UPDATE: I took the call from them at 8 a.m. this morning and played into their game to get as much info as possible. They are reading from scripts, and if you ask them anything that goes off-script, they transfer you. I spoke to 3 people this morning: Louis Wilson, Heather Lawson and Ben Foster. In looking up Heather Lawson, I see complaints about this scam dating back to 2006!! Why can't we stop this?! This personal information should not be released when people apply for a payday loan.
When I asked for an address, they gave me 42 Broadway 5th Floor NY, NY 10004, and said they are the DCA Law Firm - Department of Corporate Affairs. In actuality, there IS a DCA at this address, but it is the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.
When "Ben Foster" no longer felt like making up stories to answer my questions (such as "If this was in collections, why haven't I received a written notice within 5 days of initial contact, as per the law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?"), he said they would go ahead and process my file and we could deal with it at the courthouse on Monday. I sweetly answered "Oh yes, let's go ahead and do that." He was a bit surprised and then asked for my attorney's info, so I said "Yes, he definitely wants to talk to you" and gave him the info. Then I told him that we were aware this is a scam, that I have already reported him to the FTC and FBI, and that all calls were being recorded. I told him to never ever call here again or he would be the one showing up at the courthouse. I hung up. No callback yet. I am sick to my stomach with what these people are doing to scared, financially-strapped people.
OMG! Really, the guy used the name Edward Cullen. Did you ask him if he sparkles in daylight too? Wow, if that isn't the true sign of a complete amatuer. Wow! choosing the name of a teenage mopey vampire from popular fiction and film is just pathetic. Kind of amusing, but still pathetic.
I just received a call on my cell. The number was 0000. They person had thick Middle Eastern Accent. He stated that he needed my attonery's info because I was to be in court on Monday. I told him I had no idea what he was speaking of. He responded with, "Oh my God! Let me get my manger." This guy placed me on hold and another guy with a middle Eastern accent got on the phone stating that Cash Partners of America had sued me. I asked him what for. He stated that I had to promise not to interupt him while he tells me. I told him that I would not make that type of promise. He then stated repeated some numbers and asked me if that was my social. I told him no. (It was actually one number off.) Then he stated my current address to me, he asked me did I live there and I told him no. You could clearly hear other people in the background with the same accent doing the exact same thing. I told him that I had no idea who the hell he was or Cash Partners of America and I believed that he was part of a scam. He hung up on me.
My mom got calls from these jerks today. They terrified her. Luckily (and yet unfortunately) she is currently working with a lawyer and looking at bankruptcy, so she called him before she sent these scammers her first payment. She had a PayDay loan some months ago, and as far as she knew all of the payments had gone through. These unconscionable cretins told her that one of the payments was put through only one time months ago and did not clear, and that they had sent an email and since she didn't respond she is now looking at $5,000, and a felony arrest tomorrow. She has enough financial troubles going on that she thought it possible this might have happened, and so she was scared. They read to her her address and last 4 digits of her social security number. At first they had her speaking with a Louis Wilson, and when she asked to be transferred to a supervisor a Ben Foster got on the phone. (We lived in the Philippines for a few years and she is pretty certain that these particular men were Filipino, not Indian). They had the gall to tell her that not only did she need to fax them a letter authorizing them to deduct $500 from her account, but that she needed to ADD IN AN APOLOGY TO THEM. How dare they?! I am livid!!!
After her attorney told her not to talk to them, they called and left a message on her machine. This time Ben Foster called himself an ATTORNEY from DZA or DCA Law Firm, and said that if they didn't receive a fax with her letter authorizing them to deduct $500 by 5p.m., they would take legal action. Their number comes up as Unlisted, but the fax number that they gave is 315-849-3117, and "Ben" gave his "personal" callback number as 646-543-0291. After I heard the message, it reminded me of a news show I had seen some time ago that showed situations very similar to this, so I got online and started searching. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to post their stories!!!
I am reporting them to our state's Attorney General, and the FBI's and FTC's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). I am repeating this story on every complaint site that came up when I searched for this fax number (the phone number must be new because it didn't come up). I am doing this so that whenever anyone else searches for these numbers, many of these sites will pop up and relieve their fears. Please do the same. Keep listing all of the new numbers that these subhumans keep changing, and let's keep protecting each other and raising enough noise until these dirt bags are shut down permanently! They are taking advantage of scared and vulnerable people who are already in difficult financial spots.
Also, I am going to call Mr. "Ben Foster" now that it is 2:30a.m. New York time (if that's where he actually is) to see if we can have a nice lonnnnnng conversation about him threatening my mom. Good morning "Mr. Foster"...
UPDATE: I took the call from them at 8 a.m. this morning and played into their game to get as much info as possible. They are reading from scripts, and if you ask them anything that goes off-script, they transfer you. I spoke to 3 people this morning: Louis Wilson, Heather Lawson and Ben Foster. In looking up Heather Lawson, I see complaints about this scam dating back to 2006!! Why can't we stop this?! This personal information should not be released when people apply for a payday loan.
When I asked for an address, they gave me 42 Broadway 5th Floor NY, NY 10004, and said they are the DCA Law Firm - Department of Corporate Affairs. In actuality, there IS a DCA at this address, but it is the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.
When "Ben Foster" no longer felt like making up stories to answer my questions (such as "If this was in collections, why haven't I received a written notice within 5 days of initial contact, as per the law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?"), he said they would go ahead and process my file and we could deal with it at the courthouse on Monday. I sweetly answered "Oh yes, let's go ahead and do that." He was a bit surprised and then asked for my attorney's info, so I said "Yes, he definitely wants to talk to you" and gave him the info. Then I told him that we were aware this is a scam, that I have already reported him to the FTC and FBI, and that all calls were being recorded. I told him to never ever call here again or he would be the one showing up at the courthouse. I hung up. No callback yet. I am sick to my stomach with what these people are doing to scared, financially-strapped people.
UPDATE: I took the call from them at 8 a.m. this morning and played into their game to get as much info as possible. They are reading from scripts, and if you ask them anything that goes off-script, they transfer you. I spoke to 3 people this morning: Louis Wilson, Heather Lawson and Ben Foster. In looking up Heather Lawson, I see complaints about this scam dating back to 2006!! Why can't we stop this?! This personal information should not be released when people apply for a payday loan.
When I asked for an address, they gave me 42 Broadway 5th Floor NY, NY 10004, and said they are the DCA Law Firm - Department of Corporate Affairs. In actuality, there IS a DCA at this address, but it is the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs.
When "Ben Foster" no longer felt like making up stories to answer my questions (such as "If this was in collections, why haven't I received a written notice within 5 days of initial contact, as per the law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?"), he said they would go ahead and process my file and we could deal with it at the courthouse on Monday. I sweetly answered "Oh yes, let's go ahead and do that." He was a bit surprised and then asked for my attorney's info, so I said "Yes, he definitely wants to talk to you" and gave him the info. Then I told him that we were aware this is a scam, that I have already reported him to the FTC and FBI, and that all calls were being recorded. I told him to never ever call here again or he would be the one showing up at the courthouse. I hung up. No callback yet. I am sick to my stomach with what these people are doing to scared, financially-strapped people.