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

855-893-2463 / 866-684-1630
This is a number used by Audobon Financial Bureau. Contact Information:
PO Box 901
Getzville NY 14068
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 283
Getzville, NY 14068
Phone: 716.218.2152
Fax: 716.218.2153
Toll-Free: 855-272-1373

I am getting phone calls from them at least twice a day same thing saying I have charges pending. I told them that I was a full time student out of work. They called the very next day asked if i had the money. Told them nothing has changed. This is an everyday thing for me it actually has gotten funny. Today was I called them back and some guy picked up and said you going to say anything or just be a prick and hang up. I had to laugh.I wonder is this a real collection place?

They call me tell me I have charges against my ssn in my county... Really! then where is the sheriff dropping off my paper work that says I am being sued??? These people are a joke!!!

I received a phone call from the same company. He told me a case number and also stated the last for of my social security #. And said that a civil action suit was filed with the county I live in and then said I would be served at home or my job. First I don't have a job but It sounded weird. I took out a payday loan with a storefront  and they did serve me but I did not get a call from a collection agency before hand. He stated that the county that I live in sent it to him to take care of. I want to know if you have gotten served any paperwork. Also would they not have to send you something in writing about this matter before anything is done. One more thing. I went with assurance debt consolidation to settle my payday loans and the have settled 4 of them and they do not have any information on this company. They actually said that the loan they say they are needing to settle with got sent to a different 3rd party.

Please tell me if they are still persuing you....This lady just left a message for me stating she needs to breif me on this urgent matter today or they will take further legal action against me. I have no idea what the hell she's talking about nor did she mention !

I had a message to contact AFB and speak with someone by the name on Dena I called back and told her I was not disclosing my information she then transferred me to someone by the name of Jonathon which said he was the direct of operations I advised him to send me a letter stating the debt and I would persue from there he told me I was lying and that they already sent me a notice which I still have not received. They called 8 days later again stating she was Jolene Poluzzi from AFP this time  that I had 24 hours to contact her or I would be served papers in my county I did not return this call. I guess I will wait to see if I get served.

855-893-2463 / 866-684-1630
This is a number used by Audobon Financial Bureau. Contact Information:
PO Box 901
Getzville NY 14068
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 283
Getzville, NY 14068
Phone: 716.218.2152
Fax: 716.218.2153
Toll-Free: 855-272-1373

Getzville, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Amherst in Erie County, New York, USA

The congressional representative for Getzville NY I believe is Brian Higgins:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/brian_higgins/400641
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
http://www.house.gov/higgins
Locally, I believe they are in New York's 146th Congressional District whose representative is Raymond Walter
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Raymond-Walter

To characterize Audobon Financial as a "bottom feeder collection agency" is an absolute insult to all of the real "bottom feeder collection agencies".  These people are lower than pond scum.
They contacted me about a debt from a payday lender. Now granted...the lenders are professional loan sharks... but face it...if one is locked out of the traditional financial assistance markets, then what choice does one have.  My first conversation with them was with Latina sounding female who gave her name as Vivian. Of course they say they are recording the call; in fact, there is usually someone else sitting with/near or camped on to their station who is listening to the call.  This Vivian person is absolutely vile. She suggested that I call back and speak with her when "I was having a better day"! They in fact called me back days later and after a robust conversation with this Vivian associate, I was connected to another male associate whose name I fail to remember...but I've talked to him several times. This orifice for excremental exiting functions, after a conversation where I was simply requesting that all information be put in writing and sent to me at my post office box, brusquely informed me that "You are going to pay this debt regardless one way or the other..." and hung up.
Fast foward to another conversation where I spoke with this same male associate. He made a settlement offer  and I requested that it be put in writing. It was emailed to me. Imagine my surprise when I'm contacted again by them indicating that I failed to abide by the arrangement that was made.  Trouble is, the arrangement that they accused me of not keeping was NOT the arrangement that I agreed to...and more importantly was NOT what was emailed to me.  It was apparent that the arrangement that is documented in writing...they were unaware of..and this was the same Vivian whom I had spoken to before...and who claimed that the same male associate that I spoke with and had the arrangement with was "sitting right here listening to everything you're saying".  Vivian then proceeded to make terroristic threats by implying that they were going to pursue felony charges(!!) against me AND someone whom I listed as a reference when I applied with the payday loan company!!! As Bill Clinton said at the Democratic Convention, "...takes some serious stones..." to imply that they were going after one of my references! I am SO hoping they take action against me now.  In fact..after a conversation today, they are claiming that the no longer have the claim. "We got rid of it" was quoted by the same male associate I've spoken with in the past.  Guess they think that I will not pursue my complaints. NOT! I am now dedicated to making that company my personal project!

I am now crafting complaints to not only the congressional and local NY assemblyman I mentioned earlier, but also:
Attorney General, State of Virginia
Attorney General, State of New York
Better Business Bureau (via http://www.consumercomplaintagency.org/filecomplaint.html)
County / City Prosecutor, Amherst NY

If you have been victimized by this company, DO NOT LET THEM SLIDE! File COMPLAINTS....EVERYWHERE!!!

Let them know they are violating the law by harassing a non-debtor and you will take legal action against them if the calls don't stop.

They keep calling me for someone i have never even heard of. they kept calling back to back asking for this same person. I kept telling them that i dont know who it is. they called 11 times in one hour! The kicker that made me laugh at him was he told me "that i need to contact the county office in which i live in to let them know that they are looking for this person." REALLY!!!

And you would be correct....This threat is getting a little old.  It's hard to understand why these toads still have a high success rate on these scams since they are so over used.  I guess the public is still pretty much uninformed on what's happening in the world of collections and scamming.....As long as their percentages remain acceptable they will continue to dial those numbers....

I got a voicemail from this guy, Brandon Jenkins. He gave me a number of 855-893-2463 and he didn't make the extension audible. He was stating that I am a person of interest and that my local police office has been notified and that I have to call them back to discuss these legal matters.  Really?? He even gave me a case number. From reading everybody's comments above I know this is a scam.

I am constantly recieving these calls.  I am being harassed constantly and treatened.

I recieved the exact same call just now on my voice message.  I am really tired of these people who get your number and call about things you do not owe.  Same Thing Joe Paressie  File number given last 4 digits of SS#  Same thing 888-858-8093 Ext 173.  But the call came from 855-893-2463.

Another scam.

Nice. I also had a threatening voice mail. Mr Parissi cited a file number, mentioned arrest and referenced a close county, but mispronouced it. Research your info before making scary calls. Gave the last four digits of my SS number, but that was about it. He did say call if you want to settle this out of court. The call back number was 888-858-8093 ext 1173. He also mentioned AFB. He ended the call with "This is a legal notification."-really?

I got a call from this number. The caller didn't leave a voicemail. I called back, but couldn't understand the woman on the other line. Something associates & then she placed me on hold.

These people keep harrassing me at work.  If I indeed owe money, why will they not send me a written document.  I will not give any information over the phone.  i have already been taken by some other scam artist.
Guy said he was going to file a lawsuit.  Go ahead with it. If I owe something I will take care of provided that you prove it.

Tell them the next time they call they are violating the TCPA and FDCPA by intentionally harassing a non-debtor and will take legal action if the calls do not stop.

This people are very ignorant! They are calling to reach a person that used my number as a reference years ago without me knowing and want to harrass me on a weekly basic telling me they will keep calling my number til they reach the person which they will never reach! They want to be threating then they will have harrassment charges on them as it's not my debt giving them no right to call me when told to remove my number from there file and not call me again as they wont collect there debt by pissing me off just wasting my time while they run their neck !!!

Talk about some people that need to learn how to talk and treat people so they can be more effective in running a good business.

Caller left voice mail and extension number, identified himself as a representative of ABS collection agency.  The debt he called about may be legitimate but the amount isn't.  They added a huge amount of finance charges so the amount has more than tripled.  I asked for validation in writing to show my attorney.  He offered to transfer me to someone who could negotiate a settlement.  I said not until I have the details in writing.  He offered to fax or email a letter.  I gave him an email address and said I would respond immediately after it arrived.  I'm still waiting for his email.  This doesn't seem like the way a legitimate company would do business.

this guy was so mean and told me I was going to court and be arrested. etc..

They just called me telling me that they are a law firm...he started reading me all these rights telling me that i will be under arrest blah blah blah  and then at the end of everything that he said he ask me for a credit card number i said i wasnt giving him the credit card number because the company that he is calling about  is paid in full...as a matter of fact my bank account is over drawn because of this company and i wasnt giving them another red hot penny...so he hung up on me..

yes they just called me just now wth! he wouldnt even let me speak unless i was giving him a credit card #! Like really!

Treats didn't even know my last name had an old address bs people

Called and left V/M message at work. ID'd as Norman from AFP? Can't find anything when that company name is Googled. Must be a bottom feeder debt collector, who buys old debts that are usually past the statute of limitations or old payday loans (which I do not have any of) . DO NOT TALK TO THEM OR GIVE ANY PERSONAL INFO.

blah    blah  blah   these people are full of empty threats!!!!!   i think she stupid woman said she was with AFP?????


dont give them any info!!!!!!1