What to Do When Fake Debt Collection Scammers Call
I got a phone call message which said someone would be by my home and place of employment to give me a summons. That kinda startled me. Then later I called the number back and spoke with someone. They said I had this old debt, I told them that I never had such a card. They then told me that I should be getting served a summons and would need to fill out my court documents. But, if that happen yet I could settle over the phone for .50 on the dollar.
They didn't know who was supposed to serve me (sheriff) and didn't even know where I lived. They just rattled off addresses.
They kept threatening that the court date would be set as soon as the guy showed up at my house.
In haste I made a payment in full (reduced amount of course) to settle and not go to court!
Thinking back, they totally got me! I totally drew a blank on the SOL.
What tricked me the most was they said I, or someone, had made payments for the last 10 years... Yeah right!
So what do you the best course of action is here? I paid on a credit card and was just going to pay it off (keeping a zero balance is habit now).
Should I cancel the payment? Did I screw up the SOL?
They also emailed me a contract but I haven't read it so haven't signed it.
I was thinking to reply that they need to state they won't take me to court and that they have called off the summons... Basically get them to admit to their illegal bullying threats so I could collect the fines from them.
What do you advise? Thanks.
Was I just scammed by a debt collector? What can I do now?
—TJ
Believe it or not, there are varying degrees of debt collection scams. And it is because of these differences, my feedback to people who interact on this, and other sites I participate on, can change. I wish things were more cut and dry, but because licensed and bonded debt collectors can say and do the darnedest things, even when they are collecting legitimate debts, there are blurred lines. Add to that the fact that fake debt collectors continue to get better at… faking it, things can become less clear.
What to do, and how to go about doing it, when you suspect you are being called by an outright debt collection rip off artist, can be different than when you are dealing with a debt collector crossing the line with their unprofessional actions. I am going to focus on the fakers first.
When Fake Debt Collectors Call You
There has been a rash of fake debt collection scams of late. Ten years ago it was not something I would run into. Nowadays, between my site, and many others that are part of my daily activity and news feed, I see a reference to some fake debt collector on a near daily basis. And some of what I see shows that the scam is getting more sophisticated.
Here are some things to look out for from a debt collection scam phone call.
- The debt collector opens the call with an immediate sense of urgency statement. This would mean saying something with an or else that packs a punch, like; you are going to be sued later today if we cannot get a payment set up right now; there is someone coming to your work to serve you a lawsuit.
Legitimate debt collectors and process servers do not make these threats. They just show up. The fact is, virtually any debt collection lawsuit that someone took the trouble to file, is going to serve you with it before talking word one about payments. That is just how that kind of escalated collection action works. There is such a low probability that a legitimate debt collector will both threaten you with an “or else” set to happen same day (or close to it), while simultaneously suggesting your payment will put a stop to it, that the chance of this being a fake debt collection scam are high.
- A debt collector mentions anything about your arrest.
There are very limited instances where you could be arrested for not paying an unpaid bill. Court fines and fees reach to that level, and so can unpaid child support, but unpaid credit cards and other types of debt do not. An exception could be if you were sued, and there is a legitimate judgment entered in the court. If there was an order from a judge that you did not follow, like appear for an asset discovery hearing, it is possible to have a bench warrant out there. But that would be for failure to comply with the courts order, not for lack of payment on a civil judgment. And debt collectors do not call you up to inform you of that in my experience.
- The debt collector refers to themselves as an investigator, or that they will contact the investigator on your case.
Debt collectors that are trained properly cannot act in a false or misleading manner in an effort to get you to pay. Referring to any investigator is awfully close to suggesting there is law enforcement involved in collecting the debt. This is an intimidation tactic. These kinds of words and phrases are not used by legitimate debt collectors.
- They will not name the collection company they are working for.
Debt collectors are required to inform you of who they work for, and the debt they are contacting you about. Any pause with, or failure to identify themselves clearly and immediately, is a huge red flag.
Debt Collection Scams are Getting Sophisticated
Some debt collection scams are designed for the quick cash. They need to scam as quick as they can using a few phone calls to their mark, or to your family members or work place. How is it that a fake collection scam can get the information they need to really cause you stress and pressure you to pay them something?
- They can learn about you, your family, friends and work place through social networks.
- Scam debt collectors with a higher level of sophistication can potentially purchase data about you directly from the credit reporting bureaus, or through a data aggregator or software company, just like legitimate debt collectors do today.
- A legitimate debt collector may have had your debt at one time. Perhaps they did not know their CMS or data management system was hacked, or files copied and sold to someone with a fake collection scam going.
In fact, the debt a scam collector may say you owe is something that could still show on your credit reports, or that once was on them. That is why you may recall the debt in the first place, and be susceptible to fork over some money to stop a fake lawsuit, arrest, or potential embarrassment.
Websites are now being published by some of the fake debt collection scams. When someone shares the name of the supposed collection scam company, I usually see what I can find online about them. I rarely see any company web presence. But more recently I am seeing some decently designed, but very basic websites with the scam company name, or something close to it as the URL. Legitimate debt collectors in this day and age have larger, more well put together web sites, and a strong web presence in general. Fake collectors websites that I have seen tend to have a home, about, and maybe one or two additional pages. The pages are skinny on any details and have no industry badging that you find on legitimate collection company sites.
When the Real Thing Looks Like a Fake
I was not kidding about some of the ways licensed and bonded debt collection agencies can be found to step over clear lines of consumer protection laws. It is not hard to understand why they do it. A real debt collector can have a real hard time getting paid when people are struggling to pay today’s bills, let alone pay for the past.
None of that excuses bad collection behavior, and it sure does not help public perception of debt collectors.
Most legitimate debt collectors do not use “or else” type of threats to collect. They can be sued for these types of tactics.
In fact, virtually everything I mention that the fake debt collectors do, a real debt collector can and often will be sued for. The debt collection laws they would be breaking are both state and federal violations. Many consumer law attorneys will take these kinds of collection violations on at no charge to you, and instead are paid by the other side. This means all of their fees are covered. You could see some money back for your trouble too.
It is imperative for everyone who is harassed or abused by a debt collector to take action. You should connect with an experienced collections violation consumer law attorney. Post about your situation in the comments below and I can provide feedback and contact details to someone who can help you.
What to do About the Scam Debt Collector
You can legitimately owe a debt, but still be scammed, whether by real or fake collectors, so… when in doubt… never pay a debt collector making threats like I outline above. If you even have a whiff of concern the debt is not yours, too old to be collected, or that the collector contacting you is either a fake, or a collector willing to step over the legal lines and violate your rights, you should:
- Take good notes of any conversation.
- Write down names, dates, times.
- Capture the caller ID and/or write down any phone numbers they provided for return calls.
- Keep a copy of any voice mail recordings they left.
- File complaints with your state AG and with the CFPB when you have identified the collection company.
- Speak with an experienced consumer lawyer.
- Do not make, set up, or arrange for payments.
Having said all of that, I should mention again that most debt collectors you encounter are not going to be fake. They are not going to violate your rights. If you have a question about the legitimacy of a debt collector, or their behavior, lets talk about it in the comments below.
I reached out to the above reader offline to encourage getting those payments reversed. Hopefully he will share more about his experiences in the comments below.
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About Michael BoveeMichael started CRN in 2004 with a mission to provide people in need with detailed debt and credit help and education. Michael has participated as an expert panelist in federal consumer protection rule making, collaborated on state law changes governing debt consolidation, has worked as an expert witness in court matters related to the debt relief industry. He is available to speak with you about your financial struggle and helps people resolve their debt problems daily.
So my wife has been receiving calls on a chase bank debt that we already paid off through a previous collection agency when we found out about it. Most recently we received another series of calls from Scott Thomas and Associates threatening a lawsuit even with a statement of full payment from the original collection agency. After contacting Chase bank and being told the account was already paid in full, there is little to no merit of them having any sort of legal precedence correct?
Thompson* not thomas
Correct. I would file debt collection complaints to the agencies referenced in the above article.
Sorry for all the replies, the website is https://www.scott-pc.com/index.html VERY plain looking
That is not what a legitimate debt collectors site looks like.
Hi, Earlier this week I was called regarding a debt from 2004. It is a true debt but did not show up on my credit report. Ive wanted to come clean with any past unpaid bills (went from 412 to 713 score) so immediately paid the bill over the phone. Four days later the same collection company called and sort of threatened me with another collection from the late 1990’s. I don’t recall telling the first caller my present employer, but this second caller knows where I work (which is posted on facebook). They need the money immediately or they will go to my place of employment. This caller named off people in my family and old addresses from another state.
How do I find out if they are legit?
Collection Company is Leslie Kaine Morgan Inc and their website seems legit. I also checked BBB and found nothing.
Their web site is not all that legitimate looking, and the threats and such are really only made by fake debt collectors, or ones willing to violate your legal rights. Add to that the age of these debts they are referencing and i call scam.
Michael – I received a phone call today from an investigator Stacy Phillips who stated a locate and detain action had been put out for me regarding an account held with the “Plaintiff” she never stated who the plaintiff was. All that she gave me was a call back number of 844-864-5919 and a reference number. When I called the number back it answered as “County Mediation” To make matters worse she contacted my 18 year old son on his cell phone and proceeded to harass him and curse at him as well. The numbers came up private or blocked. I have filed a complaint with the CFPB but I wanted to know if there was anything else I needed to do.
I would file another complaint with your state AG.
The message sounded like it was from a call center lots of background noise. I was wondering If this sounds like a scam or fraudulent collection call based on the scare tactics? She threatened my son saying he is harboring a fugitive. I also found out they called my part-time place of employment shortly before I came in to work tonight.
The violation of laws that prevent debt collectors from doing what they are to you marks it as a clear scam.
Great Insight thanks for the write-up. Having had some debts in the past I still get collection calls and letters. Most the time these are scams and I have learned to distinguish the real ones from the bad ones.
I am being harassed! This woman has called my sons at work, my husband, and called me over and over. I asked her not to call my phone anymore and she called me four times in a row within three minutes!! She keeps saying she is going to serve me either at my job or home, she told my son she needed two forms of ID and my signature. Good luck with that! She is harassing is and I am very upset! I have the number she called from and also a toll free number she gave. She refuses to tell me what it’s about, who is behind it, she gives no detail.
It is a scam. File complaints with the information you have.
I have been getting this kind of calls since 6 years ago. The first time I called back, providing the case number they left on the voice mail message . They said I owed a payday loan that i took in a state I have never been in. I asked them to send me the papers of that debt and they never did. They had my real address on file and my ssn.
Ever year since I get this robocalls from several numbers leaving messages with different case numbers, saying I should call back. Always a different company. Some of the calls are registered as from russia, india and egypt. They have said they are going to serve me at my work place, at home, send my case to the investigator, legal office, etc. I always check the numbers in google and never find the company but I find comments of other people in the same situation.
My credits reports are clean, nothing in collection, nothing wrong. I never have gotten a payday loan in my life. In the last couple weeks they have called and left several messages on my brothers and parents phone. It worries and embarrases me. I wish they could stop! 5 years dealing with this! I wish I could know how I ended up in this situation.
I filed with FTC but did not help me. Since they are multiple calls from multiple numbers it difficult to identify the scammer. 🙁 I wish they let me alone. It makes me anxious everytime I see a phone number I dont know calling. Especially out of state numbers. what can I do?
Without the ability to identify or locate the scammers, it is really tough to suggest a next step. I do know some people who simply changed their phone number.
Hello, I am dealing with what I belive a scammer, I have received these phone calls saying I need to call this number and if I do not contact them they are going to go ahead and file a complaint. And when I ask the lady who it was and what was it for? She said I had to call the number,and she gave me a file numbers to give to them. So I called the number it was a 1-844-636-8701 and they are called Ltd, I talk to Marcela she told I owed a 473 phone bill from 2007, and it went into default in 2012 and I ask her why is it just now going into default, should went into default in 2007? She says it was getting paid for six months! Then the payments stop,which doesn’t make sense to me. She also said they are going to garnish my wages, take my car,cause they are going to get their money! I asked her to send some kind of documents threw the mail, showing proof? She says they have already! Which I have not received, she said they were not going to send it again cause it’s wasting money!! She said if they take me to court it would be 901 but I can set up a payment plan for 453 and for 117 a month for four months! And they would add a postive on my credit report! And I said have no money! Then she said I can pay 20 dollars as a down payment, I said I have nothing! So I took the 117a month, I asked how they got my current address and number she public records and they hire a third party company to find me. I called u.s cellular to see if they can tell me who they sold it too! And I gave them the phone number and the company name and he says they don’t come up, he shows nothing on my account ethier! So he told me to go check my credit report,cause the company should be on my credit report, too make sure it’s a real company and not a scam. So I did and I don’t see them or the debt anywhere,on my report! So I called her back today and ask her why isn’t the debt know my credit report and she says they haven’t reported it yet, but yesterday she said they have, I also said u.s cellular doesn’t have any records of this info, and she said they wouldn’t cause they sold it to them. I did some research of my own and Google them and they have a lot of complaints file among them, and that they are a scam, And I also set a payment arrangement with them already! So I am about to cancel my card, cause I don’t totally trust them, so what do I do? They keep calling my house stand cell phone, Does this sound like a scam to you?
It called LTS collections not LTD.
It does sound just like a scam.
I had just gotten a call from them aswell today before I did a signing I got online started to research. Read this I called them back and told them that I wanted information of the company they were hired by etc as proof and that they were reported as a fraud. She couldn’t give me any information and that she would half to call me back. After our first phone convo I did tell them I needed proof they were not a fraud she said check our reviews we are 100% legit. only hing I have seen is fraud…
I got a call two days ago on my cell from an unknown number, and I didn’t answer. A few minutes later my mom called me and said she got a call from someone named Eva Martin looking for me, that she had legal papers to send me. She was very worried that I was in some kind of trouble. I told her I’d look into it. After doing some research online I realized it was most likely a scam. My mom said the call back number the woman gave was 844-249-8931. I keep getting calls on my phone, and they keep calling my work. The first time they called my work I was there….spoke to this Eva Martin woman and she said that I had legal papers sent to me “more than 40 days ago” and asked why I didn’t respond. I told her I never got any papers and she said that if I didn’t call this number back by 6pm that someone would come to my work to serve me papers….that didn’t happen. They’ve called my cell again today and called my work again. My coworker who took the call said a man called and kept asking her questions about me, and demanded the name and number of our regional director. When she wouldn’t give it to him, he said he’d call our customer service number to get the info about me. They’ve never given the name if the company they work for, or what this so-called legal paperwork is even about. I feel its a huge scam but its still scary and I just want them to stop calling me at work and especially my mom. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated because its starting to bother me.
Total scam. I would file a complaint with your state AG and the CFPB. Tell them you know they are a scam, and you have filed complaints if you like.
I just had another call at work telling me that I’m having legal papers served to me at work in 20 minutes and was instructed to call a number, different one from last time. This one is 844-401-3851. I called and gave me some info. The debt they say I have is real but I still feel like they’re scammers. The law firm they gave me doesn’t come up on google and the number has been marked on a website as unsafe. I even looked on my state’s repository and the case number they gave me doesn’t exist and there’s nothing about it when I search my name. This is starting to scare me because I’m not sure if its real or not. The law firm they said they’re with is KMF law group carmen and Michaels. They said to pull my credit to prove they’re legit. Still have not been served papers….
Scam.
Just got off the phone with someone from the same number. I wrote down the number on google and your comment brought me here. The story sounds the same with the “legal papers” part.
Help i have a debt collecter saying there going to sue me i signed a paper saying id settle but I’m not sure there real what should i do?
Post more details about who you are dealing with, and the history of the debt at issue.
I contacted bbb and federal trade commission it was a place called allied finacial solutions sayimg there going to sue me. I did research and couldn’t find anything on them. When i did a reverse address search it came back as a different company so i called and verifyed they were at that address. When i called the collections back and asked for there address he kept saying didnt you get my email it is in there.
So I just received a call, and when the called ID popped up, it said unknown…. so I didn’t answer it. He left a voicemail stating that someone tried going to my residence yesterday to serve me, but I wasn’t there and that they would be coming to my work place around 1 today to serve me. I called the number back and the guy told me the company he worked for, what company my old loan was from, and was able to give me the last 4 of my social. He gave me the address that he said was on the loan, but I do not live at that address and when I told him that he got a little bit of an attitude. He asked me to hold on a minute so see if there’s anything we can do “outside of court” to get the debt paid off. I did inform him that I didn’t feel comfortable with this phone call, because I wasn’t sure if this was real or if it was scam. And he proceeded to tell me “well that fine. You’re already scheduled to be served so there’s probably not much I could do anyways so if you’re wanting to appear before a judge, that’s fine” I said okay thank you, and I hung up.
This is a loan that I do owe on. But this one is hard and it’s making me very nervous. How can I tell if this was real or not?!
What is the name of the collection company?
When was the loan last paid?
I’m dealing with what I believe is a scammer, but they will not leave me alone. My first series of calls – they called me, my sister and my mom – was from a man named Richard Brooke’s at Integrated Recover Services. He was very rude and would often name call and bully me to try to pay a legitimate debt that I owe. I called the origins of te debt who said they sold it to United Debt, and when I confronted Richard he said UD sold it to him.. I said I know he’s a scam and wouldn’t get a dime from me. Now a different man named Curt Stevens is calling from Integrated Services stating that he needs I verify an address and I’m going to have my wages garnished etc. and today called my sister looking for me stating that “he heard I was ridiculous”. I’m reaching out trying to figure out how to pay off my debt to the right company, but I don’t know what to do. These people won’t leave me alone and because they won’t I’m starting to worry they might be real, but their behavior is awful and seems like something they should not be allowed to do.
What state are you in? I want to email you a list of attorneys who handle collection violations who you can call and talk to about some options.
Okay thank you so much. I live in Kentucky, and the situation is getting worse. Yesterday they started calling my dad and my grandpa.
Email sent. The prior post, and the new behavior, suggest you are dealing with scammers.
A company called me regarding a debt all they stated was they were legal department said i had to pay that day because i had a court date already set they proceeded to call my son and tell him the same story and i must contact them immediately. They calked my cell repeatedly i did make a payment to find out from the company they were collecting for that i had no money due. The company is still threatening me with charges and a summons. What can i do to recover my money
Call your bank and try to reverse any charges. File complaints with your state AG and the CFPB.
Have any insights on Williamson Morgan and Associates operating out of California? They seem to be pulling some of these same scams and tricks, but I am worried they may be legitimate.
I would file a complaint with the CFPB. Be sure to include the false and misleading statements about the SOL tolling that you mentioned on the other page.
I received a call today but I missed it. They proceeded to call me, but I was busy dealing with work related issues. I finally had the time to call the number back, it rang a few times then a machine came on stating that all the operators were currently busy and sounded very generic. The message stated for me to leave a message with my name and number and someone will return my call. As soon as I hung up I received a call I answered and it sounded as if there was a bad connection, this happened 3-4 times after I’d hang up. I was finally able to hear the lady on the other line and she told me I had a civil… she wouldn’t give me any detailed information as to where the account was opened or email/mail me any kind of documentation about it. Oh I almost forgot that the first time I called and got an answer she directed me to cal a different number with a different area code. What do you think?
Also they said a judgment was going to be made tomorrow because I didn’t respond to a warning and my wages/assets would be garnished.
Lies, and more evidence of a scam.
Scam. Legitimate debt collectors will tell you who they work for and the nature of the debt without exception.
I had someone call saying they worked for a law office out of Texas and I was gonna get served a lawsuit if I didn’t settle a debt on a 10 yr old bank account that I never even knew was overdrawn. So of course I was skeptical about it and started questioning everything so he says well we will just but a lien on that 2012 SUV of yours. So that of course made me nervous cause that’s my wife’s way to work. Like an idiot I agreed to a one time payment of the “original” amount. They kept telling me I had to agree to this deal by noon that day. So the email me the papers to e-sign and like an idiot I do. Then I read the name on the papers and it’s zenco so I researched and found out they were involved in a lot of scams. So naturally I went and closed my bank account so that couldn’t get any money out. Now I’m getting voicemails from the same guy threatening me with fraud charges.
File complaints with your state AG and the CFPB. I would ignore them form here.
I recently received a phone call from a debt collector about an old credit card from First Bank and they threaten to pursue legal action against me if I didn’t agree to a settlement. I don’t recall this debt and I asked for verification of the debt and proper documentation. They refuse to provide me with any type of paperwork. I asked them for their name and address and they also refuse to give me that information. I also pulled up my credit reports and there’s nothing on there from First Bank of from a collection agency, I’m in the state of California
Any debt collector refusing to tell you who they are is a scam.
So he called me again and said he was with Padilla and Associates and his name was Daniel Padilla but still refused to give me an address. I asked him to please verify the debt and still declined to give me any type of documentation said if I decline to agree a settlement all that information would be provided at the time I get served. I also mentioned to him that none of this information shows up on my credit report and he said that it’s not on there because it has fallen off the report but once I pay it would show as paid and would raise my score. Since I declined to payment he hasn’t called back. He gave me a bad vibe since he kept asking me for a credit card to settle the amount and once I provide the cc he would email me paperwork to sign and all his information would be on there.
I have lived in Missouri my entire life, and I have a supposed collection agency that called my father in-law yesterday and my mom today saying they’re trying to contact me, telling them I owe an outstanding debt to Sprint from 2001, it is now 2016. The thing is I did not even have a cell phone in 2001. I do have a current plan with Sprint and have been with them for nearly 8 years now and they have never once tried billing me for an old account (because it never existed) or contacted me in any way about an outstanding account.. My account with Sprint is current and paid, so I don’t understand where this collection agency is getting that I had an account in 2001 or how they got my father in-laws number, who I didn’t even know until 2006 or my moms number. If they’re working on behalf of Sprint, they should have all my current info, phone number, address, etc…and not be contacting and harrasing my family members. Again, I was 20 years old in 2001 and didn’t have a cell phone or any other service from Sprint. I joined Sprint in 2007 and have never had an issue claiming I had a previous account with an outstanding balance of $270. I wondered if it was a scam, or someone stole my identity in 2001 and I never knew about it, but 15 years seems like an awfully long time and I have been with Sprint for many years now and never had an issue.
When calling my father in-law and mother, the person did not identify themselves, they only told them both it was about a civil matter and I needed to contact them by the end of the day or they would continue filing a complaint against me.
I called the number and case reference and spoke with a lady. She never asked me to pay any money and I never claimed the bill was legit. In fact I told her I felt like I was being scammed and that I had never had an account with Sprint prior to 2007. She said they sent me 2 letters in the mail, the last one being 45 days ago and maybe “you just didn’t get them” I asked her to email me a copy of whatever documents she had so I could see they were real and I gave her my email address. She said I should receive them within an hour. I never received them, I even checked the spam folder to be sure. This morning my mom texted me that someone from the same phone number (this time a different case number) called her and left a voicemail saying that I had 2 hours to contact them or they would proceed with action. I told my mom it was a scam and to not let them try to convince her to pay it on my behalf. I don’t believe a real collection agency would spend the time on a $270 debt (that doesn’t even exists in my view) that is 15 years old and contact family members, one of which was the day after they already had my phone number and email from speaking with the lady yesterday. Why then would they call my mom this morning?? That is too shady to be real.
It is too shady to be real, but that is how scammers pressure people into making mistakes.
I got a call from 888-712-7130 trying to collect on a real loan I paid off 7 years ago. They called themselves “Finacial recovery Services” and A1 Couriers acting on behalf of Compass Capital. They have no website or physical address just a PO Box 45612 Miami Fl 33144.
Can anyone help me locate where these guys are physically?
How can I track these guys to a location. Can anyone help with that?
I could only find this scam warning about Compass on the Washington state department of financial institutions website.
Actually, there are a ton of other warnings about Compass Capital being a scam payday loan debt collector.
I received a phone call today from a woman claiming she was looking for me with my new married name. She said she was a third party trying to serve a summons to court action on Rex road (I was under my maiden name then). That address was 26 years ago. She gave me Leegh & Associates at 855-406-3165 with a reference number. So when I called it was an Authur who answered and was very rude. He said I had a case against me and they were trying to serve me a summons to court. He said to hold while he clears the line and I hung up. I had no intentions of giving personal information. I checked on google regarding this company and tons of information appeared of SCAM. So i called the number back one more time and another lady answered and said that a collection was filed against me. But REX rd was 26 years ago and I had no debt. So I am lost as to what it is. They asked me to provide all my personal information to verify my identity but I refused. I asked them to give me their business license number and company name. She gave me a website to go to under California business Secretary of State and put in Kepler.sos.ca.gov. Of course it does not come up. I finally received a call from my husband and they have left him multiple messages on his cell phone for me to contact them regarding a bad debt.
How is it possible to tie me and my new husband together and get both our cell numbers. How do I proceed and is this a scam?
Debt collectors have all manner of skip tracing tools available to them. Scam debt collectors can use the same tools.
What you described is not something legitimate debt collectors do.
Someone called me claiming a case was being filed against me and once it left the office, I lose my legal rights. Said, I needed to call.the legal department right away. Also mentioned that an order to locate me was issued. They left the same message with my mom. When I did a reverse phone number look up, it was from a cell phone. When I called the “legal department” to see who it was they rapidly shot of some law office name. I.hung up. They called back 12 times in a row and then stopped til 1;40 am when they called again.
A terrible scam Kat. I am sorry you are going through any of this.
I spoke to a bbm company tonight after they left a message at my work about serving me a summons tomorrow. He made threats of 3 criminal charges and said this would be avoided if I pay or set up payment arrangements. I asked if this was a debt collection agency while his reply was on its a litigation firm. He did list this as a us bank debt from a old acct with overdraft charges and interest. This does not makie sense to me as I did have a debt but am sure in years past It was paid.
Sounds very much like a scam James.
Hi Michael,
Good day to you! I want to start out by saying a very heartfelt thank you. Your site gives solid direction to the debtor, and brings us back down to earth when we may be hoping a bit too far out.
So, here we go. I have been sued twice in the past year by 2 different firms, of course for 2 diff accounts. Once for a Citi account, and once for a Discover account. These of course are both in public record. For both cases I also hired a lawyer.
– The Citi case I made a settlement with time-to-pay agreement on. It was a miracle, the firm was RSIEH. They were wonderful. Working with them was very civil and polite. I am still paying on it and will be until Feb 2018, but, after that last payment, the case will be dismissed with prejudice.
– The Discover one was much dirtier and meaner, with a very rude deputy server, a rude collector for the firm (who I actually called first to attempt to settle before I even knew I was being sued, who then informed me they had an active lawsuit already in progress, and that couldn’t be recalled, but who still tried to get me to make a partial payment right then), and then once I was served and thus working with their actual attorneys, the attorney pair was slow and harsh. They drew out the process for 2 months, taking weeks to get back to my lawer, and then demanding a hardship letter, etc. For everyone’s info, the firm is Gurstel Chargo. I actually just paid the settlement (which was very close to the full amount owed) today. The dismissal paperwork for the lawsuit should come within 3 weeks from now. Dunno if it will be with or without prejudice, though.
Now, I still have 2 other accounts that could be collected on: a 2nd Citi account, which last I heard was sold to Alliance One in late 2015, and, a Chase account, which I actually received an IRS form for last year and had to pay taxes on the full amount, Chase had written it off as a loss and filed with the IRS. Though, I am still shady as to how that is still legally collectible, as I’ve had to claim the entire debt as income and paid income taxes on the full amount, around $7,200. Is it legal for that account to be sold and collected on, once you’ve paid income tax on it? That may be a discussion for another thread…
Anyway, now that you have some history, here is my real, scam related question:
Two hours after I paid Gurstel Chargo today, I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize: 1-631-201-8515. I of course let it go to voicemail. When I checked the voicemail, it was an auto-dialer (robotic voice), and the “who” was cut off, so the message began with this,”…. is filing a lawsuit against you. Call this # to contact our Department for more details on this case.” Then they left the # to call, it was the same one I was called from, I think. But I accidentally deleted the message and cannot double check.
I am wondering if this is a clear scam. Do actual collectors use auto-dialers to tell you that you’re having a lawsuit filed against you? I feel that the answer is probably not. But who knows. I’m stressing out because this settlement with GC/Discover has drained my entire savings down to $200, and I live paycheck to paycheck.
Your thoughts on whether or not this is a scam would be appreciated, as I am worried that I am now a target for scams because of my 2 public record lawsuits where agreements were made. I am pretty sure I have a bulls-eye on my back as someone who can likely be collected on now.
3 of the 5 accounts I have had in collections are now settled, or are in the process of being settled (2 via being sued).
Thank you!
Thanks for all the details Erika. Legitimate debt collectors do not call you to warn you about the lawsuit being filed that day or the next. And they most certainly do not do that via auto-dialer. Scam.
Here is more details about the 1099c for cancelled debt from Chase. Read through that and post any questions you have on that page. Chase is not going to collect from you, and it will age off your credit report after 7 years is up. The only way you will deal with the account again is if you want to resolve it to get it updated to show zero balance and resolved on your credit reports.
Alliance One is a contingency debt collector, and not a buyer. Here is more info about settling with Citibank or a debt collector working for them.
Someone calling me, and friend that i have 2 complaints of fraud in state of texas and trying to scare me about my case number has been close and the court hearing date will be requested
My husband has been getting calls and paying a company called law offices of allied. They keep threatening to show up to his job and take” further action ” the lady’s aid they are a free Lance company. Her name is Rachel hess. She would only tell me that they were out of florida. They called me from an 855 218 number. The number my bank had someone answered the phone hello. They upset me so bad they had me in tears this morning. I’m so frustrated. They gave me address that we used to live at and I saw the guy that called and said he was a process server looked my husband up on linkedIn. We’ve paid them probably 400$
Sounds like a scam to me. Legitimate debt collectors do not do those things. And they will also clearly identify themselves. Stop payments on anything that you can and file complaints using the suggestions I make above. And DO NOT let these people upset you are your family any more.
Hi, today i received a call from a blocked number and the lady said they trying to call me because i was supposed to get served some papers and left a number 877-647-9310. Then she called again and got my work receptionist and started asking for my supervisor and mentioned something about wage garnishment. She kept calling and finally i called back the number she left on my voicemail. When i called the number they said that it was from an online payday loan that i did from back in 2011. And that ihad to pay $600 today or i eill get served and have to go to court and have to pay an additional $3000. I told them i didnt have the money so they can just serve me the paper works because when i tried ro ask them for paperworks, they said they have already sent it and i just didnt get it because i moved. I just recently moved again and the only address they have two of my old address and my work address that they probably looked up online. When i told them they can just serve me they tried to say they were helping me out and even said would i want to be wmbarrased infront of my co workers by getting served legal documents at my work. And the company calling my me was a courier trying to notify me ahead of time that i’m going to get served to save me the embarrasment. So i later called the original creditor and they said they sold my account to another collection company but not the one that called me and only for $15. Do you think that the company i talked to today is a scam or legit?
They are a scam in my eyes regardless of whether they own the debt or not. Your average debt collector trying to get paid on a legitimate debt does not make the threats these guys made.
My family and I have been receiving calls that there is an open fraud investigation against me. A Mr. Russo has left messages from two different numbers saying I’ve been served and I have 15 days to respond. I havent been served. No information on a company was left. The phone numbers I did a reverse lookup on are from Texas and I am in California. Sounds like a scam to me but family have been getting calls so I need some direction on what to do. The numbers are 281-310-5765 and 281-712-2154.
File debt collection complaints with the CFPB like I mention in the article above. Do not give the scammers the time of day. Tell your family the same.
I have received 2 calls today from a Lori Bennett with “Office of Financial Regulation” .. same # : 281-310-5765 . The number, by area code, is Houston Tx.
Anyone calling themselves that is likely a scam from the word go.
Hi. I’ve been receiving calls from someone where sometimes when they call it comes up as unknown and other times it comes up as 617-714-0978. At first they didn’t leave messages but once they started to it’s been the same one since. It says, “this message is intended for (my name). All the delicate information provided is deemed substantial to avoid noncompliance and possible escalation please press 1 to be connected to our office immediately at 1-888-712-7130. Refer to file number HAM1285029. Formal message documented”.
I googled both numbers and a lot of complaints came up with the same info. When I googled the 888 number it came back as Moor limousine in Columbus, IN and the 617 number people said was from Cambridge, MA.
Last year around this time I had a similar situation happening but it was a different number and a different message. They said there was a claim against me and I needed to take immediate action or legal proceedings would be brought against me. I ignored them for MONTHS but then they started contacting my parents and both my sisters so I got pissed at that point.
She knew the last 4 of my social, my previous address, & asked if I took a payday loan out in 2009. I did take one out but the company was withdrawing money from my account so often they were overdrawing it! She said if I paid x amount then I would save money and she would cancel the authorities from coming to my home with papers, but yet, she still needed my current address since I recently moved at that point…?! I forked over the money because I was freaked out even though I knew in the back of my mind I was being scammed, but being a single mom, and my son only having one parent I didn’t want to be hearing to jail.
I asked what lender the loan was through and she said they don’t see that information from the client. They’re only permitted to make contact with people and collect the money so the companies don’t have to do that.
Someone is calling my parents house too asking for me and saying it’s a confidential matter but they need to get in touch with me immediately. They are relentless calling my parents home.
Could this be the same people trying to get more money from me since they suckered me once or is this something completely different?
I have one delinquent account on my credit report from an unpaid cable bill while living with a friend of $111 from 2009, but that’s the ONLY thing on there.
Can you please give me some advice because I’m losing my mind from these people and their calls.
Best,
Try to cancel any payments you sent or made. It may be too late to get your money back. Do not give anyone like this anymore of your time. They are scammers. File complaints with your state AG and alert the CFPB like I discuss in the above article.
The payment I made was last year when I got the first round of harassing calls. I didn’t hear anything until this month, which is a different message and numbers calling me. Now they’ve been calling my parents home for a good 2 months I’d estimate. When I made the payment last year it was right around this time of the year. I remember that because our town has a massive fair that people come from all over the country to attend & the money I “had” to pay them really strapped the things we could do at the fair.
Have you heard anyone else mention they’ve received the same messages I have saying “all the delicate information provided is deemed substantial to avoid noncompliance and possible escalation….”?
How did they “choose me”, for lack of better words to do this to?
Is there any way I can get them to stop calling my family?
My parents are concerned this may be real & that I do owe someone money & I’m just not telling them. Is there any way I can prove otherwise to them? Should I even bother answering my phone when they call?
Sorry for all the questions. I’m just over this nonsense. It’s ridiculous & I’m tired of my family & I being harassed. Thanks in advance.
Send your folks a link to this article and encourage them to read deep into the comments. What is being said to you is told to tons of people. And the calls to family are similar too.
There are technology hacks that produce our personal information that is sold or obtained by scammers, and there are really old lists of debts that are resold that can end up in the hands of scam debt collection outfits.
The number is 8776479310. It scares me so much.im a single mom and need to concentrate working and im scared someone going to get me from work. I feel nervous all the time
Sounds a lot like a scam to me. Try not to let this get to you.
I received a call from about a car that was a volunteer repo about 7 or 8 years ago. The balance said owed is $12,910.00, they wanted $4000.00 but settled for $2500. The company said they were calling for Wells Fargo. The collection agency name Zenco. I was told they were taking me to court I would be served papers at my job. After reading your information I think it’s a scam. I think I’m going to stop pay on the check. Do you know if this is a legal company?
It is a scam based on the fact that you already made a settlement and paid it before. Based on that is said about Zenco on this page and others, it is definitely something to stop payment on.
Hi! I received a call from the number 855 218 0642 today and after a missed call they left a voicemail staying they needed to fax documents to me and they gave me their name. So I’m urgency I called the number back and another person answered immediately. They said they were a collection agency and they were attempting to retrieve a debt from an unpaid loan which I allegedly applied for and received 6 years ago (I was only 17 at the time and still in high school). They had an old address of mine from the alleged time and had an employers information that I didn’t work for me until about half a year after I allegedly applied for said loan. They also had my bank information, which I acquired a couple months after said loan. At first I was in shock and they asked for my last four to confirm who I was, so I gave it to them, in urgency to figure out what this was about but when I tried to acquire more information all they could give me was the alleged loan company name – Cornestone something. They only had the address from said time that I allegedly applied for and received so i I asked them if I could confirm my current address so that I could receive the alleged summons that was coming to me for the matters. They put on home I order to “access the system” to confirm but I freaked out and thought maybe this is a scam because I don’t remember such matter and I have never seen it on my credit reports.
Does this sound like a scam? How did they get my old address and bank info (which I still have)? and since I have them my last 4, should I be worried ? Any advice as to what I should do in defense of this and in result of this phone call ?
It is a scam debt collector. There are different ways for them to have gathered this information about you. One method is your credit reports.
Were you ever an ID theft victim?
I had someone from Zenco Collects to harass me and I gave them my account info but didn’t sign any papers because I told them I wanted something in writing. Now they’ve drafted the money out of my account. Can I refute that now? How can I stop the drafts besides closing the account?
Talk to your bank about stopping payments without closing the account. You will likely hear the surest step is to close it an open a different one.
Hi I live in Iowa. My stepdaughter got a call yesterday from a Kate Johnson, number 443-205-4664 and said they were looking for me to serve me papers. I found it kind of odd because I’ve never given out my stepdaughters number. I called the number back and I got a voice mail for a guy named Arthur Pittman. I left a voice mail and my number. Now today I get a call from this Arthur from a different number. 443-205-1186. He said I owe for a bill that is at least six years old and have never been contacted by anyone before now about it. He said the bill was $689.22 but I can pay $300 now or $150 in installments. Trying to figure out if its scam. He gave the name of the place supposedly trying to collect but like I said, its at least six years old. The lady that called before also gave a case number of CV 69222
What is the name of the collection company?
I got the same thing. Called my husband’s number looking for me. Told that I would be served between 3-5 at my house or at my place of employment if I am not there. She rattled of a case number also. Charlie Victor which reminds me of your cv. The name she left was Carrie James. Different name but same initials if she spells it with a K. She sounded tired and sleepy and almost robotic. My husband called the number and got a recorded message from an Arthur Pittman. My husband left a message at the number above. She left no employer name or contact info to reach her, but said she was a process server for a neighboring county I do not reside in. By the way, I do not live in Maryland where the phone number given is from. After she called my husband I received a no caller id call 4 minutes later but no message was left.
Hi, I received a call yesterday from someone saying a complaint had been filed against me. Gave a case number and told me to call 844 899 4849. They were using my maiden name and told me that a judgement was going to be filed against me for an old us cellular debt. Told me I owed 1500 bucks. Said the account had been paid on for 5 years then nothing. One lady asked me if I was going to take care of the payment and I said no. She said that the creditor had already found my bank accounts and the money would be taken that way. It freaked me out enough to have me ask my husband to take me off our joint account. They knew the last 4 of my social. Had my current address and one from almost 10 years ago but none in between. Is this a scam or for real?
What you shared has all the signs of a scam.
I know you said this was a scam, but for some reason it is still freaking me out. I did have an old us cellular account but I don’t remember it going into the negative. It was from so long ago. I never remember getting any notices in the mail and I recently checked my credit report. Nothing was on there but a car loan I had paid off in 2010 I believe. If I had a debt with Us Cellular wouldn’t it be on my credit report? Would the statue of limitations run out by now? I don’t know why this is still bothering me but it is.
I am sure it is a scam. Legit debt collectors do not say those things. Don’t let a scammer rent space in your head for free.
Hello I have been getting calls from a private number that has been leaving me voicemails everyday for the past 3 days. The first two stated the same thing and by the same lady. But she gave no indication as for who she was or who she worked for or any name associated with the subject of her message. She addressed me by my name Robert farrell, which I am a junior and my dad called me and said that the same message was left on his phone but he said he thought they were for me. She said I have two pending claims for fraud from the state of California that I’m being charged for and that she needed to get a statement from me for my upcoming court hearing. But the last message she left yesterday stated that I have waived and given up all my rights in my lack of compliance with contacting the number she left but with no name in relation with it, which was (877) 647-9310. And that my case has been closed and turned over to the appropriate party. Since my failure to comply she said a solidified court date has been requested for me as well as an attempt to locate me for service purposes. I was told by her that I needed to have a valid form of identification and that someone would be stopping by my home or workplace or both in thirty minutes. She repeated the number I gave above and said to contact it otherwise we will see you in thirty minutes she said. But my address is my previous one when i lived with my sister and i have not yet put down my new address nor had any mail sent to it. But my sister said no one showed up. And my current place of employment is not updated and on record either so they would of had no luck there either. But she didn’t ask for money. I don’t know what to think. I have no idea what I could have done to be considered fraud and don’t think I have done anything like that to be charged for it, and by the state of California? Seems fishy but she seems serious on the voicemails. Any input would be much appreciated. I have yet to call the number she left. When I googled it all that came up were posts about it being a wells Fargo overdraft protection number or collections unit or some kind of thing related to wells Fargo but it kept saying that these were just claims by the people calling behind the number and were scams as well. But the number was private when this lady called me so who knows. I don’t know what to think much less what to do.
Total scam. You are not being charged with fraud. I would file complaints in the manner I outline in the article and not give this much more thought if it were me.
Thank god I came across this article! I also got a call from that number. Well actually it showed up as unknown on my caller ID but left that number in a voicemail saying I had two fraud claims against my name in the state of ohio, and that I have waived all of my rights and that an attempt to locate me would be sent to Montgomery county this morning. She damn near gave me a heart attack when I heard the message until I decided to Google that number and came across this here article. Now I think I can breathe a bit easier knowing its a scam!!!!
I had the same basic information only it was that a case had been filed against me and that an order to locate me was issued. First it was a 877 number then a 937 (local) number. Said to call the legal department at the 877 number. If I didn’t. I would lose my legal rights once it left their office. I looked the 937 number up it was a cell phone. They even called my mom…Nobody can take my legal rights away for one and two anyone can locate a person these days. I dismissed it as a scam, but it has been lingering in my mind.
Hi Michael, my husband got a call today Shane Michael Assoc. stating that Verizon was sueing him for $700+. They verified his SS# last for digits and DOB. They told him he can pay at discount. Apparently the original bill was from 2010 which was $53.00. We searched their phone numbers and they both came up as reported as scam. I’m freaked out. They did send us a document through our email which I have no clue if it’s real or not. My husband recalls a bill from Verizon but thought he paid them off in installments. Please help do we pay at discount. Is this a scam. How do we know.?
Is it on his credit report in any negative way?
I would not pay this if it were me. Look up your husbands name in the court record. I suspect they are not suing as they say, and legitimate collectors don’t call with that threat when they are on the verge of suing.
I’m gonna have him check his credit report. Also I will look up my husband name. Thank you for replying to me and helping so many people.
I’m currently being scammed how do I get out?
Can you offer more details?
My husband and I was contacted by a company called Zenco in January,, they made threats if we didn,t set up a payment plan, I decided to look into the comany and saw all of the complaints made against them, they are still calling and making threatening phone calls. What can we do about this?
Block their numbers.
File complaints with your state AG and the CFPB.
Scammers hitting our phones is a form of harassment. If you could find someone to sue it would be worth it to connect with an experienced FDCPA attorney, but debt collection scams can be hard to pin down. I can email you a list of experienced FDCPA attorneys if you like? What state are you in?
Two nights ago I had a voicemail stating they were calling regarding my daughter and a debt. They said she would be sued if they did not hear from her. I Googled the number and found a lot of posts that it was a scam. I assumed since they’d called me that they didn’t have her number so I didn’t mention it. Today she called to say she had to have $700 by 4 PM to settle an old debt or she would be served with court papers. The number she called back was 310-504-1704, Michael Wells. He said he couldn’t get her proof of the debt because it was old the papers were hard to get. I Googled his name and number and found more evidence of it being a scam. Supposedly the law firm is Edward T Weber. I called the guy and told him to stop harassing my daughter. He was very rude and said he didn’t call her, she called him. I threatened to call the FTC and an attorney. I told my daughter not to accept any more calls or speak to anyone else. I’m hoping for confirmation that this was a scam as my daughter did not remember the debt.
It sure sounds like it it Nancy, and thanks for posting the details for others to learn from too 🙂
Hello Nancy, it has come to my attention that some scam debt collectors are using my name without my permission and without any relationship with them. While I do engage in legitimate debt collections for clients, neither I nor my clients engage in any activity that would violate the law. If I do detect clients acting improperly, then I sever that relationship. Unfortunately I have had to do that at least once in the past. I do not condone illegal activities, ever, and I certainly do not engage in them.. In this instance, it appears the people who called you are NOT associated with me, and as far as contacting ME, I do not recall speaking with you so I am pretty sure it was not me. I am rarely rude to anyone, even when I am working in the debt collections business, and if someone calls me with an inquiry such as what you describe here, I would be very concerned and would likely try to get as much information as possible so that I can look into it and help put a stop to people like this, especially if they are using my name without my knowledge. If you would like to talk to me about it, please feel free to give me a call. My office number is 657-235-8359. Thanks.
I would give Mr. Weber a call Nancy. He was upfront in posting his comment to you, and it would be a good opportunity to clear up any uncertainty (if any exists) about any legitimate debt.
My wife received a call on her cell from Lance Bekham representing Shane Michael and Associates in California. She was told that she owed over $1000 for a phone bill from Embarq and they are looking to file a judgement if she did not agree to pay the instantly reduced amount of $820.
When I arrived home she explained everything….I then gave them a call. I said I was her husband (I did not give them my first or last name) but then he asked if I was her husband and called me by her maden name. He began to give my wifes name, SS# and a few address that we have lived at. He also gave me the date the phone service was turned on back in 2005, and then told me it was charged off in 2009.
I flat told him that he was giving me every indication that this was a scam…..he said I completely understand..
Is there a statue of limitations on this kind of bill?
I don’t mind paying the bill (if I owe it) but I do not recall ever having a past due bill with a lan line company as we have not had a house phone (or internet from a phone company) in so many years. We have no indication of this past due bill on our credit report either.
Were lost and wondering because we are planning on buying a home after the first of the year.
4 year SOL in California. I would call this one a scammer, or a debt collector stepping over the lines.
If the account is not on your credit reports (pull all three and have a look before you apply for the home loan), you are good to go. If you find a collection on their, post an update and lets go from there.
Thanks for the response. I have a family friend that is a collections lawyer and he said pretty much the same thing….”they are shaking you down”.
I will update with more when it becomes available.
I received a call today from someone saying they are with Weldon & Associates, a Law Firm in L.A. They said they were suing me for a J.C. Penny debt that I owed. I told them I haven’t had a Penny’s card in 1o years. They knew my SS#. I asked for debt validation and they told me they were not required by law to provide that. They said I owed $1,017. When I mentioned I had never charged that much on that card when I used it. They said it was 29% interest that accrued over the years. Have you every heard of this Law Firm. They were very ugly when I said I would not discuss it further without validation, and said I would be receiving a summons within 2 weeks, and they will see me in court. They refused to give me their address so I could send them a request for debt validation. Is this legal? Is any of this legal? ,
Your details suggest it is a scam.
Thank you for your response. Are these Zombie debt buyers, including Portfolio Recovery allowed, by law, to sue you after the SOL has run out? I also have an issue with them on a debt that was charged off in 2009.
Portfolio Recovery Associates is not a scam collection agency or debt buyer. They are the second largest in the country. They buy up debt at all stages of collection and they are currently not allowed to resell it (CFPB consent order).
PRA will not be suing you after the SOL in your state expires. If they do, post an update and lets go from there.
What is the issue from 2009?
After losing my job of 30 years, I was unable to pay all of my credit card debt. It’s a Capitol One CC. I had other cards that I had payment plans direct with the CC Company. C1 charged it off pretty quick and went to collection agencies. I can’t recall which one now. I tried to work with them and they would only allow me to “settle” or pay if I gave them access to my checking account. I did that once and got burned. I offered to send a cashiers check every month. They would only accept payments if they could do drafts from my account.. I would not do that. Then PRA bought it at some point. The card was charged off my Capitol One in 2009. PRA is not good at sending true validation letters. I not live on SS and I can’t afford to hire a lawyer should they decide to sue me. I understand from one of your video’s they are very litigious.
PRA is more likely to sue than most collectors.
Was it PRA that called and threatened the lawsuit?
What state are you in?
No, it was no PRA that threatened with a lawsuit. I live in Texas. I know the SOL is 4 years. However, they have claimed that I made a $50 payment on August 15 of 2012, and I have no record of ever making that payment and have asked them what method the method of payment was. They have never responded to that. I feel like they are stating that to re-age the debt . They have gone silent for the past couple of weeks so I have a feeling I might get a summons. They usually called twice a day, every day.
Your defense would likely be the expired SOL if PRA sues. Keep me posted about that.
I should think PRA is being a bit more deliberate with their collection efforts after the millions they paid, and collection behavior called out in the CFPB consent order. But I have reason to see the management team as not very nimble or creative of thought. I can see them taking more lumps along the way (suing people passed the SOL based on unreliable data in their systems).
i received a call from unknown number , the ( female ) left a message stating she was calling on behalf
of the cherokee county processor servers department ( at least thats what it sounded like ) that a civil suit had been filed against my husband at the time a uniformed offical would be coming to the resident
on file between noon and five pm and would require him to be present with picture id , if he wasnt here they would be going to most resent place of employeement and a manager would have to sign for the documents , to have a stop order to call (844)307-0966 with a refrencee number , i calked back and a lady answered and the put bryan griffin on phone , then they spoke to my husband and sent email from integrity@mgmtgroups.com and the heading on email was ERM Enterprise Resolution Management signed by a senior associate David Levine ,said my husband owed a pay day loan company that he walked into with his bank named in the letter with dates over four years old ,
I would file complaints with my state AG and the CFPB.
Today I got a phone call about a credit card I owed on. I remember it from many many years ago. The lady called gave me her name and the company she was collecting from for the credit card. She had called my work, my mom and some how got my uncles number who I’m not close to. Stating to all of them they needed to get a hold of me to serve me papers I was being sued and there was a judgement against me. I. Called her back and she said I was being sued for fraud and they were going to take my house or a garnishment she wasn’t sure what they were going to do depended on the judge. I only owed a little over $1000 and if I let it go into judgement it would be over $3000. The balance sounds right because all the cards I’ve had in the past never went over the $1000 mark so that sounds right. But I haven’t had a credit card and that one in particular in alt least 5 years or more. And I’ve had judgements against me for a credit card and never had them contact my whole family. I just got served papers and they garnished my wages till it was payed in full. I got the company name and her name and when I googled all the names and numbers I either for a cell number a number not on the web and the lawyers she said she was working for there web site said nothing about debt collection and it wasn’t the exact company name she gave me. How do I know if this is a real debt collector. I already have them my debit card to take money out this Friday? She also said she was going to send me papers in regards to this lawsuit via email and I have received nothing. Thank you for your help and time. Tamera
Call you bank and stop payment and get a new debit card issued. It is a scam.
I just got a call from KM litigation. I was told that they would take me to court but if I paid half the amount that they would settle it for me for half of what I owed if I paid right away.they never asked me for my bank account. Just a debit card number.is that a legitimate agency
Not that I am aware of. Did you recognize the debt they were talking about? Was it from many years back, more recent?
Share more details if a follow up reply.
The debt was from 2007.I got a call from the lady Kristine Jordan from K&m litigation.they asked for a debit card and told me if I settled right away it would be for half of what I owed which would be for 1000 instead of 2000.they gave me an old address from 2010 and called my family members.I gave them my debit information on 6.24.16. I just received my bank statement and the number was a different number than what the lady used to call me.in addition the name that was on my statement said k & m f group llc.kristine called me on a saturday morning at 5 am and said my payment disnt go through.I told her i had to canvel my debit due to previous fraudulent charges that i did not use.I told her i could not get to the bank on a saturday and ahe told me to go to walmart to get a prepaid card and load it with my 280.00 that i arranged to pay. She called me twice today before I looked at my bank statement from the first payment arrangement that I made with a man on 6.24 due to freaking out that I was going to have to pay more if I did not settle now.I looked up kristine jordan of k&m litigation and she has done this before.
I was also told they would go to my work and my paycheck would be garnished if I did not make payment right away.I kept kristine voice-mails.can I report this.is this a scam.
Everything you described appears to be a scam to me. I would file the complaints with the CFPB and your state AG. Provide all the details you can, as well as the phone number attached to the bank transaction that failed.
I think I got a call from a scammer today. They called out of the blue about a debt that I supposedly owe. They said they were filing a civil lawsuit against me in my county and asked me to verify my address. Wouldn’t a real collector already have that and do it without calling me first?
What you describe is typically a scam or a collector pushing legal limits. What was the name of the collection agency? Did they refer to the debt they are collecting? Is it from many years back?
I have had multiple phone calls from two agencies I believe are both scams , every time telling me that some is “filing papers at my local court house” and I can stop them if I pay 50% of my 1050 balance with my debit card right away- they say they’re from an old cell phone company o had 11 years ago – and that they “bought the debt” from us cellular and now they have to take legal actions. But if they were truly going to serve me papers, they would try to surprise me not call me and tell me “hey you’re being served where can we send the package” what can I do to make them stop I have two agencies claiming to be representing US cellular at the same time.
I would file a complaint about the one that is talking about filing papers. Are both doing that?
Thank you for the reply,
Yes , both have called to tel me “they were trying to serve me” but “now there isn’t enough time to get me my papers before my August 10th court date” and I need to pay by August 9th or they will see me in court. I called all the local court houses and the attorney general who have informed me both are scammers, and likely, all working for the same people.
Thanks for the info. It was very helpful.
I received a call and voicemail from an unknown number. The man stated his name was Nicholas Quarter calling from Nallas County? He said there is a deputy coming to my home tomorrow from 9am-4pm to serve a notice to appear in court. Please report directly to the issuing firm.at 844-972-7283 with the case number he gave me, He never mentioned my address or anything he only would say my name in regards to the case or what it was about.
The man gave no identifying information about himself except he was from some county i have never heard of. The call was from an unknown number. I looked up that number online and there were similar comments with similar scenarios that all sounded like a scam..
Is there any way a deputy would show up to your door to serve you a court summons? I read online that usually it would come in the mail if that were to actually happen. Is this a scam? And if so how do I report them? I have the voicemail saved but there is not much actual information on it except for the guys name and the phone number he referred me to. Thanks.
It is very common to be served in person for a lawsuit, and a sheriff showing up to serve you is quite normal too. But in your situation none of it is going to happen. Based on what you shared you are being contacted by a debt collection scammer. Follow the tips in the article to file complaints.
Hi Michael,
I’ve been getting calls from this “Kelly Johnson” from Albright, Clark and Ass. +1 (562) 231-6085
Downey, CA
Stating that I have “numerous allegations against me” and conveniently I can call their mediation dept voluntarily to resolve this matter. 1st message left told me to call 1888)203-0172, next message left on 6/23/16 gave me this number to call 1866)318-5139, and finally the call today gave me the same number to call as the second message.
I started getting calls from her 6/10/16.
She’s also called my father, sister, and repeatedly called my husband. The strange thing is, she is using my maiden name that I haven’t used in almost 7 years.
When I finally got the courage to call them back one time, I didn’t get very far because I would verify my social. I kept asking for their physical address and the rep wouldn’t give it to me. He first stated that they have 48 locations around the country. Ok, so I asked for the physical address in Downey that keeps calling me. He just told me to “Google” them. I assured him I did, and found nothing on their company. Yet he still refused to give me an address. He kept
Trying to redirect me back to the point to where I needed to verify my social with him in order to continue.
In this last call my husband received today, he had asked them if a verification letter had been sent to me. (I’m sure he meant validation) and he said this “Kelly Johnson” paused a min before answering yes. I have not received anything from anyone esp before these calls about me owing money!
I check my credit reports monthly, if not more. And I have 0 derogatory marks on my credit, and 0 in collections. So what gives??
When she left a message today, she stated that they are now going to start calling my HR dept at work, and that I’m now forfeiting my right to voluntarily take care of this. And that I have to call back by today.
I don’t know if I should take this seriously, or not.
I would take the scam seriously (that is what this is) and report it to the CFPB and your state AG. Include all details, names, times, phone numbers, etc.
Thank you Michael for your response. I appreciate your time.
So no one is really going to contact my HR at work?
How do I get them to stop calling? Will they eventually give up?
A scammer may just… keep on scamming. But they will, in my experience working with people, move on to try and hook the next person when you let them know you are on to them and have filed complaints.
Yes, scammers will typically give up immediately, or in short order.
Also, how can I file a complaint if I don’t know much about this “Albright, Clark and Associates”?
They never gave me an addrss, so I don’t know their location. Plus, the rep said they had 48 around the country..
Just provide the details you have. It helps the CFPB develop a pattern of abuse. The names and phone numbers can help.
The largest debt collectors in the country do not have 48 offices in the US. These guys don’t either.
Haha! Yes, I doubt they have all those offices to. Thank you again, for your time and responses. It has eased my worries about this matter. I have filed a complaint with both the CFPB, and my state attorney genreral. We will see where the complaints lead to. If anything, it will at least put this so called company on blast.
Just got a very similar call from Allied Document Delivery Services. Got threats of summons,garnished wages the whole nine yards for a card from 7 years ago..Told me they could settle for pennies on the dollar and do not default by not showing up to court. I sense this is a scam exactly like what I have been reading on this site. Told me My summons is coming certified mail lol…and once I sign it theres “no turning back” …trying to scare me. 99% sure this was a scam to create cash flow. I did owe this credit card company..but I know this isnt how these things are handled.I didnt give them ANY acknowledgment or info.I called their bluff and said go ahead and deliver me the letter(summons). What do you think?
I would continue to call any bluff like that while filing debt collection complaints with the CFPB. It will put the names, phone numbers, and practices on their radar.
Hey Michael,
So this morning I woke up to a voicemail from an “unknown” number from a lady named “Victoria Wilson” saying she is an independent processor for the county I live in and she is serving me papers for legal documents for the next business day from the hours of 3pm-5pm and if I am not home, she will serve it to me at my work and if I had any questions to contact this number 443-205-1186. They also called my sister and my sister-in-law, which I do not know how they got their number. So I kinda panicked and called that number asking what this was all about and the guy who I was talking to is saying Kay Jewelers is suing me for the amount of $1800 but I can do a settlement for $975.50 if I decide to not to go court. He knew the last 4 digits of my social and address. I told him I was not able to pay that amount because I am still paying my taxes monthly and if I can set up an arranged payment. He then told me that I either have to pay 75.50 today and the 900 next month or that settlement will no longer be offered. I agreed to that, he said the only form of payment I can use was only a debit or credit card. This situation was bugging me all day and I did some more research. I looked up the phone number and it says that it is a cell phone number. Also they emailed me a paper about what is due and did not leave their address or phone number on it. Also when they signed it, it was signed “Sincerely, Administration” They also wrote “if you should have any questions please contact your service representative. 1-866-236-3274” , I looked that phone number up and it was a dorsal foot orthosis phone number. This company is supposedly “NRS Management, LLC” aka Niagara Recovery Solution located in Lockport, NY. I tried looking them up but, I can not find a website or legitimate phone number. I’ve never received a letter in the mail from them. I do not mind paying what I owe but, how do I know if I am being scammed or not.
They sound to me like a debt collector willing to step on your rights to collect, which can also be called a scam. Follow the steps I outline in the above article and file complaints.
I would not internalize an ounce of stress about the threats they made.
I received a call today from a person working for a lawyer saying I owe money from Visa that was secured in 2000 where a payment was last made in 2001. He said if I didn’t pay I was going to be sued. I told him I was not aware of this debt and asked him for his address, name of the attorney he was working for. He started to give me his address which started off as a PO box but them stopped and said that I was asking too many questions. Later on that day a notice was sent to my work e-mail, which is monitored by the management team. The letter is titled Affidavit and Assignment which is notarized. I’m not sure what to do at this point. Do I send them a cease and desist letter and say this debit is too old to collect? They said they were going to send a letter to my employer and they know where I work. Please help.
I would send cease communication notices and file complaints with the CFPB. I would likely contact an experienced FDCPA attorney in my state about the threat to sue when the debt is 16 years old and passed the SOL to due that. That threat is a violation.
What is the name of the collection agency contacting you?
The name of the agency is ARA Inc., in Illinois. I have filed a complaint with the State of California Office of the Attorney General. I received a letter stating they would write the company a letter and request a response.. I received a letter on 6/29/2016 from ARA Inc. where they stated that pursuant to our conversation they are offering me a settlement. I never spoke to them on the phone after the 1st phone call and/or agreed to any settlement. I have obtained counsel and hope to resolve this soon.
I received a call from Jennifer at Zenco collections regarding a loan on a car. She had me validate my last 4 of social. She first started by saying its for a sum of $7295 from Something acceptance (first one started with an a) the number was 469-899-8910 and that I had two options to clear it up to stop action today. I asked her what was this money for that I owed, she claimed it was for a 2003 Pontiac that I purchased in 2006. I purchased a Pontiac in 2006 but it was not the year she mentioned and wasn’t even worth that much money. That got me thinking. She started to get antsy. About me signing a contract of I could pay half of that which would be 3000 or pay ten percent and have the rest debited once a month at a hundred dollars. I then asked the lady if I could call her back within an hour after I spoke to my husband, she stated that she would hold my account for only 1 hour or she would be filing against me. She mentioned the county I live in, that I worked in a hospital (which is true), and that they had sent numerous letters to an address I lived at in 2005. I called back the number she gave me ten minutes later and she stated they have already filed against me and I had to be there in four days at nine in the morning. She was hateful and stayed to me I was give. Four years to pay in why should she have gave me an hour? And that everything was recorded for court purposes. I am freaked out and have surgery that day as it is. Please tell me this isn’t really going to happen?
Based on what you shared, none of it is going to happen. I would not give Zenco or Jennifer a second thought, other than to file a debt collection complaint against them with the CFPB of course.
i had the same issue! and out of panic i paid them a settlement amount, i will call my credit card company to stop payment, just want to know what’s next…
please advise…
Follow the tips in the article to file complaints and immediately check with your bank about reversing the payment.
I just received a call from Zenco about a car loan that I had in 2006.They said that I owed over $10,000. but told me that I could settle the debt for $3200. if I was able to pay it by next Tuesday and all colectionary activities would stop.After I told them that there was no way I could come up with the money,”Mr.Whatley” got pretty Nasty and just hung up on me.This is after I was threatened with a lawsuit,losing my current car that I am making payments on because it is collateral.wage garnishment and they could make me lose my job?I really hope this was a scam!
I would have to say it was. Zenco has its reputation of course, and the ways you were threatened being so brazen. Come-on Zenco scam collector… threatening someone they will lose the car they are making on time payments to… WTF?
Hi Sir,
I received a call from someone from ALBRIGHT CLARK and Assoc clamining I owe on a past debt. I requested that before I agree to make any form of arrangements, I would need something in writing per FDCPA and the rep states it’s gone past that. I advised them again per FDCPA they legally have to send something in writing. When I mentioned that California has a statute of limitations of 4 years, the person on the other end stated they will advise their client it would be in their best interest to take me to court.
The company again is ALBRIGHT CLARK, they called from a local area code here in California but claimed to be in FL. I asked them if they have a local office here in my city, and they claimed their calls are routed to local area codes.
I talked to 3 reps and none of them recited the collection mini-Miranda per FDCPA all they asked for was money. All 3 reps had heavy accents and said they were in litigations department and they legally have the right to recite it. When I advised them they violated my rights, they ended the call?
There is no physical address for this company in Florida or any license of this company.
Scam?
Everything you shared has the markings of a debt collection scam.
I received a call from Summit Recovery Services. They threatened to summon me and ask me to pay $2400 on a 6 year old debt that was $300. Out of fear I agreed to arrange payments, but haven’t made my first payment. I think they are scamming me. I’m thinking of telling my bank to block the transaction, and request documents of this debt. If they are legit, is it possible to renegotiate a smaller settlement? they are not with the Better Business Bureau.
Who was the original creditor?
What state are you in?
How certain are you of the date you last paid?
The BBB does not reflect a debt collection agencies legitimacy.
I received a call from Allied Document Delivery Services and was told to call another number. I called this number 855-246-7291 and the phone was answered by some kind of answering service. Then I provided this file number they had given and was transferred to someone named Anthony Mendez. I asked for the company name and he said it was Harborside Group. I asked for the address and he refused to provide that information so I ended the call.
I believe this to be a fraudulent Debt collection scam.
I just received a call from a debt collector Aka attorneys….. Supposedly representing GE capitol. If I don’t pay today the amount will double. If by the end of the day I have not called back to make arrangements for settlement the acct will be reported to the IRS for a 1099.C . Then I will be required to pay the original amount plus $30 a month in interest and penalties for the last 6 years amounting to Approximately $5000. But they can’t tell me who the original debt is too only that GE capitol funded the credit. It is not on my credit report . They told me to google to get the # of GE Capitol . I have never heard of such a thing and am worried and confused. Any ideas?
From the sound of it Kathi, you are dealing with a debt collection scam. I do not know if you read the above article before you posted your comment on the main Q&A page, but I recommend you follow the tips I give above.
I received a call from this # this morning 760-268-9517 . A lady informs me I am being sued and it would be up to me to sign for the papers that I would be served at my address in the morning and to call this # 855-866-0185 and give them this case # 192-128 .
I call the stupid # and was put on hold while the lady said she was sending me upstairs . Another lady answers and I give her the case # . She says : ” you will be served a summons to court in the morning ” . I said : ” for what ” ? ….she says : ” you are being sued for a debt with Juniper bank and your last payment was in 2007 and you owe $4000…. is the last four of your social #…. ? I replied yes ! I then say who is this ? She says : ” we are a collection agency ” . I told her that I have a staff of attorneys that handle all of my business and that they will have to talk to them in Lancaster California . She become irate and is now yelling and says : ” fine …you tell your attorney to contact me ! and she hung up the phone ….
I went through my paperwork and found the last Juniper Bank Statement from 2008 . My husband died in 2006 and because I purchased ” Account Protect Ultra ” for an extra $18.64 per month ….my account was paid off in full in 2007 and I closed it and it has never showed up on my credit report .
I think you have this figured out already, but what you outline is a fake debt collection scam. I moved your comment to this page where I encourage people to file complaints with as much detail as you can.
Michael, Iam hoping you can help. My husband has been getting calls from (339)-545-5845 out of MA (we live in IN). They claim they are collecting for Shane Michael & Associates out of CA for a Sprint bill from 2002 ($700ish). They also said it had last been paid on in 2010. We have no knowledge of these payments and it doesnt show up on his credit report. He had sprint many years ago but doesnt remember there being an outstanding balance. They also had a lot of his personal info like past addresses…. Scammer?
Anyone collecting on 14 year old debt is put in the same light as an outright scam, there are too few exceptions to this based on recent history in the collection industry. Telling people they paid on something when they did not is highly questionable.
I would send a cease communication letter certified mail if it were me.
I was contacted by Zenco out of Richardson Tx yesterday. They said we had 24 before they rendered our file and turned it over to the county for liens and levys. She said Bank 1 was being audited and since we never released the debt from our social, we were required to pay it now. That one way or another we would pay it. That we had 2 options, pay the settlement or in full now or go to court and pay all the costs associated with that.
I asked her what it was for bc I’ve never had anything from Bank 1 and she said it was for my husband’s Visa and the last payment was 8/2004! I told her I wasn’t even married to him then and I needed to talk to him about it before I did anything. She said it didn’t matter bc Texas was a community state and if we didn’t pay it would affect me as well. She said she knew we had a 20÷× Dodge and our current address. She also said she was just the mediator for the original creditor and she was trying to give us a chance before we were sued.
Initially I was freaked out, but isn’t the statute of limitations up on this? We are in Texas.
I just got another call from them saying they needed our answer as they were about to file on us in our county. This time it was her supervisor. Help!
The collector exhibited all of the hallmarks of a scam Bri. Follow my advice in the article above and file complaints. Be sure to include Zenco’s name, the debt collectors name etc. Any and all information will assist regulators.
The SOL is not an issue here (though it would have passed), the fact they are operating a scam is the bigger concern.
I received a phone call from a “process server” who stated that they contacted my HR department (which they did) to serve court papers and told me to call the law firm that is handling the case at (415) 484 – 0883. When I call it’s a guy named Brian’s direct line. When I spoke to him he said it was for a debt that my husband owed. He asked when we got married so I told him and then he said the debt was from 2012 (we were married in 2014) and that because we are legally married they can garnish my wages. He said it was for a Discover card and the balance was 4083. He said they mailed a notice to settle the debt for 1400 45 days ago and gave me my husbands old address as the address they mailed it to. I googled the law firm and can’t find them I googled the phone number and nothing shows up. I also got on Credit Karma and looked at my husbands collection accounts and nothing for 4000 shows up and no discovery card shows up at all. There is one credit card that shows up from 2012 however it shows the account was closed and charged off it doesn’t even show what type of credit card it was and the balance was only $300 it shows opened in Sept 2012 closed in Oct 2012 and the “law firm” states he made 3 payments then stopped. They also said they would email me proof. He offered me to pay the 1400 to clear the debt and I told explained to him that we just lost our daughter and paid for her funeral he said sounds like you are going through a hardship hold oh let me see what I can do. He got back on the phone and said they can make payment plans that can be directly taken out of my account 10 payments of $233. He said that I have until my work is served with Garnishment paperwork to start the payment plan. The Law Firm is Lee Sims and Associates. Is this a scam? He had no accent and sounded pretty professional..
And after I sent this I get a text from a different number stating that a lawsuit has been filed and an arrest warrant has been issued. I know this is a scam but now I’m really thinking that they previous one is a scam as well. I just don’t want my wages garnished I’m trying to buy a house!
Based on what you have shared I believe you are being targeted by a debt collection scam. I would guess the two are related to the same scammer. I suggest you follow the tips in the original article above.
I was not contacted directly but through my wife’s ex-husband. The company is LTS group and they gave a case # and phone number. 844-831-5085. Is this a legitimate company? I plan to call them Monday.
I would call and get as many details as possible. There is a pattern of collection complaints against a similar named company you can read about here.
What was said to the ex husband? Was it just a case number and nothing else?
Trying to collect on really old debt, if this is the same company I have found complaints about, and who have used that phone number in the past, is not always going to be a scam, but the debt collectors that work those debts sure do violate consumer rights consistently from my view.
Hi Michael,
I received a call from Zenco Collections on 3-15-16 regarding a debt with Chase Bank Credit Card from 2005. I told them the statue of limtations were up on this debt. Their answer was that back in 2009 I requested proof of this debt so the debt has been re-opened.
They said a judgement has been filed against me and they are going to attach my wages and place a lien on my property if I didn’t agree within the hour to set up a payment due to be paid within 10 days.
I gave them my debit card information. But, after viewing others comments on this website I immediate called my bank and cancelled my debit card number, no harm done.
Does this sound like a legitimate collection agency?
Thanks
No it does not. No reputable collection agency would have made those threats. Follow my suggestions above and file a complaint about this with the CFPB.
Read up on the comments and something similar happened to me recently. Can you please look up a Jason Russo phone number 888-215-9833 and the collections agency number is 855-977-2125 representative’s name is David claimed I’m going to be served because of an old HSBC account from like 2006 requested documentation and they both came up with an excuse just for fun gave them my debit card info and set up a payment plan then rang my bank reported the card stolen told them what happened and they sent me a new a card took the info and said that they’d look into it and let me know if anything fishy came up they haven’t called me back yet today the david guy called me back from a restricted number left a different number and left me a voicemail saying actions speak louder than words and that he called trying to find out what happened and the actions part because I had my card reported as stolen I honestly have no issue paying anyone back just trying to make sure it’s not a scam and that it’s legit do you think this is a scam I couldn’t find anything on my credit report the lawyer guy did talk about how hsbc had sold their assets to another company blah blah blah he had my social old address info, etc what should I do
I moved your comment to this page about scams and fake debt collectors. Review the original article and some of the comments. I think you are dealing with one or the other.
Get them to tell you the name of the company that bought the debt and who they work for if you can. If you wanted to ignore them completely I wouldn’t blame you.
i believe it is also a scam a collector will not call from a blocked or private number and i am sure most states statue of limitations is under ten years mine (Indiana is 7 years) so you are safe there as well if they contact you again demand them to send something in the mail with their company name stating that you owe the money if they refuse on my behalf and the others please have some “fun” with them!!!!!!!!
i received a call claiming the same old credit card from bank one in 2002 for the amount $7,900.00 arguing with him he was serving me with papers and i would actually owe more around 34,000.00 would not send a paper from his collection agency stating that i owed and they where trying to collect he knew everything about me even my social security # and all family member names i have taken every step possible to farther protect myself and im poor enough he can only help my credit!!! so my advice to everyone else is do what i told him i was going to do “find me and i will wait on those papers” i hope they call back i have more i want to say to him he claimed to be working under the law office of julie anderson from California when i asked for proof or credentials im transferred to a mike slater fraud services he refused to send anything in the mail did not have my correct address and was very irritated when i mentioned attorney general office i also hope he calls back!!!!
Mr. Hover, this past Monday (Feb. 15, 2016) I received a phone call from a Collection Co. Called Zenco Collects. A woman ask me to speak to my husband and I ask who she was. She proceeded to tell me he was being advised of a court date in our local county regarding a debt he owes. I explained to her that I had gotten absolutely zero correspondence or previous phone calls regarding anything to do with this. She said that letters had been sent several times and that my husband’s wages could be garnished, liens on assets could occur, court fees, etc. if we didn’t agree to settle the debt that day. Every time I would ask logical and common sense questions, she would raise her voice. She said the debt was from a credit account, and when I told her my husband and I had taken bankruptcy in 2003, discharged in 2004, she said this debt was not included on that. I was literally scared to death not to settle with this company. I kept asking questions I needed answers for, but she finally told me I was “insulting” her and wasting her time. Then she transferred me to a “Mr. Lee” who continued to not answer my legitimate questions and told me we were free to go to court. I finally gave in and made payment via two credit cards that day, and when I got off the phone I was sick all over. I have never dealt with anything like this in my life, and I’m 62 years old. We placed all the debt we had, as far as credit accounts into the discharged bankruptcy, and that was discharged 12 years ago. I know in my heart we’ve been scammed, but I don’t know if we chalk it up to a lesson learned or if there are other options. Should I report this to someone? Should I get a lawyer and try to figure out what has happened? Is there any way to hold them responsible for trying to get money for debt we don’t owe? I have researched this since Monday. It sounds exactly like “Zombie” debt, which I had never heard of until now.! I checked our credit and there is no debt like this in our report. I have requested a certified copy of the original bankruptcy, but I won’t have it for several days. I have also learned that more than likely the SOL was out, even if we owed the debt. I believe that is 6 years in Tennessee. If you have any options you feel might help I would most sincerely appreciate your time. This is a nightmare I can’t wake up from. Many lessons learned on President’s Day 2016! I learned don’t pick up the phone when it’s a strange area code. I feel sick that this is going on everyday:( Thank you sir for any assistance
I moved your comment to this page about dealing with fake debt collectors and scams. Based on all that you shared in your comment I am of the opinion that is what you are dealing with.
Read the full article above and follow through on all of the action steps that make sense for you.
I received a call from Zenco today with exactly the same scenario; threat of a pending court date in 4 days as the result of a Chase audit and referral from their client DeVille Asset Management.
After two abrasive conversations and 15 minutes on hold, I was escalated to Mr. Lee who advised me to seek counsel and hung up on me. He started out sweet and chatty and then became hostile and accusatory. He told me that the call was being recorded, accused me of recording the call myself and wished me luck.
At no time would they explain the particulars of the debt which originated in 2010 (Chase/WaMu); allegedly for $5282,) which they offered to settle today for $2500.
What concerns me is they have my cell phone #, home address, employer, etc. I called the Superior and District Courts and nothing is on the calendar for the 29th and according to their on-line records there are no pending actions filed against me in the County Courts..
I was at work so can’t check my records but I believe this debt was settled through a previous collection agency (he says there were 6) as it does not show on my credit report as an open collection,.
I have never received anything in the mail from them although Mr. Lee basically called me a liar and told me I had. I have not been served papers but am now concerned they may. I will check my credit report and files tonight. Kinda ruined my day….
I would encourage you to call and speak with an experienced collection defense attorney in your state. Post a reply with where you live and I can send you an email with several attorneys with the experience you need.
Because there is a Chase account involved, that is of a certain vintage fitting the description of accounts included in the consent order Chase signed with the CFPB, a few things are noteworthy:
1. Chase data for accounts that went delinquent in your time frame is found suspect.
2. Debt buyers with accounts included in the CFPB complaint who sue would be highly unlikely to sue, and if suing, a skilled defense would point out the consent order the suspect data to the degree you have a fair chance at a dismissal.
3. Chase agreed to suppress credit reporting of accounts included in the consent order. That could be why you do not see any from them.
Zenco’s website is exactly the type I had in mind when I mentioned scammers putting up decent looking, but thin websites.
Be sure you have taken accurate notes with dates, times, names, etc., and consider filing that debt collection complaint with the CFPB.
Thank You; I am in Seattle and would appreciate a referral. This account was opened in 2005 and last payments made in April 2009 so it appears to be beyond Washington’s Stature of Limitations although I’m not sure that’s applicable.
I haven”t heard from then since they gave me a deadline of 2/29/16 to respond. I haven’t been served and no proceedings appear in the on-line court calendars. I appreciate the help; Best Wishes.
I sent you an email with contact details to an attorney on the eastern side that covers the state. He offers a no cost consult so take him up on that.
Hi Michael,
My friend is getting numerous phone calls and email from LTS Collections, LLC. I was wondering if it’s a scam or not. They say that she owes close to $1000 for streamenergy from 2006. Her family did have streamenergy but they are not sure what year. LTS said they sent mail concerning this debt to an address. But, they never lived at that address. My friend mistakenly had given her credit card info, but luckily she cancelled it the following morning after thinking through the phone call. So after cancelling the card, the debt collectors called again talking about how the card was declined and that she needed to set up a new payment method immediately. She told them she would if they sent a physical copy of everything to her address. They said they sent it last week but she never received anything. And now they won’t stop calling or emailing her. Please let me know your thoughts on this.
Thank you,
Sara
I would contact an experienced debt collection defense attorney in your state and ask for their feedback. Post the state this is going on in and I can email you contact details to any I know with the experience you need.
Houston, TX
I think I may have paid a fake debt collector – any advice on next steps?
If it were me I would immediately contact my bank and tell them what happened and that you want to reverse the charges, and for fraud if necessary.
Post more details in a comment reply as to what happened and the name of the company. It can help others.
Hi! I just received a phone call telling me that I needed to call a number they provided within 2 hours or I would be sued due to some disturbance, I called the number and it was Fillmore & Associates. They insisted that I owed over $1000 for a past phone bill from T Mobile- I had a T Mobile account like 10-12 years ago but I never owed any money. I did a quick google search and there were a lot of people on multiple sites claiming this “company” is a scam. Even I did owe money to T Mobile, wouldn’t it show up on my credit report? Wouldn’t the 7 years already have passed in which they could have sued me. I am confused and mad. I feel like they are trying to scam me and that makes me angry. Is there anything I can do to resolve this situation or anyone I contact to report them? Thank you for your time.
Follow the tips I give for reporting debt collection abuse and scams in the original article above.
Hi Micheal, I had a debt with cash net USA back in 2007. At the time Ilived in CA. I received a call about 2 months ago stating that cashnet USA was trying to sue me for $600 and press charges against me. I advised the lady that I could not pay that amount so she said if I paid $150 they would close the account and no further legal action would take place. I never received a notice about the charges or them trying to sue me. I contacted the BBB and the lady I spoke with said she could not find any information on the company that called. Yesterday I received another phone call they left a message that they had a complaint on me and that I was contacted before and the matter was not resolved. This was the last attempt and that I had 24hrs to return their call or I will get hit with papers to appear in court. My question is can they still take me to court and sue me? I called cashnet USA and they said it sounds like fraud.
I moved your comment to this page about debt collection scams because what you shared is very similar to I outline in the original Q&A above. Based on what you shared I believe you are being contacted by debt collection scammers. Follow some of the suggestions in the above piece and post updates if anything new comes up.
The name of the company was K&M F Group.
I sent you an email with contact details to 3 experienced consumer law attorneys in the Houston area. Let me know how you progress.
Hi, I also received a phone call from different ladies stating I owed a debt from back in 2005 from HSBC and if I did not pay they were going to show up at my place of business and home and sue me. And I had 24 hours to get back with them with a payment.
I am in Houston, Texas. Can you please refer me to an attorney I can discuss this matter with.
Thank you!
For the past 9 months, a man who only identifies himself as “Jeff” has been calling my cell phone from 4 different numbers claiming to be a debt collector. I have repeatedly asked him to identify his company and what the debt is but he refuses. I even called back on the 800 number he called from and a woman answered “operator?”. I asked what the company is and she refused to tell me saying that she “answers for multiple companies”. She then transferred me and that jeff guy answered. I demanded to know what this company is and he asked me for my phone number. When I refused, he said and I quote “If you won’t give me your phone number I can’t help you” and then hung up on me! This is obviously a scam, but this is getting ridiculous. I get calls from this man multiple times a week and I just let it go to voicemail now, but this is ridiculous. For 9 months, I have been getting at least one call a week from this guy and he won’t stop even after I told him the last time he called that I knew he was a fake. I told him straight up I know you’re not legitimate and I’m not going to EVER fall for your scam, he continues to call playing the debt collector role. What can I do? How can I get this man to stop calling me?
I’d also like to say that i googled all 4 numbers he’s calling from and they all link to a debt collection service called American Collection Services. After doing a LOT of research today AND finding their supposed address just down the street from me- I visited the “office”. It’s a run down building that doesn’t appear to have any business in it.
I would file a debt collection complaint with the CFPB with all of the details you have, and also talk to an experienced FDCPA violations attorney near you. If you post or email me the name of a large city nearby I can email you contact details to any I know of in the area.
I have never had a debt default but my ex son-in-law had one and an aggressive collection agency had my address and phone number as his residence and contact info. After a bunch of peace disturbing calls from this number I didn’t recognize I decided to answer to find out who/what they wanted. No matter what I told them they insisted I was him and a dead-beat of which being called a liar was insulting to say the least. When it got threatening (credit ruin, law suit, etc.) even though I did know where he could be contacted/found I kept quiet as my own little F-You. I got a message to him about the call and to never use my numbers for contact. I can’t imagine what it would feel like being the recipient of a call like that for a debt owed that couldn’t be immediately paid .I was in a position of power knowing they could do nothing to me. I wonder how successful filing a complaint against aggressive collection truly is when it would be my word against theirs.
I moved your comment to this page about collection scams. Review the above article and follow any of the suggestions to report the debt collector. You could encourage your son in law to do the same.
Nashville, TN
My sister in law received a phone call today asking for me from an unknown woman. This woman wanted to remind me that on Tuesday we were meeting at my house to sign some paperwork. First, I never talked to anyone about meeting at any time to sign any paperwork. Two, she never stated where she was from. Three, cant figure out how she got my sister in laws cell number. My sister in law called the number back and a man answered. He states that in 2011 I had taken out a loan at Ace Cash express and never paid the money back. I have no memory of this but it is possible since I was in a major financial situation that year. He claims he had sent me several emails which I never received. He said he was going to send me another today. I finally received it and the “letter” that was attached was dated with todays date, like they just typed it up. It was from Red Cedar Associates from Buffalo, NY. This is the first thing that I have received in 4 yrs concerning this account. Is this legitimate?
In your situation I would consult with an experienced collections violation attorney. Post the name of a nearby larger city and I will send you an email of any experienced ones I find that offer a no cost consultation to go over your rights and options.
I am posting the following comment on behalf of a reader who had called in for a consult and submitted the following:
“On November 17, 2015 I received a message to call 855-315-5042 leaving a case # regarding our son, who is an adult, age 32. When I called I asked who I was calling and the receptionist said Corporate Towers in Beverly Hills California. She asked me for the case number and with that she still could not tell me what company as they had many in the building. I was connected to a Mike Wells with American Financial Solutions, 8200 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 400 Beverly Hills CA. He said our son opened a credit card on 8/12/2002 and it was closed on April 29, 2006. There was a protection plan with the card in case of job loss, death etc. He stated they have tried to reach him. Our son works and lives overseas but does list our address as a mailing address. I look at all mail coming in and did not see anything. Mr. Wells also gave me his direct line 310-504-1704. He stated that he owes $4533.64 to Maryland National Bank for a credit card and this has been turned over to collections. Initially he implied that an attempt had been made to serve a court document but through the conversation he said that if I would hold he would call the attorney’s office to see if they would hold off for 24 hrs. They agreed to do that and settle for 2533.64. I did tell him our son works and lives overseas, he is not someone who doesn’t pay his bills. I would try to reach him and he granted 24 hr extension.
Mr. Wells said that they look at their credit and assets and don’t pursue those who cannot pay but those who can pay they do pursue.
He said that this was a civil law suit and if ruled in their favor they could garnish my son’s wages, put liens on property etc.
We are in Maryland and according to what I found online the statute of limitations on credit card debt is 3 years to sue but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t pursue this for 12 years from the date of last payment or closure and could be placed on his credit report
The credit card number they gave has never been listed on his credit report with Experian, so I don’t know if it was ever reported.
My concerns are, can they sue him and garnish wages etc. Can a credit company wait this long to put something on someone’s credit report.
If it is pursued would the filing of the court documents have to be in the county they believe he resides in. If they file it and they attempt to serve and obviously he cannot accept them since he is out of the county can they still move forward with the suit. Also does the court mail a copy so we would have a record of exactly what they are referring to.
When I asked for specific information on the credit card, other than the card #, dates opened/closed I couldn’t get any information from Mr. Wells. He said that was all in the attorney’s office.
If need be we will get a Power of Attorney from him but I need to know what to expect.
Mr. Wells called me last night as he hadn’t heard back from me as I had indicated we would take care of the debt if it was due.
My son’s credit is spotless on Experian so I don’t want anything to put a black mark on this.
Thank you for your assistance.”
I spoke with her today and the collector had gone on to call the debtors uncle and sister.
This kind of thing is brazen.
Hopefully she follows up with filing her complaints to the CFPB and her state attorney general.
I received information from this mike wells person today. He said he was with allied financial solutions though. It was preceded with the same call stating I had legal paperwork waiting. When I spoke with Mike wells, he told me I had a check that bounced to my doctors office (who I still see regularly) in October 2012. I told him I knew nothing of it. He said it was through sage payment solutions who handled their check service. The check was on a very old account I haven’t had in years and for $30.38. He said the process server was looking for me and I needed to pay over $530.00. I questioned extensively and put my doctors office on the phone as well. He said they would never have known because it went through sage payment solutions. He gave me a bank the bank account number used and the check number. My dr said I didn’t write a check for that amount and that this was a scam. To be safe and before I checked the laws and facts, I gave him a prepaid card number stating he could withdraw a settlement a week from this Friday of $103.38. The card has zero dollars on it and that is why I gave that card number. I figured if it was real, I could deposit the money but if a scam, I can just not fund the card. I received a letter asking me to sign and return via email. I have not signed. I am still digging but I cannot find anything on this company other than on this comment thread. Is there any way that this is a real debt?
I would not pay a thing. Even your doctor verified you have never paid a bill for that amount.
Check your credit reports to see if there is anything related to this on there.
Hi Michael, i am in Florida and received a call from Zenco Collections agency about a car i purchased in 2006 that was repossessed in 2006 due to job loss. The guy stated he was a legal assistant and that we would settle the debt for $2,000 if i could pay it by 11/30/15. If i couldn’t pay it then there would be a judgement placed against me and i’d have to pay the total of $4,500 that is left owed because i was never legally released from the contract. He also went on to say that the company i purchased the car through would definitely win the judgement and my wages would be garnished because i own no property. I told him that i was in nursing school and had no job and he told me that there are extensive background checks when you’re going for nursing (i guess in an attempt to scare me into paying). So my question is does this sound like a scam and can they legally go after me since it’s been 9 years since the car was repossessed?
The SOL to legitimately file a collection lawsuit has passed in Florida. The debt collector giving you the “pay now or else” and threatening to do something they are time barred from doing is a scam. Legitimate debt collectors do not do that. I would file complaints with regulators and move on. Double check nothing about an old debt like this is appearing on your credit reports any more. Post an update if you do see anything.
Will do. Thanks for your help.
I received a voice mail from same the guy i spoke with a few weeks ago that represents Zenco Collections and he was certainly ticked off. In the voice message he stated “TW you are definitely testing me”. I couldn’t help but find that funny. He also left a message last week stating that my deadline to agree on the lower settlement of $2,000 would be on November 30th. I have continued to receive calls past my “due date”. I think it is now safe to say that this was an attempt to scam me out of money.
Have you filed the complaints?
I have not but I will be sure to do that today.
We too are being harassed by Zenco. The lady today said she was with The Prosecutors office in the Criminal Division
Mike slater director of fraud recovery from harbourside called me saying that i hace and outstanding debt from 2006 and that they would settle out of court well i agreed to make a payment that following week after ive gotten some advice I decided not to pay well they just called me again saying they are going to contact the police in the county I live in so I til them to go ahead cause they are a scam and he told me to hang up on him i think i just made him mad
Hi Michael,
Today my mother received a call from a woman named Julie stating that I need to contact them within 2 hours and if they did not hear from me I would be served at her residence with legal papers and be taken to court. She said that she was from Dallas Court Courier, my mother asked her how she got her number and she told her it didn’t matter and then hung up on her. So my mother then called me.
I called the number back 1-855-251-0543 and spoke to a guy named Roland Shane. First he asked if I had been serve my papers yet, and I said no. He claimed that he was working on behalf of his client Summit Recovery Services, for an old HSBC credit card. He claimed that they sent me a letter a month ago stating that I had 30 days to respond or they would place a judgement against me, and but that they never received a response. I asked him what was the address that they sent it to, he had the correct street name and number but the incorrect apartment number. He said that the original amount that was charged off was $372 but it had earn interest at 32% so the balance was now $562 and if I didnt make a payment, they will sue me and then I will have to pay $3649 for the cast of debt, plus court and attorney fews. I stated that this was and old account and it was past the statue of limitations in Texas to collect. He said that it wasn’t because it was opened in 2005 but was not charged off until 2011. Which makes no sense because I am almost certain that I have not paid this card since probably sometime before 2007. So I am almost certain that it was charged off before that. The he tried to say the the collection agency that had it did not charge it off until 2011. So I then asked him who was he collecting this debt for, and he just kept saying “his client”. I said well who is your client, and he said that he told me that already and would not repeat himself. I asked again and he said his supervisors. Then he starts to get all snappy. So, I then asked what was the name of his company, and he said that his told me that already, which he did not. All he said was something about on behalf of Summit Recovery Services earlier in the conversation. So I asked if he would send me the papers again since I never received them the first time, and he said no, that the info would all be in the packet when I get served by the process server. I stated that I need to do more research before I pay anything and I had been laidoff and didnt have any money would need an written agreement. He said that I could not get a written agreement b/c until I made a payment and it would be on my payment reciept. And also I couldnt arrange payments because I did not have a job. So I then again asked him who he worked for and once again he said he told me that already and that I wasting his time and then hung up on me. I even called back to see if they would say the company name when they picked up, but they answered “corporate office”. I asked for the name of the company and then they guy asked for my file #, turns out its they same guy, and he still would not answer my question, so I just told him I would call back on Monday, and of course he said that they would put any legal action on hold until they hear from me on Monday.
This call left me very frustrated. So I decided to submit a complaint to CFPB website, but I was unable to put a company name but I did put the number on the complaint.
I then went to check my credit report and the HSBC is no longer listed on any of my credit reports, nor is Summit Recovery Services. But I did notice they was an inquiry a couple of days ago 11/2/15 from a company called Temescal Financial Services, there was an address but no number.
I tried searching the number (1-855-251-0543) that I called online but I could not find any results, but I did find results for 1-855-251-0541 (one digit difference) and the person who posted that number said it was from Temescal Financial Services also claiming to serve them with papers in 2 hours. I thought that was a huge coincidence.
So, am I correct in thinking that this is a scam?
And if so, what else do you suggest that I do?
Could the company be Temescal Finacial Services?
Thanks
I do think you were contacted by a debt collection scam. I would file a complaint with the Texas AG and include all the information you gathered after you filed with the CFPB. I would connect with an experienced collection abuse lawyer in your area and run the scenario by them, and include the credit inquiry information and what you found about Temescal Financial Services. See if there is something they suggest you do next.
Are you near Dallas? I can email you contact details to attorneys I know of in the area that offer a no cost consult.
Yes, I am near Dallas
I sent you an email with half a dozen attorneys in the area that have the experience you need. Let me know if anything develops with your complaints or with one of the attorney consults.
Thank you
I did call one of the attorneys that you emailed me but I have not heard back from them yet.
But after several calls back to the collector, I finally got a name from them Summit Recovery Services, exact same city as Temescal Financial Services.. I also did Debt Collector Search on the Texas Secretary of State website and found that there is no Summit Recovery Services listed with an active bond in Texas.
I stopped paying my credit card over 8 years ago. I received a call from Brookstone United Capital telling me that I needed to pay my credit card. They said if I didnt pay them they were going to take me to court. They also said that they had mailed me some paper work which I never got stating that I needed to pay them within 30 days or they would take me to court. Do I still have to pay them?
What state are you in Irene?
Texas
Your old credit card appears to be well past the Texas 4 year statute of limitations to file a legitimate collection lawsuit. I would highly recommend calling an experienced Texas consumer law attorney who focuses on collection abuse. You have a legitimate concern, and the consult will be no charge.
Post the name of a large city near you and I will email you attorney contact details to several I find in the area.
I live in El Paso Texas
I did not find a good contact for you in El Paso. But the attorney I did send you is highly experienced, and despite the distance, is in the same judicial district as you for federal cases. I would suggest you contact her and talk over the details.
Michael,
I was contacted today by a company claiming to be collecting an outstanding debt for The Cash Store. The collector called claiming to be Illinois Legal Services. They stated that I was being served Monday and that charges filed against me for this debt. I called the company back in a panic. My first mistake. I talked to them and I had taken a Liam our in 2006, but they claim this is from 2009. I know the 2006 loan was sent to legal bank in 2007. However, this company which goes by Clear Credit Resolutions, had a different amount that was outstanding. I initially thought it wss legit and was put on the spot to pay. I got my credit card info to pay, but they need me to sign an authorization to complete the payment. What should I do?
I would contact an experienced debt collection defense and/or FDCPA attorney and talk over the circumstances with them first. Post the name of a larger city near you and I will email you contact details to attorneys with the experience you want who I know offer a no cost consult too.
I’m near Chicago. But closer to Joliet.
I sent you an email with contact details to 3 attorneys with the experience you need. Please let me know how things go.
On September 24th, 2015, I was contacted by a man who said his name is Greg Wilson with Harbourside. He was trying to collect on a debt that was from 2008. This falls outside of the statute of limitations for debt collection in Alabama. He said they were sending the local police to my work. I told him I had not received any information from them in the mail. He proceeded to tell me that if I did not make an agreement with them that he would have to send the police to my work (again). So he asked me to pay $500 towards the balance and payments and I told him I could not afford that. He kept on forcefully attacking me to the point I was scared. I can’t have the police come to my place of employment. He asked for my credit card number to verify that I was going to pay it. He said they would not charge it until they got a paper back saying that I authorize it. I told him I needed to read the paper and I needed them to verify that it was my debt. He asked for my email address to send the verification to me as well as the letter. I received an email from Giovanni Mitchell with a contract. I did not receive the proof it was my debt. (I had never heard of the cc company he said he was with). I read the contract, talked to a lawyer about it. He told me not to sign it. I did not sign the contract, nor did I return it to them. I was advised to send them a letter stating to cease contact with me. On 9/28/15 I sent the cease letter via certified mail. I had the form for delivery acceptance mailed back to me. It was delivered to Harbourside on 10/8/15 and signed for by Christie Galvez. Then yesterday evening I received a call (after they received the cease letter a week before). I did not answer the phone because they called from a blocked number. He left a voicemail. He said his name was Mike Slater and he was with Harbourside ‘fraud’ dept. (I still have the vm saved). The call said that if I was going to send them a letter I should have gotten my information from a competent person. Told me it wasn’t past the statute because I made an agreement to pay (which I didn’t) and I gave them my email address. Also said that he was contacting the Birmingham Police Dept and if I wanted to call them to verify I could and proceeded to give me their phone number. I called the number and explained what was going on and they said that they couldn’t come to my work unless they were instructed to do so by the court. So, they have ignored my cease letter, threatened me with the police, called passed the statute of limitations & tried to collect on an old debt, and used abusive language with me. That I believe is 4 things that they are not allowed to do legally.
What can I do about them contacting me AFTER the cease letter?
I would suggest you immediately file a complaint with the CFPB.
I would also connect with an Alabama fair debt lawyer about your options. I can email you some contact details to some attorneys I know of that specialize in this area who also offer no cost consults. What is the name of a larger city near you?
Thanks Michael. I filed that complaint yesterday. I am close to Birmingham. These ppl are scums.
Give that attorney in Birmingham I emailed you a call. Let me know how it goes with the complaint and if you call the attorney too.
I got the same call from harbourside
I also received a call from CLG Associates, they said my brother had given my number as a contact number and they gave me a case number and phone number for him to call. I will not bother with the details because they are identical to what I have read in several other posts. Fortunately I found this page so I had some idea of who was calling me. I checked court records in every county my brother has lived in and found no outstanding cases and I also checked: https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/state-statutes-of-limitations-for-old-debts-1.aspx
I then called my brother and informed him that someone was trying to scam him for a debt that was way past the SOL (his newest debt is more than 2 years past his state’s SOL). I told him that if they ever contacted him he should inform them of what the SOL on his debt is and notify them that if they try to contact him again they would be the ones paying a bill.
Thanks for posting John. I would also encourage your brother to file a complaint with the CFPB.
My husband was left a voice mail stating that he was going to be served and the guy will go to his place of business, if he is not there he will talk to his superviser. He said he will then go to our house and if he can’t get him there he will go to every family members house looking for him. My husband was shaking! He thought he was getting arrested for something he did not do. he called the number that was left to find out what that was all about. It was a company called CRCM. we owed vivant 2 months. Which i knew was true. I did not want to pay them because my system was down for at least one year before i even knew it. They never contacted me to say there was something wrong. they obviously never did any monthly checks. I do not think i should pay for a service that they were not providing. The guy had me so upset that i ended up giving him my banking information. Now i am worried that they are going to take all the “little” bit of money i have. I wrote vivant an email and they said that its not their problem and i should call the cops. Right now i want to sue both companies for the duress. i am suppose to be working right now, but i can’t even concentrate on my work. I live in CT. He said i owed over $400, but will bring it down to $249 after they deduct interest and cost of material. I think they owe me money for all the months i paid and did not have any service.
I would call my bank and cancel any payment or dispute any amount that already went through, and do that right away.
If I had an issue with the debt collector hired by a company I did business with I would contact an experienced FDCPA attorney in my area for a no cost initial consult. What is the name of a nearby larger city? I can email you contact info to any I know of.
Thank you
It is Hartford, CT
Received a call from a firm out in California, Clark and Associates. Stated that a complaint was filed against me. I know this is a scam. The clientele they represent, as far as I am aware of, I owe no type of money to. How do i get this to stop? They even “spoofed” the number to my church, but the number in the voicemail was much different than what popped up on Caller ID
File the complaints about a scam debt collector that I outline above. Gather more details from them if they call again (if you are up to it), or let them know you are on to the scam and will not be playing along.
I received a phone call froma J&L solutions about a debt i paid monthes ago saying it wasnt resolved. The company that I paid was smb associates 18886093309. All the payments went thru . Please tell me if i need to file a complaint on either company. I have records for the transactions from my bank if need be
I would certainly ignore J and L Associates and perhaps file a complaint, but before that… when did you pay SMB Associates? What amounts did you pay them and in what manner (check by phone, debit card, money order etc).
What is the underlying debt about (who was the original creditor)? When had you last paid anyone for the account prior to paying SMB? What state are you in?
In April 2015 I received a call stating that I had 2 Hours to respond, I called the number and they proceeded to tell me that I owed a Sprint Bill from 2003 of $890 and that they were coming in 2 hours to serve me and I hat to go to to Court in Las Vegas where the debt occurred, I live in CO now. I was at work at the time and told them I had no Idea what they were talking about and that I still had sprint service, long story semi short, they negotiated the bill down to $360 and said 10 pmt of $36 dollars .. before I gave them my information I was frantically searching the internet for LTS Group Bakersville, CA .. and of course could find nothing good or bad, I really felt intimidated I am usually the one warning about SCAMS I feel humiliated, spoke to them last month and said I have still not received a letter nor a receipt, and I just now looked up only LTS Group and found that it was a SCAM, I am worried I might have reset something possibly? But I currently have sprint still I spoke to them and they said If I really had owed that I wouldnt have their service, but since the debt was in 2003 they couldnt give me more information, but they could tell me that my current account was the only one they have record of, I am angry and frustrated, and in general feel like a dope. I have called my bank and filed fraud charges, I would really like to get them in trouble can you help??
I moved your comment to the above post about things to think about if you are contacted be a debt collection scammer or faker. Read the original article above, and then read my article about filing complaints with the CFPB.
If it were me, I would do just as you have by reporting the scam to your bank, and see about getting the bank to credit any funds back. I would then file the complaint with the CFPB to get this on their radar.
I have a judgement against me for a Capital One card that we stopped paying on in 2008. The judgement was placed in Aug. of 2014 – after we fought it and lost.
I was contacted today by ANOTHER “Debt Collector” stating that they were going to file with the Court TOMORROW to Garnish my wages. This makes me suspicious. I spoke to them, they offered a settlement that would have to be paid by TOMORROW. Is this a scam company trying to collect on a judgement won by another company?
Here is the company info:
Accredited Recovery Network, LLC
964 5th AVE Ste.402
San Diego, CA 92101
PHONE: 844.754.8259
It sounds like something a scamming debt collector would do. And normal stuff (for legitimate debt collectors) that turns up for for collection agencies does not for Accredited.
You could call the attorney that handled the Capital One lawsuit and ask if they lost the file to some other collector. They will tell you if they still have the account.
Your comment and my search (admittedly brief) is if it quacks like a duck….
Out of curiosity, did you lose at trial or in motions? Did you have an attorney of your own?
Thanks for your reply. You seem to agree with me.
No Attorney. Went at it on my own with internet research, etc. I think it ended up as a default judgement because they were able to answer all of my stall tactics with the court – you know – produce debt validity, answering interrogatories, etc. I ended up giving up, didn’t think I had a case.
We owe the debt, I was just hoping to drag it out until they got tired – to no avail.
I will contact the judgemented attorney as you suggest.
BTW they are – Hunt and Henriques in San Jose, CA
Let me know what you find out.
I spoke to the original debt collector as you suggested. They still hold the file for Capital One. He told me that I shouldn’t hear from any other debt collector on this debt.
Total scam!
Thanks for confirming that Brian.
As you go about considering your next option to deal with the Capital One account now, the floor for settlements is often 50% of the balance at the time you are negotiating the deal. I have a page dedicated to settling Capital One accounts at all stages of collection. Judgment debts can be negotiated for lower lump sum payoffs too, but depending on the circumstances, 50% deals may not be on the table.
I got a phone call from a so- called attorney’s office claiming I owe $1500 on a visa card from 2008. I was told that I am being sued and was told that they would settle for $811 if I agreed and to have the money sent in by noon the next day. I told them that I needed something in writing first. I was then told to agree on the payment before something in writing would be sent to me. I am 66 and only get social security of less then $900 and a month and a Veterans’s Benefit of less then $200 a month. I also get food stamps benefits of less the $200 a month. I have no other incomes and do not work. The so called attorney’s office was from a California location and I live in Oregon. I have 1 son who lives with me and helps pay for food, phone bill, etc. I use my little income to pay the rent and utilities and then I have nothing left over. I relay on food banks. What do I do now. Thanks for your help.
What is the name of the collection law firm? Do you have the phone number they called from?
Do you remember having a credit card debt that you stopped paying years back? If so, when do you recall that you stopped paying on it?
There is a six year limit to filing collection lawsuits in Oregon. Anyone threatening to sue on something older then 6 years in OR is a red flag.
Legitimate attorney debt collectors do not threaten you with a suit in one breath and offer half off in the next. They just sue you if they are going to.
Debt collection scams will say and do the things you refer to. If you can answer my questions in a follow up reply, I may be able to add more feedback.
Thanks Michael for reading my comment. I don’t recall the name of that collection agency’s attorney office because they just left a name with that was just I think 3 initials. The first call came out of this area code: (937) 505-0092
They left a recording on my son’s phone number saying my son’s name and that they were looking for me (Margrit) about a letter that was suppose of been sent to me requiring a signature and they said that I refused to sign for their letter. This was entirely false because I never got a letter where my signature was required. Then they read furnished a Complaint # and said that I had 2 hours in which to return their call. I then called this number and was somehow ended getting a call from a Area Code in CA: (323) 736-0933. The man answering the phone was very rude and angry and right away asked me where I worked. I was laid off in 2010 and only have Social Security and a Veteran’s Benefit check that I was awarded. I get no other incomes except Food Stamp Benefits. He said that is not enough and that they were going to sue me anyway. I told him that I wanted to see everything in writing, but he said I had to agree to a settlement amount first before they would sent me a letter. I have since blocked both phone numbers so that I don’t have to listen to this rude man. I use my incomes to pay the rent, water. sewer and then have about $12 left to my name. I go to food banks to get some food and my one son helps pay for other things that I need. I am 67 and I live in Oregon. The man said that my debt was for a Visa card from 2008. Thanks again for your comments and advise.
From all that you shared it is a scamming fake debt collector. I would either ignore them if they call again, tell them you have filed complaints with the CFPB and the state AG (and do it), and that you know they are running a scam.
Scams tend to move on when they know the jig is up.
People get nervous when “attorneys” call. Michael has some good advice there.
Here is a tactic I like to use:
If they call again ask them what the debt is for. No matter what they say (the name of the debt or that they have been “retained”) tell them that you’ve issued a cease and desist on calls for this debt and that all correspondence is supposed to be going through your attorney. Tell them they are in violation, ask for their business licence number – Do write it down. Hang up.
If they balk at the cease and desist violation, hang up on them. Don’t argue.
Post that business no. here and we’ll take a look into the company for you.
Hope this helps.
I just received 2 harassing calls AGAIN from CRCM (Commerce Recovery & Capital Managementthis) saying that they have a case that has been sent to their office from Citibank for a student loan that was back in 2007 saying I owe them 4000.00 and that Citibank taking me to court and suing me for this student loan debt that I have not been able to repay being that I have been without a job since 2007 with pending medical disability I need help understanding this or what’s going on because the first call was something about a fraud theft now it’s about a student loan “case” so confused how to handle this PLEASE HELP!!!
If it were me, I would not take anything this company has to say seriously at all, and would file the complaint with the CFPB. If they call back I would let them know you have filed with the CFPB.
I filed 2 complaints for both issues that we’re mentioned above this has to STOP and we as society need to take a stand together to help get this issue addressed!
And thank you for the information that you provided!
I just received a call from this person by the name Henry Roth claiming to be from the investigations department for CRCM(Commerce Recovery & Capital Management) (debt collector) for a fraud theft using my first name with maiden last name claiming to have some discrepancies which makes me wonder because for one I have no credit in my maiden name all my credit is in my married name and have been since 2007 so makes me wonder who this person REALLY is and what company this is on top of that I was not given any other information except to call him back before the close of the day and if I or my attorney did not then he would take further action of refusal to comply and left a number to call back which is 716-504-6961
This gives every appearance of a scam debt collector. I would file a complaint with the CFPB to get it on their radar.
A debt collector called me, my parents, and my sister, threatening to serve me with papers to collect a debt. He spoke directly with my family members and disclosed information about the debt. I returned the call, at which time he told me they were sending the debt for wage garnishment as well. He scared me with these tactics, I believed him, and agreed to and signed an agreement to pay back the debt in installments. I can’t believe I did that. The debt is way past the SOL, is probably about 10 years old, and is not on my credit report. Additionally, he obviously violated the law in several ways. I know they could have still sued me, but I would have had a valid defense that the debt was time barred. His threats worked unfortunately, and I was basically coerced into signing am agreement.
Does the SOL reset now that I signed an an agreement to repay? I cancelled the card I was going to use for payment, so I’m hoping the payment does not go through. I live in Delaware.
I would contact an experienced debt collection defense attorney in Delaware and rung the whole scenario by them. You may be able to get legal assistance at no cost due to the collections violations that appear to have occurred in what you outlined.
I would also suggest you file a debt collection complaint with the CFPB. Read that article and be sure to sit down and take notes of all that has occurred and try to narrow down the date and time of day of all calls. Confer with family to very what was said to them if possible.
If you need help finding the type of attorney you should be calling, post the name of a nearby larger city and I will send along info for any I know of..
Hi got a voice mail from 425-209-1668 said had complaint with my name attached to call 888# with my case # said did reverse ck said invalid # called 888 said I had visa u paid balance of over 2000 but that the atty would take 1000 today to buy a prepaid card so they draft am out. I asked her for the collector she said Providian bank. I told give address the customer service # she said she wasn’t allowed. I asked her give me full number of visa. She said it was in 1998. I live in Texas. She said she couldn’t,and that all she had was last 4 digits. I asked for my social and she said all she had was last 4 digits but if I would provide it to them she would ask atty to verify. She said if I didn’t pay the 1000 today end of business day this would be attached to my social and I’d be summoned to pay all of it? What do you think this sounds like a scam?
Yes, I do believe the collector is trying to scam you.
I moved this comment to a more relevant article about fake debt collectors and scams. Read through the above article entirely and use some of the suggestions.
Michael,
I was contacted today via telephone stating it was a courtesy call and I would be receiving a summons from CACH LLC., regarding an account that is about 15 to 20 years old. I defaulted on it approximately in 1994 owed about $700. They now want approximately $3500. I thought it was a scare tactics from a creditor I have not heard from in about 15 years. They were reflected negatively on my credit for 7 years. I live in Miami, Florida. What do you think of this? Could I possibly be sued 15 years later? Should I contact an attorney and who do you recommend? THANKS!!!
I moved your comment over to this page about collection scams, as that is what I think is going on here.
Cach LLC is a legitimate debt collector, and they do sue… a lot (as you can tell from the page I moved your comment from). My opinion is that Cach knows enough to stay away from having any of their collectors trying to collect on ancient debts like yours. It is primarily for that reason that I think you are being scammed by a fake debt collector using the Cach LLC name.
Read through the article above and use some of the resources and suggestions I give.
Did you get any phone numbers for the collector?
Have been getting harassing calls from this company trying to what I believe is serve me some “court papers” from Kendall County in TX. I no longer live in Texas and have no ties with my HSBC card. I had to default on my credit due to me losing my job. I tried to contact Best buy who originally held the credit to work out a payment plan but couldn’t get anywhere. Left it at that. Now 2015 this company tries to get a hold of me and says I will need to go to court and pay over $3,000 or settle and pay $1,015. Asked for my credit card information to collect and then told them I had none to give. Claimed I only had until today to respond with a form of payment or it would default to failing response and go to court for a judgement . For the record this has been closed on my credit report for years now from BestBuy. I feel violated if this is how a company works and how they were able to get this information from a legitimate company especially with the recent credit card breeches in the recent news. Please help as if this is legitimate I want to take care of this, but like most people when the words “court” “suit” “legal” the get scared. Please help. Thanks in advance.
Commerce Recovery & Capital Management, LLC
Phone: 855-817-4835 – Fax: 716-691-3086
Mon-Thu 8:00am – 7:00pm EST
Fri from 8:00 – 4:30pm EST
I moved your comment over to this post Alberto. Read from the top of this article about scam debt collectors. Yours may be a case of a debt collector stepping way over the line. I would encourage you to fill out this form to consult with an FDCPA attorney at no cost. If they see your case as a clear violation, they could take your file at no cost to you, and help put this behind you.
I would also consider filing a complaint with the CFPB, which I link to in the article.
I have filled out the form and will be filing a complaint. I called the Kendall County clerks office to find nothing in my name pending. I have saved my voicemails and an email they had sent me in hopes it will help my case if indeed I have one. Thanks and will keep you updated.
She paid Reynolds and Hill Associates about a year ago. I don’t know if they are a legitimate collection agency? If it has been this long is she still able to get her money back?
She will need to call her credit card company to find out. She should file a police report and the complaint with the CFPB.
I have a credit card through HSBC that had a balance of $3000. My debt was passed off to a collections agency. They got in contact with my family, my mother and grandparents, and threatened them suing me. Naturally, my mother was concerned and worked out an agreement of $1,500 with the company. They accepted and took the money. Now they are calling stating that they sent me letters saying that HSBC did not accept the settlement, and that HSBC requires the full amount to be paid or they will serve me with papers. I do not understand how they could agree to the settlement, take the money, and then say it is not enough? Is that leagal? Can I fight them in court?
I moved your comment over to this page as it likely relates more to the debt collection situation you have.
My fist concern is that you (your mother really) may have been scammed. Read above about what scan debt collectors do. Even if the debt collector is not an outright fraud, they stepped over the line calling family members and discussing the debt.
I have some action steps you should take, but read through the article above first, and answer the following:
What is the name of the debt collection company?
What were the phone numbers used to call you and/or family members?
When did your mother make that payment and what method was used?
I forgot that my insurance company at work had many identities stolen from their computers. I am now guessing mine was one of them.
The number that called me was 724-552-4987.
I believe my mother used a credit card a year ago to pay off the credit card. However, the card the caller is referencing is Best Buy, which I checked my credit report, that card was not issued by HSBC as the caller stated.
So I am pretty convinced this is a complete scam using stolen information from insurance company! They have my DOB and my SSN!
What do I do to stop them? Can I get the police involved if they are scam artists? I do not want other people going through this and possibly paying off scam artists!
Thank you for all of your help,
Eric
Have your mom call her credit card customer service and see if she can back out that payment for fraud. She should get all of the transaction information for the payment from them as well. File a police report if necessary.
File a complaint with the CFPB using the link I provide in the article above. Be very specific with names, dates, phone numbers, and all involved. Provide transaction and payment details too. Pull her billing statement from the month she made the payment. See if there is a toll free number for the transaction details listed. If you see one, what is it?
If they call again, try and get names of people and the company involved to include in your complaints.
Michael,
I’ve read through many of your comments and was hoping you could help me to figure out if SMB and Associates is an accredited debt collector? The man I spoke to was Corbin Romano, he stated he was a supervisor with SMB and Associates and he wanted to give me a good deal to resolve my debt with US Bank. While I know I have the debt, my instincts are telling me this is a scam.
I think you have good instincts.
How long ago was it that you last paid US bank?
My sister just received several calls on her different numbers asking for me and my ex from 4years. I return the phone call, and it was a lady stating she was just from an answering service. I gave the number that my sister gave me and they transferred me to Corbin. He was really quick and he was very demanding I told him I thought it was creepy that he had my entire social security number, and he began to talk to me any demeaning manner. I asked him again for the name of the company he refused. I ask for a recording of this conversation he refused. I ask for a supervisor, he refused. I hung up and I called back and he kept answering the phone. He refused to give me the name of the company and kept threatening me. I called back later blocking my number and a man answered saying he was part of a messenger service but he mysteriously had all of my information.Once I began to complain about the situation, he informed me that he was there listening to the conversation the entire time. I questioned him about him telling me that he was only part of the messenger service and He said he was from FNB however when I look online under Corbin it was under FSB all they said was it was a litigation company. I informed him that the message while I was waiting was that I was allowed to request a recording of the conversation at any time, and he said yes I will get the message recording in court when they sue me. I can’t find any information. What do I do? Is this guy a scam artist?
What you shared has many hallmarks of a debt collection scam. I would file complaints following the suggestions I give in the original article above.
Hi I live in the state of California and I was recently contacted on a cellphone bill from 2004 or 2005 were they sate that they will be taking me to court to collect the debt. They advise that they will be going after my bank acc. Mortgage IRS Ect. The amount I owed was 250.00 dollars and now they want me to pay over 1000.00 I advise I was not working and she stated she will be sending me a summons. What can I do, can they do what they said they were going to do. Thanks in advance
I moved your comment over to this page about scam debt collection calls, as that is what I believe is happening with you. Please read the above article fully, and then post answers to the following:
Do you know the name of the debt collector?
Do you have a phone number (either one they gave to call them back, or that showed on your caller ID?
Did you have an old unpaid cell phone bill?
Does it show on your credit report, and if so, who is reporting it?
I too received calls from K&MF Group, LLC Tel (844) 852-4385 EXT 5598 in October 2014.
They called me, my mother and sister in law (no clue how they got their numbers) saying that somebody was en route to serve me court papers at work (although I work from home and they don’t have my current address). I was very alarmed by this because it was for an account that was charged off in October 2008 and just weeks away from the SOL. I wasn’t sure whether to ignore it since it was about to drop off my credit report or to set up a payment arrangement (I didn’t know what could be done against me in the few weeks before the 7 year statute was reached). My mom was freaking out and said I would get fired if they served me at my workplace, while the people at K&M were only giving me until the end of the day to negotiate payments or get served. I felt like my back was against the wall and I didn’t have time to do any research on the matter. Part of me felt scammed but they had my credit report and were using it as “proof” that I had funds to pay this debt, so that made them sound legit….or just good at scare tactics. Do I have any recourse if I have already made a few payments to KM due to fear of having my wages garnished? Do I have to continue the payments or can I stop them or have them return those payments?
If it were me, I would immediately stop all payments and file a debt collection complaint with the CFPB here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/.
Be sure to include all of those same details in your complaint, and as much more as you feel is necessary. Post an update with the outcome. It can take a few weeks.
Michael,
I just received a phone call from someone stating they wanted to serve me a summons (papers).
I called back the number and they state it was a Best Buy credit card from 2006 for $1500. I was then married at 19 and we had bought a laptop on the card. Well we divorced a year later and assuming she was going to pay this was wrong! This company states that I can either make a settlement with them (and pay that settlement in full today) or go to court and potential owe $4900. He said if I don’t show up in court .. whenever that is set up and I don’t show up I will be considered “failure to a default judgment”. They threatened to put a lean on my vehicle, and that they can garnish my wages.
I am remarried now, we have 2 children we bought a home last April, and right now are at a financial hardship. We just found out we have to completely replace our septic tank $7k, and didn’t pay enough in taxes so we owe the IRS $1200. Everything has rolled down hill within the last month and now this.
Do you have a suggestion on how I can ask them to settle with making a “reasonable payment” until the 1500 is paid off?
I moved your comment post over to this page about fake collection scams because I suspect that is what is happening here. Read through the full article above, and then post a comment reply with answers to my questions.
What is the name of the collection company the debt collector is calling from?
What state do you live in?
When was the last payment made on this account (call your ex and find out if you do not know, and cannot tell from looking at your credit report)?
Debt collectors preparing a legitimate lawsuit just file and serve you and let the chips fall where they may after that. They do not call full of threats and bluster. But lets look closer with the answer you post.
Thank you for commenting back!
The company is CLG & Associates,
ph#9512694001
located in Texas, the last pawnt made was in 2007.
The 4 year SOL to legitimately sue in Texas is expired.
CLG and Associates is not an established debt collector based on what I could find.
Scam detector is on high alert with this one. I would file the complaint with the CFPB so that they have a record of it.
If they call again, and you are up to it, play possum and see if you can get any more info out of them. You may just want to tell them you think they are scammers and you filed a report, and hang up.
Michael, They just called again and said that the debt is a secured debt since he actually purchased something. He now says the are called Clark and Associates out of California. He said yes the debt is past the statue of limitation but Best Buy will still continue on to sue us if we chose not to pay it. I asked why it has taken 8 years to try to collect the money. He basically said best buy sits on the cases and lets them take up late fees so that the debt is larger and we end up paying more. I told them we were not paying anything and he said they would continue to process this through litagation and we will be called to court over this when best buy sues us.
Thanks for posting the update Derek.
Not gonna happen (the lawsuit).
Did you file your debt collector complaint?
Yes I did! 🙂 the same day they called me back. I told them I was going to file the complaint with CFPB and haven’t heard bck since then.
Michael, correct me if I’m wrong, when it comes to debt collection on things like this, a debt is a debt. There isn’t secured debt, processed debt, anchored debt, unsecured debt, etc.
It doesn’t matter where the firm is located except for court purposes, they must have an established address in your state. Now, as far as “Best Buy will still sue you”, they will sell off the debt to a collection agency and then their done with it. The agency buys the debt. It’s up to the agency to decide to pursue. Agencies purchase debt portfolios – they didn’t hand pick yours because it looked good. Also, they will try to fluff up the debt with monies that you don’t really owe. This isn’t exactly legal. Why do you think they offer a low settlement? If you pay what they ask for it’s not illegal. If you catch them in a lie, they will get fined and you can get the true amount revealed. I personally wouldn’t interact with them except via letter – certified always! (and maybe done through an attorney.)
Having said that, you’re past the SOL… send them a drop dead letter and don’t touch it! Even if they claim you’ve made payments or somehow activated the debt again, call their bluff! Send that DD letter via certified mail and keep it on record for 10 years. If they contact you after you get that green card back. Print your phone records showing they called and file a complaint, collect the fee.
Like Michael said, you know when you’re getting sued when the Sheriff shows up and serves you. Nobody warns you. If they claim they sent a letter, they would have no issues sending a copy of the green receipt. Most of these claims are legitimate debt, but it’s all zombie debt (past SOL).
Now go get some ice cream and that knot in your stomach will go away.
It is not always the case that a debt is a debt. An unpaid debt with a security interest (secured debt such as a mortgage, car loan, even a furniture store) can lead to repossession, foreclosure, etc.
It is not always true that a debt collector must have an established business address in your state. Perhaps some state regulatory licensing and bonding concerns, and even a registered agent for service of process, but not always a brick and mortar presence.
I do like the sound of ice cream!
Hi,
I was wondering if you could help me by telling me if CMS Recoveries is a real debt collector??? Thank you.
Can you offer more details about your situation with CMS?
I had a collection person call me and my brother looking for me new things like the last 4 of my social security number and had an address from 4 years ago claiming to try and collect a debt from over 9 years ago on a Capital One credit card never told me their firm but had a case number also know my place of employment that i started at 6 months ago please e-mail me
I am highly suspicious of any debt collector bringing up a debt from 9 years ago and who will not identify the company they work for.
I am not sure why you need me to email you. If you would like to set up a consult you can fill out the Talk to Michael form in the right rail on any page of the site.
Hi Michael.
Please I need your advise. I have lived out of the country for 2.5 years due to financial hardship and just returned this January. I pulled my credit report and found that Tmobile through diversify consultants had reported that I owe them 70.00. I called Tmobile to dispute the fees because I had not used my phone since Oct. 2014 and did not owe any fees. My account was placed on hold when I traveled. Tmobile said they no longer had any information on the account and that it was closed. So I contacted Experian and disputed the report. After investigation period Experian deleted the info for my Credit report. So, since last week, I have been receiving calls from diversify consultants 713-244-5671 and I suspect it is relates to this Tmobile bill. What should I do? Can they place this collection on my credit report again?
It is possible to have legitimate collection accounts pop back on your credit reports after disputing them off. Post an update if that happens and lets go from there.
Debt collection scams, and even licensed debt collectors, should not show up on your credit reports for invalid debts.
These people call you claiming to be lawyers or attorneys, or paralegals. If you’re versed on even some of collection law you’ll know when you’re talking to a phony. It’s a cheap tactic they used on me. A real law firm will notify you before taking real legal action – they will do it in a way that they can show as evidence in court that they truly did reach out to you. This website will help you get up to speed on what you need to know. Best of luck guys.