Best report
ϟ
Feb 2, 2011
This is the same scam that has called me from several different numbers, most originating in New York, but sometimes originating in Florida or California. They claim to be American Legal Services, they are all middle eastern Indian, and they have your info, including SSN, address, phone numbers, and bank account info. They claim that you are in default of a payday loan, but can't tell you which one. They say the company is an umbrella for over 200 payday sites and they cannot give you an exact one. They tell you that you must pay them by credit card today or they will have agents take you in handcuffs tomorrow morning to the courthouse. This one left the message that they were trying to help and that there was no reason to be alarmed. They would take your info and then transfer you to the courthouse where you can make your payment.
Since they were calling for my daughter-in-law this time, I called them back and told them that the person they were calling was not at my address or phone number, and to stop calling people because this is a scam. The last time they called, I told them I was reporting them to all appropriate agencies, and the man started cursing at me and then hung up. This is NOT a legitimate company, and even if you have a payday loan, don't give them any information at all. Don't even confirm what they have. Tell them to send you documentation of the debt to the address they have on file for you and you will present it to your attorney. They will ask for his/her name, but refuse to give it. Tell them the attorney will contact them directly. They will try to confirm your address and they will tell you that they cannot send documentation until you have made payment arrangements with them. That is illegal and they cannot do that. By the way, they are routing these numbers from other companies through a number here in the US, so there is no real way to get to them.
Again, do not give them any info or money. Don't authorize any payments, and try to record the conversation in case you need it when you report them to the authorities. Sometimes, they will even use a legitimate company's name and location to make it more realistic when you search it out. However, remember that they cannot just show up with handcuffs to take you to court, and they cannot ask you to pay a debt that they cannot provide documentation for. Also, they would have had to file with the courts, which means you would get a registered letter from the courts and a summons to appear delivered personally by the police.
Since they were calling for my daughter-in-law this time, I called them back and told them that the person they were calling was not at my address or phone number, and to stop calling people because this is a scam. The last time they called, I told them I was reporting them to all appropriate agencies, and the man started cursing at me and then hung up. This is NOT a legitimate company, and even if you have a payday loan, don't give them any information at all. Don't even confirm what they have. Tell them to send you documentation of the debt to the address they have on file for you and you will present it to your attorney. They will ask for his/her name, but refuse to give it. Tell them the attorney will contact them directly. They will try to confirm your address and they will tell you that they cannot send documentation until you have made payment arrangements with them. That is illegal and they cannot do that. By the way, they are routing these numbers from other companies through a number here in the US, so there is no real way to get to them.
Again, do not give them any info or money. Don't authorize any payments, and try to record the conversation in case you need it when you report them to the authorities. Sometimes, they will even use a legitimate company's name and location to make it more realistic when you search it out. However, remember that they cannot just show up with handcuffs to take you to court, and they cannot ask you to pay a debt that they cannot provide documentation for. Also, they would have had to file with the courts, which means you would get a registered letter from the courts and a summons to appear delivered personally by the police.