Yesterday I received a voice mail from a woman who said her name was Judith Sharp. She said she was calling in reference to my ex-husband about a complaint filed against him, and if I didn't call back immediately they would "deem the address and phone number correct and proceed without you, including contacting your employer." I immediately began wondering if it was a scam because the woman didn't identify who she worked for or what kind of complaint she was referencing. I was also suspicious because I have not had any contact with my ex-husband for six years, and we have been divorced for over eight years. I searched for the phone number online and found that many people have received calls and messages similar to mine. By the way, the phone number is 844-833-4213.

This morning I called the number to see what sort of nonsense I would hear (sort of my entertainment for the morning). The woman who answered never said the company name when she answered - she said, "Corporate Office." She transferred me to a man who immediately began asking about my ex-husband. I asked him the name of his company, and he said it was Mainland & Associates. He asked for contact information for my ex; I told him that I don't have any and that I have nothing to do with my ex. He said that my ex identified me as a point of contact. I said that that wasn't true because we haven't had anything to do with each other for eight years. He then said I needed to contact my ex and tell him to contact them. I again informed him that I have nothing to do with my ex, I don't even know his phone number, and he said if I didn't talk to my ex then I would be served with his documents. When I asked what sort of documents he was talking about, he said that I would find out when I was served. I again tried to tell him that I don't know where my ex is or how to contact him, but he raised his voice and talked over me. He did this every time I tried to say something he didn't like. I told him where to go and hung up.

Do not give these people any personal information, and absolutely do not give them any money if they claim you owe a debt. If you ever get a call like this - where a caller does not identify their company name, field of business, or any specific information - assume it is a scam until you do some research.

p.s. For Call Type I chose Prank Call because I do not believe these people are legitimate debt collectors; I think they are con artists.

# 844-833-4213

I received a call from 713-359-9052; a male identified himself as Michael Johnson, he stated he was a process server and was trying to serve papers. He went on to say he would give me two hours to call 855-384-5933 and provided a case number. I asked him what it was in regards to and he said he couldn't tell me so I hung up on him after advising him he was not to call the number anymore.

For the record, a process server does not:
Call you to ask you where you are; they have your address.
Give you a phone number to call in a set amount of time so you can avoid being served.

Ask for the information pertaining to the "legal matter" to be mailed to you; if it is a true and genuine legal matter, they will ALREADY have this information and will not need you to provide it to them.

Be very careful with these people.  Before you make any type of arrangement to a so called debt that you owe, FIRST call Experian and pull your credit report.  Also, Make sure they can send you documents proving this is your debt.  THIS COMPANY IS FRAUD and are able to pull your credit report.  They ask for credit card info and not checking acct.  I was very scared that they were going to garnish my wages because I was not sure if i really owed such debt since i have been trying to clean my credit up. I assumed it was one of my accounts, so I gave them my debit card info to set up payments.  I then thought about it the next day and called Experian to send me a Credit Report and a rep also went over what was in collections and what has already been past the 7 or 10 year mark.   See this so called collection agency does not think that we know how to handle such case.  Well they called the wrong person.  I put a freeze on my social and identity theft protection.  I also filed a police report and an FBI report regarding these crooks.  William White claims to be the owner and uses foul language to intimidate you.  He said that he looked deeper into my case and clearly it looked like fraud since at the time I was only 17 when it was reported... Which I know this is a lie... He just realized he was dealing with someone who knew how to do her homework.  I worked for a Financial Institution for 7 years and i know the laws of The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.  DO NOT AGREE TO ANY AND SUCH THREAT!!!! Let them serve you and send you a Judgement... Because all they do is threaten people and scare them when in reality they wont do anything.  THEY ALSO CALLED ME AT WORK WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW!!!! These people need to be stopped.  They answer the phones as "Corporate Office" and try to intimidate people into giving them their credit cared or debit card info.  After I filed my claims I noticed two TRAVEL EXPEDIA charged on my debit card as well.. So these people are just trying to scam you into getting your money.  This is the number they call from 1-855-384-5933 and a so called Mrs. Foster is the one that originally spoke to me first.  She tries to be sweet and try and help you with a payment arrangement.  AND YES I WOULD TAKE CARE OF ANY DEBT, that is why I chose to do so.  But then I thought again and told myself to make sure this was a legitimate Debt.  WHICH IT WAS NOT!!!!!  Be careful!!!! Call Experian first before making any deals.  They use the excuse that you have to HANDLE THAT DAY THAT THEY CALL because in a few hours they are placing a judgement on you!! BULLCRAP!!!!! they just want to scare you!!! Im so glad I caught this before they took all of my money those B*****DS!!!! (Excuse my language)  

did u ever find out if this was a scam? I rec'd a call that they were sending out a judgment to garnish my wages and i got scared so i set up payment arrangements with them. I asked who was the original creditor because i do have some accounts in collections and that have been charged off and that i am very aware of because i have recently pulled a credit report and been paying these little by little because i do not want to get my waged garnished.   They said it was First Bank of Delaware, which is not listed on my credit report but they said it could have been that this bank bought out a bank i owed a debt to a while back... I do not know if this is legitimate or not :(

Thanks for the links I did file a complaint at FTC. The do not call but he still keeps on calling me now with a different  number, it's (909) 343-2216 Pomona Area. Now I have to file a complain at the FBI. This fake group needs to stop if everybody on this blog will file a complaint. They know all your information. This is a serious case of Identity theft.

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

I've been harrased by these people from Mainland Associates Group talked to a guy named Chris
8554558453 ext. 228 calling me at work. This Chris also called me with this # 713 359 9052 Houston  TX Contacted the police and reported it.

Looking for my ex-sister-in-law. Gave them her number but they continued calling other family members because they could not reach her. They claim they need to serve her for some unpaid debt. They reach my brother and tell him he is responsible because he signed too. He can't remember because they've been divorced for over 5 years. They make these terrible threats including "you could be arrested" if you don't make payment. I can't find any information for Maineland Associates Legal Offices. They were supposed to email legal documentation and we never received them. This is a joke and a scam. Don't fall for it. Check your credit report. If you owe anyone, it will appear there. Another number they use is 1-855-455-8453.

Got a call from a blocked number which then gave me this 888-984-3867 and a case number.  The blocked call number said they were a courier service for legal documents and gave me a case number.  When I called the 888 number they answered the phone as "Corporate" nothing else! I asked what Corprate, all they said they were a legal firm.   When I asked this first person what it was about, he said he would transefer me to someone who could tell me.  All the time, I could hear in the back ground like it was a "Call Center".  So I get transfered and they answer the same way "Corporate", nothing like accounting, legal, admin.  So I asked this person what it was about! I don't know if they put me on hold or hung up or what.  I hung up on them.

Bogus call treating to serve me if I didnt pay a debt I've never heard of or had.

These people just called treating to serve me for a bill back in 2008 and tried to pressure me to make a payment after reading these comments I'm glad I hung up on them. Someone needs to put a stop to this.

these people are harassing my family but i called them and told them i knew they was a scam and they hung up on me

I received a call last week from a man who identified himself as a process server.  I refused to verify any of the information he kept baiting me with (like present and past phone numbers and addresses) and eventually hung up on him.

Today he called my mom and said he needed to reach me to serve me legal papers.  I called the number on the message and had to ask repeatedly for the name of the company, Mainland Associates Group.  Finally they told me I am being sued for an 8 year old, unpaid loan from quickpayday.com (this company doesn't exist anywhere on the internet) but I could avoid the lawsuit if I paid the original loan amount immediately.

They also could provide me with NO information about when the loan was taken out, a phone number or address for the company or an address for their company.  Last, no supervisor was available for me to talk to.

I looked up the number they left, 888-984-3867, and it is only listed 2 times on the internet and both listings are for sites that report fraudulent debt collectors.  There is also no company named Mainland Associates Group.

My yahoo email was hacked around the beginning of this year and I think this is how they got the information about me and my family.

What did they tell you? My nerves have been shot. They gave me a docket number as well and I called my courthouse and was told it was a scam,

I have been harassed as well by these people. They yell and scream at you and say their going to freeze your accounts. I went to the police and made a report and now it is in their hands.

My son and employer both received a call from this so-called debt collector, commencing on Friday, June 28.  I did return the call yesterday, and was transferred to a very rude gentleman who not only refused to identify himself, but any information regarding the debt is was supposedly attempting to collect.  He threatened to have my arrested, stated that he did not like my attitude and that I was not to contact his "legal office" again.  I, however, did call again today, leaving a message that I have contacted both my attorney and the CT State's Attorney General's office. And since the representative's last words to me were "I hope you sit in turmoil while you wait for the authorities to come," I used the same phrase at the end of my message because these scammers' days are definitely numbered!

They can't disclose it because there is no "debt"--

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

Received a call from Jason Jean a process server (he says)
number was blocked. he says I have to call 888-984-3867 within an hour.
gave me a docket number and his company is Mainland Associates.
The so-called debt that I owe, he couldn't disclose to me for some reason.

These people keep calling my number saying they are collecting on a debt. They even got my mother in law cell phone.

Mike Mathews @ 213-217-9953 playing Mainland A** Group fraud game !!

Also be aware of the linked moron calling you from CA from 213-217-9953 playing the Mainland Aas Group bull crap    He claims he's the state processor ie for Mainland Aaswholes Group !!!!   His so-called name is Mike Mathews atb213-217-9953     BEWARE !!!!

I was told that every local police fraud department from each state should be contacted and give them the company that is bother you, us and give them the exact full name of that person along with the phone number that they are having called us from or our contacts or family etc and call them back at that number to confirm whom is bothering you and then do NOT confirm your information to them as they do not have legal right to have you give it to them.    They play like they already have it but do NOT FALL FOR IT   Call your local police department's fraud group and give as much information only to he LOCAL PD fraud department and let them take the report and take care of these idiots

ok, read that article and it doesn't make any sense Facebook isn't the actual link to our private information but I guess somehow gets information from our contacts???   Still not making link sense to how this company got my cell name and number including my sister's home???    I've contacted the local polikce and called their fraud department and gave them the name that was given to me through this so called Mainland Associates Group which in itself, isn't found anywhere on a google search.    But their phone number is, and not listed to a company but to this blog about their illegal activity.     Mike or Michael King at 888-984-3867 his so called extension is 228 or just ask for him by full name!!!!!

It's perhaps a long shot, but are you on Facebook?  If so, you might want to look at the article below, which contains the best explanation I've see of why you might need to be concerned not just about you, but also your friends posting data about you.  It's not just email that's affected.  It also includes phone numbers.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/faceb ... -million-users/

Add they are ridiculous when you call them back and somehow get put on a lengthy hold
then the moron who gets on the line with you is not willing to give you any real info on why they are threatening you with legal papers that you supposedly have from them which you do not have.   They proceed to asking you to give "them" your address supposedly to "just confirm" information they claim they already have!!!   Do not fall for this fraud crap from this company whoever they claim to be as its a scam and sounds like fraud trying to get your information to place fraudulent crap on you when it's not yours !!

I just got the worst intimidation ever from this same number and fraud intent
Telling me I need to be served immediatley for a credit company I've never been associated
with nor heard of, plus, they also somehow have my sister's home phone number as well
and called her freaking her out threatening her they were headed to her home to send over
state personnel looking for her sister, me.    Wtf???? And how did this fraudulent company get my name or my cell # along with my sister's home phone number????   What's going on????!!!!!

These people called my employer multiple times and told them they were going to serve me at work and I needed to call back and give them alternate place to be served.  I checked court records and there is no suit filed against me.  I called the number back and got a voice mail box and left a message telling them to call my cell, they "should" have that on file, i refused to give it out, and I wanted to know what state they were in and the name of the company so I could file a complaint.  If they call my cell I will read them the fair debt collections act stating multiple calls over a short period of time are illegal practices and I can report them.

These people called my boyfriend's work saying they needed to serve me.  I called them back and asked them where they were so I could call the attorney general in their state.  When I asked to speak to the attorney in charge of my case and where the case was filed they hung up on me.  Don't let them intimidate you!

Got a call from this number that claims they are with a company called Attorney Services, claim it's a payday loan collection for a company I've never heard of.