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
***ATTENTION*** Any debtors that are reading this and do owe a debt you can rest assured Allied Financial Group & Associates Inc. based out of Coral Springs, FL is completely legitimate. However, there has been an obvious mix up with a company with the same name based out of California and to the best of my knowledge THEY are a scam. Thank you everyone.
That, and now around 50 other names with mail drop addresses within about 20 miles of Corona, show up with identical pattern of complaints, incuding reports from prospective and ex-employees about how they are running a fraudulent debt collection racket. They all appear to be connected.
An AFG and Associates shows up in similar complaints, with a BBB reported address in Santa Ana CA. There is also another cluster of related scam debt collectors (probably separate from the Corona group) with a longer history of operating in southern California, including several in the Santa Ana and surrounding regions.
It appears that a whole culture of such fraudulent collection operations has grown up, with the Corona Scam being one of the latest. This one appears to have been constructed to grow, with many different aliases to try to confound lawsuits or attempts to prosecute.
Rather like some of your Jacksonville friend, on steroids.
Although you also use AFG and Associates, from your more limited profile and BBB report it appears you are a separate company. I caught that distinction after finding the two separate BBB reports, and noting the difference in complaints. (You have very little showing up on 800notes, for example, in contrast to ANY of the Corona cluster.)I t is always hard to know the full truth when there are people trying to hide or confuse it.
My concern with the one complaint here was the mention of "criminal" in connection with a debt collection call, even though allegedly the debtor was "clear". That starts crossing lines, as I explained above, as debt collectors collecting on payday loans have long illegally pretended to be "investigators" or "officers" or made other forms of implied threats of prosecution, and such deceptions have resulted in fraud losses to consumers who do not even owe such "debts" to the callers.
As it appears that fraudulent debt collection is proliferating until the authorities decide to act more forcefully, it is important that legitimate debt collectors comply with the law to distinguish themselves from the scammers. If you can't maintain this distinction, you are likely to find your whole industry subject to increased regulation aimed at controlling criminal operators, but which will also damage you.
Here is one:
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/IwDlZUO5rwCnIwjOJPSk-w
Ms. Thomas said that I will be prosecuted to the full extend that the law will allow, she then wish me luck and said I should govern myself accordingly. This has been going on for at lease a month they have been call my home, my work and my cell phone and leaving me threats. The number they gave me to call back is 877-372-5594 ext 310
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-372-5594
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-800-1269
Note reports that they are impersonating court employees.
https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8778001269
Here is their deceptive Facebook page, implying that you can get sued. This exists only for the "benefit" of the victims who might search on their name, to create the appearance they are "real". Wow, they even have a logo.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allied-Financia ... 6494328?sk=info
"....
Founded December 20th, 2010
About Filing & Mediation
Description This firm is responsible for making recommendation on whether or not legal action needs to be pursued.
Mission To Accompany all of our clients needs and goals.
Phone 1-877-372-5594
..."
BBB report, rated "F". Appear to use a mail drop in Santa Ana.
http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Collec ... na-CA-100101301
No response to 5 complaints. They are hiding.
There are a number of fraudulent "debt collectors" operating out of southern California. Their MO is to call the victim, and often call relatives first, pretending to be a "process server" trying to "locate" them to "serve papers", implying that their is a "lawsuit". Instead of serving anything, they leave a number for the victim to call back, after which they try to con them into paying some fake "debt" to "settle" the "lawsuit".
"Pre-legal assistant" is a bunch of BS to imply she is working for some "attorney".
So is "case number", which is whatever number they make up. They often try to imply this is some docket number to imply a lawsuit has been filed.
Needing your "attorney's number" is more BS to imply you are being "sued". Real debt collectors, even if suing you, would not need your "attorney's number" to do so. They would simply serve the summons on you, and it would be your problem to find an attorney. The only exception would be if you had already notified them you were represented by councel, in which case they would already have your attorney's number and should not now be contacting you.
So is "prosecuted to the full extent that the law will allow". Unpaid, delinquent debt is generally a civil matter, and not prosecuted as a crime. The "full extent of the law" is basically NOTHING, as they cannot "prosecute". They are not some District Attorney,
"he then wish me luck and said I should govern myself accordingly"
They are even stealing lines from the Indian fake "debt" scammers.
Everything about this says this is a scam. They are trying to con you into paying them without ever providing any proof you owe them.
"This has been going on for at lease a month they have been call my home, my work and my cell phone and leaving me threats."
And yet all they do is keep threatening. If they were really a "law firm" they would have just sued after allowing 30 days from sending you their first letter, notifying you of the debt and of your right to disptue it. And did they send that "g" letter, required to be sent by FDCPA? Bet they didn't.
Check your credit reports, expecially Experian, and you will probably find they recently pulled one, often a few days before the harassing calls started. The inquiry might be under another name, so look for names you don't recognize as actual creditors. That is usually how this type of scam operates, find an old account, and pretend you owe it to them, while making illegal threats to panic you into "settling" quickly before you have time to check them out, or get any proof of the "debt".
This may be part of a known cluster of such fraudulent collection rackets, or it may be an independent one. Santa Ana is real close to Corona, center for the Corona Scam, which uses mail drops scattered about Corona and surrounding cities, often at UPS Stores. they currently use over 50 front names, trying to hide their locations and the extent of their activities. The MO matches.
It's a con.
File fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and the California Attorney General. There are reports the FTC may be investigating the rash of complaints pointing to the Corona area.
Address from BBB report:
AFG & Associates
(877) 800-1269
2321 East 4th Street Suite 449
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Address is a mail drop at a UPS Store, as expected.
http://orangecounty.citysearch.com/profile/ma ... /ups_store.html
Ups Store
(714) 569-9200
2321 E 4TH St Ste C
Santa Ana, CA 92705
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100916165848AA919g4
1) Call to mother, at address haven't lived at for years, on other side of the country. Common fake "process server" tactic.
2) "they said that I have a bench warrant" BS intended to create panic, imply they are court officials, or working with court officials.
3) "that they've attempted to make contact," yet calling across the country, common fake "process server" tactic.
4) "being sued" BS.
5) "gave her a docket number" implying a lawsuit. BS.
6) "I need to call them within the hour or they'll attempt to serve me papers again." intended to create panic, combined with the "bench warrant" threat of arrest.
7) She said she wasn't sure if she could get ahold of me within the hour, and the man on the phone said that he would have them wait a while longer to serve me. That set off red flags for her, but they made it seem like they were calling from a courthouse. "
deceptive implication of lawsuit and some action by the court was intended.
8) "They gave her a number for me to call and the docket number" same old routine, not what real process servers do.
9) 877-800-1269 identified as "Allied Financial Group and Associates"
10) "Mr. Alexander of AFG Associates" alias.
11) "they claimed to be representing Kay Jewelers, with whom I had an old bill for about $200 that I ceased paying after they refused to fix a piece or refund a piece of jewelry that I had purchased a protection plan for. "
Earlier threats imply "debt" is being faked, as they are using threats to avoid validation. Information matching an old real account indicates they are pulling credit reports to get their old account information, as expected.
12) "He seemed most interested in me "making payments to assure this did not go to court," which again, sounds fishy since legal representation WANTS to go to court and get their fees paid, as opposed to parties settling things out of court and on their own."
And yet earlier they were implying they had already "sued", and that there was a "bench warrant". Bunch of liars.
13) "third-party buyout collection agency" Consumer has been fooled into believing the old "debt" was bought. Indicators (threats and other deceptions) are they are faking, not buying, "debt".
14) "my credit is shot" Ideal target for this scam, easily visible from pulling credit reports.
Are there any "promotional" inquiries on your credit reports, under names not recognized as legitimate lenders?
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/cacdce/5:2011cv01623/514482/
Contact FTC if you are being harassed or threatened, or have been defrauded, by any of the Corona Scam fronts.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county ... ors-illegal.ece
The team of: Markham Investigations & Protection
Washington State