For nearly two years, an illegal group of debt collectors have been terrorizing consumers, their family, friends, and employees threatening to arrest the individual of an unpaid loan or other debt (their generally don't even owe). Be aware debt is a civil matter, not a criminal matter, and you can't be arrested. They threaten a warrant if the victim does not pay a sum of money by the credit card over the phone.
Some of the people they are calling do not owe a debt. Others they are calling have already settled their debt with the organization who owns the accounts. Even if you do owe a debt, do not be deceived by the actions of this group. Many of the accounts they are attempting to collect they do not own. In other words, if you pay these people, that is not going to clear your debt with its rightful owner.
Although when pressed the callers give the victim an address in Columbia South Carolina (usually a vacant lot), Atlanta GA (often a parking lot near the bus station or a Peachtree Road Address) or Phoenix AZ. They are actually out of the Charlotte North Carolina area. The scammers are using the following business names (and there are many others, and they seem to create new ones daily). They will normally answer the call back number as “Investigations”. They often call people with a recording claiming they are looking for a "defendant"
Anderson & Banker Mediation or Pre-Trial Litigators
Bailey Rowe and Associates
Berkley and Associates
Berkley Hughes and Associates
Berman, Maxwell and associates
Blaine and Associates
Bloom & Smith
Burns & Stevens
DOF Investigations
Global Capital Services Group
Greenman, Schwartz & Associates
HD & Associates
Holland, Dempsey, and Associates
Hughes and Berkeley
Johnston & Moore
Kaplan, Stein, & Associates
Kaufmann and Associates
Kennedy, Kline, & Associates
KS & Associates
Lyman & Turner
McCoy Law Group
McKenzie Reid Associates
Nationwide Asset and Recovery
Ondrick and Miles
Piedmont Investigations and Procurement
Raffino, Garrison, & McCoy
Reynolds and Associates
Reynolds, Hill, and Associates
Richardson Simms and Associates
RJ Financial LLC
Ryan, Carter and Fields
Salem Associates
Sanderson Blaine & Associates
Schuman, Walker, & Associates
Vaughn & Associates
Here is a set of links to a variety of threads on this forum that document this group and its behavior. They include the experiences of victims as well as a former employee or two that quit within a week of finding out exactly what was going on. They also include responses from consumer advocates and people who are really criminal justice professionals advising victims of what to do
They are calling me 5 times a day looking for my dad. Rude as anything. Told them next time they call me I am calling the police. Company is Fleet Water Group. This has been going on for over a week now.
For nearly two years, an illegal group of debt collectors have been terrorizing consumers, their family, friends, and employees threatening to arrest the individual of an unpaid loan or other debt (their generally don't even owe). Be aware debt is a civil matter, not a criminal matter, and you can't be arrested. They threaten a warrant if the victim does not pay a sum of money by the credit card over the phone.
Some of the people they are calling do not owe a debt. Others they are calling have already settled their debt with the organization who owns the accounts. Even if you do owe a debt, do not be deceived by the actions of this group. Many of the accounts they are attempting to collect they do not own. In other words, if you pay these people, that is not going to clear your debt with its rightful owner.
Although when pressed the callers give the victim an address in Columbia South Carolina (usually a vacant lot), Atlanta GA (often a parking lot near the bus station or a Peachtree Road Address) or Phoenix AZ. They are actually out of the Charlotte North Carolina area. The scammers are using the following business names (and there are many others, and they seem to create new ones daily). They will normally answer the call back number as “Investigations”. They often call people with a recording claiming they are looking for a "defendant"
Anderson & Banker Mediation or Pre-Trial Litigators
Bailey Rowe and Associates
Berkley and Associates
Berkley Hughes and Associates
Berman, Maxwell and associates
Blaine and Associates
Bloom & Smith
Burns & Stevens
DOF Investigations
Global Capital Services Group
Greenman, Schwartz & Associates
HD & Associates
Holland, Dempsey, and Associates
Hughes and Berkeley
Johnston & Moore
Kaplan, Stein, & Associates
Kaufmann and Associates
Kennedy, Kline, & Associates
KS & Associates
Lyman & Turner
McCoy Law Group
McKenzie Reid Associates
Nationwide Asset and Recovery
Ondrick and Miles
Piedmont Investigations and Procurement
Raffino, Garrison, & McCoy
Reynolds and Associates
Reynolds, Hill, and Associates
Richardson Simms and Associates
RJ Financial LLC
Ryan, Carter and Fields
Salem Associates
Sanderson Blaine & Associates
Schuman, Walker, & Associates
Vaughn & Associates
Here is a set of links to a variety of threads on this forum that document this group and its behavior. They include the experiences of victims as well as a former employee or two that quit within a week of finding out exactly what was going on. They also include responses from consumer advocates and people who are really criminal justice professionals advising victims of what to do
This is a common ploy by criminals attempting to extort money from people by scaring you into believing that you will be criminally charged, go to jail, lose your driver’s license, have wages garnished, etc. all for an alleged or nonexistent debt.
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt. It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes. The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices: http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php