I think I have been part of a scam. I have been getting calls at my job from someone saying I am part of a legal investingation. I finally talk with this foreign man and he told me that I was part of a legal investigation and they were going to send someone to my place of residence or employment to arrest me because I had not payed back a payday loan. They knew my social security number and everthing. They asked me if I wanted to settle it out of court and I told them yes. So they told me that I would have to pay $500 down and I told them I didn't have $500, but I could pay $250.oo. He said okay and told me to call him back when I got a money gram. We kept talking back and forward, but I finally got the money gram and set them the $250. He called me again but with another name on 2/21. He told me I would have to have $300 in by the 29th of February or they would send my the $250 back and proceed with the court fees and I would be arrested. I asked him to send me something saying I had payed the $250 and he told me that he could only send that after the balance of $1100.00 had been paid. I told him that I felt like this was a scam and he told me that I was on recorded lines and it was not a scam. We argued back and forth for a while and he told me to call him on the 29th and let him know if I had the money. I told him that I was willing to pay $100 a month until I got it paid. He first told me that the bank only would accept $500 then he said the bank would only accept $300. I then knew something was wrong. Whe I looked them up on the internet "United Federal Bank", the first thing to come up was stories about how they scammed people. Please let me know what I need to do in this matter
We advised the victim to immediately contact the police and her state attorney general's office. If this happens to you,
Contact your state attorney general - see this page for the contact information.
Report them to the FBI here.
File a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission
See these websites for more information about how to protect yourself from debt collection scammers:
National Association of Consumer Advocates
My Fair Debt
Consumer Credit Advocate Bud Hibbs
Clark Howard.com - Clark has additional resources; he says: "Collection agencies should never threaten or torment you; it's against the law. I provide a "Drop Dead" letter below that you should send if a collector is harrassing you. Learn more about your rights here.
Drop Dead Letter to collectors
Clark's Sample letters
Legal self-help sites
Get resources & contacts
Consumer Counsel Group
Lawyers: Warren & Vullings, LLP
I was too contacted by a Paul Smith of the National Crime Investigators. He left me a voicemail stating that I have to call him or good luck to me. First off, if it was a legitimate number, the number would appeared on the caller ID. I will not call him back, as I have forwarded the message to my lawyer. He also called my place of employment and left the same number for me to call. People are out to scare you and make you pay, because the economy stinks! Scammers need to be stopped and put in their place.
My experience is the same as everyone elses. I've been harrassed at work and on my cell phone. Whe I said I didn't have a loan, they just hung up. When I called back they said I hung up the phone. Thy did have my phone number and social security number but had the wrong address...not sure what that was about. I'm not out any money, just numerous harrassing phone calls from Paul Smith at 347-236-3134.
I was called today from the same people today they said I committed a crime and they were sending someone to pick me up in a bus and they would beat me. I went to the local police department and found out these people are connected with cashnet. There were 2 guys that called me Harry Newman and John McClure they both had strong Indian accents. Beware this is a fraud attempt....