I received a phone call from Maggie Thomas on 12/12/2013 and 12/13/2013 stating that I had an outstanding payday loan from mycashnow.com ever since 2009 and I put the money on a prepaid card from Bank America. She gave me all my personal information over the phone and told me that they conducted a background check and I will have to complete an I-13 form so that they can garnish my wages, if I get any government assistance or child support they will take that. I contact Bank of America and mycashnow.com and they told me that I never had an account with them. Maggie Thomas told me that she has my IP address, mailing address, email address( I haven't used in years), social security number and date of birth. So I was informed to pay $721.11 or 60% ($420.80) to avoid going to jail on 2 felony charges of wire fraud or bank fraud-class C. I google Maggie Thomas and Law Office of Legal Mediation and there was nothing to be found. I also contacted the BBB ( Better Business Bureau) and they informed me that its a scam and don't send them any money!
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.
I received a call from my 76 yo father, on Christmas Day, stating that a Maggie Thomas had called him and told him that I had a warrant out for my arrest and I had better call this number ASAP. They tracked him down because we are the only family in the entire state with my last name. He was so shook up I thought he was going to have a heart attack. This is a very sick woman. She claimed I took out some kind of payday loan also and needed to pay really high amount. I had NEVER I my life taken out a loan, especially via the internet. I was so glad to see you posted this and I usually don't take the time to reply but I just had to. People need to be warned about these kind of scams. Thanks to all who took the time to post....
I received the same voice-mails a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, I checked on this first. It was in regards to a payday loan that I started over 2 years ago, but I cancelled and NEVER accepted the loan. DO NOT give these people money!!!!