I recieved a call today from this Melissa Jones and yes she claimed to be from Latham and Watkins. I pissed her off by repeated asking her to repeat what she said cause I didn't understand. I then ask her to hold on so I could get my husband who works for the attorney general's office maybe he would understand. For some strange reason I lost her call. No my non-existing husband does not work for the A.G. office ;-)

This is what the BBB says on legit versus scam debt collectors http://www.bbb.org/us/article/bbb-advises-con ... and-phony-26492

You are a shill for these scammers who have failed to obey Section 809(a) of the FDCPA http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

I recieved a call saying that faderal charges were being failed on me for a pay day loan & to avoid going to jail I should make payment arrangments with Office Melissa June. They debited my account twice. The first time with my permission & the second time I was just screwed. Fortunaely, everytime something happens with my account I recieve a text so I caught the transaction while it was still pending.

I had too received the same call from this number and first place I did ignore this. But later on I check with my bank records and I did realized that I haven't take care of this loan in past. I spoke to a lady and she was very cam and cool with me. She didn't threaten me she gave me option to take care of this against which I ill get my loan settled and some proof which I will be paying to her and I got it also at the end so it is fact that there are people who scam you about the same but you need to identify with those people by asking them their information if they are calling you from law firm they should have the case id and there batch id and there address which you can verify then only you can go ahead with the payment with them I took care of my loan without any harrasment and got the payment confirmation which I paid to her by thinking everyone is fraud and scam it doesn't work

A Mr. Troy Williams with a middle eastern accent called looking for "Amy" or Amy Boynton. He implied there was something "time sensitive" in returning a call to this number: 908-636-2708 and that legal action could proceed soon. We have been receiving these type of calls for "Amy" for over 8 months. Our phone number is a new listing since August and we do not know "Amy" or anyone connected to her. A google search of Amy Boynton turns up a young child. We did report the calls to local police in New Hampshire 2 months ago. It costs $30.00 to block a phone number from calling, and they often call from other numbers. At first we thought this was a debt collection agency, but several others are reporting this number as a scam and fraud.

I am glad I look up the number that I received calls from. One on my cell and the other at my office. Your story is the same as mind. THank you for the information, I will also contact the Law office of Lathum and Walkins and let them know that Melissa Jones has contacted me using their office information. THank you so much. May God Bless you

I had the same call come in, by the same name and office. I have been getting this calls for months. Everytime different people and different law offies, bascically saying owe them for a payday advance. Bullsh**. I dont owe anyone nothing. So day this call was more instresting, because the lady actually had my social security number, which now has me worried. In the past I have report them to the federal bureau and invistigation, by website. I have been online for months researching and finding that they have been scaming people all over the world. My question is how are u guys getting our personal information, and how have u guys not been caught by now. I hope they get caught soon, cause this is very irriating. They have called my jobs and cell phone with all type of different numbers. I just hope they get caught and spend the last days of their live in prison, for fraud..SO BEAWARE..DONOT SEND ANY MONEY TO THIS PEOPLE OR GIVE UP AND PERSONAL INFORAMATION REGARDING YOU..I REPEAT THIS IS A SCAM A FRAUD BUSINESS AND THEY HAVE PEOPLE ON THIS WEBSITES, VOCHING FOR THEM MAKING IT SEEM LIKE ITS LEGIT. FRAUD FRAUD FRUAD..SCAM SCAM SCAM

To anyone who may read this post and TO EVERYONE THAT RECEIVES CALLS FROM THIS NUMBER :  This number is supposedly attached to a one "Melissa Jones" and also supposedly is the main number to the law firm of  Lathum and Watkins" to their northern New Jersey office.  When I called it this afternoon, a very thick accented Middle Eastern man claimed to be a lawyer for Lathum and Watkins.  Long story short, he would only speak his name so quickly when I asked that it was totally not understandable.  In an angry and upset tone of voice, he gave me the above address.  When asked for the main number of the law firm he would not provide it.  When I asked for Sharon Johnson, he refused to transfer the call until he was talking to the person who the delinquent account was the person they were speaking with.  by the end of this conversation, the person I spoke to who supposedly was a lawyer with this law firm was yelling at me and would not even take my address as a place to send all documentation and then proceeded to hang up on me.  When that happened, I knew I was not speaking with a law firm on the west coast, I was speaking to a scam skank.  First thing I did was google Lathum and Watkins to verify the info given to me.  It was  close but not exactly correct.  I then called the number on the website for this law firm  and was finally connected to a Mr. Phillip  Beeney who found the information I had optained to be VERY EXCITING.  He thanked me for calling the law firm and telling them about what was happening to their good name.  

The following is his recommendation for any further calls coming from this number.  In a very calm , even tempered, and polite voice inform the caller that the law firm of Lathum and Watkins has been notified and they are investigating this situation and will prosecute to the fullest extint of the law and parties associated in a very obvious scam.  He then said to inform the caller that the law firm instructed you to just say good bye and hang up.  Then just hang up.  Phillip said that if the calls became a nuisance or worse, to call your phone service provider and report the numbers and have them blocked so the calls would not be completed.  For the time being until actual people can be arrested and prosecuted, that was about all we could do.

I got the same message at about 1:00pm today saying the same thing about the situation unfolding and everything they put it on my voice mail this time it was a lady. DAM CROOKS IF THEY HAVE TIME TO SIT ON THE PHONE AND SCAM PEOPLE IN THESE HARD TIMES, THEY HAVE TIME TO GO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND GET A REAL JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also spoke to a lawyer and he stated that they hack through payday loan sites. That is how they get their knowledge of the phone numbes. This was from John Barker of Krohn & Moss.

Terrorists are also using these type of ways to fund their ops.

For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan.  The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:

United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General?s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)

You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse.  In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt.  Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.  

Who are they?

In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:

David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida  33150
(Address is likely invalid)

The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates.  Here are some links on them:

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf

They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations.  They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.  

The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:

Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone:  800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)

There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:

Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml

Kansas:  
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html

Colorado:  
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig

Rhode Island:  
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html

West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm

Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.  

"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit.  The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.

Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives.  Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."

Bottom line:

Do not supply the callers with any additional information.  Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up.  If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond.  Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.  

If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.  
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:

* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you.  The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example.  Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.

* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site.  People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.  

* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.  


How to protect yourself:

* Inform your employer.  You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously.  Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work.  If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received.  Save voice mails left if at all possible.  

* Change your number(s).  For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.

Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted.  Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.

* Use Google Voice.  Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use.  Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.  

Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers.  Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script.  At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up.  They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number.  At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again.  (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)

The scammers change their numbers frequently.  Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online.  With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement.  Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.

1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870

So can they really do anything to you?

It's not a simple yes or no answer.  Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.  

So, why haven't they?  

Authorization.  

Why do you think you are being called so much?  Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice?  No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period.  The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past.  Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.

Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough.  A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists.  The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe.  Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt.  See what they say.  A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that.  That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason.  If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution.  In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account.  Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.  

Bottom line:

If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't.  If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't.  Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector.  Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3

We too received many calls from these morons, we were threatened by legal action if we did not pay them any money. I suggested they proceed. I did report this to the FTC and received a case number however, we still receive calls from these morons. Hang up on them and report this to your telephone company as harassment, maybe the telephone company will follow through..Good luck to you

By the way the FTC claims that they know all about this number and it is definitely a scam. I asked them repeatedly and they explained most people getting these calls are afraid and they give their bank or credit card information to them. DO NOT, I repeat. do NOT give them your info.

If you have ever gottn a payday loan - apparently they hacked into the sites and they stole information which is why they have your personal numbers. Do not be afraid there is no lawsuit against you (at least not from these people.)

Definitely a scam and will not stop calling my work number! I cursed them off and they still call. I told them I am reporting them to the FTC (I did) and they still call. FTC where are you???????? They do nothing to stop these people!

Just like the rest of the fraud phone calls that are going around, here is another phone number to be warned about.  Same thing as the rest of them.... caller is of middle eastern decent, with an american name (James Johnson, in this case); claims there is a suit against your social, your or your attorney must call them back or all they can do is wish you good luck as this situation unfolds on you.  Just a bunch of scammers trying to bilk you out of what little money you have.