These people have been calling me all this year. The first call that I received was 05/04/10 "Investigator Breton". I was called at my place of employment, and a message was left at my employers by this man stating this was over a debt from a pay advance for check fraud in May of 2008, he left my full SS #, DOB, Name, on the recording, along with stating they were issuing a warrant to arrest me by 2pm if I did not call them back that it would be served at my residence or at my place of employment (he stated my employers name in full). I kept all voice mail recordings and sent to an attorney. I’ve notified the FTC (www.ftc.gov) as well as the attorney general’s office in the state that they called me from (NC). The FTC advised that I could contact an attorney as well about a possible private suit against the debt collector, in any court for violations of the Act. The NC Attorney Generals office have had no such luck in finding this business. They have received several complains. My attorney and I have tried to locate and track down this company with no such luck. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT MOST ATTORNEYS IN THESE SITUATIONS WILL TAKE ON YOUR CASE AND YOU DO NOT OWE THEM A DIME UNLESS THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL. IT'S WORTH IT IF WE ALL JOIN TOGETHER TO FIND THESE PEOPLE!!
I called the man back and have recordings where he explained to me in detail how I would have a cash bond only issued against me, that in order to bond out I would have to pay in full, then would have to appear before a judge and either pay all court costs, etc or go on probation - that I would have a Felony on my record. He said I would need to make payments unless I offered him my credit card information and made a substantial offer to stop the warrant. Thankfully I did not make any payments. I called the man back but could never get an answer without leaving my name and telephone # for him to call me at. I left a message with my attorney's name and number. A warrant was never served. He called me again at work 1 month later stating that I'd have a warrant for my arrest within 24 hrs. He told me he was not with a collection agency, that he was with a lawfirm and law enforcement company - that this isn't involving a civil claim, it's involving a criminal claim. When I asked for an address, he kept me on hold for several minutes as though he was scrambling for something, he finally gave me the address of 3612 McElveen Court, Greensboro, NC. 27401. I decided to google this address and it's located in a residential neighborhood, it looks like a family home. He sent me an e-mail from
[email protected] stating, "According to our records this is the information supplied to us by Discount Advance in order to properly present this in court in order to obtain an order for arrest due to check fraud." He simply typed in information, there was no official letterhead, no attached invoices or anything at all that looked official. He had all of my information such as my SS #, address and DOB however. He also had my old bank account #, which thankfully I closed. I never responded. I never received a warrant.
I've contacted also the BBB, NC Attorney General Office, as well as my State's Attorney General Office. My State responded by letter stating the following:
"Thank you for submitting your complaint against this “collection company.” We have received similar complaints—they give names like ACS, Investigative Bureau, Crimes Division etc. They are not legitimate collectors. They get information from old payday loan contracts that were either sold to them or some sort of “security breach”. The problem is that we cannot locate them. As far as we know they are somewhere overseas, India most likely. They use local numbers to call people to make it appear they are in the US. You can read the press release from the West Virginia AG here: http://www.wvago.gov/press.cfm?ID=444&fx=more
They will not file any lawsuit against you and cannot have you arrested or put in jail—it’s just a scare tactic to try to get money. A true collection agency is governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If the debt is legitimate, they have to state who they are and what the debt is. If asked, they have to provide written verification of the debt including the name of the original creditor. I have attached a copy for your review. Some people have told me that when they threaten to report them to a government agency, the calls stop. Once they realize that you know they are a scam and are not going to give them money, they will cease calling. I suggest submitting complaints with both the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI. The websites are www.ftc.gov and www.fbi.gov. In the meantime, don’t give them any money or any personal information (more than they have). I will keep you updated on any information I have. And if you need to, feel free to contact me. Thank you, Katherine Stokes, Investigator Arkansas Attorney General's Office."
Yesterday, 10/13/10 they have called me again. This time it's "Investigator Cleveland" (like many of you are saying in your responses). He indicated it's check fraud, that I could have a warrant served if I didn't respond with a written statement within 24 hrs from me or my attorney.
Here are the numbers they have called from and left for me to call them back at:
336-223-8047
336-223-8044
888-317-9672 ext 8017 and ext 8047