They are calling and sending me official looking mail!!!!   Be ware!!!   For a debt that is not legit!! I called them out on it !! They asked stated well there are several people with your name??   What is the Last Four digits of your Social??   I said BS .... I am not giving it to you!!   (  Unfortunately, I have dealt with collection agencies before, legitimate ones, as a long time ago I had to file for CH 7 .  So I know how true collection agencies are AND I know the Law and the language!!  ) They took a very very old debt of mine that was dismissed in a bankruptcy and tried to collect on it offering me 60 percent off!!  Huge red flags since number one...YOU CANNOT COLLECT ON A DEBT IN MY STATE THAT IS OVER 7 yrs!! ( esp. This type of debt). Two, I had filled for bankruptcy on that debt several years ago and it was settled/ dismissed with the original creditor in the bankruptcy!!  I told them that I was calling the authorities and that what they were doing was fraud and I hope they rot forever in prison!!!!     They are fraud!!   My credit rating is great now and if they mess with anything I swear they will pay!!   I am done with bull crap people like this!!   Go and get a JOB!!  And work for your money like the Rest of us!!   And don't be fooled by their website which they now have , due to people calling them out On a site that didn't exist!!   Don't pay these people report them to the police or Feds !!  They are running a scam!!   And don't fall for the people that say they have dealt with them and they are nice and legit!!!!!   They work for the place and are running the scam!!   Let's stop the loser thieves in their tracts!!!   I hope they fry !!!!!!   Oh and they are also calling me at work!!   I swear if I ever find these people they will wish they didn't know me!!    The address and phone are p.o. Box 828 Skokie I'll 60076-0828. 1877-220-4461

There's another Clue!!!! Address is a P.O. box!!!!!!!     I hate these kind of people I hope the fry and get the death penalty!!    Calling MY WORK and saying to my co-worker " this is a recorded phone call for ---------". Embarrassing me and trying to pressure me!!    You will pay!!!    Don't you ever call my work again!!  I work for a living!  I went to college and I pay my own way!!!    

You're an idiot.  Read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Know your rights and report the violators

I agree.  Either you are a complete idiot or you are part of the scam.

Same thing-computerized call at work, no answer when calling the number back. I don't have any collections so I am annoyed by the calls especially at work!! It's embarrassing

Atten Will:#1479897
Hi my name is Bobby Glover
A collection agency for PLS loans called me at 8:10am on 4/2/2014 and 4/3/2014 this stating I owe over $600 dollars to PLS. I stated to the agent collector William in which he sounds like he is hispanic. I informed William the collection agent that I did not take out an loan from PLS loans. I asked William what location or store this loan was created from with my name. William stated the loan was taken out in illinois. I stated to William i understand that he is only doing his job and their stern way of talking to people to pay a debt is part of their job. I stated to William i understand that he talks to people that lie to them all the time and i was being very honest with him I dont owe a debt to PLS and I also filed bankruptcy. William stated that their agency called me several times in which one call made on March 2010 and April 2013 regarding this matter and william i have not fax them a police report. Im thinking to myself, thats not several times they called me. But Now im thinking to myself how can i send them a police report if i dont have a letter from them or information about their agency? William stated the loan was taken out in Illinois. William stated that i will need to file a police report and I said ok and William gave this fax number to send the police report to 217-619-0156. I Bobby Glover asked William may I have the address for your collection agency so i can get my Attorney involved and William stated to me why did I need the address to their agency? All he needs me to do is fax the police report to 217-888-768-5812 and his agency will take it from their.I stated i needed the information for my attorney. William stated to me to give him my Attorneys phone number and he will call my Attorney.  Now, im thinking to myself, the is a sign of (RED FLAG) for some odd reason William will not give me the agency address and this is what I called strong arming, harassment, intimidating and defination of character against me by their agency. I did inform William I would like to settle the matter in court because I Bobby Glover did not take out a loan from PLS and William stated sir why do you need an address. Give me the number and I will call your attorney. Now im thinking to myself game on and its time to take action against this agency. Now im thinking to myself this kid doesnt realize he is dealing with a business minded person. All and all I feel that if people are living their life correctly then they wont feel every person in the world is lying about something. My fiance is fighting cancer and I felt attending to her care was more important than. But now your agency requires to take action against their agency. Have a blessed day. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read my email to you.

I got an automated message from these people today which were Halstead Financial services. Which I have never heard of them ever before. When I called them back they were actually looking for my husband. I told them he is not in the country at this time since he is deployed. I told them that I am his wife and what is it about. Not once did the guy get mean with me at all since I had a lot of demands. They emailed me from a traceable email and I was able to look them up online. They were calling to settle a debt that my husband had with a credit card before he deployed that I basically forgot he had. They are great and very pleasant to work with. Do not give them any lip let them talk and let them help. He owed 900 and they dropped it to 644. Which I think is reasonable, but will put a cramp in my budget for a month. a FML moment, but I need to take care of it.

They calling me at my work!

I also got a computerized message with a file number, and it has been escalated to their final review department. It says that I had a lack of response.  Failure to respond will result in a recommendation being submitted to their client without my personal statement being included. This is the first time I got this message from Halsted Financial Services.   So how can they say lack of response from me when I do not know who these guys are representing and this is the first message they have left me.  I have no letters stating whom I owe from this company.  I am to call 877-220-4461 immediately upon receipt of this message.  The message came from 817-725-7259. As it looks like they are using many different 1-800 numbers.  If you look it up, BBB says this company is not accredited by them as well as there has been complaints to BBB from consumers about his company.

Called american web loan they don't associate with them. major scammers this halsted is watch out

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

got a letter from Halsted Financial Services LLC stating for a web loan  that over the next 30 days our investigation into your personal assets will be completed. These findings, along with an addidavate ready for signature will be forward  to expedite authorization of your account to attorney of our choice to determination to file suit to be made and a date given. offering 50% off. this is after i got the annoying phone calls

if this is a collection agency how and why are you referencing at&t. pretty fishy to me.

They also call from 310 573 8637. Called me out of the blue on an old hospital debt. Called my work and said they did because I haven't been responding. This is the first call I have gotten from them.

I have gotten phone calls from numbers that claim to be Halsted Financial although the first time i got the call it was a blocked number. i talked to the lady and asked for a contact number. it was a 202 area code. I called back the next day and it rang then went to a voicemail that said "this number has a voice mailbox that has not been set up." Then i got a call on a couple days later from a 520-366-8666(Arizona). I missed the call then called back and when i asked for debt validation she said "ok fine!" then hung up. I called back and got another lady and when i requested debt validation per my legal right she told me since it was in legal status the do not have to provide that information. I told her yea ok and will be in contact with them. The next day i missed a call at 0617 (6:17 am) from a 954-633-2259 (Florida). I called back and told them it was 6:17 am and they legally cannot call me that early in the morning. The guy just hung up. a few days later i got a call from a "no caller ID" and picked it up. I listened to the recording and when it said to press 9 i did, my husband was with me and wanted to know what they were gonna say. although no one came on the line and it just hung up on me. all this was in the last 5 day. which now brings me to today. again i missed the call and called them back and told the guy i requested debt validation 5 days ago (which they have 5 days to send out the information i am requesting) and i was told it could not be done. so i will be in contact with them via mail and to not call me which again is my legal right to request. I will be filing a complaint with BBB over this company.

Sounds like you work for the company because "they were so good to you".  Well, I don't believe you, I have no outstanding debts on anything at a collection agency and these people were down right rude. Located in Illinois but the caller ID said Virginia.  So you tell me who is scamming who.

i received calls from these people also, they swore at me and said they will see me in court. I asked them to send me a bill and they said it was to late for them to send a bill by mail his name was tom.

I keep getting harassing calls from 224-534-0421.

They call themselves Halsted Financial Services and they are looking for some guy named Jeremy Parish.  I have been receiving these calls for weeks.  I have told them they have the wrong number and they keep calling and getting rude and abrasive.

If you or anyone that you know has ever made a payment to Halsted Financial Services, LLC, please contact Centennial Law Offices.  This information request is related to the case of Gibson v. Halsted Financial Services, LLC currently pending before the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles (case #12A09979).  If you or anyone that you know has made a payment to Halsted Financial Services, please contact us at Contact@centenniallawoffices.com or by telephone at (888)504-8817.  Those providing information need not identify themselves.

Centennial Law Offices is a law office specializing in the representation of consumers against debt collectors in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act cases.

They removed my number as soon as I told them too!!

Calling me at work.

Halsted Financial and collection agencies like them operate off of the idea that there is a fool born every minute.

I personally want to find the home addresses for the principals of this company and murder them.  When I'm done with Halsted I want to move on to every other scumbag collector that opts to threaten individuals with actions they cannot and do not intend to take.

1) Most of the debts Halsted buys are for payday loans.  Many of the loans they try to collect on were illegally financed.  

2) Even if Halsted or other "legal" collection agencies buy up the old debt, their legal status does not in turn make the debt they bought legitimate and enforceable.  

3) The head's of this company are from India.  They bought a US based collections company to collect on loans that originated overseas.  Because they hold a US office but operate outside of the United States where the loans were created, they skirt any laws that would normally protect consumers.  

If you took out a payday loan in the last year that was not from a place that doesn't have a physical store location, check and see where they are based out of.  If the loan is from some company on an Indian Reservation, you are getting screwed.  Stop paying and get a lawyer.  If the loan is from Delaware (US-based) or from Puerto Rico or some place in the middle east stop paying and get a lawyer.  

If you got the loan from the internet and didn't get disclosures provided by your state of residence explaining payday lending regulations and your rights as a consumer, the company is in violation and needs to be reported.  

Get the lender's license.  If they aren't licensed in your state, chances are (99.999%) that they aren't legal.  Indian Reservations say they have tribal immunity and don't have to follow US law.  That's bull.  You have to follow your state's laws.  Your country's laws.

Someone posted that this company has a "B" rating with the BBB....not true. Remember, per the federal government, you cannot be harassed into paying an old debt.  Know your rights. There is some great information that has been posted on those rights. I got a call from this company regarding an old credit card debt that was paid 4 years ago.  I have the documents to prove it.  They didn't like that answer...and hung up on me.  http://www.bbb.org/chicago/business-reviews/c ... ton-il-88375998

Section 809 of the FDCPA http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf requires 3rd-party debt collectors to give debtors written notice of debt (the key word is *shall*) :
"§ 809. Validation of debts
(a) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing?
(1) the amount of the debt;
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;
(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;
(4) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector; and
(5) a statement that, upon the consumer?s written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor."
****************************************
A Collection Agent May Not?

Here are the top 11 actions prohibited by the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:

Misrepresent Him or Herself

  A debt collector may not misrepresent himself as an attorney or law enforcement officer.

Use the Telephone to Annoy or Harass

  A collection agent may not cause a telephone to ring or engage any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with an intent to annoy, abuse, or harass anyone at the called number.

Threaten Arrest or Lawsuit

  A collection agent may not threaten a consumer with arrest. It may not threaten legal action that is either not permitted or not actually contemplated. In other words, a the threat of a lawsuit may be an empty one.

Use Abusive or Threatening Language

  A debt collector may no use abusive or profane language in the course of communication related to the debt.

Publish a Bad Debt List

  Publishing the consumer?s name or address on a "bad debt" list is prohibited.

Contact By Embarrassing Media

  A debt collector may not communicate with a consumer by post card. It may not use any language or symbol, other than the debt collector?s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram. A debt collector may use its business name if such name does not indicate it is in the debt collection business.

Contact a Consumer at Work

  A collection agent may not communicate with consumers at their place of employment after being told this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer.

Seek Unjustifiable Amounts

  A debt collector may not demand any amounts not permitted under an applicable contract or as provided under law.

Contact a Consumer Represented by an Attorney

  A collection agent may not contact a consumer after it learns the consumer is represented by a lawyer.

Communicate With a Consumer After Receiving a Validation Request

  If a consumer sends a written §1692g response within 30 days, the collection agent may not communicate with the consumer until it mails the consumer the requested verification of original creditor's name and address.

Communicate With Third Parties

  A debt collector may not reveal or discuss the nature of a consumer?s debts with third parties other than the consumer?s spouse or attorney. A collection agent may contact neighbors or co-workers only to obtain location information. It may contact a third party again if it has reason to believe the information the party provided previously is false.

Bills.com FDCPA FAQ

Below are questions Bills.com readers ask frequently:

Can a Collection Agent Call My Cell Phone?

  Yes. However, if you tell the debt collector it may not use that number because it is a cell phone, it may not contact you again at that number.

I Keep Receiving Dozens of Calls From Collection Agents. Is That Legal?

  No. Unscrupulous collection agents will use "block parties" or "office parties" where they contact a consumer, multiple neighbors, or co-workers telling them they need to reach the consumer on an urgent matter. This is not permitted under the FDCPA.

A Collector Says I Will Be Arrested if I Do Not Pay

  This was a true statement before the US Civil War, but has not been true since. People may be arrested if an aggressive judge files a bench warrant for a person who does not appear at a hearing relating to a lawsuit regarding a debt. However, in that case, the offense is the failure to respond to a court order, and not the existence of the debt. As stated above, it is illegal under the FDCPA to threaten a consumer with arrest if the consumer does not pay the debt.

Please do file reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,FTC & FCC..

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
http://www.fbi.gov/
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action
https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

Also read up on the laws and your rights:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ...
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf

And see:

http://800notes.com/forum/ta-86217073a9c8dad/ ... 077595690349410
************
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
************
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm

I also was getting calls from them. They claimed to be trying to settle a debt from Greenwood Holdings Group. I have never even heard of them, and I am on top of my finances, I called the only people I have a loan from to make sure they werent going by a different name and they said no and that my account was fine. So whoever these people are they are a scam, I even check my bank account for the money two months before and after they claim to have put it in and there is nothing there. Then I checked foe greenwoods license and they dont have one. So even if they try anything, which they wont, they cant win because they have no license. As for halsted, they are rude and refuse to give any information and will hang up on you if you try to stand up for yourself against a scam. They are true frauds and they work with scammers!

not until they actually serve you and take you to court - and it is illegal for them to say this to you anyway, let them go to your recording device and contact a debt collection lawyer. I have helped many residents at my work collect money from people like this - they cannot act like the law or threaten garnishment when they do not have a judgement - two residents received $1500 in compensation from companies saying exactly those things to them on the phone.

I made an arrangement with them to repay a debt, I was going to use money from by husband and my last unemployment check. Then I  asked to postpone, because I am starting a new job next week, I have been out of work for over a year and needed the money to get back and forth to the new job. I spoke to my rep about cancelling and making a new arrangement, she had me speak with her manager, he basically repeated the converstion between myself and the rep, and  he was threatening and loud. I told him I worked collections before and can make another arrangement.  When I told him he was raising his voice, he told me I was too sensitive and I need to chill out. I told him, have at it, its been too long between jobs and I am not going to jeopardize this one. He said they will do a search for my W2 and do a wage assignment, I told him to have at it

They also call from 877-220-4461

If your debt is over 7 years it can not appear on your credit report.  Legally you may owe the debt, but they can't do anything if you don't pay.  It is past the staue of limitations.

I received a call from them telling me that if I don't setup payment arrangements that they can have my employer garnish my wages with a court order? Can they do this?

I to have received calls from these bottom feeders and requested they never call or harass me as the debt is over 10 yrs old and will not give them a dime.  the debt is not theirs,  
  These people call me nasty names and hang up on me.   SCAMMERS

I just got a call at work and they told me they will continue to contact my work until this bill is paid and would not listen to me at all.  I know I owe this debt but am not able to pay it right now.  They threatened to send the bill to an attorney and I told them to go ahead and do that because I am not able to pay at this time but fully intend to once my husbands get on full time.  They are very mean people and would not work with me.