I received a call today from this number looking for a relative of mine with a very common name.  He did not identify himself or the company.  He stated my relative listed my address as his place of residence.  I informed him that he never lived here and I do not know how to get in contact with him.  The man then gave me this number and told me to call it and ask for Charles so that they wont send anyone to my house to serve a warrant.  I called back and he told me my address was removed and asked that I give my relative his number to contact.  I'll get right on that.  

Thanks for this info.  I just got a voice machine recording from this number.  The caller spoke very fast and, conspicuously didn't identify what company or agency he was affiliated with.  He left the name Charles Laughlin.  He also mentioned a property by address (that we have never heard of) and conspicuously didn't mention what state it was in.  

My wife and I have pretty sterling credit, but we've also got common names and there are multiple individuals with similar names and (supposedly) bad debts who we get calls for.  Mostly, these just roll over to the machine and we ignore them (after having spent some time trying to stamp them out with zero success).  It's really frustrating that these debt collectors don't have the decency to do the most basic checking: in one series of calls my wife (who's got a name like, but not actually, "Michelle P. Smith") was being accused of being "Michael J. Smith" and skipping out on the debt for his vasectomy!

This is a new level of personal harassment, though.  I'll let him waste his time for a while, but will have do something about it if it gets too frustrating.

That officers will be coming to the house to serve court papers. They claim to have no other details and wanted me to give them information. Refused to let me get an address or manager name and hung up on me.

Thank you... For the information.

Please do file reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,FTC & FCC..
Also look up the statue of limitations for your state!

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://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
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http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm
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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."
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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.

I'm half asleep, and i was just woken up my a call from mr laughlin over a bank account from my past. with out thinkin i agreed to pay in installments but i felt uncomfortable slightly so i said i didnt have a bank account, which i actually do,  just a reloadable visa card & he agreed to take that information. afterwards i looked him up & found this. needless to say i just cut the empty walmart reload card up & tossed it in the trash. lol

So I just figured out that their scam has new levels. When I was on the phone with them, they supposedly put me through to several companies in order to trace ownership of the debt. Well thanks to this website I just put those numbers in and what shows up? ALL of these numbers are also companies that have been noted for their bad practices! In fact, one of them, 8773824357 shows that it's a debt collector/sweepstakes scammer/credit card scammer in Texas that was shut down by the FTC in January! The next number, 8668979080, is the same exact company, just one of their other names, World Wide Recovery. You'll notice that name in my original post as well as some others. Another, 8669298029 is listed as a Everest Asset Management which also has tons of posts of bad practices, and which, coincidentally, isn't the name of the company that I was given. The last is 8777624122, which is United Credit Recovery. They have been sued by other debt collection agencies for selling them bad debt, though I will admit Portfolio Management Group lost, but that's just because these people are good at what they do. I have followed this line of fraud from my recent contact through to this company and it seems this could be where it all originates. United Credit Recovery sells your debt to MANY different people, and then it is paid off through one or even more of these other companies and then OTHER companies call and say that they own it because they have also bought it. This is not to say these other companies are not at fault. If, like me, you come across those companies who know what a joke it is and say they will take it off your credit immediately, those guys are the good guys. However, Pacific Coast Mitigation and their affiliates are not those people. They are in league with these scam artists. BEWARE!!!

Okay folks. So this Mr. Lofton, or Lofpon, Laughlin, Rothman, Jason Rogland, Durham, Durbin, Steve DeAngelo, Tom Cramer, Rudy Sardina, Heidi Hernandez, one site said the owner's name is Victor Diaz, another James Trent (I've been researching this all day and have found several different names for what I'm assuming is the same person), is not really an attorney but he is a total jerk. He contacted me about a debt that has been paid off for 2 years now. He told me he would serve me an arrest warrant, he said he was an attorney, he said he bought this debt from the bank even though I called the bank and they said they hadn't had any control of it for 4 years and are showing my paid in full letter on file. He is a scam artist. There is also supposedly someone there with the last name of Vasquez, which seems to be pretty standard for all the sites I have seen, but what's interesting about him is that some people have claimed they have spoken to him as the manager, but when I've spoken with him and asked if he knew anything he presented as merely someone who answers the phone. One site even said that he gave them a California bar number! Very interesting. They have gone under the name Shekinah, possibly Capital Recovery (though I'm not 100% on that one), Coastal Asset Management, DK Consulting (another one I'm not sure about), Worldwide Recoveries, Coast Mitigation, Pacific Mitigation, Alliance Mitigation, Pacific Coast Mitigations. I've even seen a site that claims they did fake loan mods and scammed people out of money. You can look it up under a different phone number on this site, 9498124684 and see more reviews of this company. Apparently they also went under the name Shekinah until they were busted. They are a doosy. When I asked the guy if he could send me proof that he did in fact own my debt, he told me he couldn't because my address is fictitious. It's not. I asked him to read it back, plus he had already told my dad he had my address when he told him he was going to have me arrested and it's the correct one. Maybe I should have told him I could save him some time because my husband is a correctional officer! When I asked him where I could send my paperwork to prove that it had been paid, he said it didn't matter what I sent because I was a liar and I was wrong and I must've been scammed by those other people. What's funny is, though I did deal with a crappy company when it was paid off who did in fact sell it to several other debt collection agencies after it was paid, I have already gone through the process of contacting those companies who were all too willing to dismiss all this when they realized the situation. Pacific Coast Mitigations on the other hand just wants to bully people around. I've contacted a lawyer and I'll try to post updates as to what happens. I'm posting info about these people on several different sites. We all have bad debt sometimes and they just assume we are all idiots. Well they screwed with the wrong person.

he called me too and the tone of his voice had me n my daughter very disturbed and glad i goggle it thanks for the info whats wrong with this people do they know how to write a professional letter and advise how we can settle everything with out the force of tone and fear in to our children

got a call from David a dn then a Mr. Lofton regarding a summons for a relative that was to be delivered to my home.
Called them back and asked for their mailing address and Mr. Lofton called me a kook for asking and got very abusive saying he wasn't going to give that address out and since he deals with thousands of people a day, unless I gave him my information he wouldn't give me his and hung up.
If you get a call from this number, ask them to identify what it is they are trying to collect, the amount, the account number and whom they purchased or were assigned it from, ask their mailing address to send them a certified letter requesting they validate any debt they are trying to collect. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOU. Block your caller ID efore you call them. If they do not give you information you request, HANG UP.

They are trude, belligerent and will try and scare you with threats about Police showing up etc. is all BS and call them on it. If they say they will deliver a civil complaint, ask them to what address they will deliver it to and have them do it.

If someone is calling you saying you owe a debt, you have a right to demand validation of that debt by the company calling you, in writing through the mail (not via email or fax).  Insist they give you their mailing address so you can send a certified-mail letter demanding validation of the debt, and proof that they are the legal holders of the debt.  If they refuse to give you their mailing address, then you can assume they are trying to scam you.  Do not under any circumstances give them any information about you or admit you owe the debt.  You have rights under the FDCPA.

M first call from this number was a message stating they ad tried to contact me numerous times and if I didn't call them back by 10 pm the next day there would be no reason to call them. No name was left. Come to find out in guess they are looking FO a different person. But the man that left the message was quite aggressive and pushy that I needed to call him back right away. This person does not live here nor do I know who this person is. If this number continues to harass me I'll post again.

Lisa I just got the same call your boyfriend did and just goggled the number and found your message the same mr lofton called me as well thank for the post

My boyfriend received a call from this number and he decided to pick it up to find out who it was. A person by the name of Lofton stated he was collecting on an outstanding debt but did not provide the name of the collection agency he worked for. He knew my boyfriend's name and information about an old bank account he had, which he said he was trying to collect on. He said the balance was for over $1, 000. My bf and I went to the bank where he had this account and they did some research. They said he only owed $350 for the bad account and whoever this person is, was not who they sold the account to. They said it might be a scam and to be avoid giving them any personal info.