Mr. West claims to be from Retrieval Mediation. Called my daughter's phone Friday asking for me. I called back and was told I defaulted on a payday loan from Access Group in 2010. Told me he could see that money was put in my account at Wachovia (became Wells Fargo in 2008) in 4/7/10 and he could see where I withdrew the money (Really?). I asked for him to mail me the information and was told he couldn't do that bc I should have already received bills from Access (which we have not). He had my address from five years ago, had my ex-wife's name, and the last four of my SS#. I questioned him about different things and he hung up on me. I called back and asked where their office was located and was told Atlanta, GA (phone number is Birmingham, AL).
Received a call from him again today with a different number 786-270-5910. Started the same crap! I asked if he was recording the conversation and he said yes. I then said,"I tried talking to you Friday, but you hung up on me. So now I'm doing the same." I hung up the phone. He called right back. Left a voice mail that said he was making sure I was home and that he just got off the phone with J K (my dad that passed away 23 years ago) and he had no idea I used him on the contracts. He also said he was going to call J Y (ex-wife of 19 years) to let her know. He ended the call by telling me to act accordingly when they get there.
This is a common ploy by criminals attempting to extort money from people by scaring you into believing that you will be criminally charged, go to jail, lose your driver’s license, have wages garnished, be sued, and a variety of other variations on this, all for an alleged or nonexistent debt. They also use the “process server” who calls and claims he is going to serve you, but then says you could avoid it by calling another number. Now why would a “process server” want to do you, a stranger, a favor, and at the same time not get paid to deliver the papers?
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt. It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes. The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days of receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices: http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
For Extortion Scam Operations, File reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,CFB,FTC & FCC.. Emails can be attached to complaints filed with IC3, the cyber crimes division of the FBI.
http://www.nw3c.org/
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
http://www.fbi.gov/
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action
http://www.fraud.org/
http://www.stopfraud.gov/report.html
Tip off FBI about this extortion attempt by filing form at: stips.fbi.gov/
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/haunted-phantom-debt
Also see here:
http://800notes.com/arts/I2neMkbUAAo/where-to-report-phone-crime
https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/fraudaware ... and-answer.html
Also read up on the laws and your rights:
http://800notes.com/arts/Jb8EW-eDhQA/harassin ... ou-need-to-know
See Residents post here also:
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-34af6a034ba34b6/unending-collection-calls
Templates of Letters:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-319-242-7350
Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010 FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
— filed under: Press Release
The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.
According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.
The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims’ relatives, friends, and employers.