They called asking for me. Said I owe a balance on an ACE cash Express account that I know I paid over 2 years ago. I have the receipt. The person said her name was Investigator Sutton from Johnston & Moore Associates. I asked them to send me documentation showing the account number it is referenced to and then we can proceed from there. She was pleasant, which is a first. I was pleasant back and said I won't pay anything unless I have some type of written proof that it is still owed. She then asked "So you deny the opportunity to settle this outside of court?" I repeated myself again, "I neither deny or agree to settle it out of court. Please mail me documentation with the amount owed and the account number it is referencing and we can handle it from there." She put me on hold and then an operator came out saying there was an error and the line was being disconnected.
Sincere congratulations. You handled that call in a very effective manner.
Lurkers, as the above poster knows:
A phone call from a supposed debt collector is not legally sufficient evidence of debt.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) includes statements such as this:
* Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money. ["Written" means snailmailed ... not emailed or texted]
Therefore, if that caller wants you to pay immediately, before you get the written validation notice via snailmail, or if the caller wants payment via green dot, Western Union, or other untraceable means, then the call is definitely not legitimate.
IF you wish to communicate with the supposed collector / creditor, visit the following page, for example "Action Letters" to snailmail:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/debtcollection/
If you KNOW you owe no money, or believe the call was from a fake debt collector, please take the time to read this:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
Thank you so much. I always feel intimidated with these calls, but I know I have receipts to prove my payments... they just seem so real. One person even called and talked to my Director at work and told them they were going to come serve me court orders. My director informed them the hours we are open. No one has ever shown up and I reported them to my local authorities as well.
Your message does put me at ease. Thank you.
Claim they are Johnston and Moore and are located in Columbia South Carolina. Sometimes they call themselves Richardson and Simms under the phone number 480-270-8627. Richardson and Simms is a phony company. It is part of a large number of phony companies.
The scammers are using the following business names (and there are many others, and they seem to create new ones daily). They will normally answer the call back number as “Investigations”
Richardson Simms Assosciates
Holland, Dempsey, and Associates
Reynolds, Hill, and Associates
Berkeley and Associates
Kaufmann and Associates
Sanderson Blaine & Associates
Blaine and Associates
McKenzie Reid Associates
Kennedy, Kline, & Associates
Nationwide Asset and Recovery
Piedmont Investigations and Procurement
Raffino, Garrison, & McCoy
Greenman, Schwartz & Associates
McCoy Law Group
Salem Associates
Reynolds and Associates
Ryan, Carter and Fields
Berman, Maxwell and associates
DOF Investigations
Vaughn & Associates
Bailey Rowe and Associates
Berkley Hughes and Associates
Don't pick up on numbers from any of these groups. Don't call them back.