PLS Associates is managed by Ahmad Zubair Amozgar (not a US citizen).  BG and M Associates, which is run by Barbara O?Neill,  is only one office of a larger organization and it is directly connected to another collection agency in Temecula, which goes by the name of Smythe, Stone and Crum aka PLS Associates, which is run by a questionable character be the name of Ahmad Zubair Amozgar (he just got ?promoted to his own office a year ago).  Most recently, another office, also connected, called Clark and Associates, opened just down the road in Murrieta, California, and is managed by James Robert Cork.  Paperwork and training manuals for all three offices have been obtained and all cross-reference in many instances.

Further, the name of an attorney that these offices have been using, at least for letterhead purposes, have turned up at all offices.  I spoke with this attorney today and he confirmed that he ?represents? all three offices but claims he did not know the extent of the illegality involved.  While I do not believe this attorney?s claim of ignorance, out of courtesy I have agreed to withhold his name, at least until such time as my investigation is complete.  I will say that the contact person for his law offices, per the documents produced from the various aforesaid collection agencies, all list a John Alarcon as the contact person.  My research indicates that John Alarcon was involved in at least two lawsuits wherein he was sued, along with an attorney, for among other things, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, etc.  some of the allegations where that Mr. Alarcon falsely represented himself as an attorney, and was actually a signatory to attorney-client fee agreements.  Mr. Alarcon was served these lawsuits  in June of 2011 at 495 East Rincon Ave., #175, Corona, CA?..does this address sound familiar to anybody!!!  Alarcon?s co-defendant, attorney, Raymond Carl Prospero, was disbarred in 2012.  Now Alarcon is the contact person for aforesaid collection agencies.

Alarcon now runs a business called ?Community Law Center? in Corona, CA.  The lawsuits filed against him are in Riverside county, case no.?s RIC 1108501 and RIC 1107045.  He is also prominently mentioned in the disbarment paperwork of Raymond Prospero in 2012.

Two federal lawsuits have also be filed against Bernardo J. Gomez dba LV and V Associates for violations of the FDCPA(Bernardo Gomez is alleged president of BG and M Associates, but it truth he is either a flunky or doesn?t exist, as he is not on their employee list)  Ahmad Amozgar also has two federal lawsuit filed against him for violations of the FDCPA, one for NLS Associates and one for Direct Resource Capital dba DRCC.

What is clear from all the foregoing is that this is a huge operation, well worth the FTC?s time.  Further, because of the efforts to de-centralize the offices, and to have each manager get their own ?crews?. along with other evidence we have obtained out of Corona, it is clear that the real owners have had experience with FTC investigative techniques and procedures.  Is this a ?one or twice removed? Jason Begley operation? Give me a week and I will let you know, we are still tracking bank accounts.

Employees for Smythe, Stone and Crum aka PLS Associates, 1 Ridgegate dr., Ste. 115, Temecula, CA;

Ahmad Amozgar (manager)

Mercedes Burns (girlfriend of manager)

Omar Hassan

Neomi Mezzuca

?actually, the rest will have to wait, by my estimates there are 18 more.

Interesting bit of info?.if you run money through someone else?s account (MSB) to hide said money, that would make one party guilty of tax evasion and one party guilty of  money laundering

I received several calls from a guy name Joseph Sanchez saying he was calling on behalf of HSBC. His number were 909-581-8483 also with number 919-581-4867. After returning his call and no answer I realized was a scam. Please be aware!

There should be a petition to ban debt collectors from using a phone for contact, postal mail only! They have had this privilege for years and have abused it for years. Laws have been made, but the majority ignore them. They harass elderly people, sick people, or disabled, they do not care. If they are told they have the wrong number or the wrong person they ignore and keep harassing. Telephones are owned and paid for by the individual for contact with people they wish to stay in contact with. These people should not have the right to intrude other people's homes via the telephone that they pay for. It's time this Country stopped allowing harrassment of our elderly, sick or disabled by debt collectors, if they can't send proper information as required by law via postal mail, then they should be out of luck. Obviously the fines for them breaking the law are not stiff enough to get their attention.

949-484-0778  left a vm saying imperative I call back. Left no name or company name. I called back and was "transferred" sounded like the same woman and she asked if I knew (insert name) who is my father in law. I said yes and asked who this was. She told me she was calling from PLS and associates. A law firm and needed a statement regarding property. Asset and liability. She gave a call back number 888-437-2137 and a reference number he'd need when he called.

So they have called my cell and my employer today.  They even went so far as to fax a verification of employment and income to my hr coworker (she promptly shredded it).  I guess these tools need to check their info.  They wanted verification of my property (I don't own any and rent the house I currently live in).  They can not explain the debt, leave threatening messages and voice mails, and harass you at work.  NOT a legitimate collector, and as not a legitimate debt.  They are scam artists trying to get access to your financial information so that they can take your money.  Do not respond!

Also, for note - in this letter, Mr Sanchez has my "original credit account number." I called HSBC and gave them this account #. They stated that this is neither the account number or card number on my file, and they say the debt was handed over to another company to settle. That company is apparently off today for the holiday, and was closed on Fri (when this all happened) due to snow.

I got a call from this company and spoke with Joseph Sanchez - he asked me to verify my assets as they were soon to be seized for a debt I owe for an old credit card. I had a rocky financial past and am doing my best to pay back anything I owe, but this company originally asked for over $8000 on a cc that had a $250 limit. Now I explained to this man that I don't have any assets. I don't own my home, I don't own my car and I have $25 in a checking account. (I had my identity stolen last year, along with $3000 from my bank acct) (which I got back) so I'm wary of checking accts right now... Anywho, Mr Sanchez offered me a settlement where I pay $600 dollars this month and $600 next. He sent me a letter that I'm to sign and return ASAP admitting to the debt and accepting the payment plan. I want to take care of this, but I feel I am being swindled. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'm so glad I found this blog!  I have been receiving calls for the past couple of weeks from a lady with the last name of McCoy about a 1700.00 debt owed to Discover from 2007.  The original debt was originally for my husband so I was a bit confused as to why she was calling me.  Somehow she also got my in-laws number and my work number (I'm a teacher so phone calls are a no-no) and has continued to call those numbers.  She asked me questions regarding my debt and even made me question that possibly I just didn't know about the credit card.   However, I thought it was unusual that she wanted to set up the payment plan immediately and did not want me to speak to my husband first.  I looked up the statues of limitations on credit card debt and it is 3 years for a law suit by creditor in my state.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
1. Please check your state statue of limitations before you set up any type of payment.
2. Everyone can get one free credit reports per year from each of the credit companies.  If you doubt the validity of the debt, you can actually check your credit report to see if the debt is recorded under your name.
3. Contact the original creditor.  Though I will say it is difficult to get information from the creditor if you don't have an account number, etc.  

Please let me know if you have any more suggestions for me!

Got a voice mail 1/22/14.  Someone named Joy didn't give company info, only call back number 1-888-533-2123 (no extension, which is odd when reading all the above posts with this same #) and a "File number", regarding "property" at "123 Blah blah" Street.  She said she'd tried to contact me (didn't say anyone's name) several times & that I should call back "today".  My father just passed away, and this was where he had been living, so I called back thinking I'd forgotten to take care of one of his bills or something.  Turns out it was for my brother, but they wouldn't give any info.  I told her I'd give him the message, which I did.  I have since received several more voice mails from her in the week since, even the day after I spoke with her!  One call was for a completely different and unknown person.  They can't even keep their records straight as to who they are scamming!  Feeling unjustly harassed and really stupid that I fell for her ruse and confirmed I knew the person, I called back and changed my story and complained that I already asked to be removed once & didn't know the people she was calling about.  After she argued with me and questioned me over and over I again asked for my number to be removed.  She ignored me so I asked for a supervisor.  Only THEN did she say she "could" remove my number.  I thanked her & hung up on her.  After reading all of these posts, it is obviously a scam and I'm glad I gave her a lying taste of her own medicine.  We will see if they call back.  If so, it's on now that I know they are all just trying to rip unsuspecting people off.  Oddly enough, the company name "PLS Associates" was never mentioned, nor the number 949-954-7550.  But when I called back today I was accidentally routed to the front desk, where a nice young man let me know the company name was "Financial Litigation Services LLC".  I tried looking the name up online, but got nothing for that specific name.  When I put the 888 number in google search it brought me here, thankfully.  So BEWARE of these company names, employee rep names and these phone numbers so you don't get ripped off.  Anyone that won't give you their company name over the phone, or will only give an acronym but won't break it down for you, should just be hung up on.  And if someone is being vague over the phone DO NOT give them any info they don't already have.  No idea how these people look at their families when they get home from "work" every night.

New number and new staff? Same idiots!
Now pulling credit reports for more "realistic" info

1 (866) 644-4082

Find uot if the debt is past statue of limitations ask for proof u owe it then write them a dispute letter thats what I did never heard from them again.they are very shady people do not speake to them to much they lie and lie

I received calls from the same #'s with messages from Jose Sanchez, Jeff Williams!!!

I got a call from Jose Sanchez as well claiming that I owe money to wachovia as well and he also contacted my employer to verify my info...income, name address...please tell me how to proceed!!!!

Just received a call from Sheila McCoy at 949-954-7550 x 217.  She is looking to find a family member.  I'm sure glad I looked up this company on the internet.  Now I have nothing to say to her.

This company is trying to reach a member of my family and trying to find them through my ex-husband.  No idea what they want or why they are going through me to find them.

I am so sorry I did not look here sooner. Last year around this time I got a call from a Jose Sanchez saying that he was calling from a law office about a case Wachovia had against me. He became very rude and aggressive when I told him they would have to take me to court because I don't owe them any money. When he continued to tell me I would be sorry and they are going to garnish my wages and all this nonsense I told him to mail me the info and this conversation is over. I could tell the only bar he ever passed was made by Hershey from the way he spoke anyway, so I saved his info as A$$HOLE JOSE and went about my business. Whenever he would call I just ignored it and I never received any mailings or court papers. Last week my mother calls me saying she had gotten a voicemail from a woman saying my mother's name and phone number was associated with an investigation into the address of a home I had rented a few years ago. There was a fire at the home recently so, I thought it was some sort of insurance investigation and called them back. A woman answered and put me on hold after I gave the reference number provided. A man answered and as soon as I heard the voice I knew it was A$$HOLE JOSE so I decided to play along and see what he had to say since he went through so much trouble. This time he told me he was Alex Lopez calling about my account with Wachovia. I told him that I had contacted Wachovia/Wells Fargo to verify this debt but they have no record of it. He politely explained to me that I most likely had the wrong number, I need the number to the Debt Recovery Dept. I can give it to you its 800-945-7745 they can verify the debt and who we are. (At this point I was offended that he thought I believed him, but I was in a devilish mood and wanted to see how far this would go.) I took the number and called it. It had a little automated announcement and everything then a chick answers (On a Sunday morning, God forgive me and them.) "Wells Fargo Bank" I said "Yes, is this the Debt Recovery Dept.?" she says "May I have your account number and social so I can look up your account." I said "Is this the Debt Recovery Dept?" she said (This is the best part!) "I can neither confirm nor deny that this is the Debt Recovery Dept." WHAT? I said "What do you mean? Is this Wells Fargo Bank?" her "Yes, this is Wells Fargo Bank and that's all I can tell you without your account number and social." me "well, can you connect me to the Debt  Recovery Dept." her "I can connect you to customer service." I hung up. This morning as I am submitting my complaint to the FTC good old JosAlex calls and i tell him about the number and the woman I spoke to and he verified the number with me and says "They probably had a high call volume and had to divert calls, but that's the correct number." So I just sat on the phone with him asking questions about what happens if I don't pay and what kind of payment plans they do and all then he had nerve to tell me that I should just take the money into a B of A and put it into their account so I don't have to get any fees. Who are these people?

So, here is the info :
PLS and Associates
27472 Portola Pkwy Suite 205
Foothill Ranch CA 92610
Callers were a woman calling herself Ms. Steel, a man calling himself Jose Sanchez or Alex Lopez and the fake bank rep said her name was Stephanie Wills.
Phone numbers:
949-484-0778 (original call)
888-533-2123 ext 218 (message left for my mother)
800-945-7745 (fake Wachovia/Wells Fargo line)
Their is a a previous poster that gave the same B of A Account info that was given to me and the name on the account was PLS Capital Group.

I got a similar call today from (949)-484-0778 claiming they were from PLS & Associates. They asked for the person by name. Then when I said they were unavailable they proceeded to give me a number to have them call back. It was 1-888-533-2123 ext. 305 with PLS & Associates. The guy said his name was  Shawn Adams. I looked it up online and was unable to find anything out about this "so called" company. Is this a scam or something I should be concerned about? They said they needed this person to call back as soon as possible regarding a legal matter. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

OK, so these guys are looking to "Make a settlement" for 'a Wachovia account' that they say was defaulted on.  So my nephew gets this letter that states "You can settle the whole thing for $902.98.  Here's the clincher, he had no such account ever with wachovia and that "PLS & Associates" wont discuss the origin of the original debt.  Which means they are fishing.  Everyone seems to be getting hit up for roughly a grand.  Don't send any of these idiots money

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
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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.

Wow, my story is almost verbatim as all the others on this report about "PLS and Associates" with the exception of it being a returned check fee from a closed Wachovia account in 2009. My so called contact person was Jose Sanchez. He was willing to settle my account for 709.00 for the original fee of 35.00. I demanded written information, stating that if he had the info he was going to use to take me to court, then he certainly had the info I would need to prove he was legit. Of course there has been no response to that. Just more threats and blustering over the internet. Thanks to all of you that helped me prove that it was a scam and providing me with some relief.

At first I was very freaked out by this call. They knew a lot about me and said I was having a legal matter filed against me. They read off my information and knew a lot about where I lived and even the last of my social. They wanted $1500 or they were going to file with the county for $6000. Lucky for me I was smart and called by father first and now I find this site. I don't know really what to do next but first order is to call Wells Fargo. The woman on the line told me she was in Ontario but when she sent me the payment form it was listed for Foothill Ranch and the address...yup UPS store. Her name was Chloe Lane and she gave me her direct line of 909-458-0450.  The scary part is how much they knew about me. With the amount of identity theft around I have always tried to keep close care to keep my information off the line but they still got it some how which makes me believe that may Wells Fargo is helping them like how Zion Bank was just found to be helping scammers. And all the calls listed here seem to be in the last few weeks. I hope anyone that gets a call from this people finds this site, because this is very stressful to find out.

Received voicemail on May 15, 2013 from a Kelly Smith claiming that she's calling about a pending issue in her office.  States she's made several attempts (stresses the word several) to contact me cause she needs to verify info on my property. (gives my address). Tells me it's imperative that I contact her office right away, her number there is toll free 888-310-6510.  Also leaves a "reference" number.  I called the toll free number and a lady answered the phone not by a company name but by saying corporate office.  When I asked the company name she countered by asking for my name which I did not give.  I gave her the reference number, that was left on my voicemail and she said it was my son she was looking for, they needed a "statement" from him and wanted his contact info.  I informed her I would pass a message on to him but would not give contact info to her.  My son called them and asked for a physical address were he could mail a certified letter of validation and was told by the woman he spoke with that she was at a "remote" and did not know the address..??   Lucky for my son I have several friends who are attorneys, a couple who are Assistant DAs and I'm also friends with the DA here so we are getting very good advice on how to handle this matter.   I also wanted to add that I've discovered this company is connected to at least 3 other companies (2 are Law firms..  never known a lawyer to own and practice at 2 different firms) and the same lawyers' name keeps showing up as either the owner or President on the other 2 businesses.

My sister received a call from this phone number asking for me. When I called the number back, a female answered the phone "corporate office". When I explained that my sister had received a phone call from this number I was placed on hold and a different female picked up the line, proceeded to explain to me that I owed Wells-Fargo $843.00 for an overdraft on an account in 2009, but they were willing to settle with me right now if I send Them $500.00" This lady emphasized that if I were to speak to Wells-Fargo about this issue, it would be out of their hands since it was sent to a collection agency, AND I was not to pay the money to Wells-Fargo directly. I asked this female to send me a copy of the claim, and she agreed to do so, but I did not receive it until 5:00pm Friday afternoon. (original call was placed Thursday morning). I have asked for credentials and was never given an answer. I looked up their address (27472 Portola Pkwy., Ste.  Foothill Ranch, CA 92610) This is a UPS store. If you call this phone number, a girl will answer "Corporate Office" and you get passed along to someone else. The website they attached in my email (http://www.pls-associates.com) takes you to what appears to be an unfinished website with a heart and the words "My Site, This is my description".  Better Business Bureau doesn't know who they are. My "payment arrangement date" has come and gone, and although I have chosen to ignore any future responses from them, they have not written back to me since I asked for their credentials.

I was contacted by a gentleman that was claiming to be a legal rep for a collection agency. He stated that I had written a bad check from a Wells Fargo account back in 2009. Due to never resolving this issue, I was being taken to court and sued for $3000+.  He stated that if I made arrangements to pay an agreed upon amount then they would retract the court documents from litigation. When I agreed to settle to $600 is when things got strange. He gave me a Bank of America account number and told me to go to my nearest branch and deposit money in that account. When I had done that I was to call him back and give him the transaction number. This sent a red flag high into the sky for me. I called Wells Fargo and they check Chex Systems and didn?t find any delinquent accounts associated with my Social Security number. I also called Bank of America and they stated that the method that this company was attempting to have me pay to was in the parameters of a scam. I called a friend who works for a repeatable  collection agency and they had not record of this company.  I called the company again and asked for an account number for ?my? Wells Fargo account. The gentleman got extremely defensive. This information that I collected from this ?company? is as follows?

PLS Capital Group
Contacted by Aaron Holder
Call back number given 888-310-6510 ex 229
Caller ID number shown 949-954-7550
Wells Fargo ?account? number 12000008964390200 (Wells Fargo Stated that this is not a real account number)
Bank of America account number I was told to deposit money to 2786274748