Jay Smith is leaving me threatening messages on my work phone and for me on my co-workers phone #'s as well. This person can barely speak English and wants me or my lead attorney to call back. I want this to stop.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:
•is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
•refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
•asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
•exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
•Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.•Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
•Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
•Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
•Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
Recieved a call from a "111" call and he said his name is Nick Johnson and he said I need you to return a call to this number 347-670-4058. He claims his from Attorney of Records. Said it's time sensitive and not to disregard this message and said if you don't return this call, I wish you Good Luck.
I called the law office mentioned and they said they have recieved several calls from people asking about these calls. they have no idea who these people are. i am so tired of them calling me at work like every other day. i wish someone could do something.
I came home from work today and there was a message left on my answering machine. When I tried to listen to the name it sounded like it came from Mark Rothmam and Associates. (They have used this name in previous statements that I just read here). They left a message that if I didn't call them or have an attorney call them right away they were going to send someone to my work the next day. And that I was facing criminal charges. They said they were calling from NYC.
They knew I lived in Albany County (what they didn't know is that I WORK for ALBANY COUNTY) so I was really afraid. I actually called this person back (as I am currently going through a bankrupsy)..... I had my dad call them.............they didn't want him to pay in any other way then to go to WALMART, no joke, to buy 2 of the GREEN DOT credit cards and pay them a total of 850.00. We are not!
Sometime in 2012 my husband took out a pay day loan. But it was paid off. I was/am really afraid. I thought all the phone calls (from REAL DEBTORS) had stopped. Now I was almost about to get scammed from people who are NOT LEGIT.
DO NOT PAY THESE PEOPLE. I didn't, my father and I actually looked this number up on line. I am going to contact my LEGIT bankrusy attorney... and find out what I can do about this.
This is SO WRONG. These people are NASTY, RUDE, and are really playing on the fear of people in an age where financially, a lot of people are having trouble making ends meet.