I keep getting a call from an Investigator Wilcox saying I owe money from a check that didn't clear from 2007. He puts me in touch with a mediation company telling me to pay double the amount (because of fees) or there will be a warrant issued. I ask them to provide me with a statement saying I owe this or something and they tell me there is no time for that, I need to take care of this within 24 hours or the warrant will be issued. I have tried finding information out on the so called company and the investigator wilcox and cannot find any information on them.
Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?
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 this same "Investigator Wilcox" ? Claimed to be looking for my Son, on a bad check claim. Funny thing is, the story is almost identical to the one above. A bad check for 2000$ from 2007! Claiming that if it is not resolved that an arrest warrant would be issued. I pushed him for info on who he was, and what Company he worked for. He would not say or where he was located. Finally after I threatened him with an FTC complaint, He claimed to be with a Williams and Associates in Baltimore MD.
but would not give an ID # or let me speak with his supervisor, or disclose an address. No info on said company found on the internet or yellow pages.
Came up on my called ID as "Stephen Wilcox 410-305-7557" Number comes up as a land line in Odenton, MD
Others be wary
Investigator Wilcox comes up Stephen Wilcox on my caller ID. I googled the number the first time he called me and it came up Williams and Associates. When I asked him about this company, he studdered and stammered and couldn't answer. Then he said that was wrong and needed to have it removed from the internet.
So, is this all a scam? I'm assuming it is. I looked into the mediation company as well and I just have this gut feeling that it is a scam. I looked through my records for the so called check and can't find anything on this.
I received a similar story. I contacted my local DA's office, and they are contacting him to verify the validity of the claim because I paid the check in question. He is very unprofessional and obviously running some sort of scam.