It's the Corona Scam.

They use at least 30 names, with mail drops scattered around Corona CA, Lake Elsinore,etc.

Their standard MO starts with a call from a fake "process server" often to a relative, implying a lawsuit, or an investigation for "fraud", but leaving a number to call back.

If you call back, they peg you as a sucker, and try to convince you you owe some old "debt".  Be aware they may have pulled your own credit report, so they can often feed you information on an old account that might sound familiar.

Contact the Riverside office of the FBI.

I got a harassing phone call that sheriff department is investigating me. The guy calling didn't know anything about me, if my phone number is a cell (kept asking about this), or in what city I'm in. I didn't tell him anything such as my name, address, anything like this because it sounded weird to me in the first place. Then he got "official" kind of angry and told me that the sheriff dept. from another county is investigating me and we'll meet in court. Really? Investigating me for what?!? Hung up on me. What could this be??

They routinely run this scam by having the fake "process server" first call a relative, often in another state, prior to contacting the target victim.  It appears to be an attempt to create panic and embarass the victim, with the goal to extort payment without any proof of the alleged "debt".

They appear to be pulling credit reports to get information on the supposed "debt from old account data, then using skip-tracing or "people locating" services to find possible relatives.  Having pulled a recent credit report, they would have current address information, so the rest is all an act to perpetrate the con.

"He first gave the impression like he was a lawyer & denied that this was a collection company but a management company for the lawyers who will file suit. "

It is all an act.  It's a "con".  Fake "process server" calls, usually to relatives.  Threats that they have "sued", (supported by the "process server" calls).  They were trying to panic your grandmother into "settling" some alleged "debt" without any proof she actually owed them anything.  They commonly pull credit reports to get information usefull in this scheme, including old account information, available credit lines.  Your grandmother's age would also assist in determining that she might be particularly vulnerable to this scam.

ANY company or person that attempts to collect an allegedly delinquent consumer debt is by definition a "debt collector" under federal (FDCPA) and state laws.  Claiming otherwise is deceptive, an attempt to evade the consumer protections of the FDCPA, and a violation of that law.  It doesn't matter what they call themselves, but they sure have the excuses ready for why they don't have to comply with what every legitimate debt collector routinely follows.  


"Not to mention he refused to send any info in writing unless we paid over the phone first. "

Others have reported this same line.  About all anyone ever gets out of them is some vague "settlement" letter, with ambiguous identification of the alleged "debt", if you get anything at all.  They are also often reported to avoid U.S. Mail, and just send this by email, probably to avoid mail fraud charges.  FDCPA gives consumers the right to dispute and demand proof of alleged debts, yet they have all the excuses ready for why they don't have to give any proof.  


"He said the bill was $6000-$7000 because of their fees but of course offered a settlement for $2000-$2300 but once again had to be paid over the phone or we would be taken to court & have to pay $6000-$7000 + $2500 in legal fees. "

That is generally how they play this "con".  They appear to have some information on an old account, claim a lot is owed, and that they have "sued" or will "sue", and play up the amount including made-up "fees" if you don't "settle".  They also play up your inability to obtain any information on this alleged "debt", which if they actually went to court and you challenged their claim, THEY would have to prove.  They are looking for suckers, trying to panic you into paying with no proof any debt is really owed to them.


"And he did not have any info about the credit card except date opened and account number but was sure to tell me that it would be impossible for me to get any info because banks changed hands & sell the account. "

They are reported to pull consumer credit reports to  obtain information on old accounts to use in this scam.  His access to date opened, creditor name, and account number, but nothing else, is consistent with obtaining information from your grandmother's credit file.  

Pull all three credit reports and look for a recent inquiry under one of their many names, like PMG, HGG, ARM, AF Group, Prime West, etc.  That will show you where they got the old account information.  In addition, look for "promotional" inquiries (normally indicating a lender obtained names meeting certain criteria in order to market an offer of credit), under a name you do not recognize as a bank or normal lender, to see if they are buying "lead lists" from one of the credit reporting agencies.

" I pulled all 3 of her credit reports & nothing from this company or amt is any of them.  Of course he had an excuse for that.  "

You are unlikely to find their "tradeline" as a collection account.  Look for an inquiry, showing that they pulled a copy of her credit report.  It might be under a name different from what they called you under, as they operate under many names to hide the extent of their operation.

Others have reported attempts to collect on nonexistent "First National Bank of Deleware" or "HSBC" "accounts".  What was the name of the alleged original creditor?


Contact FTC, your state Attorney General;, the California Attorney General, and the Riverside office of the FBI.  Make it clear that they attempted to con your aged grandmother with this fraud.

They called my father in law (who lives 4 hours away) to tell him that they needed to serve me a summons.  They had him give the the number 866-676-2140 to call.  They said that their company had bought my delinquent cc balance.  Last year we had to clean all of this up in order to get a house loan.  I told him this and asked why it was not on my credit report last year if it was a bad debt and I owed this money.  He could not answer me, just kept saying that I needed to pay or be served a summons to court and I was to pay for ALL of the court costs to collect this debt.  They accessed my credit report a couple of weeks ago.  I have not applied for anything that would authorize them to see my credit report.  How can they get away with this??  
This is what came up on my report:
PMR
Bulk Purchase Finance

I am so mad!!!

I receive a phone call both on my home phone and Mobil phone today from the same people. The number I was instructed to call was 866-676-2140

MY message started out as: Thank You. My name is Sara Walker. The message was: We have received a complaint on you. My suggestion is to call the following number - 866-676-2140. Gave a case number and suggested I contact the person who has my case number within 24 hours or they will execute the order.

I see I'm not the only person violated by these people. This is totally wrong! Scared the s**t out of me when I heard the message. Had me all riled up all day while I was at work.

I hope these SOB's get caught and get what they deserve! To scare and harass people is JUST NOT RIGHT!

Good Luck Everyone.....

.

i got a phone call from a man stas a lie a wting that i owed 2000 dollars on a unpaid credit card, i tld
them that was a lie i didnt even have a credit cthe ard, they insisted i did and it was seriously delinquent, they called off my ss# and said if i didnt pay within the hour or set up payments, then in would have to pay 3000, i knew that was a lie and hung up,, well after looking at my credit report i noticed a hard inquiry on it from PMR bulk purchasing company, it dropped my score by 23 points and so i called the # for PMR and what do you know but that they are not accepting phone calls at this
time..... i am pissed, i have worked really hard to get my score up and for some ahole to scam you
like this is just sorry.... the credit reporting agency told me to contact in writing the credit bureau to
remove it but dont know if i will be successful, i hope something is done soon about these so called
people...

Prime west threatned my 82 year old grandmother with court if she did not pay a debt over the phone.I spoke with Vega who threatened court if we did not pay.  Not to mention he refused to send any info in writing unless we paid over the phone first.  He said the bill was $6000-$7000 because of their fees but of course offered a settlement for $2000-$2300 but once again had to be paid over the phone or we would be taken to court & have to pay $6000-$7000 + $2500 in legal fees.  He first gave the impression like he was a lawyer & denied that this was a collection company but a management company for the lawyers who will file suit. And he did not have any info about the credit card except date opened and account number but was sure to tell me that it would be impossible for me to get any info because banks changed hands & sell the account.  I pulled all 3 of her credit reports & nothing from this company or amt is any of them.  Of course he had an excuse for that.  This company is practicing illegal debt collecting.  I filed with FTC and BBB.  Please do so too so something can be done about this company.

My grandma, just got a call from 866-676-2140 about an hour ago! She is 84 and was so freaked out by this call. I have lived out of the state in which my grandmother resides for 11+ years and they call an 84 year old woman? That is the most absurd thing that I have heard. So she calls me scared, then calls my parents scared because I wasn't able to get to my phone.
Thank GOD for the internet. I researched the phone number before calling them back within "3" hours. I decided to call them from a different phone number and a message came up "Thank you for calling Prime West." It asked to leave name, phone number, account number and I can't remember what else. I just called again and the gentleman answered "corporate office."
I hope the suckers go down! I am reporting to the FTC. I knew of a company that got reported to the FTC about 3-4 years ago and they were honestly going close to "by the book" as you possibly good for a telemarketing company. Too bad for them, they went down big time and it was all over the news, as much as hellicopters, police cars, the whole nine flying over the place.

Note how easily they had access to both your phone number, and the grand parents number.  They had no problem finding your phone number at all, which reveals that their call to your grand parents was an act designed to panic you.

They have access to skip-trace services, which they are using to call relatives with the "process server" routine.
They also have access to credit reports.  The credit reporting agencies are selling them consumer credit reports, which they can use to find old accounts they can claim are "debts" owed to them.

Since they threatened your minor son with being seized by the police, contact the Riverside office of the FBI.

They are often reported to call relatives first, with this "process server" act as part of the "lawsuit" act.
In addition, others have reported they play up this "settlement, or you will have to pay attorney and court fees" angle, as they attempt to force an immediate payment without providing any proof of this alleged "debt".

PMR is probably "Pacific Management and Recovery", one of the various LLC shells they have created.

They are operating under many related names, but all point to Corona, CA.

Check your credit reports to see if they pulled one of them recently.  That might have given them the information on your old account, to use in this con.

Look for recent inquiries that don't match up to existing creditors or any company you applied for credit with.

In addition, file complaints with FTC and the Riverside office of the FBI.

Ok.  I reported here before.  Just an update.  After paying 600;00 to Prime West and still not getting any proof that they were who they say they were I decided to stop paying.  I told my bank what was going on and they refunded me my money and are investigating Prime West.  Now in the mean time I decided to do more checking.  I called my sheriff department and found that there was nothing with my name on it to be filed.  I called the sheriff department in Corona Ca.  They don't have anything.  They said to go online to Riverside Superior Court and for $1.00 you can check their civil records to see if your name is listed in their files.  They also said to call my local police and file a complaint. I checked the Superior Court. I paid $3.00 as my name has changed.  Again their was nothing.  I paid for my credit report and it did have something on it from the people that Prime West said that they represented, but it was charged off about 10 years ago. I also got a call again from supposed sheriff's office telling me to call Prime West to make payment arrangements.  I called and told the gentleman that answered that I wanted to speak to Mr. Vega and I told him also that my bank was investigating them.  I was put on hold and after 1/2 hr. I hung up.  I called back later and asked for Mr. Vega and they said he was in a meeting.  I now am calling my local police/sheriff department to put in a complaint of fraud.  My last word?  Take charge!!!! Do not let these people get away with this!!!!  Call your police department and file a report!!!,   The more of us that do this, maybe they will get these people.

I got a call stating I was being summoned to court and to call this number........lies.....lies....lies

These people called our kids at home yesterday PM. Our 11 year old son immediately told them that his parents are not home and they need to speak to parents. The person then went ahead and scared my 11 year old telling him that they are sending the police over and are taking him (my son......) to court unless we call within 3 hours...I mean really??? Then when I called the grand parents (over 80) they told me they had received the same threatening calls (to their phone AND to their fax) just a few minutes before our kids got the call.... I am fling a complaint because this is just unbelievable and these people are horrible picking on old people and young kids.....On top of that...they were looking for some distant relation, whom we have not spoken with over 10 years.

Just went through this scam today! I wish I were closer to Corona! I certainly would find this scum. All the same M.O. as listed above to collect a debt that was settled years ago. She was a wreck and gave them the info they requested as she didn't want to ruin her credit and couldn't find her file on it....Wow, you can't imagine how mad I am.

I received a call at my place of employment from one guy who asked for me by name and then asked for my boss.  Left information with my boss that I needed to contact this number within 4 hours or I will be summoned.  I never recevied any information by mail regarding this and they did not offer to send it. They gave me some payment plan information and asked me to sign a letter and give them my checking account information.  I told them I need to see legal documentation by mail and do not contact my place of employment.  Still waiting to see what happens

They have called a friend of my sis in laws, who I don't really even know well and told them I was going to arrested by the sheriff dept. They call repeatedly 6-10 times a day to me, husband, and so call third party friend. I have looked them up on BBB, and they are not listed and I left messages with the FTC. They sent me a settlement off via fax and spoke to my mother in law, and gave our information to her without our consent. I am not going make any payment until I find out this company is legit. They claim to be Prime West Management in Corona and gave our information to a third party.

I just received a call from a friend who said someone from this company called trying to find me. He told them that he didn't know me. They said they had papers to serve me. Illegal.

has anyone found anything out about this company - it is happening to me too

got a call threating sherrifs visit.....same place called last year and supposedly found another credir card delinquent.

I have been receiving calls from people who recently are calling from private numbers (throw away cell phones). They tell me they are process servers and if I  don't call the above 866 number within 3 hours the sheriff will come to my home. Last year I called the number but it was just an answering machine and because I worked late shift and couldn't have the cell phone on at work I never received their return call. The latest person that contacted me implied that the only way to keep the sheriff away from home was to contact that number. It seems obvious that they are targeting me as a senior citizen and want money to make the supposed problem to go away.

a Mr. Vega (supposed name)? called me accusing me of have a very old credit card debt that had accrued interest over the years and he wanted me to give him my credit card information as well as my debit card information, threatened to have papers served on me at my workplace!  He has called my son's home as well as my place of employment not to mention harrassing me repeatedly by cell.  This needs to stop!!!!!

I got a call from the "sheriff's office" asking for my address to serve a court summons. When I questioned them, they referred me to 1-866-866-1313. "Don" answered the phone from the "Corporation" and said we owed $1800 on a $300 credit card that has been paid off for 4 years. He was insistent the we resolve it right then and I could make payments for $50 a month. I told him we have received no documentation or monthly statements or certified mail. I asked him to fax me the documentation which was refused. It turns out the only way to see the "documentation" is when it is served in the summons to go to court. I have a lawyer who is going to check into this for me. Sounds like a well planned, devious scam to me.

They called and spoke with one of our kids while we were out.  They gave some bogus case # (I know it's bogus because I work in the legal field and know what CASE numbers look like).

They said that we should hurry and return the call, otherwise we would be served with papers!   Curiouis to know what the scam is....

They called my brother at the old address I used to live yesterday, told my brother I need to call them back, they ask for summon at court because I will be sue for cc debt that I didnt pay back in 2000. I told them SOL has expired, they (lied) and said the clock continue because my last payment was in 2006 which is totally bs. I told them if they make up falsify record, I will countersue. The guy I talked to said he was taking note and hung up.

I received a random call from these People.Prime West Management in Corona. They broke the Law in several ways during the first call, they are under investigation by the FTC and other agencies. Never give these scamsters any kind of CC # or Bank account info. They are probably not Licenced, we will find out.

I receive a phone call both on my home phone and Mobil phone today from the same people. The number I was instructed to call was 866-676-2140

MY message started out as: Thank You. My name is Sara Walker. The message was: We have received a complaint on you. My suggestion is to call the following number - 866-676-2140. Gave a case number and suggested I contact the person who has my case number within 24 hours or they will execute the order.

I see I'm not the only person violated by these people. This is totally wrong! Scared the s*** out of me when I heard the message. Had me all riled up all day while I was at work.

I hope these SOB's get caught and get what they deserve! To scare and harass people is JUST NOT RIGHT!

Good Luck Everyone.....

.

i got a phone call from a man stas a lie a wting that i owed 2000 dollars on a unpaid credit card, i tld
them that was a lie i didnt even have a credit cthe ard, they insisted i did and it was seriously delinquent, they called off my ss# and said if i didnt pay within the hour or set up payments, then in would have to pay 3000, i knew that was a lie and hung up,, well after looking at my credit report i noticed a hard inquiry on it from PMR bulk purchasing company, it dropped my score by 23 points and so i called the # for PMR and what do you know but that they are not accepting phone calls at this
time..... i am pissed, i have worked really hard to get my score up and for some a**le to scam you
like this is just sorry.... the credit reporting agency told me to contact in writing the credit bureau to
remove it but dont know if i will be successful, i hope something is done soon about these so called
people...