} i actually care about u dumbass consumers

Yes, your remarks drip with compassion ....  Especially the parts where you scold all the readers for willfully poor money management, as if everyone's story matches the welfare queen fantasy your boss taught you.

} if you sue you can get their agency shut down but that doesnt take away your debt.

Oh, please! A winning FDCPA plaintiff doesn't turn around and pay the contested debt. In clear cases of dirtbag collector behavior, judges are known to order the alleged debt *cancelled* on the spot.

} you just paid about $2,000 dollars for an attorney to pursue when you only owed $500

One, you cannot assume all debts are "owed", and payday loan debt is often made of air. Two, the FDCPA has a cost-shift provision you evidently missed in your six minutes of compliance training. That means the loser Buffalo Bully pays all the costs of his own beat-down in court. Consumer attorneys routinely work on contingency, making the risk very low for plaintiffs, who gladly "handle their affairs" by suing jerks like you into a puddle.

Got a call from this number saying it is green dot, I did just open a card with them a week ago, they actually owe me several hundred dollars right now and I have only had a physical card in my hands for about 4 hours so I know they are not collecting a debt , makes me wonder if they have sold info to companies that pretend to be debt collectors, though they did not tell me I owed anything, only that I should call.

Sounds good.  I just got a call from them, no voicemail, no nothing SO --- I'm trying to be proactive about being left alone.  (I had massive surgery not long ago and do everything I can to pay what I can without having to be asked or tracked.  I HATE owing anybody anything.  I don't need a collector calling me... the debt is already a millstone around my neck and they don't help at all by calling me to remind me I still owe.)

  Anyway... I want this company stopped dead in their tracks. Never to call me again.

How do I do that?

received a call from AGI associates 855-570-4138 and spoke to a John Accord. They threatened to sue if i did not pay a mbna account to them.  i was paying someone else, they did not care, there claim bought it from mbna.  i called bank of america (who bought mbna), they never heard of them.  do not pay this scam artist.

I got the same call, his name is
John Greco,
Legal Assistant                                                              
AGI & Associates                                                                
7421 Douglas Blvd Suite N216                                                            
Douglasville, GA 30135

however the email it came from was Jeremy Cobb cobb.jeremy@thealliancegroup.us
I emailed back and told them to take me off there scam list, they said its my freedom not there's and good luck! LOL I never wrote back not wasting my time and im contacting the state offices and FBI also.  What a joke get a real job people!

I just got a call for the same a** Jeremy Cobb. Advised me that i have a defaulted on a credit card debt and that he was going to file a law suit against me if i dont decide to pay him. I asked for the account number of the credit card and the original debtor. he advised me of the bank and account number. called the bank to verify the account and debt. the bank advised that the account number that they had given me is invalid. called Jeremy back who advised that he didnt care if the account number was incorrect and transferred me to his Legal something John Accord who just argued with me and didnt let me talk and told be that basically that i was screwed and he did not have to provide me with a valid account number. told him that i cant pay then and that i will see him in court. lets see what happens ill keep you informed.
is there anything we can do to them? i want some payback.

I got a call from Jeremy saying he is a legal investigator.  He said his name is Jeremy Cobb with Agion Associates and calling about a formal charge or complaint and I have 24 hours to respond to see what my legal rights are.  He called from 202-400-3495 and told me to call him back at 855-570-4138 x1003.  He gave me a "Baltimore City Docket" number to refer to.  I looked up my legal status on a state website and nothing pending.  I think this guy is a fraud but turned over the info to my lawyer to call him.

I have been getting these calls just about every weeks since the beginning of September.  The first few voicemails I got were automated, stating they were from the CommonWealth...all the same as everyone else's on here.  But today, I received a voicemail (which was hard to understand, the guy talked very low), stating they were from the CommonWealth Investigations, and they had information containing my social security number, and that I had a pending suit filed against me.  Apparently I have written bad checks on a closed account.  I have only had one account, and it's still opened.  The guy's name was either Leland or Jeremy.  I couldn't understand all that well.  He gave me a phone number of 888-392-8605 ext. 1003.  Isn't there some way these people can get nailed???  I have been harassed for almost two months, with at least 10 calls from them.  I decided to save my voicemails for future reference.  This is getting ridiculous...

Got two calls from "Commonwealth" from 202-400-3496 to return their call to 888-392-8605 in order to avoid check systems reporting. When I called them they said they represented World Savings Bank in criminal charges being filed against me (I've never had an account with World Savings Bank). Total scam. I filed a complain. Thanks for posting the website.

Just go to your telephone company web site and BLOCK the offending number, so it will not be able to come thru.
But that's nothing permanent, because those Caller ID spoofers use a number for one day or so, then start to use some other number. The numbers they use are abandoned numbers, not yet reassigned by the telephone companies.
From Wikipedia:

Caller ID spoofing is the practice of causing the telephone network to display a number on the recipient's Caller ID display which is not that of the actual originating station. The term is commonly used to describe situations in which the motivation is considered malicious by the speaker or writer. Just as e-mail spoofing can make it appear that a message came from any e-mail address the sender chooses, Caller ID spoofing can make a call appear to have come from any phone number the caller wishes. Because of the high trust people tend to have in the Caller ID system, spoofing can call the system's value into question.

It is amazing that such a crooked practice is allowed to go on!
Where are the feds when I need them????? I wrote to my US Rep...no response!

Bottom line: IGNORE IT and never give the other side ANY information. PERIOD!

I have also gave the real commonwealth investigations all the information I have on these scammers. I really hope they find them and stop them. I'm fed up!

Mmm...don't panic dear,you cannot go to jail for a civil matter,,this desperate low life debt collector isn't making any money so the fool lies and uses scare tactics on you.
next time this IDIOT calls you ask for FULL VALIDATION PER FDCPA ACT..15USC.1629g SEC.809(b)..
that means when you opened and closed the account
all payments made you have a right to make sure all your payments were credited towards your account
signature on the contract.
THE LAW SAYS IF YOU CANT VALIDATE THEN THE DEBT IS INVALID,THE LAW IS ON YOUR SIDE 100%.
also ask him if he is licensed to collect in your state and he has to give it to you and check it out.
now go to ask.com and type in..WHAT STATES ARE ILLEGAL FOR A PDL LOAN..
you will get a list of 15-20 states and if you happen to live in one of these states you just saved yourself a lot of money..
bottom line if this fool knows your upset he will continue to call you several times a day until he gets money from you,don't get upset,demand your rights and i bet the phone calls will stop in due time
this IDIOT wants you to pay him before you pay your rent or buy food for your kids he doesn't care if your homeless or your kids are hungry.
REMEMBER..FAMILY FIRST,,DEBT COLLECTORS LAST..

buffalo cares...thanks for caring,but you forgot to mention one thing..
there is 15-20 states where a PDL is illegal..go to ask.com,type in what states are illegal for a PDL and if you happen to live in one of these states you just saved yourself a lot of money,,the PDL company will not take you to court and if they do all you have to say YOUR HONOR I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THIS COMPANY DOES NOT HAVE A LICENSE TO LOAN MONIES IN OUR STATE..case dismissed PDL gets fined thousands of dollars
the right thing to do is if you borrowed 500.00 pay back just the 500.00 no interest or processing fees and if you did make payments subtract that from the 500.00.
see you don't have to hire an attorney and spend 2,000.00.
please buffalo cares don't forget to mention the illegal PDL loans

Don't worry.
You CANNOT go to jail for a CIVIL debt!
Got to ftc.gov and read the FDCPA and learn about your rights.
Next time they call you, tell them to go pound sand.

I'm a single mother and scared because these people
Keep harraaing me telling me I have two options
Pay an certain amount or go to jail.  I don't know
What to so so please someone help me .

LOL  First, you wouldn't have received a letter in your box if it were a real summons, you would have been served by a process server.  Second, if you never received any written information regarding a debt prior to your "summons", then they can't issue you a summons.  They must first make an attempt to collect the debt.  I do believe you work for this wonderful company and are trying to scare people.  What a shame you can't get a real job...

Today I called this number I am sick and tired of getting a recording tell me a court action has been filed against me due to check kiting to avoid local authorities meaning jail I should call them the fraud prevention unit.I called them and I said to the guy what was my name and I told him I do not owe any bills or anything. and stop calling me he said he was going to get the judge whatever I guess he was going to say to throw the book at me. I hung up on him.

No I am sorry it is not legit. I had my identity taken two years ago and the stpid b**** is out of the country. They advised me she had outstanding bad checks....true story and the bank who filed charges true bank.  So I guess I was in hopes of progess and an end to my nightmare was coming.  They didn't want money from they just wanted my input in bringing my enemy to justice......but now after reading the stories llooks like she'll be out there causing more trouble in my life....true pity. wish noone else has to go thru it.

I think you need to realize that not all the numbers they are calling are "debtors".  We have a mortgage, which we pay, but no other debt.  They are calling our medical office, so of course we answer all our calls.  I will not call back without checking the number in the future, but you need to realize that not everyone is taking out any loans and are still getting called.  They said the numbers are "auto generated".

They called our medical office claiming "Check Kiting" and that they were calling regarding "Fraud Prevention".  I didn't check the number before returning their call and when I called them back, they said that our number must've been called by an automated pool of random numbers and to ignore the call.  I asked to have our number removed and Mr. Rodriquez was extremely rude.  I am sorry for anyone who has to deal with this organization.

Im a small payday collector from buffalo and i just have to say you guys are all idiots. Just stop answering the phones. They cant do anything like take you to jail or take you to court they just use scare tactics to get you to call back. What you idiots dont realize is when you call back all you do is let the guys know which numbers they have are valid. But ive been in this buisness for a long time. You all keep taking out these high intrest loans and not paying them back and expect it to dissappear. Remember you all are debtors and have been since your first chargeoff Now im a different type of collector i actually care about u dumbass consumers. Stop taking out these loans ppl there not good news. Your bound to have these calls  if u even google payday loan. I dont like my job yes its bottom feeding but i have 3 kids and a house that needs its bills paid. Some of you dont realize most of these payday agencies have full chain of title to collect these debts they just have illegal talk offs which yes if you sue you can get their agency shut down but that doesnt take away your debt. Think about it you just paid about $2,000 dollars for an attorney to pursue when you only owed $500. You win your case shut down the agency but you still owe $500....Good Luck to all you debtors i hope you all handle your affairs

This common wealth people is trying 2 get my mother with the same Sh**t! They said that she was using checks my moms don't even no how 2 text rite!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet alone how would she rite a damn check ! Now my sister found out what's goin on nd come 2 to find out these a***oles r fake!!!!!!!! No 1 mess with my family we are goin 2 pull my mother credit report nd see wat the hell is goin on cuz anit no 1 goin 2 get my mother for no damn 500.00 we are goin 2 get to the bottom of this!!!!!!!!!

Called my about a loan I paid and have proof that says paid it is paid in full.  He ask me if I had a reciept  showing i paid the fees.   I said your joking right?  No he replied.  Says that he works for the Government of Commmonwealth of Washington D.C. and that he was calling to get my side of the story and they would be filing a criminal case against me.  I will be calling my local authorities and FBI.    Shameful ....

just received a phone call from "common Wealth" stating that There is current action against me for check kiting and if I want to avoid local authorities being involved I should call them back at 1-888-267-8555...
This phone call happened at 9pm... I immediately try to remember if I had for some weird reason written a check that hasn't cleared... Nope I have statements from the last 5 years.... WE have never had a payday loan..SO I immediately look this up.What do I find... all but one reply says scam !!!!!!
So my guess  is thee one person who replied that it was a legit company probably works for the company. My husband works for the federal government... if there was any kind of lawsuit we would know as soon as it has begun,,, So good try scammers... but this is the age of the BLOG! which means everyone knows about you!!!

The company name is actually Commonwealth Financial, and the link to their web page is:
http://www.necredit.com/

All contact information is on that page if you should wish to write them a CERTIFIED letter, requesting verification of the debt they allege.  Also be sure to state in the letter that you want them to cease and desist with all contact, written, telephone, or e-mail.  

After they have accepted the certified letter, and you get the green card back, if they ignore your request to leave you alone, find a good local attorney and sue them for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  You will win, and they will be forced to pay you for EACH and EVERY violation.

Also, they cannot discuss your account with any third party, whether an employer, a receptionist at your place of business, your family, neighbors, friends, guy who washes your car, etc.  Keep really good notes on each and every call you get.


Don't worry, they won't produce verification of the debt, because they won't have the paper to back up the claim.

These people are truly bottom feeders.

thank you for this information!  a message was left on my OFFICE voicemail stating that there was check fraud charges pending against me.  Kind of freaked me out until I read your post and saw the actual caller ID number!  Although the 888-267-8555 number is what they left to call back, the caller ID number was  202-400-3496.  I have encountered them before.  They have called my office, told me they were "investigators" about a claim against me in my area.  I WORK FOR A COLLECTION ATTORNEY, SO I WAS READY TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN WITH THEM.  Asked them for their investigator badge number (she didn't have one); asked her if she was with the FBI since she said it was a federal matter (she said she was not with the FBI); asked her if she was with the local police or sheriff's department (she said no); asked her what she was investigating.  The caller said she was investigating fraudulent activity on my bank account (for an account I closed in 2005).  I told her my bank hadn't contacted me, then she divulged that she was a collector on a payday loan that was more than 6 years old.  Told her she had violated every regulation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and I was hanging up. She said she'd call right back.  Told her to go ahead and my boss/attorney would be more than happy to speak with her.

My husband and I received an intimidating voice mail 8/8/11 as well.  They stated they were from the "Office of the Commissioner and stated you (didn't state any names) have a court action filed against you for check kitting alligation - to avoid all proceddings with law enforecment contact the Fraud Prevention Team at 888-267-8555."  I was scared too because we are law obiding citizens and I couldn't believe I was getting this call so I called the police, attorney generals office, fbi and my local court.  They confirmed that this is a scam and I have no court action against me.  I hope these guys get caught because it was a wasted day for me researching there accusations and it makes me sick to my stomach knowing that evil people like this are out there.  Be mindful of these scam artists and don't play the victim.

BEWARE OF THIS DEBT COLLECTION COMPANY!!!!!! I ALSO RECIEVED PHONE MESSAGE STATING THEY HAD MY NAME ALONG WITH SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER WHICH WAS BEING HELD BY THIS COMPANY. WENT ON TO SAY IT WAS REGARDING FRAUDULENT CHECKS AND FRAUDULENT STATEMENTS I HAD MADE AND I NEEDED TO CALL BACK TO TAKE CARE OF THIS MATTER AND KEEP IT OUT OF COURT. SURE DID CALL BACK THE NUMBER REALIZED IT WAS A SCAM DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY. NEXT DAY I CALLED WAHINGTON D.C. POLICE DEPARTMENT ( PHONE NUMBER I WAS CALLED ON WAS FROM THERE) GAVE THEM ALL INFORMATION SINCE THAT IS WHO DEALS WITH FRAUDULENT CHECKS NOT SOME MAKE SHIFT DEBT COLLECTOR TRYING TO RIP PEOPLE OFF!!!!!!! SO IF THESE NUMBERS CALL YOU CALL POLICE DEPARTMENT  IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!
888-267-8555 OR   202-400-3495  !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received a very intimidating phone call today,(8-9-11) they sounded off names of family members and addresses....They said they were investigating fraud against me and that I was going to jail....the woman even went as far as calling me a professional scam artist...then she passed off the call to a guy named John Greckel who claims he was an attorney out of Fayette County Kentucky and he was investigating on behalf of the Fayette County Commonwealth attorneys office....Needless to say I was scared to death.  I did not give him any information and he said I disrespected him enough that charges were being filed against me - I had the phone number 202-400-3499 and 202-400-3495 on my caller id and he had given me 888-267-8555.  Once the phone call ended I jumped on my computer and looked up the phone numbers, and I found all of you.  First thing I did was notify the FBI - then I called the state police.  Because It's a small town, the state trooper took all my information and looked up under my name and social to verify there wasn't in fact a case pending against me then I called my attorney generals office, surprise, surprise, they already had this number on file.  But because this guy said he was investigating on behalf of the Fayette County Commonwealth attorneys office I thought I should give them a call to let them know they had a new employee.  The Commonwealth attorneys office is livid - they said they are going to take every measurable step they can to try to stop these people.  Ray Larsons office went as far as looking up the Bar Association for such a lawyer in Kentucky and no John Greckel could be found.  Sure it took time out of my day to make all these calls, but why should they think they can get away with it.....Lets put a stop to them.  UPDATE: 8/10/11 - Received a call back from the Attorney Generals office - Ms. Graves informed me of a law that stipulates what a collection agency can and cannot say and one thing stood out, if they do not contact you via mail - NEVER GIVE YOUR INFORMATION.  If they do not give you a physical address NEVER GIVE YOUR INFORMATION - turn the tables on them and start asking them questions.  Then inform them to never call you again...if they really are breaking the law.  NEVER initiate the call.  I hope this helps everyone out there - This is not a legal collection agency. - Thank you and God Bless

Had the same thing happen to me that many of you have described above; VM was left on my work number, "There is currently court action filed against you for check kiting allegations, to avoid all proceedings with your local law enforcement contact the fraud prevention team at the Commonwealth at once 888 267 8555".  When I called this number a very fast speaking rep, hurriedly spat out, "...this is Investigator (inaudible), we are investigating a fraud claim.  I kept asking what her name was and what she company she was with.  After she glossed over providing the info I'd requested.  

She "had to review my fraud file to make sure she was looking at correct information".  She wanted to confirm my checking account info.  At that point I told her if she was investigating this, she should have it. Once she realized I wasn't going to provide any info...she finally came clean about being a debt collector.

Does anyone have the address so that I can file a complaint?