Was going through my vm's and had a recorded message for another family member that left 877-432-7299 as the call back along with a "case number".  Same pattern as many mentioned above. Wire fraud, check fraud, haven't notified the sheriff yet but will in 24 hours if they aren't called back, blah blah blah.  Couldn't hit the delete button fast enough.

Idiots!  Their stupidity doesn't even justify being ignored but that's what they got from me.  The only people dumber than these crooks are the ones who actually call back (no direct offense meant to anyone).

Simple Rules:
Do not EVER verify personal information over the phone unless you know EXACTLY who you are talking to and PRECISELY what you are talking to them about.  

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS insist on valid written documentation to back up any demand for payment of a debt, if you don't already have it, and NEVER agree to pay anyone anything without it.

If the person making the demand is not willing to provide that documentation then they are not entitled to remittance - PERIOD.

Tell you what they just left a 2nd message this week on my phone and I'm getting quite sick of it. These guys are crooks and like the others say above, debt is a civil matter and they're saying we're criminals with all this other wire & check fraud. Plus, it's illegal to threaten us with warrants & seizures etc.

Here is a new number they're using: 855-455-5433.

I just got the same message from the same number 10 mins ago. Should I report them?

Call came up on caller ID as UNKNOWN CALLER. Wanted JDR and if not available at this number, is there another number where he can be reached. It is extremely important that he return my call immediately and use this case number so we can pull the file.

Actually, no, it is against federal law to harass, threaten and intimidate someone in order to get them to pay back a loan.  Fine print, or no, it is against the law for them to do this!  Any company which calls you and threatens you this way should be reported for violations to the FDCPA.  

How do you know if you actually owe money to them?  Make them mail you (not email or fax) a debt validation letter showing original creditor, amount owed, date of loan, date of last payment and also if this company is licensed to claim and collect said debt in your state.  If they refuse to mail this documentation to you, proving that you owe this debt to them - you owe them nothing.  Report the calls to the FTC, the FBI and your state's Attorney General.

my mother is getting calls from this number (she is late 70s) they claim to have her Soc sec, say criminal charges going to be arrested for wire fraud, unless she call back immediately. then at the end of message they say this message is for Lee, which is me her daughter. do not know how they obtained my mothers number and referance my name to it (only first name but not last name). I have not lived with my mother in over 30 years and have lived in seperate states. this is scarry that they can have so much info. my mother made police report. they say its a scam toward the elderly to get money from them as they convinve them their child will be arrested....and many of the elderly do pay this kind of scam. Its a scam and she saving the recording. going to take the advice of the person above to report it. hope they get caught and have to pay out alot damages for illegal harrassment! even if were a valid claim (dept of some kind) document everything...keep your proof and when you get served (if valid) defend yourself in court and counter sue big time!

I think the readers will enjoy this..... I am a supervising Detective for a major crimes unit, and this "law firm" has been leaving voice mails on my phone for someone I don't even know, making the exact same threats.  I called them back and left a message, explaining who I was and that I WANTED them to make a report if is was such a serious criminal matter.... I haven't received a return call... go figger.  Pretty much all the advise listed above is Accurate.  DO NOT PROVIDE THEM ANYTHING.  Your SSN last four can be obtained a multitude of ways.  Don't let them scare you.  Report them, laugh them off, hang up on them, or whatever  just do not fall into their trap.  How legitimate can they be if they won't even return calls to law enforcement??           Just a bunch of crooks.... Stay Aware and Stay Safe. ;)

The same calls have been coming to my sons phone, he's only 15!!!  If calling this number and informing them that they have the wrong phone number results in threats, and it's a scam anyhow, how can I get these creeps to stop harassing my son!?

Threaten them with the AG, BBB, FCC for telephone harassment and for FDCPA violations. I bet they will stop. It is not illegal to be in debt, but it is illegal for these scum bags to use these kind of scare tactics to try and squeeze money out of you.

I personally didn't receive the call from these frauds my parents did. after talking to them and hearing what the message they received stated. my first reaction was to not call them but to google search the number and low and behold hear they are being exposed for the frauds they are. PLEASE DON'T FALL VICTIM DO NOT BE SCARED AND GIVE INTO THEM> TELL THEM TO GO AHEAD AND NOTIFY THE AUTHORITIES BETTER TO DEAL WITH THEM IF YOU DO HAVE A LEGIT DEBT THEN TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AND STILL OWE THE DEBT!!!!!!!!!!

I've gotten a voicemail to call the 877 number 2 days in a row, first name correct, last name totally off...

This is the computer generated message being left on my answering machine..  (word for word)

This important information is intended for *** *** case # ***** We are currently conducting a criminal investigation regarding bank wire fraud, defrauding a financial institution and 2 counts of check fraud allegations that have been made against you and your social security number. We have not notified the authorities as of yet and we have not filed with your local sheriff's department, however, unless we receive a call at 877-432-7299 and a statement from you within the next 2 hours we will also seek deposition warrant to your place of employment and/or your home residence within the next 24 to 48 hours?

They won't give the name of the company, just the threatening voicemail...and...to call 877-432-7299

What they are doing is COMLPETELY ILLEGAL.  Scare tactics....  Good thing I have a Bachelors and Masters in Criminal Justice/Forensics and work for the local sherrif's department and know NOT TO FALL for this crap...

I am getting harassing calls from a company . called Fletcher and Colvin. stating I owe $1200 . she demanded I pay now or use someone else's c/c.

just received call from Fletcher & colivin stated my SSN was used to defraud a back and 2 bad checks had been written with it when I told them I would not disclose any personal information they hung up. searched the net and found this blog. Beware they are changing their tactics!! :)

These people called me today.  This was the order of events.  I got a call from an anonymous number and they said they were process servers who were going to serve me on behalf of someone pursuing legal action against me.  I asked what, who, huh, when?  The guy said it all depends on how it goes on this phone call.  He wanted me to verify the last four of my social, my address and my date of birth.  I refused and wanted more info.  He said I needed to contact Fletcher and Colvin Law firm at 1.877.432.7299 with a case number.  I contacted this company and they told me I had committed fraud and given inaccurate information to a lending institute and they sounded really official UNTIL I started questioning them.  They said I had an outstanding Easy Money Payday Loan from 2008 that I needed to clear up for $600 dollars and that if not I would have the lawyers contacting me etc.etc.etc.  I was questioning them and told them I had NEVER used a Payday Loan service EVER in my life and they told me to contact the company and the guy gave me his ext as 115 and his name as Harper Jackson and told me I needed to call him back within 48 hours or they were going to legally pursue at which time I told him he better produce some documents that had my signature on it among other choice things...well I contacted the Payday Loan people who of course did not have my information on file.  I have since contacted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau @ 1-855-411-2372 and filed a complaint, the Better Business Bureau, Equifax Credit Reporting and my local police department.  DO NOT ENTERTAIN THESE PEOPLE!!  When I called them back a lady answered and it was uh what extension, you want to talk to who?  Then a person who claimed to be "Mr. Jackson," got back on claiming he didn't recognize my voice at first.  I was really polite and told him I had contacted the above and which point he became angry and volatile claiming the police could contact him on his cell phone.  These people are unlawfully representing themselves and scamming people, which is a major criminal offense.  PLEASE REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY, our local law enforcement is contacting a larger branch now as this is not the first reported case.  DO NOT SEND MONEY OR GIVE THEM YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION!! According to the police department your name, address, phone number and last four of your social are public record, if they have this it may SEEM legit, but it's NOT.  DO NOT SEND MONEY OR GIVE INFORMATION!! REPORT THESE PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY TO PROTECT YOURSELF!!!

Called them back just let them know they had the wrong number for a person they requested on my machine. Was told by the woman that answered the number they left that I had no rights calling them because I was not the person they requested.  I then tried to tell her no one lived here by that name and she was upset that I listen to the recording and then started saying I was harassing her that I needed to stop calling them and I needed this person they were looking for to call them.  Ok then I did get upset and told her one more time no one by that named lived here and to stop calling.  She then said again to stop harassing her.....LOL  This call was crazy.  I feel bad for the person if they ever do find them.

Got the same call as the last two people, this number had been calling for a few weeks.  It is an invalid debt that keeps getting sold off to the next collection agency and then we go through this whole "please validate the debt" circus again.  Anywho, they said it was in regards to a criminal case of wire fraud and two bad checks and they hadn't yet called our local sheriff but we needed to call back in the next 2 hours, etc.   There are two things you can do, as others above have done, request a debt validation letter (if you can google the hell out of them and find an actual address you can send them the request certified mail so you have proof of the request and failure to comply), or you can keep an eye on public court records to make sure there are no actual lawsuits or charges against you.  We use http://www.pacer.gov/findcase.html  (it's free , it might say you owe .10 cents but if you keep it under a dollar you don't end up owing anything), nothing has EVER come up in our names even though many debt collectors try to say they have filed cases or lawsuits or whatever.

I got this exact same call today. They left a very alarming message mentioning a lawsuit and criminal charges against me. I called the number back and was told that this was for an unpaid debt from a few years ago (which I can prove is not an unpaid debt) however he had my FULL social security number, address, cell phone, etc. He gave me the last 4 digits of the credit card account which was accurate, so this seemed to be very legitimate, and maybe it is. What concerns me is the threat of criminal charges that they seem to lead the conversation with to everyone they call. I asked for details on that and he explained that because they had been 'looking for me' for 2 years, then i must have provided fraudulent information, so I would be charged with several counts of fraud. He even went as far as to say that they had sent an officer to my home 3 times and couldn't find me. Yet the address he had is definitely my address. I wonder if maybe this is a legitimate debt collection agency, but using some very shady tactics. Also, once I was able to prove that I didn't owe the debt as it was handled years ago, they werene't at all appologetic, and when I asked to speak with a supervisor, they couldn't have hung up faster. Someone really needs to look into this company. If they are scammers, then they have entirely too much of my personal info, and if they are legit, their business practices really need to be evaluated.

Got a call/Voice mail today saying that they were investigating wire fraud.  They haven't YET notified the local sheriff's office, but on and on.  They needed me to call within the next 24 hrs and gave the above phone number.  I don't owe any debt.  This is garbage.  All of this was a recorded message.  I don't think that's even legal??

These guys are a fraud. They claim to be a law office but none such exists and they sure don't seem to understand the law or act professionally.

Reported to FCC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and FBI. You should too if they start harassing you. All can be done easily online.

Fletcher and Colvin from 1 877-432-7299 are criminals calling to get money fraudulently. They say that you owe money that you do not owe and you should immediately report them to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau @ 1855-411-2372. They prey on people who may have taken a Pay Day Loan in the past and use your information to try to get money from you. As soon as I asked for a Debt Validation Letter from them and for their address they didn't want to speak with me anymore. They said the case was closed and settled.
Please help to get these people exposed.

Got a call from this number with a message from Allen Sheppard. He informed me via voicemail that I had a case with CRIMINAL charges against me, gave me the case number, the last 4 of my social and demanded that I return his call regarding this case. He also stated that this was my notice as they had attempted to send notice previously. I called back to find out about this "case". Some woman answered the phone, began telling me that I owe for a payday loan and that I should have paid the bill. The total that I "borrowed" was $2400. She refused to answer the questions regarding this other than to tell me the payday loan company. I was not a happy company.

Called the company that I supposedly owe, they don't have anything with my name, social or telephone number associating me with anything. They also stated that they had several calls by people being solicited by Fletcher & Colvin for the same thing.

I called back, spoke with another man who also informed me of the borrowed amount, verified my last 4 of my social and my name. He informed me of the date of said loan and then I asked him what bank this was deposited to and he stated that since they are the legal representatives, they don't have to tell me this. I asked him about the company that states that they don't have a record of said loan, he informed me that is because they "probably were using a different name at the time". I then asked him about the notice that was supposedly mailed to me as the man who left a message informed me of. The man on the phone states that they mailed me notice but kept putting me on hold. So, I asked him the address that I they had for me and the address associated with this loan and he put me on hold again and then came back to tell me that the address was in New York but wouldn't give me a street address. I let him know that I am TRULY alot further south and that would ever be considered.

I informed him that first, by his representative informing me on my voice mail, which I still have, that this was CRIMINAL was a violation. To this he states that it was just a person that calls for them. Funny, that is not how Mr. Sheppard represented himself on my voicemail. Second, I requested a debt validation letter. This man told me that he was putting this in the fraud file and that it would be released off of me within about 30 - 45 days. I again asked for a debt validation and the guy again informed me that since it was fraud, then I didn't have to worry about it. I asked him for this a THIRD time and again was denied. What is up with this???

I also received a call fri from a unknown num who left a voicemail saying he was a "criminal investigator" then when I called back they said it was a payday loan but they can't give me the name of company I owe but will accept payments. The lady said they will report it to the IRS and DMV to suspend my license. I too looked them up no business to be found.  I have since yesterday filed with the FTC and I have all my bank statements  my three credit reports and chexsystem report as this has happened to me before but I actually paid cause they said I would go to jail and the how would I support my children. I will be filing with the police today so be careful of scammers.only the district attorney can press charges so elspeth above is 100% correct

How do I know if I owe a debt to them or now and if i do can they still legally do this

if you have ever had a payday loan they are collecting for them.  That is there way of scaring you into paying them back.  apparently in the fine print of the loan agreement they can do that

They threatened to sue me for some fraud pay day loan they said I did.

A legitimate collections agency would not commit violations of the FDCPA by saying there are "criminal charges".  Debt is civil, not criminal.  Bottom line - if an agency refuses to send the debt validation letter proving a debt is owed to them (per the FDCPA), they are trying to scam someone.

Debt is a civil matter, not criminal.  Saying the call was regarding criminal charges is a violation of the FDCPA.  If they were a legitimate, law-abiding collections agency, they would have no problem MAILING you a debt validation letter showing original creditor, amount owed, date of loan, date of last payment, and if they are licensed to collect in your state - you will NOT be paying them.  

If they call back and refuse to send you this documentation, let them know that per the FDCPA, you owe them nothing.  Please read about the FDCPA and learn your rights as a consumer.  

Certainly, you can contact an attorney, or even the local police.  They will all tell you that you can't be arrested for non-payment of debt.  Also, legally, you CANNOT be "served" via phone or email.  If there IS a lawsuit against you, a court process server just shows up and hands you the documents.

Report the call to the FTC, the FBI and your state's Attorney General.  When the "law firm" calls back, let them know that you've reported them, and that  unless they send the legally required debt validation letter, you do not owe them anything.   Also let them know that you are recording all calls they make to you (even if you're not) for multiple violations of the FDCPA.  Do not let them scare you into paying for a bogus debt.

Mari, it most likely is a debt collector hired by one of your credit card company.

This might be a collecting agency hired to get you to pay a bas debt. A loan or credit card you did not pay.

I Rec'd a call from this number in regards to criminal charges being filed against me and I have not commited any crimes