i never ever borrowed from this company...EVER. I truly believe they fish through online applications of other companies i have inquired about in my "desperate" times.
the 1st thing i'd asked was for names phone numbers and addresses. the 1st non-speaking english person who sounded of an indian descent couldnt even pronounce my american name. he had me on hold for 3 mins as i'd patiently awaited another indian speaking man named Mr. Dejesus... how ironic? but i asked for the info... he repeated my SS# which sounded correct but i never confirmed. i'd asked what company was the law office representing, and he stated quick pay day loan. as i've stated...never heard of these people. when i asked what was the date the funds were loaned, he immediately started yelling. i then hung up. i can be professional, but if you are willing to work with me, be courteous and professional, no matter if a customer is yelling and or cursing, which i was neither.
i have learned being in dire straits, that as a consumer, you still have rights. do your homework. if a company is going to bring you through and to litigation and they have all of the information...where is the legal documents that should be sent in the mail? i figure if i am on the east coast, and this company is on the west coast, as theyve claimed... (eventhough the law ofc is out of Georgia) i would like to stand by and see this trick. so go on mr Dejesus... sue me...i have every statement for my acocunts... you have to prove how much and when you've loaned me this imaginary money...all i can do is laugh and hang up...come to your senses people and realize this is one big joke. they gave me a fake address also... 17100 gillette ave of los angeles ca 92614 for a quick pay day loan represented by william scott and associates. if they keep calling me, i will send a few notices to the consumer affairs and contact bbb.
i never ever borrowed from this company...EVER. I truly believe they fish through online applications of other companies i have inquired about in my "desperate" times.
the 1st thing i'd asked was for names phone numbers and addresses. the 1st non-speaking english person who sounded of an indian descent couldnt even pronounce my american name. he had me on hold for 3 mins as i'd patiently awaited another indian speaking man named Mr. Dejesus... how ironic? but i asked for the info... he repeated my SS# which sounded correct but i never confirmed. i'd asked what company was the law office representing, and he stated quick pay day loan. as i've stated...never heard of these people. when i asked what was the date the funds were loaned, he immediately started yelling. i then hung up. i can be professional, but if you are willing to work with me, be courteous and professional, no matter if a customer is yelling and or cursing, which i was neither.
i have learned being in dire straits, that as a consumer, you still have rights. do your homework. if a company is going to bring you through and to litigation and they have all of the information...where is the legal documents that should be sent in the mail? i figure if i am on the east coast, and this company is on the west coast, as theyve claimed... (eventhough the law ofc is out of Georgia) i would like to stand by and see this trick. so go on mr Dejesus... sue me...i have every statement for my acocunts... you have to prove how much and when you've loaned me this imaginary money...all i can do is laugh and hang up...come to your senses people and realize this is one big joke. they gave me a fake address also... 17100 gillette ave of los angeles ca 92614 for a quick pay day loan represented by william scott and associates. if they keep calling me, i will send a few notices to the consumer affairs and contact bbb.
This is a SCAM! Do not pay these people any money. See below:
http://abcnews.go.com/ http://abcnews.go.com/
Fake Debt Collectors Terrify Consumers
Alleged Debt Scam Calls Threaten Consumers: 'Only God Can Help You Now'
By ALICE GOMSTYN
ABC NEWS Business Unit
Aug. 21, 2008 —
Scammers masquerading as debt collectors and law enforcement officials have terrified consumers with threatening phone calls and bilked them out of thousands of dollars, officials with the West Virginia Attorney General's Office say.
Prosecutors said that the scammers, who speak with heavy foreign accents, are known for repeatedly calling people at home and at work and threatening them with arrest if they don't repay supposed debts -- debts that, according to West Virginia officials, don't actually exist.
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The scammers operate under names such as U.S. National Bank, Federal Investigation Bureau and United Legal Processing, said West Virginia Assistant Attorney General Norman Googel.
The callers also have invoked the names of actors Denzel Washington and Steve Martin, people who've received calls tell ABCNews.com.
Googel said that the scammers have been impossible to track down, but ABCNews.com spoke to one man who claimed to be associated with U.S. National Bank. The man said he works for Financial Crime Division, a company he said provides services for USNB.
The man refused to give his name and gave little information about his company.
"It's not necessary that each and everyone knows about Financial Crime Division, and probably one of them is you," he said. (To hear an excerpt of this interview, click here. Links to more interview excerpts are included on the second and third pages of this story.)
The man also denied that consumers had been threatened with arrests.
But Mark Feury, a 35-year-old assistant manager at a hotel cafe, said it was the threat of an arrest that drove him to wire nearly $800 to U.S. National Bank in January. The Lewisberg, W.Va., resident said that he took out several payday loans -- short-term loans -- in 2005 to help pay for Christmas presents and medical treatments for his son, who suffers from autism.
Feury said he paid his loans back in 2007, but the scammers' phone calls -- at least 35 in all, he said -- and their threats made him doubt himself.
"I was scared to death," he said. "Everything they said literally just stressed me out to the max."
The group has targeted consumers who took out payday loans through Web sites years ago, Googel said.
The group has secured consumers' Social Security numbers and other personal information, which may have been stolen from Internet payday lending sites, Googel said.
What has made the group especially intimidating, Googel said, is its use of phrases that sound like legal terms -- such as "downloading affidavits" -- but, in reality, are meaningless.
The alleged scammers have also invoked God, Googel said, telling victims that "only God can help you now."
Some of the scammers' tactics are downright puzzling.
One West Virginia woman, who asked that her name not be revealed, told ABCNews.com that a scammer once called her and identified himself as "Denzel Washington."
Feury said that one of the scammers who called him said he was calling from "Steve Martin's office."
Collection and Money Fraud
Googel said that the scammers' use of celebrity names may indicate a lack of familiarity with American names. Some, he said, suspect that the scammers are based in India.
Since July 2007, Googel said, the West Virginia Attorney General's Office has heard from nearly 20 consumers who have complained about the scam.
West Virginia residents aren't the only ones complaining. The Florida Attorney General's Office said it has heard more than three dozen complaints related to U.S. National Bank.
Thus far, Googel said, the scammers have been impossible to trace, using a multitude of phone numbers and fake addresses.
"The way they've hidden themselves is pretty slick," he said.
ABCNews.com called a phone number associated with U.S. National Bank -- Feury listed the number in a complaint against the company -- and was transferred to the man who claimed to work for Financial Crime Division.
The man, who spoke to an ABC News reporter for about five minutes, said that U.S. National Bank owns Internet payday lending Web sites and that Financial Crime Division is a "legal affidavit processor" -- a term that Googel also has dismissed as meaningless -- that works to notify borrowers that they still owe money to USNB. (The man refused to provide ABC News with contact information for U.S. National Bank.)
"They have taken so many loans they have forgotten that one to pay back and we are calling them about this legal matter," the man on the phone said. "That's not our problem that they have forgotten."
The man argued against the complaint that his company had called people about nonexistent or repaid debts. Consumers, he said, have failed to provide the company with proof that their debts have been repaid.
"When we are asking the information, they are not ready to give to us," he said. "If they have paid it, they must have something in writing, some kind of receipt, but they are not going to give it to us, so how can we trust them?"
Started receiving calls from this number. The person on the other line claimed to Kevin Williams from a law firm. This person had a thick Indian accent. Everytime I was contacted by this number the person's name was Kevin. At first I would laugh and hang up until the calls were more frequent. The next time that they called I told "Kevin" that I was reporting him to the Attorney General's office. "Kevin" asked me if I would like to speak to the cheif attorney. I laughed again and told him to stay in India and to stop trying to steal money from people. I told him not to call again. He informed me that he would call as many times as he wanted. I informed him he would have to talk to American law enforcement and hung up. The number called me back only this time I was given a real name and the man began speaking to me vulgarly saying things that he was going to do to me. I hung up and told my husband. He called back and began talking to my husband vulgarly, however, my husband had other choice things to say to him. I reported the calls to my cell phone provider.
I get calls from this number daily, today they requested my attorney call but did not give me any information as to who they are and who I am supposte to owe.
This is ridiculous how many people have gone through the same thing that happened to me yesterday. I got a phone call from this guy claiming his name was James Johnson. He stated that I owed a company quickcredit.com money and the case was being downloaded to court the next day. What a crock. He said I would be responsible for $5484.37 in court costs after this went to court and they won. The only thing he could do was have me settle the debt for $633.00 and it had to be paid on my next payday. Otherwise the file would be sent to court. To make a very long story short, at the end of the phone call, with me being very upset, he stated that it was a scam, laughed and hung up. I had my boss call the number back and ask for the name of the company, however, they refused to give it. Apparently gave her the run around, and then hung up the phone. Please, please, please do not give these people any money. I reported it to the States attorney general, and they are keeping the case on file in case anyone else has complaints.