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
Short answer
Never pay a debt collector who opens with a same day threat, mentions your arrest, calls themselves an investigator, or will not name the company they work for. Those are the marks of a fake. Take notes, file complaints, and speak with a consumer lawyer before you send anyone money.
Key points on this page
- A same day “or else”, such as being sued today or served at work, paired with an offer to stop it if you pay right now, is very likely a scam. Real collectors and process servers just show up.
- Any mention of arrest is a red flag. Unpaid credit cards do not lead to arrest. A bench warrant can only follow a failure to obey a court order, such as missing an asset discovery hearing, and collectors do not call to tell you about that.
- Anyone calling themselves an investigator, or threatening to involve one, is using an intimidation tactic. Properly trained collectors cannot act in a false or misleading way.
- Collectors are required to tell you who they work for and what debt they are calling about. Any hesitation or failure to identify themselves is a huge red flag.
- Scammers get real details from social networks, purchased consumer data, or a hacked collection system, so the debt they name may be one you actually recognize.
- If in doubt: take notes with names, dates and times, capture the caller number, keep any voicemail, file complaints with your state Attorney General and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, talk to an experienced consumer lawyer, and do not set up any payment.
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.
Real debt collectors may make empty threats about you being sued. These threats may not be as direct as the fake debt collectors, but the verbiage and tone that is used can be implied to the point that is what you think you heard an hour later.
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.
The story above is almost identical to mine. Last week I rec’d a call from my HR department stating they had a very important message for me and that it was urgent. It was a “documents services” company and the told my HR lady I had 2 hours to get back with them to prevent being served at my place of employment. They gave her a reference # to give me & everything. I of course, in a panic get straight on the phone & call the # to which a man answered “This is Brian” I explained who I was and that I had a message to call him immediately, gave him the reference # that I was given. He proceeds to tell me he is calling on behalf of a law firm by the name of Donley & Associates regarding an outstanding credit card balance I had that dates back to 2009. I’m caught so off guard by all of this that I can’t even process the info fast enough before he has me talked into setting up a payment plan and giving him my bank card info to supposedly stop me from being served a wage garnishment lawsuit at work. I hang up with him (in tears) and call a friend of mine and I tell her what had just happened & she convinces me it sounds like a scam so I immediately called my bank and had my card marked for fraud so they could not access my account. I call this supposed law firm back and I ask for their name, address & the name of the credit card company I supposedly owe. I also explained to him I had spoke to my attorney and was advised to call and get more details as well as a written proof of debt. He gives me the name of the firm & address which I’ve yet to be able to find online and he proceeds to tell me since I’m threatening him with an attorney he is cancelling the payment arrangement and they’ll just proceed with serving me at work and he hangs up on me. In the meantime I call the credit card company that I supposedly owe and they can’t find me in their system. 4 days pass and I hear nothing more from this law firm. On the 5th day I get a call from them and it’s the same guy, “Brian” wanting to make sure I’m not interested in a payment plan before they proceed with legal action. I again ask him for proof of debt in writing and he tells me I can get that from the credit card company. I tell him I tried but the credit card company cannot find me in their system. I have since contacted a lawyer and they are investigating this for me but I had to end up informing my supervisor of this whole situation because I’m just not sure if this is legit or not. This has been a humiliating situation and I hope my story can help others be more aware. It’s sad what our world is coming to.
Thank you for sharing with everyone. It will help many. And it is sad that this can happen.
I’ve had the same thing just happen to me. I didn’t pay anything. A guy called my job asking for me yesterday but I was gone for the day. I got an email saying I had to call ASAP. I called and was told I and a judgement against me for an account from 2009. If I didn’t pay (yesterday) they were going to garnish my wedges. I asked if I can wait a little to sort things out and he said only if I haven’t been served yet. I said I haven’t and he said well we haven’t put it in yet. (I should have paid attention then. Was I already served before the call or not yet. And he kept lowering the amount I was to pay. It went from I can pay a little over $5000 to $3500 down to $2000 and each time it was lowered he said he was talking to the original account owner and he was the mediator to go between us.) When I called back and ask for proof of what I owe in writing he said it was sent out months ago. I said I didn’t receive it and he said well we sent it and there’s nothing we can do. Since you know the law then we’re ending this conversation and I am filling sue in your name. I wish you good luck and he hung up.
I forgot the number was 855-225-3073 Mckinley and Associates i talked to Rebecca Myers… I looked and found a few people on the web scam pages and they said the same name and phone number. I find it weird how they wont send me anything in the mail and how they dropped the price so many times……… I still have the messages on my machine of when they called and the guy paul made it sound like i was in trouble!!
Well first i got a call from a guy “Paul” he did not say where he was from but it was urgent for me to call this number and left me a case number. He said it was urgent to call so they can make a judgment against me or not. I was curious so i called the number and talked to a Rebbeca Myers. She proceeded to tell me I have an outstanding credit card for 300 dollars and with fees i have to pay 1250 dollars or they will be taking me to court. She did have a little info on me but i never got anything in the mail about this matter. She said if i could pay a good faith payment they wouldnt sue me. The conversation went on and on and she put me on hold and low and behold she got it down to 650 dollars instead of the initial 1250 she wanted. She said if i dont settle it they would freeze my bank accounts and put liens on my car,home ext. I asked her to send me in writing all these fees and she said she would only fax or email it?? I found it odd so i just stopped the call and gave them no info. I forgot to add rite before the guy called he called 5 min before and mispronounced my name the said blah hung up then called and left the message i first told you about. I looked for a Mckinley and associates but couldn’t find a WEBSITE WITH THAT NAME FOR COLLECTIONS OF DEBT! It just didn’t seem rite how she kept putting me on hold and lowering the money to pay in good faith. What do you think?
I think they are running a scam on you.
After reading this page I kinda thought so. Thank you very much for the reply!
Received call from mc kinley &assoaties corna ca trying to collect credit card debt from 2005 they stated all my personal info such as social security etc! Even sent e doc for me to sign saying I would pay them 2300.00$ today to stop civil lawsuit when I google there listed address it’s a mailbox store I have nothing on my credit report saying I owe this debt could this possibly be legitimate? Or is it scam? Is there statues of limitation on debts? Should I ignor these calls emails ect
It certainly sounds like a common debt collection scam. What state are you in?
I and numerous friends and relatives have been receiving calls from someone saying they are from Hauffman and Associates looking for me. On each call they specifically say my name and then say they have been trying to get a hold of me for a debt and if I don’t pay they will be sending law enforcement to my home or place of employment. If the person does not answer, they leave a detailed voicemail on their phone as if its my number, saying I owe a debt and they have a case number and will be sending local sheriff to my home. The persons they call have never been used as a reference on any finacial documents by me. I have instructed all persons to save the voicemail.
I got fed up and decided to call the person back. He identified himself as Gregory Ross and told me I had to set up a payment arrangement by the end of the day or I would be summoned. He instructed me to get a prepay debit card and set up arrangements.
All the elements of a scam.
Hi There and thank you for this service and great insight.
I get one of these blowups once every couple years. It’ always the same old account that I settled in 2012. I have a letter showing it was settled. I also have docs showing that it was bought from B of A by the company I paid off.
Today “Walliamson Morgan and Associates” called my mother, my ex-wife, and my sister. Saying there is a judgment against me about to be filed and I need to call in immediately.
So I called and after reading a huge list of all the liens they would be putting on my car, property, paychecks, etc, She finally told me it was teh B of A account. So I asked how I could send proof that it was settled. She gave me a fax number that didn’t work after 3 attempts. She kept claiming it must be my fax because they were receiving other faxes. Of course there was no other way to get her the letter.
Then she asked me for the last four digits of the original account number for the B of A account in question. The last 4 digits were one number off so she of course she said it must be a different account.
She then asked how much I settled for and what the company’s name was claiming that I probably got scammed before because there is no record that it was paid.
This happened a couple years ago as well same account and that time they confirmed that there was a payment made but they tried to say that it was not enough to settle the whole debt and that the creditor B of A still wanted to file a judgment against me.
I know it’s all BS.
Sorry for the long story but this is such a headache and embarrassment every time it happens. How can I fight back and/or get off these lists?
Thank you in advance for any advice,
S.
From what you shared, I believe you are being contacted by scammers. There is no legitimate way to get your self off a scammers list. Its not like they care about your rights.
I do recommend filing complaints with the agencies I refer to above.
I received a call today from 855-311-8605, which I looked up is a civil court in DE. That’s great and all, but I live in Georgia, and the debt apparently was from a payday loan taken out when I was in Minnesota. When I called, they just asked me when I would like to schedule my court summons to be served and would not give me any details. I had to speak with a litigator to get that information, so they had me call 866-637-6196. The person I spoke with never gave me his name, and barely would tell me what the case was regarding. When he finally did tell me who the “plantiff” was, it was for a payday loan place that I had not even heard of. When I explained this to the litigator, I was told that they would settle with me for $638 or if we have to go to court it will go up to $1098. He also told me that they are trying to file that I was defrauding the system. I told the litigator that I had filed bankruptcy and all of my debts were claimed in the bankruptcy, and I told him I need to see this demand for payment or summons. To which he told me that he would have them serve me, and that I am turning down the settlement. I told him I was not turning it down, but I have a legal right to the paperwork for this. He told me they would not offer the settlement if they have to serve me, and that the complaint was opened in Stillwater, MN (where I used to live years ago). I told him I have not received anything, and then he seemed to know my current address. He told me that I would be served on 1/26 between 9-3 and that I had better be there to get it. I checked my credit report, and there is nothing filed against me from this place and I checked the Minnesota court records, and there are no open cases in my name. I am not really sure what to think at this point, any help would be greatly appreciated. Obviously, we will find out for sure if anyone shows up this Thursday.
I am sorry, they called me from 302-856-1447 and made me call 855-311-8605.
Sounds scammy to to me. What is the name of the collection company?
I cant remember the name if the creditor but it was pay cash advance something. I’ve never heard of that place. He told me he was with a law firm though. I asked my friend about the situation and he said a civil court would never call you. I find it odd that im getting a heads up about being served as well.
How can you make sure it’s not a scam?
You can call your original creditor and find out who they have your account out with for collection, or who they sold your account to.
You can often tell if someone is running a scam by what they say, and how old the debt is.
I believe we are being scammed, they called my wife at work and told her they were on the way to serve her and to stop it she needed to call a number to stop it. Then she called the number and the guy had all her information from address to old accounts that where paid off . They said she had 48 hrs to call to see if she would pay 200 for 15months or 1500 for a one time payment. My wife is worried
Who is the agency? That kind of collection tactic, we are driving to the court to file unless you pay right now, is the hallmark of a scam.
They said they were with management and litigation associate the gentleman on the phone had all her information Hana verify last 4 digits of your social and ask her if she would make a payment of $200 for 15 months or $1,500 one time payment and she had 24 hours to decide
My opinion is this is a collection scam.
Hi,
I think i am being scammed. I was hoping you could help determine if this is a legitimate debt collector.
I was contacted by Edward Mason, he claimed that his company CIG (Cambridge Investment Group) bought my debt from 5/3rd bank, an account i created in 2009. I do recall opening a checking account back in the day, but i remember having a zero balance. He said if i don’t pay $900 there will be a civil judgment filed against me, Below is the information he sent me, No website was provided.
Cambridge Investment Group
400 w cummings park suite 1725-135
woburn MA 01801
Toll free number: 8887648596
What state are you in?
Any debt collector that says pay up or a judgment will be placed against you could be violating your legal rights.
Hi Michael, I am in similar situation with Edward Mason from CIG (Cambridge Investment Group).
400 West Cummings Park
suite 1725-135
Woburn, MA 01801
Numbers : 888-627-0946, 978-484-6068, 888-764-8596
He claims I owe some credit card debt and threatened many times with legal actions and told me they will see me at court when I refuse to pay him. I have no idea where this credit card debt is coming from,
Any suggestions, what should I do next ? I am being threatened and possibly he is already taking legal against me. Please help.
Talk to an experienced FDCPA attorney in your state. I can email you some if you like? What state are you in?
My sister got a call telling her the my mother is getting sued. So she called my mother an told her to call this number 1-855-611-0271 and find out what’s going on. She talked to Rebeca for McKinley and Assistants from California she told her that she’s getting sued for an unpaid credit card, but get this she said that there previous payment made. And that they have prove that they can only show us in court. Thay had all her information, her social, her previous addresses, etc. That was opened in 2009, and that she had to pay $3,ooo today or go to court and pay the amount plus legal fees an what not. The other option was to pay half of the payment now and stop the sue. My mother was terrified of going to.court, so we payed will my sister was trying to find the company on google only to find that theirs no such company, well there is but is a architectural company in California. So I rushed to the bank and cancelled my debit card. It’s the scariest thing that can happen to anyone.
Thanks for sharing Jessica. It is scary. I am glad you caught the scam in time.
Same person I talked to from the same Mckinley and Associates the ladies name was Rebbeca Myers. The 300 dollar credit card was from like 12 yrs ago…. I also looked up the company and,cant find anything about them. No website at all…. Paul was the original name i got that left the message.. they were Gonna sue me unless i made a good faith payment. Im glad i found this page……..
Hello, a “debt collector” has been trying to reach my fiance. They said it was for a debt that he really does owe. But the guy was being mean and aggressive. Asking for payment within an hour???? Just unprofessional. He did sound American and knew the exact debt. But I just wasn’t sure. Now my family is getting calls saying that there is a civ suit for stolen items? He didn’t steal anything. He was give a credit card in his early 20’s when he didn’t even have a job. He was irresponsible and now owes more then he can afford to pay back. But if they want to sue wouldn’t we get something in the mail? I had that happen to me before and I got court papers in the mail. I was able to pay it before hand but mine was $900. Not like $6000. And with how much jewelry stores charge it isn’t hard to rack up a bill like that. Okay thanks
Who is the collection agency the collector works for?
Who is the original creditor?
When did your fiance last make a payment?
What state are you in?
I suspect your state SOL has passed and this debt collector is violating your rights.
Received a call today and they left msg that I needed to return call and there has been a complaint filed against me. They also called relatives telling them the same thing about me.
I called the number and they answered by saying answering service and wanted my reference # and then transferred me to Shannon Hill. She informed me that they had been trying to serve me papers but no one had been home to sign so if i could pay this credit card debt now she would be able to drop the penalty and interest fees. I was hesitant but knew I had old credit card debt so I went ahead and paid it not knowing about SOL.
This debt was from 2009 and I am in Indiana. Once I was off the phone I started to think back that I had a call like this before in 2014 that I paid on so I looked through my files and found that I had already paid this one in Oct 2014 to Pacific acquisitions & associates. I called Shannon Hill back to tell her within an hour and she said I need to call PAA and ask them why they sent my account to them and she would do the same. Guess what. The phone #s I had for PAA have all been disconnected so I called Shannon back again. She then got the director of operations on the phone (Anthony Mendez). He said I need to call my bank and have them refund me the money from 2014 but there was nothing on his end he could do. Was not his problem. I said I would forward the paid in full statement from PAA and that he needed to refund my money. Was not my fault they bought a debt that was already paid. When I forwarded the email is when they finally said Harbourside Financial is his company and he would look into it. I called my credit card company I used to pay this to dispute it but I want to wait until it posts since it is still pending. What do you recommend I do or am I just out all the money not from 2014 and today? Sorry for writing a book. Thank you.
I would call and cancel the payment with my bank immediately and then I would file a complaint with the CFPB.
My parents have been receiving calls from a collector. They are extremely angry and think I am not paying on a debt. The call comes from 580-382-2771, which is an Oklahoma number when I google. The lady says her name is “Linda from Capital Sulutions Associates” and says they need to hear from me by end of business day, or they will be forced to move forward with legal action” etc and gives no other information about what they are calling about.. the number they tell me to call back is 786-220-4253, google shows that to be number in Miami. Neither numbers come up with a business or individual name. I also googled the company name and get nothing on them. I currently live in Wisconsin.
Am I right in assuming that this is likely a scam?
I would assume as much. Tell your folks it is scam and send them a link to this page to see how rampant it is.
Help was left a message tonight and said they were calling to set up a time to serve me. Before I pay yet another scammer I want to know what to do. Thank u
If you have been sued legitimately, I would wait for the papers to come and deal with it then. But process servers do not typically call ahead, so that is a red flag to start.
You can look up your name in your local court and see if anything has been filed if you want to set your mind at ease.
Thanks so much! I jhave been receiving several calls from CFM Associates from 714.591.8128 – althought their company phone number is supposedly 844.616.7837. All my debt has been paid off for several years. They claim they are Civil Matter Attorneys and that there is now a lien against my property. Good one – since I don’t own property actually.. They keep calling and calling, but don’t leave messages when I don’t pick up.
I was contacted by “Jason Russo” . A criminal defense attorney from a legal firm called Watts out of New York. I live in California, He stated that I have a debt from ace cash express which is in fact true. I was told I can be looking at jail time for check fraud of the issues summons got to m before I paid. He said he can stop the summons if I paid or made a payment arrangement . He then transferred me to ” credit payment solutions llc, I spoke to a woman named marissa and set up a payment plan starting 1/19 for two payments of 212.50. Yet I was told that the full balance is 425.32. But the remaining 32 cents are no big deal. I took down as much information as I could. I researched both the attorney and the credit company, there is very vague online information about both. What are the possibilities this is a scam. And how do I go about verifying this is legitimate or fake?.
When did you stop paying Ace Cash?
Criminal defense attorneys are not typically involved in debt collection. That is a huge red flag scam warning, as are other things you are reporting. I would put a stop payment on anything, if it were me, until I could find out the validity of the collectors working for Ace. I would also file complaints with the CFPB as outlined in the article above.
We own a small construction business. We did work for a contractor who,after several paid invoices, has stopped paying our last two final invoices.
We filed a mechanics lien and a few weeks later a representative from Morgan Philips contacted us saying he’d represent us. Is this legit?
It sounds like you are being solicited by Morgan Phillips to represent you to get the money you are owed. Is that correct?
I was contacted about a debt I had between 9-12 years ago and they threatened to sue me for legal fees court cost and what I owed. I was startled, scared you name it. So they emailed me some document stating that i could settle out for $522.50 and it has to be paid by a certain date. The papers were from right signature to sign I signed them then I started to have questions? This company said they were Allied financial solutions out of California and also they said that I was being charged on 2 different crimes. I’m lost right now please help
Debt collectors that refer to unpaid credit card bills as crimes you committed are running a scam on you. If it were me I would file complaints how I outline in the above article and not give them the time of day.
I received a second call today at my job asking me to pay a debt related to hospital bill but I do not think she gave me nor did I ask for the year the bill was from. She was very nice and asked if I remembered our conversation from December and the circumstances preventing me from paying and asked me if I was ready to settle the debt or come to agreement today. Then she stated the conversation was being recorded. What is really bothering me though is she didn’t have me correct last name (the last name she had was before I remarried) and she had an old address. She did offer me a settlement offer and stupidly I accepted (again I was at work and trying to be as discreet as possible, trying to get the conversation over with). I am really freaking out now because after I Googled the name that would show up on my bank statement transaction…. Avante USA (NOTHING BUT BAD REPORTS AND SCAMS WHEN SEARCHED). She gave me a call back number of 832-476-1739 ext 802. Again I Googled the phone number and scam related comments. Thinking back she only gave me the company name she was calling for when I asked about how it would show on my bank account. I did not give a debit or credit card but did a check payment giving routing and bank account number and set up for payments with the first 3 being a lower amount and then a lump sum for the 4th amount. Do you know if this is a scam or potential scam? Is there anything I can do/should do ASAP to stop payment? The first payment is scheduled for tomorrow 01/12/2017.
Sorry Annie, but I was on vacation, and only now reading your comment.
What state are you in?
Do you remember the medical bill… is it yours?
When was the service or hospital visit date?