beware of ISAP or ARPA trying to get you!
Complaint
Julie
Country: United States
03/26/2012
Company name: ISAP or ARPA
Address: 29991 Canyon Hills Rd. #1709-425, Lake Elsinore, CA 92532
Phone Numbers: Toll Free: 888-846-9950 Fax: 951-471-6638
Email address dzb@isapartners.biz
I received a phone call at my work from a man who introduced himself as a “process server” from a company whose name I didn’t get. He said that he has papers he needs to deliver to me. He asked if I was going to be at my work so he could serve me the papers in person. He verified my work address, giving me the correct address with omission of the suite number. When I asked what was it regarding and who was the company that filed papers against me, he responded that he doesn’t have this information, but could call the following number (888) 846-9950 and give then my case # 110-835-CA-3428. He said that he will hold the delivery of summons for 1 hour, so I get a change to call the number provided for additional information they might have and to schedule the appointment if necessary.
When I called the number that was given to me, provided them with the case number, and was transferred to a man named Ricky Taylor who introduced himself as the case manager/administrator. Ricky Taylor told me that a civil lawsuit was filed against me by ISAP (the company I am calling) on behalf of HSBC Credit Card that I once owed and stopped paying in 2009. He told me there was a settlement letter sent out by HSBC Bank, in the amount of $2000 for the balance due of $4102.38. He said that since I failed to respond to the settlement letter in 45 days, HSBC Bank gave away all the rights to this company. He said that there is a subpoena waiting to be delivered to me today if I didn’t agree to settle for $2000 and make a one time payment today. He said if we have to go to court I am looking into spending much more money: $4102.38 + court fees + attorney fees. Mr. Taylor also said that I stand no chance winning in court, and a certain amount will be deducted from my wages. If I agreed to pay this amount, he would send me an official letter by mail and an email (given I provide him with a valid email address). Ricky Taylor informed me that the agreement letter would contain the company name, original creditor name, the settlement amount. He explained that once the funds have been received by ISAP, I will be released from all claims and liabilities pertaining to this account and alls major credit bureaus status will be updated to “paid”. By providing my credit or debit card information and by signing this agreement I would authorize ISAP to charge my card. When I asked him what ISAP stands for, he replied for nothing, just the name of the company. I told the gentlemen that it is a large amount of money and I needed to consult my husband. This is when he actually gave me his name and extension number # 213, asking me to call him directly after speaking with my husband. Once again they told me I had one hour to reply.
He was so convincing that I got scared and panicked. They called me by my maiden name, my married name, had my work and home address, and phone numbers. He didn’t mention my SS#, but I have no doubt he has it too. I convinced my husband that we need to pay right away, but to be on the safe side all further conversations were held between myself, my husband, and icky Taylor via a conference call (3-way). I told Ricky Taylor that I am willing to settle if he can work out a payment schedule. After multiple phone calls we agreed to 2 payments: $1500 today and $500 on 04/26/12. I informed him that I was ready to review and sign the agreement. He told me to hang on for a few minutes while his secretary is preparing the document. He asked me to give him my credit card info while waiting. I told him I was not comfortable with that and that I needed to review it first. While trying to mange the 3-wy call and the email, I get disconnected, which was lucky for me since it really gave me the time to review the agreement letter. The letter had multiple inconsistencies: the settlement amount was $3000 instead of $2000 with 2 payments of $1500; and the name ARPA came out again in the written document. I called Ricky Taylor back and pointed to the mistake in the settlement amount. He apologized and said he’ll have the secretary correct it right away. The second attachment I received had errors again, the payment were corrected to $1500 and $500, but the total amount due remained as $3000. By the time we got our final and corrected settlement agreement, my husband and I got super suspicious. There were many things that didn’t seem legit:
1. The way they rushed us into paying right away, giving me an hour to comply
2. The name ISAP was used interchangeably with ARPA, even in the written documents.
3. Too many inconsistencies in the settlement agreement (including the payment agreement amount and the original balance amount)
4. The PDF attachment was named “2 pay CC sif.pdf”
5. The settlement agreement was signed by a Monica Evans, Correspondence Dept., not by at least the case administrator with settled with.
6. When looking up the company address it was linked to a Western Union location postal annex #4027)
7. We couldn’t locate any company information of the web on either ISAP or ARPA
8. And finally, stumbling across post on https://800notes.com and https://complaintwire.org/complaint/SpoBAAAAAAA/pmg/118, which described the same situation as mine, only dating back to 2010
My husband and I called Ricky back, and confronted him with our suspicion of the company address being a fake linked to Western Union, he quickly transferred us to Mr. Anderson, who supposedly would answer all of our questions. My husband continued to insist that Mr. Anderson gave him the correct address, when he (Mr. Anderson) said “I already told you”, when in reality this was the first time we spoke to him. Mr. Anderson attempted to convince us that it was the right address for the company. My husband then brought up all the posts accusing this company in a scam, when Mr. Anderson continued to insist that this was “not a scam and we are playing with fire by taking our chance to trust the people on the web over a reputable company”. After big unable to change my husband’s and mine mind he hung up the phone!
And rest assure Mr. Anderson, I will take my chances and report you and this bogus company to all the proper agencies!
Company name: ISAP or ARPA
Address: 29991 Canyon Hills Rd. #1709-425, Lake Elsinore, CA 92532
Phone Numbers: Toll Free: 888-846-9950 Fax: 951-471-6638
Email address dzb@isapartners.biz
I received a phone call at my work from a man who introduced himself as a “process server” from a company whose name I didn’t get. He said that he has papers he needs to deliver to me. He asked if I was going to be at my work so he could serve me the papers in person. He verified my work address, giving me the correct address with omission of the suite number. When I asked what was it regarding and who was the company that filed papers against me, he responded that he doesn’t have this information, but could call the following number (888) 846-9950 and give then my case # 110-835-CA-3428. He said that he will hold the delivery of summons for 1 hour, so I get a change to call the number provided for additional information they might have and to schedule the appointment if necessary.
When I called the number that was given to me, provided them with the case number, and was transferred to a man named Ricky Taylor who introduced himself as the case manager/administrator. Ricky Taylor told me that a civil lawsuit was filed against me by ISAP (the company I am calling) on behalf of HSBC Credit Card that I once owed and stopped paying in 2009. He told me there was a settlement letter sent out by HSBC Bank, in the amount of $2000 for the balance due of $4102.38. He said that since I failed to respond to the settlement letter in 45 days, HSBC Bank gave away all the rights to this company. He said that there is a subpoena waiting to be delivered to me today if I didn’t agree to settle for $2000 and make a one time payment today. He said if we have to go to court I am looking into spending much more money: $4102.38 + court fees + attorney fees. Mr. Taylor also said that I stand no chance winning in court, and a certain amount will be deducted from my wages. If I agreed to pay this amount, he would send me an official letter by mail and an email (given I provide him with a valid email address). Ricky Taylor informed me that the agreement letter would contain the company name, original creditor name, the settlement amount. He explained that once the funds have been received by ISAP, I will be released from all claims and liabilities pertaining to this account and alls major credit bureaus status will be updated to “paid”. By providing my credit or debit card information and by signing this agreement I would authorize ISAP to charge my card. When I asked him what ISAP stands for, he replied for nothing, just the name of the company. I told the gentlemen that it is a large amount of money and I needed to consult my husband. This is when he actually gave me his name and extension number # 213, asking me to call him directly after speaking with my husband. Once again they told me I had one hour to reply.
He was so convincing that I got scared and panicked. They called me by my maiden name, my married name, had my work and home address, and phone numbers. He didn’t mention my SS#, but I have no doubt he has it too. I convinced my husband that we need to pay right away, but to be on the safe side all further conversations were held between myself, my husband, and icky Taylor via a conference call (3-way). I told Ricky Taylor that I am willing to settle if he can work out a payment schedule. After multiple phone calls we agreed to 2 payments: $1500 today and $500 on 04/26/12. I informed him that I was ready to review and sign the agreement. He told me to hang on for a few minutes while his secretary is preparing the document. He asked me to give him my credit card info while waiting. I told him I was not comfortable with that and that I needed to review it first. While trying to mange the 3-wy call and the email, I get disconnected, which was lucky for me since it really gave me the time to review the agreement letter. The letter had multiple inconsistencies: the settlement amount was $3000 instead of $2000 with 2 payments of $1500; and the name ARPA came out again in the written document. I called Ricky Taylor back and pointed to the mistake in the settlement amount. He apologized and said he’ll have the secretary correct it right away. The second attachment I received had errors again, the payment were corrected to $1500 and $500, but the total amount due remained as $3000. By the time we got our final and corrected settlement agreement, my husband and I got super suspicious. There were many things that didn’t seem legit:
1. The way they rushed us into paying right away, giving me an hour to comply
2. The name ISAP was used interchangeably with ARPA, even in the written documents.
3. Too many inconsistencies in the settlement agreement (including the payment agreement amount and the original balance amount)
4. The PDF attachment was named “2 pay CC sif.pdf”
5. The settlement agreement was signed by a Monica Evans, Correspondence Dept., not by at least the case administrator with settled with.
6. When looking up the company address it was linked to a Western Union location postal annex #4027)
7. We couldn’t locate any company information of the web on either ISAP or ARPA
8. And finally, stumbling across post on https://800notes.com and https://complaintwire.org/complaint/SpoBAAAAAAA/pmg/118, which described the same situation as mine, only dating back to 2010
My husband and I called Ricky back, and confronted him with our suspicion of the company address being a fake linked to Western Union, he quickly transferred us to Mr. Anderson, who supposedly would answer all of our questions. My husband continued to insist that Mr. Anderson gave him the correct address, when he (Mr. Anderson) said “I already told you”, when in reality this was the first time we spoke to him. Mr. Anderson attempted to convince us that it was the right address for the company. My husband then brought up all the posts accusing this company in a scam, when Mr. Anderson continued to insist that this was “not a scam and we are playing with fire by taking our chance to trust the people on the web over a reputable company”. After big unable to change my husband’s and mine mind he hung up the phone!
And rest assure Mr. Anderson, I will take my chances and report you and this bogus company to all the proper agencies!
Comments
This one may be a spin-off of one of the Corona Scam operations shut down by FTC back in October 2011.
It's basically a scripted con, with a "process server" caller, and a "closer", and makes use of information obtained via skip-trace services like Accurint, and credit report information from CRAs like Experian.
(Check your credit reports, to see if they pulled one.)
The pretend "process server" call was intented to convince you that you were being "sued" so you would settle without determining what if anything was actually owed to them.
The story is so full of lies it's hard to determine where to begin, but here goes.
"I received a phone call at my work from a man who introduc
ed himself as a “process server” from a company whose name I didn’t get. "
He's not any "process server". That's just how this con is done. He pretends to be some other company, so when you call in, the "closer" can deny all responsibility for any lies made by the "process server".
"He said that he has papers he needs to deliver to me. "
They always say that. They never deliver any "papers". It's all an act, to convince you they are "suing".
'
"'He asked if I was going to be at my work so he could serve me the papers in person. "
That's the standard script with these cons, so they sound "official" and add the threat of embarassment at work.
"He verified my work address, giving me the correct address with omission of the suite number. "
They use Accurint to skip trace, and it gives them access to address history, relatives, employers, etc. They pay them, a phone database service, and a CRA (probably Experian) to get all the information they need to BS their way through the con.
"When I asked what was it regarding and who was the company that filed papers against me, he responded that he doesn’t have this information, but could call the following number (888) 846-9950 and give then my case # 110-835-CA-3428. "
More acting. There is no "lawsuit", and no "papers". The "case number" is made up, too. The whole purpose of the call is to get you to call back the number, all in a panic and ready to settle, to avoid this "lawsuit". No real process server does this. They deliver their papers, often without calling first, and get paid for that, This is a con.
"He said that he will hold the delivery of summons for 1 hour, so I get a change to call the number provided for additional information they might have and to schedule the appointment if necessary. "
And that is why they use this script. The goal is to give you so little time to find out anything that you basically have to make an instant decision to pay them to avoid this fake "lawsuit".
When I called the number that was given to me, provided them with the case number, and was transferred to a man named Ricky Taylor who introduced himself as the case manager/administrator.
He's the "closer". He's the one that cons you into disclosing payment information. He will also sound all "official", to be convincing, like he is some "attorney" or "investigator".
"Ricky Taylor told me that a civil lawsuit was filed against me by ISAP (the company I am calling) on behalf of HSBC Credit Card that I once owed and stopped paying in 2009. "
If you want to find whether there is any "lawsuit", just call your local courthouse and have them look up any recent suits under your name. Bet you find nothing.
"He told me there was a settlement letter sent out by HSBC Bank, in the amount of $2000 for the balance due of $4102.38. "
The supposed "debt" is always about twice what they "settle" for. They are trying to force you to jump on the "settlement", again with no proof you even owe them.
"He said that since I failed to respond to the settlement letter in 45 days, HSBC Bank gave away all the rights to this company. "
Again, that's straight off the standard script, but he's mixed up this fake "HSBC settlement letter" with an equally fake "FDCPA "g" letter, to play the "you can't dispute this" part of the con.
FDCPA allows you to dispute and request validation. If you do so within 30 days of receiving a first letter from a collection agency they must cease all collection until they obtain and send it. He is weaving into the story a "reason" for tellin you that you can't dispute.
The whole con is designed to convince you not to dispute or question his claim, What does that tell you?
"He said that there is a subpoena waiting to be delivered to me today if I didn’t agree to settle for $2000 and make a one time payment today. "
He messed up the legal language. If you were being sued, there would be a summons, not a subpoena. He's probably never sued anyone in his life.
"He said if we have to go to court I am looking into spending much more money: $4102.38 + court fees + attorney fees. "
They always play up these "legal costs", on this fake "lawsuit", to force payment NOW, with no proof of anything.
"Mr. Taylor also said that I stand no chance winning in court, and a certain amount will be deducted from my wages. "
Those deceptive statements violate FDCPA. You could sue him for making them.
"If I agreed to pay this amount, he would send me an official letter by mail and an email (given I provide him with a valid email address). Ricky Taylor informed me that the agreement letter would contain the company name, original creditor name, the settlement amount. "
Another violation of FDCPA. They are obtaining some "agreement" without even notifying you of your right to dispute, like this is how it's normally done. Again this is standard script in this con. They push the "settlement"ahead of the disclosure, which violates FDCPA "g" letter requirements.
"He explained that once the funds have been received by ISAP, I will be released from all claims and liabilities pertaining to this account and alls major credit bureaus status will be updated to “paid”. "
Probably a bald-faced lie. If the debt is really on your credit report, under HSBC, then only HSBC can change it to anything.
Again, this is the standard script, and it flies in the face of CRA practices. More deception.
"By providing my credit or debit card information and by signing this agreement I would authorize ISAP to charge my card. When I asked him what ISAP stands for, he replied for nothing, just the name of the company. "
ISAP is just their new name. They make up names as old ones get too tarnished with complaints of illegal activity.
"I told the gentlemen that it is a large amount of money and I needed to consult my husband. This is when he actually gave me his name and extension number # 213, asking me to call him directly after speaking with my husband. Once again they told me I had one hour to reply."
It's the standard fake "process server" con. Not even anything original. Looks like it's off one of the old Corona scripts, too.
"When looking up the company address it was linked to a Western Union location postal annex #4027)"
They always use mail drops to hide their location.
No letter that they prepare is any proof this debt is legitimate or that it is owed to them.
They have not proved you owe this "debt" to them, and in fact have illegally used deception to defraud you by convincing you to pay them without exercising your federal FDCPA dispute and validation rights.
If they got any payments from you, immediately contact your bak to block or dispute the charges, due to fraud. If they have your account or card information, shut down the account or block the card number.
There have been rumors that Corona people had started up again, using the same "list" that was supposed to be turned over to the court appointed Receiver, along with all other assets of the scam. That list was mostly really old "HSBC" account, and had been used in exactly this type of shakedown.
Contact FTC, in particular their Western Regional Office, in LA.
They may be interested to know this is starting up again, quite likely the same people using the same debt database and same scripts, even in the same area.
These are the FTC attorneys handling the Corona Scam case, FTC v. Rincon, et al.
MARICELA SEGURA, CA Bar No. 225999
RAYMOND E. MCKOWN, CA Bar No. 150975
e-mail: msegura@ftc.gov and rmckown@ftc.gov
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
10877 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Telephone: (310) 824-4343
Facsimile: (310) 824-4380
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISAP
29991 Canyon Hills Rd. #1709-425
Lake Elsinore, CA 92532
Toll Free: 888-846-9950 Fax: 951-471-6638
March 26, 2012
*Personal and Confidential*
MY NAME
MY ADDRESS
RE: Original Creditor: HSBC-Metris
Original Account: # XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Account: 110835
Balance: $3,102.38
As of March 26, 2012 ISAP is prepared to settle the above referenced account in full for
$2,000.00, provided that the funds are received NO LATER THAN March 26, 2012 in the
form of 2 credit card payments. The first payment of $1,500.00 was approved and credited
towards your account as of 3/26/2012. The second payment to be charged to your account
will be in the amount of $500.00 on 4/26/2012. If funds are not received in our office by the due
date, this settlement offer agreement will be considered NULL and VOID.
Once the funds for the above referenced account have cleared your bank, the ARPA will release
you from all claims and liabilities pertaining to this account and our trade line with the major
credit bureaus will be updated to PAID.
You must sign and date that you have given ISAP permission to electronically debit your account on the above dates and fax back to 951-471-6638
Sincerely,
SIGNED BY MONICA EVANS
Correspondence Dept.
__________________________________ ____________ _________
Credit/Debit Card # Expiration Date CVV Back of Card
__________________________________ _______________________ ___________
Print Name Sign Name Date
This is an attempt to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Not only did they fail to send you the required letter, this email "overshadows" their required consumer disclosures, intending to deceive you into "settling" without any disclosure that you could instead dispute and request proof of the debt. You could sue them on that alone.
Any idea how old this account is, whether it's even your account, or whether the amounts have been fudged?
Also, check each of your credit reports. They may only be pulling one, probably Experian, although Equifax has also been occasionally reported.
You might contact an attorney who has sued these scammers before. He recently sued the owners and managers of the various Corona collection agencies (the ones the FTC sued) on behalf of a number of their victims. Contact the Law Offices Of Scott Harlow, 760-325-8818
Also contact Michael Peterson, a PI in Palm Desert. He investigated a bunch of them as part of Harlow's lawsuit. He may know as well as anyone whether there are any connections between this group and the people subject to the FTC court orders.
http://www.diversifiedarbitration.com/Home_Page.html
And, of course, contact the FTC attorneys in the FTC v. Rincon case.
Connected by ARPA, American RPA, and alias "Ricky Taylor".
The ".biz" URL was routine for Corona sites,
A Lake Elsinore mail drop was common with the last Corona LLC batch, before they got shut down.
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-801-7940/3
Establishing the appearance of being a debt collector with the CRAs is critical with this scheme.
ARPA is probably the name given to Experian. It has a history back a couple years, connected to PMG. Look for it on your credit reports, probably within several days of your first call.
The UPS Stores in the Corona/Lake Elsinore area probably got subpoenas from the FTC, or a visit from the FBI or Postal Inspector.
Thank you.
They ARE using scripts. That's how this type of "process server"/"closer" operation is done.
Those scripts are designed to obtain money regardless of whether it's owed or not, even if it's already paid to another collection agency, even if it was included in bankruptcy, and even if they have the wrong person.
They are trying to evade validation by using deception and illegal threats, and we have to assume there is a reason for that.
Even if they had some right to collect a legitimate account, there is no way you could trust them, nor could you trust that if you paid them, it wouldn't just show up with a new collection agency, along with some note that you had "acknowledged" or "partially paid" the debt.
When you are dealing with fraudulent and illegal debt collection, you cannot trust anything they claim.
If you were able to send them an FDCPA dispute and validation letter, most likely you would get one of three responses:
1) More harassment, claiming they already sent it, or they don't have to send it.
2) They send you something, probably their own "settlement letter", passed off to you as if it is a response to your dispute, but which proves nothing at all.
3) They just stop calling, and move on to the next sucker.
It's highly unlikely you will resolve ANY legitimate debt when you are dealing with a fraudulent operation, whether they own the "debt" or not. It's also highly unlikely that they will ever "sue" anyone. They violate FDCPA so routinely they would be fools to risk being opposed by a consumer with an attorney. That's why they make all the threats. They are looking for "easy money".
They're playing wack-a-mole with these guys in So. California.
Beau.
Also, when one company buys these debts from another company the amount paid is pennies on the dollar. For example say the company is American Express and your total debt is $3000, then it is sold to a collection agency for less than that. Then the debt is sold numerous, numerous times after American Express sells it the first time. The other companies buy that $3000 debt for less than $1000, less than $500, less than $100. The other companies only hound one to try to get the original amount plus "interest or whatever other fees" paid to them.
My advice is to not even give these people any of your time.
These days there are thousands upon thousands of individuals who are in financial hardships...
God bless.
They have been busy going after similar rackets in southern California recently.
They are just like some arms dealers.
What a racket!
-veronica
vero.chavez420@yahoo.com
Once you catch them lying, you must assume they will lie about anything.
What's most unclear is whether they are collecting on any real owed debt, or whether they are calling the correct debtor, since they often adapt their script based on whoever they reach, to get money out of anyone.
Legitimate debt collectors will send a letter within 5 days of first contact, notifying the alleged debtor of the creditor and amount, and including information on how to contact them to dispute or request proof of the debt. This is required by state and federal law, including FDCPA.
The shakedown rackets use threats and deception to evade all validation. Typically, on demanding proof, they instead send some "settlement letter", with no proof at all, then keep harassing and threatening.
Their tactics are designed to collect, regardless of whether the amount is owed, whether it was previously paid or settled, or was due to a billing error that was already corrected, whether it was discharged in bankruptcy and is no longer owed, past SOL, even when they are calling and harassing the wrong person.
My best guess is this is one of Thai Han's "offices".
Why don't you talk to Diana Mey?
http://www.dianamey.com/
She sued one of these scams, for abuse and harassment including faking caller id to appear to be from the local sheriff, got a $10 million judgement, and has been tracking them down to collect.
I'm still really worried of the fact that they have all of my personal info, including my SS#!!! I'm not sure what to do about that.
Your identity informatino is in thousands of places already.
File a fraud alert with the CRAs, if it will help you sleep.