Received voicemail from Kathy Williams of "Fraud Investigations" informing me that charges had been filed and papers would be served to me at work or home for 2 serious legal matters.  In order to stop this I needed to call the Department of Legal Services at this number with a file #.  When I called it was INS Associates and in regard to a supposed default on a payday loan.  This is the second call of this type I've received in 2 weeks from totally different companies with the same spiel.  I've have yet to be "served" anywhere.  I told both of them that I would be home all day for them to serve the papers.  Interestingly enough, I received both calls on Friday afternoons (when I guess they are assuming you've probably been paid and don't think you have any recourse to avoid "jail time".)  Fortunately this isn't my first rodeo.

Called this number today. "paralegal" was extremely RUDE! She hung up on me and wouldn't give me any answers to how she got my number. After she hung up I called back and she said she was too busy  and "it really didn't matter". I'm assuming this is some sort of scam thing... because a REAL business/paralegal wouldn't treat people that way.  Also no info can be found online for their company..

You should be thankful for your bank then!  Debt is civil - meaning you can be sued.  However, debt is NOT criminal - so no one will be arrested for defaulting on a loan!  Your callers are scammers.

Then they are scammers.  Per the FDCPA, it is your RIGHT as a consumer to get a debt validation letter - this would show who the original creditor was, amount of debt, amount still owed, date debt was incurred, and date of last payment made.  The DV letter should also state if your caller has the legal right to collect said debt.  Refusal to MAIL this DV letter is a violation of federal law, and you should NOT pay them unless they mail proof of debt/proof they can collect!  Please do report them to the FTC and your state's Attorney General.

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft ? charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate ? but you think the collector may not be ? contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors

Hmm I got a call from them too got so scared when they threaten to file criminal charges against me. So I decided to pay them but I can't find them on the Web and my bank had a fraud alert when they tried to run my card

Want to know what's funny guys. I received a voicemail from these son of a guns yesterday stating they were notifying a women named Barbara from Texas, the lady said she was from Texas, and she will have to call them or else they will begin legal paperwork and blah blah blah THEN today I get a voicemail SAME lady saying she is from my hometown and I live in NEW YORK!!!! These are scammers. I would've never known if I didn't get that by accident voicemail the day before

Yes and they said when it's paid in full they will mail me a paper stating it's paid but not until then will they send me anything.

So what did you end up doing about it.

Did you ask the company for proof of debt in writing? Not email, text, or fax. US Mail. Pay nothing - admit to nothing, until you get something in the mail you can check.

So this is a scam?  I received the same call except they said they were from my hometown.  Should I ignore it?

I recieved a call this morning talking about my court case, supposedly from a lawyer, well you who know me know I freaked out majorly, I'm crackin my poor lil brain, which ya'll know does'nt work that great anyway, what did I do?, I don't do anything, maybe someone stole my identity, turns out to be a bunch of bill collectors, pretending to be lawyers, trlling me i'm going to be served for non payment on a payday loan, which was more than paid by the interest they took, wipin...
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I received a call from Megan Brick who stated she is with the St. Lucie County Liasons ofc. would not give me a local ofc number. Stated I needed to 855-486-4229 that was legal services. when I called the number they are INS Associates. with a 10014 case number. St. Lucie County cases have the year in it, month filed. St. Lucie county doesn't have a Megan Brick in the sheriffs Dept. or Clerk of Court.