Had the same call from "atourney Mark Johnson" I believe this is the same individual. He had an extremely thick accent and was claiming that I recieved a pay day loan from Cash Advance USA and was having criminal charges filed against me up to and including fraud. He also went to the extent to tell me that the local sheriffs office was coming to arrest me at my job. I reported this number and person to ic3.gov and am planning to file a police report today also I am also talking to legal council about a law suite.
file a report with the fbi read below you are not the only one. next time he calls tell him you are recording the conversation and that the fbi have a warrant for his arrest for fraud. he will hang up and never bother you again.
• I just got the same message in regards to my husband. The same thing happened to us, we looked into it and never got anything and now they are trying to get us to repay for a loan we never received. When my husband called them back and told them he was going to coutersue for false information, the guy said never to call back and hung up. Sounds like a scam but its scary to know he had all of my husbands information
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Sad but True replies to Andrea
8 Feb 2012
Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans
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
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710
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Mike... That's all your getting replies to Sad but True
8 Feb 2012
I have recieved this as well as a co worker. Same scam, claiming to be with ace loans. As soon as I countered the guy hung up the phone. Then I called back and he wouldn't tell me anymore information and also told me not to call anymore. I will prosecute this guy if he calls anymore. It's totally a scam, with more holes in it than answers
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dsmith replies to Mike... That's all your getting
9 Feb 2012
same message today. I called local police. I am unaware of IC3 validity
I kept getting calls from this number so I decided to answer the call today.This guy with an accent claiming to be from a lawyer's office. I told him to [***] off and hung up on him. He called me back twice back to back and I told him the same thing. I'm pissed that this [***] would call me time after time after time and sometimes the calls start as early as 8am. I thought for a second to get my number changed then I thought to myself that no [***] is going to make me change my number. I know it's because I applied for one of those pay day loans. I'm no fool and he can kiss my [***]!!!!! I guess this is how he got my information and no more applying for those loans because if I need one I have a reliable payloan company I can use now.
I recieved a call from this number and they hacked my voicemail on my cell phone retreving an unlisted number of a family member who they then contacted, they have call my place of employment, they are using different numbers too 8669046562 that number is from India ,
Dude is saying his name is Mark Johnson and that he is an attorney. He is telling me that this message is time sensitive and that I should call him immediately. Failure to do so would have severe consequences. He then ended the message by saying if he does not here from me then all he can do is wish me good luck and god bless. This is a total scam. you could barely understand him and he is clearly an Indian guy with the name Mark Johnson. Tell him that you are at your local FBI field office and that the message is being recorded, he will hang up immediately and never bother you again.