Received a call from Monica Wilcox she said she was calling from the Litigation Department. She asked if I had ever had a payday loan when I told her no, she asked me to verify the last four of my SSN and when I told her I would not do that because I had no idea who she was she said that she was calling to tell me that there was a case against me and when I wanted to verify that fact I could call their office back and she hung up. Another Scam!
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 just got a voice mail from James Jamison as well. Saying a case with name and SSN is being downloaded in my county today! Seriously I got the same call 4 months ago from some other woman at the same number. First of all my voice mail does NOT say my name it only says my number. So who's name is it being downloaded in, not mine. Clearly these people are scammers and only want to steal people's hard earned money.
I also received a phone call the name I got was James Johnson and that I was suppose to receive something but they did not mentioned my name. Please do what I do which is do not answer nor give these people the time of day. If it is urgent they will have to put it in writing.
I also received these same cslls... The name Cocoa for a collections representative was too funny... Someone should of told her that her stripper name wasn't good for a financial collections agency.... Today's collection number is 786-257-1555 last week it was 404-909-6940... I've never taken out a payday loan or direct deposit cash advance...