My call did not come from 415-259-5028. It came from 951-468-5357. A woman with a strong east India dilect called first telling me criminal charges are being filed on me and I need to call atty. Damon Marshall right a way. I called this man who was very rude and yelled at me telling me I had to wire him $645 before noon or he was calling the police to have me picked up and put in jail. I was so upset. After thinking about it after he hung up, I realized that I had never taken out a payday loan with the company he mentioned. I called him back to get more info. He got very nasty and told me police are on the way. I kept trying to get loan numbers and when loan was taken out. He could not give me any info. The scary thing about this situation is he had a lot of my personal info, even my mothers maiden name. Where are they getting this information from? When someone tells you they will take your wages or ss from you, it really lets you think about how busy these crooks are trying to destroy peoples lives. The law and the government need to get busy and stop them.
Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010 FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
— filed under: Press Release
The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.
According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.
The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims’ relatives, friends, and employers.
Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.
If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller’s instructions. Rather, you should:
■Notify your banking institutions.
■Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
■Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
■File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
■Never give your Social Security number—or personal information of any kind—over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
■Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
■Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
■Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
■Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
■When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements
I got a call from Calvin Peterson.He left a message that said I had criminal charges against me.He was sending a investagator to my home.I have tried calling back and can not get an answer from their end.He has my name,unlisted phone no.s.s# and address.Now what?
Got two calls another on today !! saying he was Officer Brian Johnson and I have criminal charges against me with my SS # - and to call Damon Marshall !LOL FREAKS ! Im thinking they dont have our SS# and are trying to get it that way - I called Officer Brian A few chioce words - told him he ws going down and that i had already called the police and he hung up ! lol should i really call the police ??