I got several calls from this number on my cell phone but never any messages. The calls came at odd times when I could not answer them or had my phone/ringer turned off. Today one came through on my cell phone at about 08:30 am, I could not answer it because I was at work, then immediately after it came through on my work phone. The person had an Indian or Pakistani accent and said he was John Lee from the Dept. of Legal Affairs and he was calling to confirm my information. I told him I wouldn't give him any information and asked what company he was from, he said the Dept of Legal Affairs and told me the last 4 digits of my SSN and that I needed to call attorny Mike Carter at 213-289-3746 who had the case documents. I laughed and he hung up.
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.
Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.
If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller’s instructions. Rather, you should:
■Notify your banking institutions.
■Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
■Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
■File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
■Never give your Social Security number—or personal information of any kind—over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
■Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
■Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
■Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
■Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
■When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements
Wow!!! I accidently answered the phone earlier when this number called!! And when my name was butchered, Anadee McGee, I hung up and received three more calls finally with the guy (thick accent) threatened to have the cops come and arrest me at my home. Think I'm making a trip to the Sheriff's Office tomorrow....
I received the same call this moring at 7:16am, I know California is 2 hours differentfrom my time. He gave me my social and asked me to call John Anderson, but he gave me the same number that he was calling from. I call and got a voicemail and he call me back. I told him to send me something in the mail because it sounds like a scam to me he started trying to tell me something else and I simply said do not call this phone anymore and he hung up.
They called 20 times this morning before 8 am. I think that is illegal to do so before 8am or 9 am. When I called them back they cussed me out when I asked for the name of the attorney. They sound like they are from a terrorist country.. They said that If I did not send them money they would do bad things to us. And when I continued to call back they threatened me and everyone close to me saying they would all pay for me calling if I called back again.