just got the same Sgt. Michael Turner, DEA, and telling me I had committed a felony, and it had to be taken care of today, or I needed to go to New York to take care of this. I told him I couldn't afford to go to New York, I was disabled , then he asked can you walk, I said with a walker, then he wanted me to send a "green dot money card" I told him couldn't do that either, I told him to sent an agent over and he could take me to jail. I needed a vacation.
I just got that call today. 713.386.5936
Same thing. The idiot left a message. I googled the name and Perry Mason from the 1960s cop show came up....hes not too clever....haaaaaa. this is the 2nd time this has happened to me.
J
On Friday, 9-06-2013, there was a message left at 09:00 hrs PST, and again around 13:00 hrs, on my voice mail and a number with a 516 Area Code, to call a DEA agent named Mike Turner, working out of Upstate New York, regarding two packages of illegal drugs that came into the Tampa, FL U.S. Customs Border Protection Agency back in 2009 and 2010. I called back the number and left a message that I work late and am not able to be reached because I work in a hospital and do not accept personal calls because of the nature of my job. And, that if they wanted to reach me, they'd have to call me after 20:00 hrs because I leave for work before 06:00 hrs in the morning and don't get home until late at night. On Sunday, 9-08-2013, somewhere around 10:00 - 11:00 hrs, this guy calls up with the same routine giving me the phone number he left as his I.D. Number. I asked for his badge number and he gave me a number beginning with the letter N. He tried to shake me down for $2500.00 to pay a judge in Tampa for Dissolution Papers, since I was a first time offender. He even had my old, presently defunct, Master Card number, which he read back to me, claiming I used it to purchase illegal drugs on the internet in the above mentioned years. I told him the last time I purchased any medicine via the internet was in 2006, and it was for thyroid medication and a statin called Zoccor. I got on the internet and googled this guy's name and found this site, as he was instructing me to go to Walmart and get 5 money cards at $500.00 a piece, and he would have a FedEx person come and pick them up and deliver them to their office. I told him I am not at home during the day, but if there was a way for me to get that money together by Monday, I would be more than happy to take it over to the Culver City Police Station which was two blocks away from my house, and he could have the FedEx person pick it up in the envelope I would leave at the front desk. He got all bent out of shape and told me that I was a person who didn't care that she was going to end up being picked up by another DEA agent by the name of Mark Waller and taken into custody. I told him I needed to get my lawyer notified that I was about to be arrested, so I needed to get off the phone with him and set my plans into motion. Then, he became abusive, and I told him I'd be waiting for Mr. Waller, but I needed to get off the phone and contact my lawyer so he would be here to meet him. I hung up. Then, I googled the U.S. Customs and Protection Board, registered, and relayed the story, the names, the phone, badge, and case numbers given to me by this person, to make them aware of the fact that these con men were using the good name of the U.S. Customs Agency to pull these scams on people. Yesterday, 9-09-2013, at 09:00 hrs, there was another call on my voice mail from another DEA agent, named John Abein, or Abine, with another number starting with the 516 Area Code, pitching the same old line. I deleted it.
Michael Turner posed as an attorney who was collecting on a bad check I wrote [6] years ago. I haven't written checks in over 10 years. I new immediately that this was a scam. He did threaten me with arrest, jail, yadda yadda. However, I worry that his mark will land on more people so I want to help and spread the word. He is clearly not smart enough to change his name. Maybe he figures sticking to fewer lies will help him to remember his role. The number he called from: 956-622-5970. I reported his activities to the FCC, FTC, and FBI. However he poses, please know, that any honest company will give you many chances before they send you to "collections." There are no "debtors prisons" so don't be afraid if he calls and threatens you. It's always a good rule of thumb to make anyone calling you prove that they know you - don't offer them any information. I'm sad to read that he has managed to take advantage and exploit people from their hard earnings. Enough so that one man lost his wife to a self inflicted gun-shot. That is so absolutely horrible. I hope that he is caught and pays for what he, and his associates, are up to. If anyone hears about any arrests please post them.
Here are the top 11 actions prohibited by the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:
Misrepresent Him or Herself
A debt collector may not misrepresent himself as an attorney or law enforcement officer.
Use the Telephone to Annoy or Harass
A collection agent may not cause a telephone to ring or engage any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with an intent to annoy, abuse, or harass anyone at the called number.
Threaten Arrest or Lawsuit
A collection agent may not threaten a consumer with arrest. It may not threaten legal action that is either not permitted or not actually contemplated. In other words, a the threat of a lawsuit may be an empty one.
Use Abusive or Threatening Language
A debt collector may no use abusive or profane language in the course of communication related to the debt.
Publish a Bad Debt List
Publishing the consumer’s name or address on a "bad debt" list is prohibited.
Contact By Embarrassing Media
A debt collector may not communicate with a consumer by post card. It may not use any language or symbol, other than the debt collector’s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram. A debt collector may use its business name if such name does not indicate it is in the debt collection business.
Contact a Consumer at Work
A collection agent may not communicate with consumers at their place of employment after being told this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer.
Seek Unjustifiable Amounts
A debt collector may not demand any amounts not permitted under an applicable contract or as provided under law.
Contact a Consumer Represented by an Attorney
A collection agent may not contact a consumer after it learns the consumer is represented by a lawyer.
Communicate With a Consumer After Receiving a Validation Request
If a consumer sends a written §1692g response within 30 days, the collection agent may not communicate with the consumer until it mails the consumer the requested verification of original creditor's name and address.
Communicate With Third Parties
A debt collector may not reveal or discuss the nature of a consumer’s debts with third parties other than the consumer’s spouse or attorney. A collection agent may contact neighbors or co-workers only to obtain location information. It may contact a third party again if it has reason to believe the information the party provided previously is false.
Bills.com FDCPA FAQ
Below are questions Bills.com readers ask frequently:
Can a Collection Agent Call My Cell Phone?
Yes. However, if you tell the debt collector it may not use that number because it is a cell phone, it may not contact you again at that number.
I Keep Receiving Dozens of Calls From Collection Agents. Is That Legal?
No. Unscrupulous collection agents will use "block parties" or "office parties" where they contact a consumer, multiple neighbors, or co-workers telling them they need to reach the consumer on an urgent matter. This is not permitted under the FDCPA.
A Collector Says I Will Be Arrested if I Do Not Pay
This was a true statement before the US Civil War, but has not been true since. People may be arrested if an aggressive judge files a bench warrant for a person who does not appear at a hearing relating to a lawsuit regarding a debt. However, in that case, the offense is the failure to respond to a court order, and not the existence of the debt. As stated above, it is illegal under the FDCPA to threaten a consumer with arrest if the consumer does not pay the debt.