A gentleman with a strong Indian accent calls my employer and my phone telling me that this is Kevin Robinson from David and Carter (or Conner maybe) Law Associates informing me that I have committed financial fraud and within 3 working days I will recieve a summons by mail and also a hard copy summons to my workplace to take me to court. Also states if I have questions to call the number back to speak to the lawyer who filed the case at the courthouse. When I called back was scolded by this "Kevin" for accusing it of being a scam and threatening to report to the police if he didn't provide the company filing the court case or allowing me to talk to a manager or supervisor. He said "this is a law firm. You really think I have a supervisor?" I asked if he was a lawyer and he said no. I then said well, I want to talk to the lawyer at this firm, who would be your supervisor if you work for them!! I was then hung up on after being placed on hold for several minutes while he "painstakingly will try to retreive the lawyer." Also was told at one point that I would be arrested in front of my co-workers if I did not comply. I am 99.9% certain it is fake but it still freaks me out when someone if threatening me!!
A gentleman with a strong Indian accent calls my employer and my phone telling me that this is Kevin Robinson from David and Carter (or Conner maybe) Law Associates informing me that I have committed financial fraud and within 3 working days I will recieve a summons by mail and also a hard copy summons to my workplace to take me to court. Also states if I have questions to call the number back to speak to the lawyer who filed the case at the courthouse. When I called back was scolded by this "Kevin" for accusing it of being a scam and threatening to report to the police if he didn't provide the company filing the court case or allowing me to talk to a manager or supervisor. He said "this is a law firm. You really think I have a supervisor?" I asked if he was a lawyer and he said no. I then said well, I want to talk to the lawyer at this firm, who would be your supervisor if you work for them!! I was then hung up on after being placed on hold for several minutes while he "painstakingly will try to retreive the lawyer." Also was told at one point that I would be arrested in front of my co-workers if I did not comply. I am 99.9% certain it is fake but it still freaks me out when someone if threatening me!!
Scam - if you had a lawsuit filed against you, you wouldn't get a vague, threatening phone call - you'd have received letters - lots of them. Then you would receive a court summons via certified/registered mail or via process server - and they never call you to give you a heads up. If you had committed fraud, you would have had a visit from the police - you wouldn't get a phone call from a law office. Your callers are scammers trying to scare you into paying a bogus debt, a debt that's already been paid, or even a debt that is owed - but not to the callers.
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.
Also good info at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1699/h ... legitimate.html