I also just received this voice mail from Frank White "Department of investigations". He wanted my attorneys information regarding a case that I am involved in. He gave me a number to call back and a case number. I thought it was strange so I googled the number and I found all of this info. Thanks for letting me know its a scam.
Frank White from the "Investigations Department" said someone in my family was reported for check fraud. Asked if I was a parent of the person. Gave me a detailed case number. I said that I was hearing about scam callers similar to this and asked if his company had a website. He hung up on me.
I also received a call from these scammers. I talked to a Mr. Foster. He said my husband and I took out some kind of loan in 2005. He said if we didn't pay, they were going to issue a warrant for my husband's arrest. THEN, about an hour later, a very deep voiced male called and identified himself as a local county deputy sheriff. Because my husband is active duty, we went straight to legal. We called the sherriff's dept as well and my husband was NOT in there systems at all. The phone number is from a landline out of Newark, NJ. We then contacted the Newark police dept and we filed a complaint with the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION as well. They had my husband's social security number as well. These crooks thoight they would get away with this. We knew we had NOT takenout any loans that we hadn't repaid.
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 also just received this voice mail from Frank White "Department of investigations". He wanted my attorneys information regarding a case that I am involved in. He gave me a number to call back and a case number. I thought it was strange so I googled the number and I found all of this info. Thanks for letting me know its a scam.