Fraud
Complaint
Cynthia Montoya
Country: United States
Scott Anderson has called and said that I have until the end of the day to call or I would be served papers for a court matter. He has left this message twice and still no papers. Also, don't they know that when you're served with papers you're not give a "heads-up". I have checked all three of the major credit bureaus and there is nothing listed with this name. I fell into this trap once before and I think they found me again. I owed a small loan and I made arrangements with them to pay it. After giving them 425.00, the REAL company called me. It was only after speaking to them that I found out AFG was a fraud. I reported it to my bank and their fraudulent department investigated, I got my money back and now they're trying to attempt to scam me again!
Comments
When dealing with a scam, your most direct way to get your money back is as you have done, via a fraud dispute through your bank. Your bank can reverse disputed charges if you dispute within 60 days of the statement date of the statement showing the disputed charges, under FRB Reg. E for debit cards or checking account EFT, or under FCBA for credit cards.
Follow up with a written dispute or fraud affidavit sent to your bank's dispute address.
Be sure to close the account or block the card number due to fraud, to prevent future attempts to slip through additional fraudulent charges.
There is a large and expanding scam operating out of Corona, CA, that uses over 40 different names. One of them, "AF Group", is similar to this name. They keep adding new names and phone numbers every few months.
Check your credit reports for names OTHER than "AFG and Associates". The Corona Scam is reported to do credit inquiries under names like "HGG", "PMG", "ARM", "AF Group" "Pacific Management Recovery", and several others. Others are reporting credit inquiries show up shortly before the calls start, often only 2 or 3 days before.
What phone numbers are they calling from?
What phone numbers do they give you to call back?
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-800-1269
Apparent location in Santa Ana is in southern California, in the vicinity of a number of similar known "debt collection" scams.
Here is their BBB report, rated "F".
http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Collec ... na-CA-100101301
Contact FTC.
Your own post indicates you are trolling through complaint sites, responding to stale posts (10 months old) to push your perspective.
First one's probably a shill, you're just a debt collector with spare time, since really, no one else would care.
The shills try to throw in specific "details" about the "debt", being "garnished", and being embarassed in front of their employer. Their "talking points" are all aimed at convincing victims to pay up without demanding validation.
You are pretty typical, including the use of upper case, and common first name aliases.
You are just a shill.
That says what you do is fake "debt collection".
In particular, if you are being harassed over fake "debts" by some "debt collector" in the southern California area, contact FTC now. They are currently investigating many complaints pointing to fraudulent debt collection fromt area.
Also note the many shill posts, including a number that have been removed.
Reports of spoofed caller id information.
https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8778001269
1-330-325-8000
and
1-954-346-4080
By saying "he reviewed my criminal back ground and i am clean" he is attempting to establish that he is some kind of "authority", implying that he might have some power to "prosecute" you. That is a move to set you up for this scam.
It's just an opening line to get you to call back, then attempt to con you out of money. If he doesn't directly accuse you of fraud, or claim you owe some "debt", another old variation is to pretend "a relative stole your identity", but if you don't pay him, you have to "report them to the police".
If you call back, he knows you are gullible, and likely to respond to deception and deception. He is looking for suckers.
This type of scam usually works off of credit report information, trying to use it to con people into paying a "debt" that sounds like an old account. That also allows them to size you up, and guess how much they might take you for, based on your credit card lines.
Pull your credit reports, and see if they show up as a recent inquiry, either under this name, or some other name you don't recognize as a legitimate creditor.
Pulling your credit reports without permissible purpose for use in a scam is a criminal act under both state and federal law, on top of wire fraud.
http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/busines ... ach-fl-90032248
BBB probably got an inquiry.
No information other than address and phone number.
Scattered Google hits on various online directories, consistent with an attempt to create the appearance of a "business".
Google finds various other businesses with the same address,
"5541 N University Dr #102 Pompano Beach"
Probably a mail drop.
The word "criminal" has no legitimate or legal place in the language of any debt collector. You know that.
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-372-5594
First complaint Aug. 17, 2011
https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8773725594
Summary
http://www.mycallbot.com/numbers/8773725594
Indications are they just started up.
They also show up in connectino with this number.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclie ... &q=954-346-4080
As do these listings:
Chipley's Commercial Cleaning
4319 NW 90th TER, Pompano Beach, FL 33065
954-346-4080
Parks Realty
4319 NW 90th Ter
Pompano Beach, FL 33065
954-346-4080
1) Those who follow FDCPA, send a "g" letter within 5 days, handle disputes and validation to ensure they do not collect from the wrong people or collect unowed debts, and avoid all abusive or harassing collection.
2) Those who evade FDCPA, fail to send a "g" letter, counter validatino requests with threats, have excuses for why they don't have to follow FDCPA, and use direct or implied threats of legal action or criminal prosecution, such as initial "process server" calls when no lawsuit has even been filed.
The former are legitimate businesses engaged in legal debt collection.
The latter are often engaged in fraud.
Abuse, threats, and harassment are tactics designed to evade attempts to uncover deception. They assist in deception.
Deception, and tactics to effect it, imply fraud.
It isn't the alleged debtor's obligation to disprove the debt. As per FDCPA, it is YOUR obligation to both notify any alleged debtor of the debt, IN WRITING within 5 days of first contact, and to notify them that they may request that YOU obtain validation from the original creditor.
To say otherwise, even in forum posts, is deceptive, and misrepresents both your legal obligations, and the consumer's rights.
Fake "process server" calls are illegal on many grounds: deceptive collection, illegal threats, failing to send a "g" notice", abusive and harassing collection, misrepresenting the status of the debt, etc.
You appear to have just started operating under this name. Your complaint profile already shows aspects of illegal deception and implied threats.
You have also chosen to use a name very similar to one that may be tied to a large southern California fake "debt" scam, at last count employing over 50 front aliases. They are currently under investigation by FTC.
You should expect to get your share of LE attention.