be used to restart the clock as well. You really don't have to deal with these people unless they can provide you with paperwork proving you owe the debt. I just thought i would pass this on because someone opened credit cards in my name in the 90's. I still get calls to this day. i just ask for a contract and usually I don't hear from them again. They will most likely stop calling you if you ask for paperwork and they cannot provide it. Make sure to ask for the original contract. One company made up a bill and sent it to me. I told them since my signature is not on this it proves nothing. Usually I just hang up on them with out talking to them at all. Furthermore if they want to talk to me then they call in person. i am not returning a phone call from a recorded message. Anytime you get a recorded message it is most likely a debt collector. They are able to contact a lot more people that way. They try to scare you into paying them something. they will take anything you offer to pay and then they won't leave you alone because they see they can get your money.

You work for them don't you!!!!

i orginally agreed to pay monthly payments for a debt long ago.  They were going to bring me to court.  I stopped making payments since I  looked it up and it isn't on my credit report.  I want to notify my bank.  What can I do?

Not a scam real debt , took long for them to get me but they did ... You all will find out

not true

The company who has been calling you is probably a scammer. There is no evidence that they actually exist. They are probably criminals who have found your information online. Unless you receive written notification there is no reason to treat them as a real company. They may threaten you to scare you into paying them, but there is nothing they can actually do. Do not give them anything they ask for. File a complaint with your state attorney general's office or contact the new government agency which has been set up to handle consumer complaints:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/get-help-now/c ... and-complaints/
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
You may also file a complaint with the FBI here:  
http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx.
Payday loan sites get hacked on a seemingly regular basis and  scammers use info hacked from these sites to illegally collect money from unwary consumers. They will often know  personal info such as your last four digits of your SSN, DOB, address etc., all taken from the stolen records.  They use that info to get even more info on you from personal info sellers like Choicepoint. Unless you know for sure you owe the money, be very careful about giving them any personal info, especially bank account information (they will clean you out,).  Record the calls if legal in your jurisdiction, and demand a mailing  address so you can send them a "cease and desist" letter (see FDCPA Sect 809.)   Since these calls almost always come from overseas, there isn't much the authorities can do to stop them.  So protect yourself. The scammers use many scare tactics to force you to pay:
?    Threaten jail time, to "serve you at work or home" or " arrest you at work or home" if you don't pay by a specific hour
?    demand pre-paid Walmart card or Western Union tranfers to pay the supposed debt
?    Tell you "there is a case pending  in the courts".  Check your local courthouse and see if any company has filed a lawsuit against you.
?    Say they are federal agents, government agents, law enforcement, ie; "Officer Smith", ""Special Investigator Jones"
?    Say they are a lawyer or law firm. Ask for their exact company name, address and the names of their lawyers so you can look them up in their state bar association (this can be done online).
?    State a fake company name: again, get the exact address and look them up in their state's Division of Corporations:. If they are not listed there they are not a real company, and therefore, a SCAM!
?    Tell them by law they are required to send you a collection letter within 5 days of the first time they call you. Be suspicious if they refuse to give you their address or won't send the letter through the US Mail. Many scammers email or fax collection letters to skirt the Mail Fraud felony laws.
All Division of Corporations for every state can be found at the following link:
http://www.coordinatedlegal.com/SecretaryOfState.html
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do against scammers since they are  not legitimate and not much you can do either other than hang up on them. Keep telling them you know they are not real, they will not get anything from you, and are wasting their time.  Also, tell them you have reported them to the FBI.  Eventually they will leave you alone when they realize they will not be able to trick you into paying them.  Please see this ALERT  from the FBI:
http://www.ic3.gov/media/2010/101201.aspx
Here is a link to a recent Fox news report on this very scam:
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/investigative ... -scams-20110502
We hope this information has proven helpful. And please tell your family and friends to be on alert for this scam!
Thank you for contacting us.

Client Coordinator/Paralegal Team
Lemberg & Associates LLC
1100 Summer St, 3FL
Stamford, CT 06905

I have just had a Brian Smith from 888-212-7886 call and tell me I owed 873 to HSBC. I checked my credit and I have only one hsbc account on there and it was paid off and closed two years ago. I also found out that the statute of limitations in the state I was living when the account was open is three years for contract agreements. The only hsbc account on my credit was opened five years.

Not sure if you looked into there firm. My attry called them and looked up there info he did requested certain info. A copy of my credit report and proof showing this was mine. I did ask my attry about these complaints online but he advised me I cant base that on one person. MY attry ia trying to work out a settlement with them and now i'am having to pay attry fees. If this goes to court i will have to pay my attry to show up to court plus if i lose my attry said i may have to pay there attry cost as well. My account is within term of a law suite. I was trying to buy a house but this has all has been put on hold due to this. I have called a Mr. Smith and asked for his help but said he could only speak with my attry at this point but he would do what he can. My attry has looked at public records on them and they have won many other cases on people with different attrys. At this point i dont know what to do....

SAME situation.. Except this time they called my husband at work.. he hung up on them.. Brian T Smith (the guys name) calls back and WANTS TO FILE A COMPLAINT ON MY HUSBAND FOR HANGING UP ON HIM.. Umm not a smart move... He is refusing to tell us ANYTHING about this so called DEBT.. He called my husband and myself some UGLY names and cursed us a few times.. Soo Lawyer is NOW involved in this and has heard THE RECORDINGS we recorded of this JACK A** saying he is a LAWYER.. but yet wont give us any physical address to the business.. filed a complaint also with the FTC..

THIS IS THEIR INFORMATION
ALLIED GUARANTEE FINANCIAL
(888) 667-4004
32295 MISSION TRAIL SUITE 8385-10 LAKE ELSINORE CA

THE OTHER NUMBERS THEY CALL FROM THAT IVE GOTTEN ARE
888-1212-7886

also after calling them back they MR BRIAN T SMITH threatened to file PHONE HARRASSMENT ON US if we called back one more time....

I got a call from they as well they told me that yes people put complaints on the internet but they dont put there full name because they know they can be sued for Defamation of character. He told me to look it up
plus had me look up state laws where i live in AZ. state laws have passed prison for people who have not paid there bill. he told me to google jail for debtors. there are tons of stuff on it.. he also told me to look up writ of attachment that does say that they can sell my stuff in a police auction. i call them back and they said i would have to just go to court. i tried to make a payment with them for $100 monthly and they wouldnt take it. I call the bank they they confirmed it was with them. Now i dont know what to do state laws say one thing and people on this site say another.

NEW LAWS HAVE BEEN PASSED THAT PEOPLE ARE NOW GOING TO JAIL FOR NOT PAYING THE DEBIT.. GOOGLE JAIL FOR DEBTORS AND SEE WHAT YOU FINE.

LOOK UP DEBTORS FOR JAIL SEE WHT YOU COME UP WITH SINCE YOU FEEL NOTHING CAN HAPPEN.. STATES HAVE PASSED NEW LAWS

I also got a phone call from this agency. He threatend me with a summons and lawsuit if I did not pay him $1300. Of which he lowered the orginal debt of $3000.   I gave him $200 that day and he told me that I had 24 hours to come up with the additional $1100 or there would be a warrant for my arrest.

This person was very aggressive and I did not want to damage my credit status so I gave them the additional $1100 the following day.

After reading the comments above from all of the others who were scammed. I'm ANGRY!!!!
Does anyone know how the process in which to get this money back?   I have been robbed and these people need to be stopped.  What can I do???

THIS BUSINESS IS NOT BBB ACCREDITED
Allied Guarantee Financial
(888) 667-4004
32295 Mission Trail, Suite 8385-10, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
F On a scale of A+ to F
This company's business is a collection agency.
Reason for Rating
34 complaint(s) filed against business
Failure to respond to 34 complaint(s) filed against business
BBB does not have sufficient background information on this business. BBB made at least two requests for background information from business. BBB has not received a response from business and/or has not been able to verify information received from business.

Additional Complaint Information

Our complaint history for this company shows that the business has not responded to customer complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau.

BBB file opened: 10/15/2010
Contact Information
James -
Business Category
Collection Agencies

Alternate Business Names
Allied Guarantee Financial
American Financial Group
AF Group

Industry Tips
If you have been contacted by a collection agency for a debt which seems unfamiliar to you, carefully check your records to verify the origin and amount before paying. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers from unfair collection tactics including, threats, harassment, and collection of fictitious debts.

This law also requires debt collectors to supply documentation to substantiate the debt upon request of the debtor. If they are unable to present the requested documentation, you are not required to pay the debt.

http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Collec ... re-CA-100099904

I got a call on my job voicemail stating that they are trying to have me served. Gave me a case number and a phone number. Called the number and got some guy Mr.B. Stated he did not make the call but an outside agency did. He said that they were retained by First Bank of Delaware for a mastercard. I told him iI am very aware of the laws and by law if i request not to be contacted at work then thats what they have to do. Not only that, it is illegal to leave personal matters on a voicemail. I said first if you are going to try a "sue" me, make sure its my debt, He said he is looking at my credit report. So I asked him how he got that....ummmm....Then I asked where they were located...He said California. I said ok..i will wait for your summons..see you in court. Then I mentioned by the way..they are going to be two law suits...I WAS FILING...He hung up..No response.

Someone from this number called and left a voice message . They have documents from the courts and threatned action if no call back....SCUM BAGS  They made reference to a summons had to be served physically and to send it on.

U just had two messages left from the 888-1212-7886,  Who are these people?

I got a call and did the same thing, gave a $100 over the phone and for 3 months they were taking $100 out of my account.  Just saw my credit report a few days ago and didn't see the debt on my report at all.  So I called and left a message with the person who is suppose to be handling my account, and haven't heard anything from them since.  They got $400 out of me, and I struggled to pay that!  Single parent of 3.  My phone numbers are different from everyones elses.  I'll list them just in case.  1-888-212-7886 and 1-888-824-1078

I RECEIVED A CALL IN JUNE 2011 THEY SAID THEY WERE FILING A JUDGEMENT AGAINST ME FOR  A $1900.00 DEBT.  THE ORIGINAL DEBT WAS FOR $300.00.  I ASK THEM TO SEND ME ALL THE PAPER WORK AND I GAVE THEM $200.OO OVER THE PHONE.  IN JULY THEY AUTOMATICALLY WITHDREW $50.00 FROM MY ACCOUNT AND OVERDREW THE ACCOUNT.  I CLOSED MY CHECKING ACCOUNT AND OPENED A NEW ONE AND DIDN'T PAY THEM ANYTHING ELSE.  THAT'S WHEN I BECAME SUSPICIOUS.  THEY TRULY FOOLED ME I THOUGHT IT WAS REAL.  I DIDN'T HEAR FROM THEM TILL OCTOBER 14, 2011 TELLING ME THAT I DIDN'T LIVE UP TO THE AGEEMENT AND I WAS GOING TO COURT.  I ASK FOR MORE PAPERWORK TO BE SENT TO ME IN THE MAIL. THEY SAID COMPANIES DIDN'T DO THAT ANYMORE.  THEY WENT FROM ASKING FOR $1900.00 DOWN TO $325.00.

I think I just got these guys in a lot of trouble...dig this:After following the debt from its origins at HSBC, I find that this company called Crown Funding has the debt. I find a small reference to them at a debt website, along with numerous references to the same sort of illegal debt collection practices.

The agent for services of Crown is PRESIDENTIAL SERVICES INCORPORATED, the same company who is associated with many of the companies involved in the Corona scam (Google it). I called Presidential Services, and they hung up on me after I told them all of this. I also called Crown.

The head of the company called me back. He said they sold the loan to AGUF (dba Allied Guaranty Financial) even before I had a chance to give him any information...I told him that was odd, because both the website that his email address is associated with, and the email address Allied is associated with, come up as inactive sites with the same web hosting service. He begins to stutter...and I punch his phone number into this website and pull up all the complaints against him...this really makes him uncomfortable, and I tell him the complaints drop off in 2010 around the same time as the complaints against Allied begin.

I ask him how is it that I, a layman, am able to find out what scum these people are in less than 24 hours, and yet he knows nothing about it. He then incriminates himself by offering to buy back the debt and close the account and make sure no one bothers me again. HAHAHAHAHAHA...guitly, guilty, guilty...and this is ALL without ever once having had the account number or ever speaking to my husband!

I filed complaints with the FTC, the BBB, as well as the CA Dept. of Justice. I called HSBC to see who owned the debt...AND IT IS A DIFFERENT COMPANY!!! PLEASE DO NOT GIVE A DIME TO THESE PEOPLE, THEY ARE FRAUDS!!!! Call your credit card company, and find out who owns your debt, and make sure that whomever that is has an affidavit of ownership for that debt.

James Winton actually had the balls to leave both my husband and I messages on our voice mail...where he is identifying himself as calling from the legal department of the collection agency, in response to the letter I sent yesterday. I am so tempted to call him back and tell him that his a** is toast, but I don't want him to have the heads up...still, there's a chance he will read this one day. The number he calls from is 909 212 7220, FYI.

You are always entitled to receive everything in writing from a creditor, and they must always identify themselves as a collection agency...they are committing a fraud when they don't, or when they pose as authorities or as lawyers. YOU HAVE RIGHTS. You need to read this from the FTC: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

Good luck, and REPORT THESE B*****DS WHEN THEY HARASS YOU!!! THEY NEED TO BE ARRESTED!.

Have you been able to sue?

I had the same thing happen today. I found a very ominous sounding call on my voice mail saying that there was a summons, a complaint that had been made against my husband, and could it be served at my address on file or somewhere else ...they left a phone number and a supposed case or summons number. He called and they were very rough to make a payment arrangement with, he had to beg. I then spoke with them and gave them the CC number, and they said they would email a payment agreement.

I was suspicious only when I hang up for a number of reasons...people don't call before serving a summons, otherwise you'd leave...and when you are offered a settlement, it is usually for half the amount owed...and we had no recollection of owing that much because it was a debt from 2007.

When I got the letter, I Googled their name, and found numerous complaints against them. Of course my husband signed nothing...and I wrote them this:

Dear James,

I do have a couple of questions before my husband signs this. I have spoken with an attorney, and he suggested that I do two things. Since I have time before Friday, and since there are so many Internet scams these days, I decided to do what he suggested. He asked that 1) If you have a copy of a summons to email it to me, and 2) If you could also email me a copy of the original debt to HSBC.

He also said that if any false threats have been made towards my husband, this would be a violation of the FDCPA. I have read some rather unsavory things about your agency online, which is what prompted me to call him in the first place.

I hope you understand that we are just trying to protect ourselves in this very dangerous day and age.

Sincerely,
Carol XXXXX

We will see if I hear from them. I will post again. Oh...I did call James at one point, and he answered the phone saying "Legal department." Can you imagine? I have cancelled our CC. Thank God!

The people first pretend to be an officer of the law and request that you call a collections number or be arrested. It turns out that the company associated with the number is nothing more than a scam agency that uses old credit information to try and get you to make a one time payment for something that you don't owe. Do not deal with these people in any fashion other than to tell them that they are breaking the Fair Credit Act and you will be reporting them to the proper authorities. Note each time they call and build your own case against them. Make sure to report them asap!

They called me tonight about some threatening court documents and a court appearance. I called back but no answer. These people must be stopped. It is not ok to scare innocent people.

AG Financial contacted my inlaws who in turn called me to inform me that this company needed me to call them back at this # 855-309-0252.  So I did, I spoke with a Seth Myers who said that I had a debt of $601 + about $2000 in interest.  I told them I had no idea I even had this credit card.  Mr. Myers preceded to tell me that he was looking at my credit report and that the debt was with Urban Trust Bank for a  Salute Visa Gold.  I went along with it, and told him that I really didn't have the extra cash to fork over a lump sum of $601 nor was I able to split it into 2 payments.  Then I was put on hold for a few minutes, he returned saying he spoke with his supervisor and they would settle for $400 but only if I could make 1 lump sum payment.  I told Mr. Myers that that option was also a long shot, but I would get back to him in 2 days after I spoke with family members.  After our phone conversation I went and did a few credit reports (Experion, Trans Union, and Equifax).   Equifax was the credit report he said he was looking at.  When I pulled up my credit report I didn't even have a Salute Visa Gold card listed on the credit report.  These ppl prey on ppl with less than perfect credit.  I informed my Attourney General of the problem and also let Mr. Myers know that I knew what he was up to and that the proper authorities had been informed of the situation.  I don't think he'll be calling me back!!!

I just received a call from a guy saying he is an officer and had a summons. I Hung up he called and left a message saying I will be in contempt of court and call 855 293 6671. I have no clue what this debt is about and never heard of that company. Total scam.

Research is always the way to go-know your laws and go after them!!

I received a voicemail today from unknown name and private number saying I (although they have my first name wrong) have a summons to appear in court and if I would like to get information on the agency responsible to call 855-293-6671 and gave me a case number that I can't locate under any court in the state that I'm in. Not only do I not have any bad debt, but I also looked up the information for serving someone in the state of WA and it must be done in person, or through the mail with signatures and notarizations, 2 copies must be mailed (1 through regular mail and 1 through certified/returned receipt/signature on delivery mail). So yeah...don't listen to these people. They're just trying to get your money! Research your local and state laws! It's always good to be in the know.

I received a call from this company today, asking if I would accept service of court documents. Whether someone would be home older than 18 to accept service. I told him I would not accept service for no one. He gave me this phone number 855-260-9375 and a case number which have no valid standing in either Broward or Dade County. So definately fraudulent.